Friday, June 14, 2013
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Typhoon Bopha
I am thinking about sailing from Langkawi to Seattle this year. The departure window to get past the typhoons in this part of the world is May 2013.
The weather window for the North Pacific is also rather limited.
I need to sail from Langkawi to Japan in May + June 2013 and then from Japan to Seattle in July + August 2013.
It's about 8,000 miles requiring about 80 days at sea in 120 days.
Rather intimidating.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Left Fork Cutler Creek Trail
Olaf came in at the crack of dawn with plans for an early hike. There is a monsoon airflow over us right now and it's leading to convective rain in the afternoons starting at about 1:30pm. That limits the hiking time to mornings only – and needing early starts.
I quickly packed – filling the water bottles and making sure everything else I might need was still in my pack. I'd left the Platypus full of water and it seems to have leached some of the plastic flavor out. I'll have to keep trying.
I then had a quick breakfast and we were out the door a little after 7am. The next discussion was about where to go. First suggestion was up Black Bear Creek and then down Engineer Pass – but that seemed like a bit more than could be done in a morning. We thought about just going up and down Black Bear Creek, but Olaf had been there the day before.
So we came up with the trails near Dexter Creek … which we didn't quite know since we'd forgotten a map. I remembered there were several starting from the same trail head that went up radiating up valleys with a trail connecting them along the ridgeline. But this wasn't the most popular of locations, so the trails might have been only on the maps and not on the ground. The Ouray Hiking Group tends to claim some trails which are not 100% actual.
We drove past the Dexter Creek turn and out to the end of the road for the Subaru. We were above the houses in the canyon just outside of Ouray. When you get up it's always amazing how many houses are out in the bush. Everyone wants their 5 acres with a view.
We walked up the road for about 1.7 miles and came to the actual trailhead to Cutler Creek. When we went up the trail to the sign-in box where there was a map so we could see what we wanted to attempt. We could head up any of the valleys, and once at the top walk along the ridge to the north until we came to the next choice which would allow us to return. It the trails actually existed.
The Cutler Creek trail started like a real trail. Clear dirt to walk on. Our first choice was to turn onto the Okeson Trail. But it didn't seem to exist. There was a meadow with no track across it, nor any sign of something leading into the trees on the far side. So we stuck to the Cutler Creek - which then split into the Cutler Creek proper and the Left Fork.
We took the Left Fork, since it went up, and it seemed a little more like a trail. Both were rather grassy and narrow.
The trail was rather nice, following a small stream on the cool shady side of the valley. We then discovered a gully that was about 4ft deep beside the trail which had recently been full of water – the grass on the sides was still flattened. A little father on there was another channel which had covered the trail with dirt and rocks – and then we came to the third channel which had buried about 75 ft of trail under mud and rocks.
There had been a bit of a flash flood in the area, probably on the Saturday two days earlier. The lower main river hadn't shown any signs of the flood – but some of the higher really showed signs of the moving water.
And then we got into the hail zone. Lots of Aspen leaves down and pine branch tips covering the trail. Some of the gullies still had piles of hail in them. It made us remember our plans to be back by 1:30pm. Getting wet and cold is one thing – dealing with flash floods is another.
We were getting near to the top when we came to a steep meadow with no trail across it. there were some posts and cairns going straight up, so we followed them to the far side and then stumbled upon the trail again.
Some more up, and then we were on the ridge … but still in the trees, so there wasn't much to see. The trail to the north was rather thin, and we didn't have time for exploring. We decided to go south on the stronger ridgeline trail and then turn around and go back the way we'd come.
We found a view point that allowed us to look at Courthouse Mt. - the walk of two days ago. All you see from almost all angles in the cliffs that make the halls of the shape. The almost 45deg slope of the triangle on top of the cliffs reflects climb on the trail up the back – and average of 18% gradient, with the top third 28%.
After the look it was time to retract our steps. Going down the trail didn't look anything like it did going up. As the seasons change the trails also become completely different experiences.
We got back to the car just as the rain and thunder and lightening arrived. The walk was 10 miles up and down. It started at 8,229 and rose 2,640 ft to 10,869. It took us about 5.5 hrs with no stops, since we were back by late lunchtime.
Left Fork Cutler Creek Trail
Flash-flood damage
Courthouse Mt view at the top of the trail
I quickly packed – filling the water bottles and making sure everything else I might need was still in my pack. I'd left the Platypus full of water and it seems to have leached some of the plastic flavor out. I'll have to keep trying.
I then had a quick breakfast and we were out the door a little after 7am. The next discussion was about where to go. First suggestion was up Black Bear Creek and then down Engineer Pass – but that seemed like a bit more than could be done in a morning. We thought about just going up and down Black Bear Creek, but Olaf had been there the day before.
So we came up with the trails near Dexter Creek … which we didn't quite know since we'd forgotten a map. I remembered there were several starting from the same trail head that went up radiating up valleys with a trail connecting them along the ridgeline. But this wasn't the most popular of locations, so the trails might have been only on the maps and not on the ground. The Ouray Hiking Group tends to claim some trails which are not 100% actual.
We drove past the Dexter Creek turn and out to the end of the road for the Subaru. We were above the houses in the canyon just outside of Ouray. When you get up it's always amazing how many houses are out in the bush. Everyone wants their 5 acres with a view.
We walked up the road for about 1.7 miles and came to the actual trailhead to Cutler Creek. When we went up the trail to the sign-in box where there was a map so we could see what we wanted to attempt. We could head up any of the valleys, and once at the top walk along the ridge to the north until we came to the next choice which would allow us to return. It the trails actually existed.
The Cutler Creek trail started like a real trail. Clear dirt to walk on. Our first choice was to turn onto the Okeson Trail. But it didn't seem to exist. There was a meadow with no track across it, nor any sign of something leading into the trees on the far side. So we stuck to the Cutler Creek - which then split into the Cutler Creek proper and the Left Fork.
We took the Left Fork, since it went up, and it seemed a little more like a trail. Both were rather grassy and narrow.
The trail was rather nice, following a small stream on the cool shady side of the valley. We then discovered a gully that was about 4ft deep beside the trail which had recently been full of water – the grass on the sides was still flattened. A little father on there was another channel which had covered the trail with dirt and rocks – and then we came to the third channel which had buried about 75 ft of trail under mud and rocks.
There had been a bit of a flash flood in the area, probably on the Saturday two days earlier. The lower main river hadn't shown any signs of the flood – but some of the higher really showed signs of the moving water.
And then we got into the hail zone. Lots of Aspen leaves down and pine branch tips covering the trail. Some of the gullies still had piles of hail in them. It made us remember our plans to be back by 1:30pm. Getting wet and cold is one thing – dealing with flash floods is another.
We were getting near to the top when we came to a steep meadow with no trail across it. there were some posts and cairns going straight up, so we followed them to the far side and then stumbled upon the trail again.
Some more up, and then we were on the ridge … but still in the trees, so there wasn't much to see. The trail to the north was rather thin, and we didn't have time for exploring. We decided to go south on the stronger ridgeline trail and then turn around and go back the way we'd come.
We found a view point that allowed us to look at Courthouse Mt. - the walk of two days ago. All you see from almost all angles in the cliffs that make the halls of the shape. The almost 45deg slope of the triangle on top of the cliffs reflects climb on the trail up the back – and average of 18% gradient, with the top third 28%.
After the look it was time to retract our steps. Going down the trail didn't look anything like it did going up. As the seasons change the trails also become completely different experiences.
We got back to the car just as the rain and thunder and lightening arrived. The walk was 10 miles up and down. It started at 8,229 and rose 2,640 ft to 10,869. It took us about 5.5 hrs with no stops, since we were back by late lunchtime.
Left Fork Cutler Creek Trail
Flash-flood damage
Courthouse Mt view at the top of the trail
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
Branding the virtual me
I am slowly cleaning up my 'brand' – i.e. my virtual life. Amazon now has my three books – The Binding Returned, The World Revealed, and The Goddess Reborn in their paperback and Kindle editions all mentioning each other and showing up on my Author Page. I just have to get my Author Page to reflect me – 'Jeffrey Morrow Miller', and not all the other 'Jeffrey Miller' people who write, or have backgrounds in ecological research very similar to mine.
And then there is the famous 'Jeffrey Miller' who was shot at Kent State on May 4, 1970.
And then there is the famous 'Jeffrey Miller' who was shot at Kent State on May 4, 1970.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
The Books Of Time
The Binding Returned
Volume 1 of 4 of DOOR, the first of The Five Books Of Time
The World Revealed
Volume 2 of 4 of DOOR, the first of The Five Books Of Time
The Goddess Reborn
Volume 3 of 4 of DOOR, the first of The Five Books Of Time
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Failed to load the packagelist in ubunutu 12.04
For no apparent reason Ubuntu decided to no longer update itself. This has happened before and I needed to kill the package list and get a fresh version.
I found the following advice and it worked:
Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open a terminal and use this
sudo rm /var/lib/apt/lists/* -vf
sudo apt-get update
should take care of it
I found the following advice and it worked:
Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open a terminal and use this
sudo rm /var/lib/apt/lists/* -vf
sudo apt-get update
should take care of it
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
US Senator Michael Bennet states his position on Indefinite Detention
Dear Jeffrey:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the provisions addressing detainee matters in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012, S. 1867. I appreciate hearing from you.
As you may know, the Senate recently debated several NDAA provisions addressing detainee matters. One provision, Section 1031 of the bill, attempts to codify the President’s authority to detain members of al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States. As requested by the Obama Administration, Section 1031 contains a provision explicitly clarifying that it does not expand the President’s existing authority to detain. A second provision, Section 1032, requires military custody of al-Qaeda members who attack or make plans to attack the United States. It is important to point out that, under this provision, the Executive Branch has the flexibility to keep a covered detainee in civilian custody, pursuant to a national security determination, or to transfer a military detainee for trial in the civilian courts. The bill also includes provisions relating to the transfer of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay.
Many had concerns that the detainee provisions in the NDAA amounted to a major shift in U.S. policy. Some news reports characterized the provisions of the bill as potentially allowing the indefinite detention of any U.S. citizen for any reason. Let me clearly state that the bill does not authorize any such action. In fact, by codifying the specific authority of the President, Congress has reengaged on a very important national security issue and attempted to clarify what the President can and cannot do. This is a noteworthy departure from prior post-9/11 Congress which have not come to consensus on a detainee legal framework.
Nevertheless, I am concerned that the detainee provisions could raise questions regarding the process by which the Administration detains and prosecutes members of al-Qaeda who attempt to attack the U.S. For example, we must ensure that the military custody provisions do not hamper the Administration’s ability to prosecute a detainee in civilian courts if it determines that this is the most appropriate venue.
Senator Mark Udall from Colorado offered an amendment to the NDAA that would have removed the underlying provisions addressing detainee matters. Instead, it would have required full participation from the Administration and the Senate Armed Services, Judiciary, and Intelligence committees prior to legislation codifying detainee policies. Due to my concerns with the provisions, I supported Senator Udall’s amendment. Unfortunately, it was defeated by a vote of 38 to 60.
I also supported an amendment introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein of California to clarify that Section 1031 does not affect existing law or authorities relating to the detention of U.S. citizens, lawful resident aliens of the U.S., or any other persons who are captured in the United States. Senator Feinstein’s amendment passed handily.
Given the complexity and importance of this issue, and the heated rhetoric and confusion about the actual wording of the detainee provisions, I invite you to read them for yourself. You can find them at page 426 of S. 1867, which you can access here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:SN01867:|/home/LegislativeData.php.
The overall bill, including the language of Senator Feinstein’s amendment, makes it abundantly clear that the detainee provisions do not affect existing law relating to the detention of U.S. citizens. In addition, I plan to work with the Administration to ensure that it has the flexibility to prosecute detainees in the most effective ways possible. In the end, I voted yes on the overall bill, which sets annual pay for our troops and provides the tools that keep them safe. The NDAA passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support (93 to 7) and must now be reconciled with the House version of the NDAA.
I value the input of fellow Coloradans in considering the wide variety of important issues and legislative initiatives that come before the Senate. I hope you will continue to inform me of your thoughts and concerns.
For more information about my priorities as a U.S. Senator, I invite you to visit my website at http://bennet.senate.gov/. Again, thank you for contacting me.
Sincerely,
Michael Bennet
United States Senator
Thank you for contacting me regarding the provisions addressing detainee matters in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012, S. 1867. I appreciate hearing from you.
As you may know, the Senate recently debated several NDAA provisions addressing detainee matters. One provision, Section 1031 of the bill, attempts to codify the President’s authority to detain members of al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States. As requested by the Obama Administration, Section 1031 contains a provision explicitly clarifying that it does not expand the President’s existing authority to detain. A second provision, Section 1032, requires military custody of al-Qaeda members who attack or make plans to attack the United States. It is important to point out that, under this provision, the Executive Branch has the flexibility to keep a covered detainee in civilian custody, pursuant to a national security determination, or to transfer a military detainee for trial in the civilian courts. The bill also includes provisions relating to the transfer of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay.
Many had concerns that the detainee provisions in the NDAA amounted to a major shift in U.S. policy. Some news reports characterized the provisions of the bill as potentially allowing the indefinite detention of any U.S. citizen for any reason. Let me clearly state that the bill does not authorize any such action. In fact, by codifying the specific authority of the President, Congress has reengaged on a very important national security issue and attempted to clarify what the President can and cannot do. This is a noteworthy departure from prior post-9/11 Congress which have not come to consensus on a detainee legal framework.
Nevertheless, I am concerned that the detainee provisions could raise questions regarding the process by which the Administration detains and prosecutes members of al-Qaeda who attempt to attack the U.S. For example, we must ensure that the military custody provisions do not hamper the Administration’s ability to prosecute a detainee in civilian courts if it determines that this is the most appropriate venue.
Senator Mark Udall from Colorado offered an amendment to the NDAA that would have removed the underlying provisions addressing detainee matters. Instead, it would have required full participation from the Administration and the Senate Armed Services, Judiciary, and Intelligence committees prior to legislation codifying detainee policies. Due to my concerns with the provisions, I supported Senator Udall’s amendment. Unfortunately, it was defeated by a vote of 38 to 60.
I also supported an amendment introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein of California to clarify that Section 1031 does not affect existing law or authorities relating to the detention of U.S. citizens, lawful resident aliens of the U.S., or any other persons who are captured in the United States. Senator Feinstein’s amendment passed handily.
Given the complexity and importance of this issue, and the heated rhetoric and confusion about the actual wording of the detainee provisions, I invite you to read them for yourself. You can find them at page 426 of S. 1867, which you can access here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:SN01867:|/home/LegislativeData.php.
The overall bill, including the language of Senator Feinstein’s amendment, makes it abundantly clear that the detainee provisions do not affect existing law relating to the detention of U.S. citizens. In addition, I plan to work with the Administration to ensure that it has the flexibility to prosecute detainees in the most effective ways possible. In the end, I voted yes on the overall bill, which sets annual pay for our troops and provides the tools that keep them safe. The NDAA passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support (93 to 7) and must now be reconciled with the House version of the NDAA.
I value the input of fellow Coloradans in considering the wide variety of important issues and legislative initiatives that come before the Senate. I hope you will continue to inform me of your thoughts and concerns.
For more information about my priorities as a U.S. Senator, I invite you to visit my website at http://bennet.senate.gov/. Again, thank you for contacting me.
Sincerely,
Michael Bennet
United States Senator
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