Motorcycle Misadventures

China's Pollution Problem Goes Global

I just picked up December's Mother Jones to read this article about China. It's fascinating, and author Jacques Leslie has gathered all the facts, reporting in a more knowledgeable way what's happening in China than I was able to convey in my travelogue. Check it out. You (hopefully) won't shop the same after you read it. TIP: Print it out. This is a long complicated article and unless you're under 30 you probably won't like reading it online.

The Last Empire: China's Pollution Problem Goes Global
Can the world survive China's headlong rush to emulate the American way of life?
By Jacques Leslie
December 10, 2007

Misadventure: The TransAmerica Trail Does Me

The TransAmerica Trail Does Me

Thanks to TransAmerica Trail's Sam Correro for alerting me to this fabulous misadventure by Cantrma, who posted a 5-page ride report on Adventure Rider forum that had me riveted to my monitor from start to finish. Here's an excerpt:

Situation: Cold and wet and tired and hungry. Bike is upside down in ditch. Right hard bag is not longer quick disconnect due to mount breaking off in spill a week or so ago when I hurt my foot. I not only don't know where but even if the trail comes out and there's no getting back up that hill. The bike has four vital fluids, all required to leave: gas, oil, coolant, and battery acid. Loose much of any one of them, not unheard of when upside down, and I'm limping out. I haven't seen anyone since a logging crew a mile across the valley and that was 15 miles ago (for the record I didn't see anyone for an hour after either). I'm alone...

Favorite quote: Traveling alone. I lived through the bad and a partner would have ruined the rest.

Clear a couple of hours and read the rest.

Split to Split - Motorcycling the Makarska Riviera

Spent a heavenly day and a half on Hvar Island - Hvar Town was cute but I got tired of the tourists and rode east toward the mainland. Saw an apartment-pension sign on the road that pointed down to what I hoped was a beach and three km later landed at a jewel of a guesthouse crammed into a tiny inlet. There was a room available - the others were taken by retired Austrians who were fantastic as was our host who grilled fish for dinner, let me use the kayak, made great turkish coffee, had wine and campari and grappa on hand. Last night he woke us at 2 am to say that the sardine fishermen were just off shore and would we like to go see the catch...wow! Only the women were interested so Jacov loaded the three of us in his boat - no lifejackets I belatedly realized but hey, who am I to complain having just rode a motorcycle in Albania. The fishermen were very excited - there were lights and nets and lots of yelling. Sardines fetch 5 kron normally but in tourist season - now - they get 50.

More later when I can upload my dispatches - now I'm in Split looking around the palace, and headed to Trogir and perhaps beyond, hopefully beyond, today.

Carla

Responsible Land Use: Bush's Budget Cuts Acquisition

As I prepare to go to Colorado this summer to explore the great outdoors on Sam Correro's Trans America Trail, I continue to hope that we will have the wisdom to keep some of that great outdoors for generations to come to enjoy. Today the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) sent out a press release that disturbed me, part of which I've pasted in here:

While the Department of the Interior's budget is slated for a record $11 billion increase for FY05, the highly successful Land and Water Conservation Fund, which pays for land acquisition for parks and wildlife refuges and provides grants for land restoration and conservation, would be funded at a level $100 million below what Congress approved last year. The Interior budget request also contains deep cuts in endangered species programs. While the president requested increased funds for listing species as endangered, funding for recovery programs would be slashed by more than $9 million. The budget seeks to increase National Park Service funding by over $100 million, with about half of that total targeted at reducing the backlog of maintenance projects at national parks.

Continue reading this post for information on action you can take.