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January, 2010:

Active Volcano Tops My Destination of the Year List

Jan 28th, 2010
by WanderingJustin.
5 comments

In the middle of a never-ending, steep, dismal scree slope, I paused to catch my breath. Just a few hundred feet more, I thought. That wouldn’t get me to the top. That would just get me to a collection of rocks where I hoped I could actually get some footing. I was burning tons of energy as my heart hammered and my legs burned. All for seemingly nothing, as I seemed to lose half the distance I’d gained with each step. I kept my eyes locked on the ground in front of me, because a glance in any other direction would reveal how far away I was from solid ground, how far I’d already climbed, and how far I still had to go – all before descending and hiking another eight miles or so.
Some people might want this day to end, and to never have to think about it again. But me … I think about climbing New Zealand’s Mt. Ngauruhoe every single day. There are three photos of it in my cubicle at work. It’s my Twitter page background. I would climb it every week if I could.
Mt. Ngauruhoe, and the Tongariro National Park surrounding it, is nothing less than completely bewitching, and they are the combined winner of my 2009 Destination of the Year Award.
I’ve given you practical tips for climbing Mt. Ngauruhoe in this blog before. I’ve fustigated National Geographic for bungling a story about Tongariro. But this time, I’m just offering a homage to a fantastic [...]

Going to Costa Rica? 9 Tips to Help

Jan 23rd, 2010
by WanderingJustin.
2 comments

Costa Rica is not showing any signs of slowing as a popular destination for Americans. And for good reason. Find out why right here!

Who brews beer with bacon?

Jan 18th, 2010
by WanderingJustin.
2 comments

So what sort of a madman brews a beer with bacon? Why, just the sort of madman who knows bacon makes everything better.
I’ve seen beer brewed with all sorts of crazy stuff: dates, coconut, seaweed, dandelions. But damn … using a meat product? This psycho brewer is my sort of character – fearless and inventive. I say good luck to the crew at Uncommon Brewers. The world doesn’t need another IPA nearly as much as it needs some nutter looking at a rasher of bacon and thinking “Hmmm … how would that taste with some barley and hops?”

Some News on Local Phoenix Coffee

Jan 18th, 2010
by WanderingJustin.
1 comment

As you might know if you’ve been reading here awhile, I like quality coffee. I have a few little bits I’ve observed over the past few days. It’s obvious that downtown Phoenix is growing a solid coffee scene, but it’s spreading to other places, too. Enjoy!
That’s no space station … It’s a coffee bean!
Press Coffee introduced its new Dethstaar bean. The name reflects its African origin (as you can read in Roaster Tom’s post about it) and tidily protects Press from any legal unpleasantness. I still think Press needs to promote this by having a weekend where they’ll give a free shot to anyone dressed as Darth Vader, and a gift certificate to the silliest spin on a Darth Vader costume … I’ll pair my mask with my loudest western shirt and cowboy hat and call myself Garth Vader.
Tips and Profits Go to Haiti
My esteem for the excellent Sola Coffee Bar continues to rise. Not only is the staff skilled and exceptionally friendly, but they’re also generous. When I dropped in this weekend, they were donating tips and profits to relief efforts in Haiti. I hope that the goodwill they’re generating by being awesome gets rewarded.
Commitment to the Cappuccino
My buddy John at Conspire creates a top-quality cappuccino. Even better, he’s passing his knowledge on well. I saw a perfect example of that in Shane, one of his apprentices (continuing my Darth Vader theme here!). When he first started working there, his cap was pretty average. Better than the big box [...]

Make Your Bike Shift Like New

Jan 18th, 2010
by WanderingJustin.
No comments yet

It’s Mountain Bike Monday! Today I’ve got a great tip that will turn the clock back on your shifting and make it feel nearly brand new again.
This weekend, I was working my wife’s Gary Fisher Sugar, which she wants to sell since she’s gone down the Dark Path of triathlon and roadieism. I figured the next owner deserves to have everything run smoothly as possible.
And man, did the shifting on this bike ever suck! I found that odd since I’ve got an XTR shifter/brake combo calling the orders out to an XT derailleur. But the huge amount of effort required to downshift told me that this was a problem with the cable and housing.
See, as you ride, your cables can start to fray. It can also get odd kinks in it, along with the housing. That means big drag on your cable. Nothing will run smoothly when your cable is hanging up inside the housing.
I yanked the derailleur cable out along with the housing (and the same for my Fisher Cake 2 DLX), and hauled it down to Bike Barn, the nearest local bike shop. There, the friendly staff cut lengths of housing to match, plus set me up with endcaps (which go on the end of the cables when it’s cut to length) and ferules (which go on the cut ends of the housing). High-quality cutters that will go through housing are big bucks – I’ve heard the Hosan cutters I used as a mechanic at Adventure Bicycle Company [...]

Want to Meet Women? Lace Up Your Running Shoes

Jan 16th, 2010
by WanderingJustin.
No comments yet

A friend on Twitter linked to this Marie Claire article about where women can meet men. And I just cannot let this opportunity go by, even though it’s going to throw a monkey wrench into my editorial schedule.
Obviously, if Marie Claire is telling you about these places to meet women, you’d do well to heed their advice. But they left something out: the footrace.
You might not expect this, but from the middle of the pack back, a 10K race or half-marathon is ripe with opportunity for both genders. See, 5ks are no good. They’re over before you know it. A 10K or half-marathon lets you settle into a groove. You can troop along at a comfortable pace where you can actually talk as you run along.
Guys might expect that women are feeling to sweaty and gross to talk. But I haven’t experienced that – in fact, they seem more aggressive than men. I never ran a single foot race before getting into a long-term relationship with a marathoner who eventually turned triathlete. That means she takes me to the cleaners during most races, and I’m left on my own. Every single time I’ve run a 10K or half-marathon, I’ve gotten chatted up by a lone female runner.
I’d guess this is because mid-pack runners in these distances are feeling good about themselves, and they’re not overly concerned with snagging a winner’s medal. Their confidence is up, they feel less vulnerable because the guys aren’t trying to ply them with alcohol like [...]

Don’t Sound Clueless About Soccer – A 12-Point Primer

Jan 15th, 2010
by WanderingJustin.
1 comment

Hey, the 2010 FIFA World Cup is coming this summer! Even though it’s months away and on the other side of the globe, everyone here in the United States is going to hear about it.
In some (many, most?) cases, that will involve pudgy, ignorant, parochial sportswriters insisting that soccer isn’t a real sport since it doesn’t stop for a commercial break every 1.72 seconds, doesn’t feature double-digit scores and requires no special equipment to play. In rare instances, it will involve someone sticking it to The Man by insisting the country needs more soccer.
Since you’re likely to at some point talk about soccer in the coming months, I’m going to give you a soccer primer so you can trick people into thinking you know what you’re talking about.
1. Chelsea/Real Madrid – Both these clubs, one in the English Premier League and the other in Spain’s Primera Liga, are the New York Yankees of club soccer. I encourage you to hate on them both. Earn extra points for calling Chelsea “Chelski” as a slam against its Soviet Steinbrenner oil baron owner, Roman Abramovich.
2. Manager – Like baseball, the head dude in charge of a soccer team is a manager, not a coach. If you’re from Scotland or at least close to Newcastle, you can also call a manager “the gaffer.” Otherwise, you sound like a poseur. Especially if you’re from California.
3. Clean Sheet – This is what’s called a shutout in most other sports. Correct usage: “Edwin Van de Sar led the [...]

Wandering Justin’s Best of 2009

Jan 13th, 2010
by WanderingJustin.
5 comments

So, it has been a stellar year here at WanderingJustin.com. First, it has seen the creation of this here blog, rising from the ashes of my old No Crocs Allowed blog. So before I even go any further, I want to single out three other bloggers who really made this possible with technical advice: Stacy Holmstedt, The Blog Kitten and SpotCoolStuff.com. You are all awesome, and have been instrumental in the rise of WanderingJustin.com. In Stacy’s case, I’ve learned a bunch of HTML stuff that makes me a lot more useful at my day job. How cool is that? Thanks!
It’s been an excellent travel year for yours truly: New Zealand, Lake Tahoe, Boston, Washington, DC, San Diego … you’re doing alright when the dullest place is the nation’s capitol (and let me tell you, it is). Alright, let’s get on to the inaugural WanderingJustin.com Best of 2009 – just remember, I’m saving something for a post of its own: my Most Spectacular Place of the Year award.
Best Airline: Air New Zealand. Super-friendly and punctual. Part of the reason I want to visit New Zealand again is to enjoy a long-haul flight with its friendly staff – and see how it stacks up to Qantas, which I’d consider last year’s winner.
Best Bike Gadget: The Ergon GP-1 handlebar grip. This is simply the best $30 I ever spent on my bike. See my Associated Content review of the  Ergon GP-1.
Best Hike: The Tongariro Alpine Crossing. From 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., this [...]

Wandering Justin Elsewhere Online

Jan 12th, 2010
by WanderingJustin.
2 comments

Hey, I wound up in the New Times! They wanted to know what sort of edibles I’m slurping into my gullet. Check out Justin Schmid, What are you eating?. It features a photo of me menacing the camera with a half-eaten possum pie at the Sandfly Cafe somewhere between Franz Josef and Nelson in New Zealand.
Rene, our bus driver was thrilled as only a Naked Bus employee can be. During our break at the Sandfly Cafe, he went up to all the other passengers telling them that I was eating possum pie … he had very distinct “see, he ate it and didn’t die” tone in his voice. It was hysterical. When he was done telling everyone else, he wanted to talk to me about it.
“It’s easy to eat, i’n’t, mate?” he kept repeating.
Awesome guy. Best bus driver ever.
The post also has me extolling the virtues of Sun Up Brewing, golden beets and other cool things I like eating.

Oscar the Puppy Needs You!

Jan 11th, 2010
by WanderingJustin.
1 comment

Attention, Mountain Bike Monday fans! I’m pre-empting this week’s regularly scheduled feature to answer the call of a puppy in need. Read on!
Imagine what it’s like to be Oscar. This golden retriever/German shepherd mix was abandoned in an empty house with his littermate, left behind by the sort of people who shouldn’t have pets.
That’s when the mighty Doug burst into the house. My ol’ mountain bike buddy and his special lady friend were cruising around in Miami, Ariz., recently checking out houses. Something led them to this particular abandoned house. Good thing for Oscar and Molly, his sister.
Doug wasn’t about to ignore two puppies in need. So he loaded them up and took them home to care for them.
Here’s where it gets rough: Doug is about to head into some serious hip surgery, and he won’t be able to care for Oscar during his long recovery. He’s already found a home for Molly, but Oscar needs someone who will be able to keep up with him and his puppy antics. Plus Doug’s landlord isn’t cool with dogs, apparently.
This is one of those times when it’s really hard to be a travelin’ man with a dictatorial, possessive, territorial, imperialistic ol’ tomcat lording over the house. My frequent absences are okay for an independent animal, but the situation wouldn’t be very good for a dog.
So Oscar needs you, if you’re an big-hearted animal (even better if you have a yard to match that big heart).  In exchange for taking him in, he’ll be your [...]

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