I purchased a pair of Panoptx riding glasses about two months ago from Colonial Harley-Davidson, in Colonial Heights, Va. Recently, on a trip from Virginia back down to South Carolina, the fabric on the outside of the eye-cup started to come loose. Within a few miles it started to flap in front of my eye. To make a roadside “repair” I snipped it off. It worked to get me home, but now the rest of the fabric is starting to peel off. Today, only about 25 minutes ago actually, I sent Panoptx an email to see what could be done about it. Within 5 minutes, yes.. FIVE MINUTES.. I had a response, asking for my mailing address so that they could send me a replacement eyecup at no charge. Hell yea! Go Panoptx! Aside from this little fabric issue, these glasses have been rock solid. I don’t know how I ever rode without ‘em….. I see Panoptx advertisements in my future. (no pun intended)

Do yourself a favor and check ‘em out: Panoptx.com

Andrew Skurka set out on April 9th 2007 to be the first to hike the Great Western Loop, a 6,875 mile trek. This is the same guy that became the first to hike the 7,778 mile Sea to Sea Route back in 2005. During that trip he phoned home to his mom, who updated his website. This time around backpackinglight has in-depth coverage, including video and audio updates, photos, and an interactive map. Also, GoLite who is one of his main sponsors, has also dedicated a portion of their website to his trek.

I first came across the name “Andrew Skurka” back in 2004, when I was planning my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. His ideas and detailed explanation of gear choices greatly influenced the gear and ultra-light hiking philosophies I took along with me on the AT. I’ll be keeping up with his trek, and thinking about my next adventure as I do. I encourage you do to the same. Happy Trails!

• AndrewSkurka.com
• Backpackinglight’s coverage
• GoLite’s coverage

Whew, traffic is rough out here folks. We (Christina, Dixie, & I) are headed to The Great Smoky Mountains! We’ve only got the weekend, so we’ll be spending only one night in the woods. Christina has never been, so we’re both excited for her. I keep warning of all th bears in the Smokies, but I can’t seem to scare her. She’s bluh-ee fearless I tell ya!

We just saw about 10 state boys lined up on the opposite (east bound) side of the interstate. Another half mile up sat an unmarked black impala shootin’ radar. I reckon they was tryin’ to make dem some mun-ee.

“Eh Jon-Boy, finish dem eggs.. I got’s big plans for us dis mornin’..”
Lowers paper plate from in front of face, wiping his mouth clean as he does so.. “wad’s dat might be? We gonna sit down da corna and n eats us sum seeds?”

“Boy! We be troopers now.. We gots ta serve da public.. n protect em. We gon’ make da state sum mun-ee today, jimmy. Gets in yer Impala.. n take dis speed gun wit ya. I’mma sit down round da corna.. Here, take dis radio box n yell at me wit some fancy numbahs when u gets one speedin’.. We gonna be police chief bafore you’d know it.”

That’s it for now.. More later.

Posted from my iPhone

Hey folks.. just a quick note..

I added some google ads to the side bar. Hopefully this will help offset hosting costs. The ads should start displaying links relevant to my content within a day or two. That’s it for now..

Peace

iDay, originally uploaded by kenseals.

21st in line is where i stood. The geeks, the techies, the cell phone junkies, and the loyal apple fanboys made up the line outside the ATT store in Columbia, SC. But these stereotypes weren’t the only ones waiting, sweating, laughing, communing with one another. There were moms, dads, business professionals, teachers, grandfathers, and military personnel. All stood willingly, eagerly awaiting the 6pm release of the Apple iPhone.

Some waited all day, from dawn to dusk under the Carolina Sun. Others waited only an hour or two. I arrived at the ATT store around 5:15pm and snagged the 21st place in line. In front of me was Dan, a middle-aged fella sporting khakis and a fitted tee. He didnt say much, but laughed often. Behind me stood a young lady from Germany. She carried a gophone like you’d find at your local convenience store. She even had it equipped with a WIRED ear piece. Nearby was an older fella. 62? A loyal mac user since 1985, he caught my attention when he mentioned the numbers 10.4.10, signifying his knowledge of Apple’s latest public OSX build.

We stood together. Sharing stories and stealing laughs from one another. When 6pm came along we applauded in unison as the first customers, those who waited all day, stepped inside to be crowned iPhone owners and users. Moments later, when the first iPhone stepped outside, there were shouts of joy, hoots and hollers, adrenaline driven screams and smiles that could rival a child’s on Christmas morning. Full of excitement, I too soon had an iPhone in my hand. When I stepped out of the store I held my iPhone high over my head and gave a nice, “helllllllllllllll YEA!” to the 50 or more remaining in line. Minutes later I was at my computer, letting my iPhone activate and sync with all my music and videos in iTunes.

So, the iPhone, how is it?

If the dictionary was a Wiki, “phone” would be replaced with “iPhone”. As soon as I began using the iPhone, there was no doubt this was a revolutionary device. I was literally reaching in and grabbing the contact I was looking for. I was flipping through my album collection one at a time. I was elegantly manipulating web pages to get to the information I was looking for. It’s the same feeling I got when I booted up my first computer and logged onto the internet for the first time. The iPhone has opened a world of possibilities.

What does it do best?

Everything. Everything that the iPhone attempts to do, it does extremely well. The phone application is flawless. Dialing a number is as easy as flicking through your contacts and touching the name you’re looking for. The web browser breaks new ground. It loads a page, just as you’d see it on your full-size computer. Yet, it’s on a 3.5 inch display. See an area of interest? Double tap and it fills the screen. Want to scroll down? Flick the screen with your finger. The iPhone truly is the best iPod Apple has ever made. No longer are you confined to a list of songs and albums. Now you can browse your music by grabbing it and flicking through. It’s all at your fingertips, literally.

Will I go into more detail?

I won’t in this article. There have been millions of very detailed reviews explaining the iPhone in great detail. I will however answer any questions received in the comments. I will also soon post what I’d like to see added to the iPhone through a free software update.

Lastly, I’d like to point out this post was written on my iPhone