"This 1980's Camper Thinks It's an S.U.V."

In case you haven't read it yet, The Adventure Life reprinted a wonderful New York Times article by Chris Dixon from 2003 about the Volkswagen Sycnro. Why? Because Steve Casimiro, the man behind TAL, just bought one himself:

I have been searching for the perfect adventure vehicle for years. Pickup trucks with camper shells, SUVs, Sportsmobiles, pop-up trailers…none of them have been right for me. Then I discovered the Volkswagen Westfalia Syncro van. Forget everything you know about VW vans—this extremely rare model has a military-inspired chassis and full-time four-wheel-drive with locking differential. It sleeps four, has a fridge, sink, and stove, fits in the driveway, and will go anywhere.Unfortunately, it hasn’t been made since 1991. And it was only available for six years, with just 1,500 sold. However, after 18 months of searching, I finally found the right one and last week I pulled the trigger and dropped a big pile of cash on a beautiful 1990 model. With a new Subaru engine, it cruises the freeway at 75 and, though I’ve only used one tank of gas, gets 24 mpg. I couldn’t be happier.

Read the rest of the article and see a ton of great pictures, including the sea-foam Syncro that Chris Dixon just fixed up for Jimmy Buffett, at The Adventure Life.Youtube: Jimmy Buffett - God Don't Own A Car

Anza-Borrego

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is named after 1700s Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza (also the namesake for the Juan Bautista de Anza National Scenic Trail) and from the Spanish word Borrego meaning Bighorn sheep. With 600,000 acres that include one fifth of San Diego County within its borders, Anza-Borrego is the largest State Park in California, and after New York's Adirondack Park, it's the second largest one in all the continental United States.MP3: Sugar Minott - Good Thing Going*MP3: Sugar Minott - Just Don't Wanna Be Lonely

National Park Service Rangers

The term "Ranger" was first applied to a reorganization of the Fire Warden force in the Adirondack Park, after 1899 when fires burned 80,000 acres in the park. The name was taken from Rogers' Rangers, a small force famous for their woodcraft that fought in the area during the French and Indian War in 1755. The term was then adopted by the National Park Service.The first Director of the National Park Service, Stephen T. Mather, summed up the early park rangers as follows:

They are a fine, earnest, intelligent, and public-spirited body of men, these rangers. Though small in number, their influence is large. Many and long are the duties heaped upon their shoulders. If a trail is to be blazed, it is "send a ranger." If an animal is floundering in the snow, a ranger is sent to pull him out; if a bear is in the hotel, if a fire threatens a forest, if someone is to be saved, it is "send a ranger." If a Dude wants to know the why, if a Sagebrusher is puzzled about a road, it is "ask the ranger." Everything the ranger knows, he will tell you, except about himself.****

****Lots more photos after the jump.

Powdered Eggs

Yes, it's always nice to have fresh eggs while camping, but for the excursions that last more than a night or two, that just ain't going to happen. Try bringing along little bags of the yellow powder that lives atop your fridge in a huge Honeyville tin can. For one reason or another, I had never really considered the powdered egg, but I'm a sucker for a hot meal in the morning, and while oatmeal is one of life's great pleasures, it's been good to change up the morning routine. (Bring the Pocket Rocket.)Scared of them? No, of course not. Because they're not bad. At all. In fact, they're damn good. (Eggs whites are all hunky dory for breakfast before work, but before a long hike, I opt for the whole egg.) Does a body good-ish.  And if you want to know how they're made, here's what Honeyville has to say:

Egg products are processed in sanitary facilities under rigorous inspection by the United States Department of Agriculture.  The first step in making egg products is breaking the eggs and separating the yolks and whites from the unwanted shells.  Eggs are processed by automated equipment that move the eggs from flats, wash and sanitize the shells, break the eggs and separate the whites and the yolks or keeps them together for whole egg products.  The liquid egg products is filtered, mixed, and then chilled prior to additional processing.  This liquid egg product (in a pasteurized format) is what you get when you re-hydrate your powdered egg product.  From here the egg product is pasteurized.  The law requires that all egg products distributed for consumption be pasteurized.  This means they must be rapidly heated and held at a minimum required temperature for a specified time.  This process destroys Salmonella and any other bacteria, but does not cook the egg or affect the color, flavor, or nutritional value.  Dried egg products are powdered by spraying the liquid egg into a heated drying room.  The powder is left in the drying room for a specified time to get the desired consistency.

Grand Prismatic Spring

The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world. It is approximately 70 feet in diameter and over 121 feet deep. The spring discharges an estimated 560 US gallons of 160 °F (70 °C) water per minute.The vivid colors in Grand Prismatic are the result of pigmented bacteria in the microbial mats that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The bacteria produce colors ranging from green to red; the amount of color in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and on the temperature of the water that favors one bacterium over another. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green. The center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.

MSR Pocket Rocket

MSR Pocket Rocket is no doubt one of the best purchases you'll ever make. The little, water-boiling, quesadilla-making 3 oz. stove has been a staple in my pack (and I'm sure most of yours) for many years, and using it is always one of my favorite parts about camping. There are few things better than getting to your campsite, setting up your tent, pulling out your Crazy Creek and finding a good flat surface so you can cook your dinner and read your book. (The Pocket Rocket and Crazy Creek Hexalite should be packaged together. They're peanut butter and jelly.) The stove is small, cheap ($30 or so), has great heat control and is as reliable as the ol' Subaru. The design is so simple, you feel like you're using something 100 years old.If you don't already have a Pocket Rocket for your summer/fall excursions, go try one out. You'll like it so much that you'll want to cook dinner on your bedroom floor when you get home from work.**In any proper "review" you're supposed to list the negatives along with positives, and if I were to do that, I'd have say something about canister stoves and below freezing temperatures, but there's no reason to think of that torture right now...

Kiowa Five


The Smithsonian has an AMAZING collection of Kiowa Drawings, including the above paintings from the Kiowa Five -- Spencer Asah, James Auchiah, Jack Hokeah, Stephen Mopope, Monroe Tsatoke and, briefly, Lois Smokey, available to look at through their online gallery. The Kiowa Five studied at the University of Oklahoma in the late 1920s and were prominent in the development of contemporary Indian painting. Their paintings were effectively promoted by their professor, Oscar B. Jacobson, through international exhibition and a limited-edition portfolio, plates of which are included in the collection.Also included in the collection is the Silverhorn Target Record Book, a series of drawings that appear in a book used for recording Army target practice sessions. Most of the drawings are by Silver Horn (Haungooah), but some drawings are by other, unknown artists. The drawings were made in the 1890s while Silver Horn was enlisted in Troop L of the 7th Cavalry, based at Fort Sill, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).****The National Anthropological Archives offers digital images of every photograph and work of art in its collection for $50. Order here.

Lampyridae

The next time you're treated to a firefly/lightning bug show this summer, impress/bore the two gals/guys who are sharing your campsite with a little bit of science/common knowledge....

Fireflies are actually beetles who are nocturnal members of the family Lampyridae. There are about 2,000 firefly species who live in a variety of warm environments. Fireflies love moisture and often live in humid regions of Asia and the Americas, and in drier areas, they are found around wet or damp areas that retain moisture.Fireflies have dedicated light organs that are located under their abdomens. They take in oxygen and, inside special cells, combine it with a substance called luciferin to produce light with almost no heat. (Say it a few times so you won't forget it. Luciferin. Luciferin.)Firefly light is usually intermittent, and flashes in patterns that are unique to each species. Each blinking pattern is an optical signal that helps fireflies find potential mates. Scientists are not sure how the insects regulate this process to turn their lights on and off.And there you have it. Bring a jar and go the movies.MP3: Dolly Parton - Fire That Keeps You Warm

Campbellsville Apparel

I don't usually tout too many clothing companies on this rag, but what the hell, right? Campbellsville Apparel, located in Campbellsville, Kan-Tuck-Ee, is the largest supplier of undershirts and underwear briefs to the United States military services. (A picture of a soldier wearing one of the shirts was posted on A Continuous Lean a couple of days back.) The shirts are 100% moisture wicking polyester, cheap (3 for $12), have very short sleeves (the best part about them), fit extremely well, and for those of you who are attracted to the "100% American made from 100% American components" thing, they have that going for them as well. Great for walking up and down whatever trail it is you're walking up and down.Buy a pack here.