Would-be solo Round the world pioneer
Steve Fossett might be having fuel
problems and have to stop early. Fossett has been in flight for more than 40 hours, and said he’s been sneaking in tiny
three minutes naps. But the fuel problem could hinder his efforts. His crew says that once the plane is over
Hawaii, hopefully by late tonight, the fuel will be assessed again to determine if there is enough to make it to
the west coast of North America.
Watching the Whales
It’s that time again. When an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 endangered humpback whales, consisting of approximately
two-thirds of the North Pacific stock, heave their flukes and bail on the frigid feeding grounds off Alaska to frolic
for a couple of months in the wonderful warm waters of Hawaii where they breed and calve.
The writer heads out on a whale-watching
expedition and spots some of the massive mammals hanging out.
NYTimes – Another Airline Ban
I will spare our readers a rant on the futility of such a measure, but it now
appears that you can add lighters to the list of items you cannot bring on plane. That includes checked baggage. The
reasoning behind this? Remember Richard Reid, the guy that almost blew up a plane by lighting his shoes? He was
caught when someone smelled the distinct odor of matches being struck. The FBI concluded that if Mr Reid
had used a lighter, the bomb would have exploded. So, in what can only be considered a feat of
deductive logic worthy of Sherlock Holmes - lighters are no longer allowed but – you guessed it – matches
are. Am I alone in thinking there must be some better way to spend my tax dollars than to come up with half-baked
security policies? By the way, if you need a nytimes (or any other ”irritation” website) login, check out
www.bugmenot.com.
Real Airline Discounts (?)
I wouldn’t normally post advertised airline fares… I seem to get twenty of them
daily and they never end up being quite right - ”Chicago to Orlando $80!”. Sounds great until you call them up and
find out the fare is only good if you connect in Dubai, Papa New Guinea, Los Angeles, take the ferry to San Diego, bike
over the Andes mountains while being chased by rabid dogs…. and leave in 20 minutes. Otherwise, if you want to actually
fly there it’s $412 plus tax. For once though, I came across a promotion which actually is sticking to fares
posted, so here it is. If they don’t honor a price for
you, post a comment.
Hanging with Grey Whales
If petting grey whales has always been a dream (and why wouldn’t it be?), you might find
this story of interest. After years of hunting nearly wiped them
out, the whales have made an outstanding comeback.
They now number between 20 and 40 thousand and are still friendly to us! The whales engage in one of
the longest migrations of any mammal. They begin near the Bering Sea in the north and swiw slowly
south along the Pacific Coast of North America, stopping only for In-and-Out Burgers before reaching Baja. You can
interact with them in Baja until March or early April…so get busy and go pet those whales.