Gadling Podcast: Quit Your job

by Erik Olsen on

It is my
guess that very few folks know that June 24th is the International Day of
Leisure. I didn’t. But that doesn’t mean it’s not something to add to your calendar. But more than that, I wonder
how many have ever considered taking not just a day, but a whole year off. Ditching the cube and the bleat of the fax
machine for 365 days of travel or self-improvement?

Well, that’s what our newest podcast is all
about. Our interview is with is with Dean LaTourrette and Kristine Enea, the authors of the new book: Time Off: The Upside to Downtime. These two "leisure
experts" explain how they came to write the book, and tell some stories and details about how you, too, can bail
for a year…or a month…or however long it takes you to make your life a little richer.

Give a
listen.

Host: Erik Olsen.
Format: 22 minutes

General Ecology Water Purifier

by Erik Olsen on

Heading out on a long trip a while back I made sure to pack my
handy MSR water filter. It really does the job when you’re in a place
where good water is scarce. But as most folks know, water filters don’t necessarily do the full job on your water. Some
nasty microbes might get through and turn your trip into one long need to go to the bathroom. Well, I was reading in a
magazine recently about these chemical free water
purification systems from General Ecology.

These purifiers apparently use a”Structured Matrix” chemical-free technology (fancy term!) that serves to remove
viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, as well as  organic and inorganic chemical and aesthetic contaminants. The First
Need Water Purifiers have gotten some decent reviews and might be worth checking out if you’re in the market for a new
water purifying system.

Biking Utah

by Erik Olsen on

We’ve posted here about mountain biking in Utah I know not how many times.
We’ve talked a bit about Moab and several other great places to ride out your fat tire fantasies. Well, we’re going to
post one more thing about biking in Utah…and then even more after that.

 

One of our favorite magazines of all time,
Outside, has got a sweet
recommendation this month on biking in Utah. They call out the Telluride-to-Moab mountain-bike route, a 215-mile pedal
that takes you from 14,000-foot peaks and spruce-carpeted slopes down to the twisting canyons of Utah’s red-rock
country.  The ride and trail is apparently run San Juan Hut Systems, and
seems to me the makings of a very cool summer trip.

Mountain Biking Mt. St. Helens

by Erik Olsen on

Although Mt. St. Helens is known by those outside the state
of Washington as the place where Mother Nature exploded in volcanic fury all those years ago, locals know the area as
one of the finest Meccas for mountain biking around. Mountain Biking Magazine
has a piece on the amazing
single-track riding that is available for fat-tire fans looking for some vigorous riding among the debris and rebirth
of St. Helens. While many of the old trails there are still closed off because of eruption concerns, others like the
Lewis River Trail are open and inviting. If you’re planning a bike trip to Mt. St. Helen’s check the
Forest Service site for updates on
where you can ride, hike and camp.

Photo of the Day: (5/29/05)

by Erik Olsen on

Keeping with the California theme today,
here’s
a great photo of one of those cool irrigation systems used in the Central Valley. The use of black and white here
really captures the sky nicely, but the irrigation machine itself looks almost like something out of a Star Wars
film.