Thursday, February 9, 2017

For a New Zealand change...

the Rain Gods looked the other way. 

The second most popular Great Walk in New Zealand is the Routeburn Track. It's lies in a region notorious for White Death and lots of Wet Stuff. (There was a blizzard a week before I arrived) The average yearly precipitation at the Mackenzie Hut is the height of an NBA basketball net. (Ten feet). That's taller than a Shaquille O'Neil amount of water. It's safe to say, sunshine and comforting temperatures are as rare as a saguaro cactus in these parts. In other words, not so much.

So what did I and other Happy Campers receive? Three whole days without a drip or drop! Sure, it was colder than the proverbial Witch's breast, but it was a dry cold. Ice coated the mosses, ferns and shallow puddles. Toe numbing frost blanketed the grasses and alpine flowers. The slightest of breezes made my fingers go numb. But it wasn't raining, and I was smiling. 

Sure, I had too-close-encounters with strangers invading my personal space in the huts. So what if a few snored, sneezed and coughed their germy way through the night! I experienced no rain and sunshine! 

Thank you Rain Gods for taking a summer vacation. Would you possibly accept a bribe to do the same on the Milford Track? 

From cool and cloudy, but not raining! Te Anua, NZ.


Cheers!
Jeff



Sunday, February 5, 2017

The First Recorded White Guy...

to see New Zealand in 1642 was Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. 

Upon sighting land, he sent crewmen ashore from the good ship Zeehaen to gather fresh water. The local Maoris didn't exactly welcome them with milk and cookies. In fact, they  slaughtered four Gunga Din wannabes. Abel got retribution the following day by killing one local. Final Score: Maoris  4-Dutch 1. 


(My welcome to NZ was an ER visit worthy strain of cold virus, the worst summer in decades and today's speeding ticket. No complaints compared to Abel. 



Abel named the kill zone Murderers' Bay. Now it's been renamed the much more tourist brochure friendly Golden Bay. And near there is where I hiked for three nights and four days in Abel Tasman National Park. Luckily for me, I didn't encounter any unfriendly natives on this journey. However, I did encounter heaps and heaps of humans. They arrived by foot, kayak, sail boat, motorboat, motor vehicles, guided tours and even airplanes. If you have cash or a credit card, there's plenty of options. 


I didn't mind the intrusion of personal space except for the inclement weather day of rain and cold. Guided kayakers took over a tiny shelter in the campground I was staying at. One opinionated boat woman told me (in no uncertain terms) I would be far happier to move along to another shelter. I was getting the bums rush, after paying to be there. OW! 


Other than that, there were no close encounters of the nasty kind. 

It's a pretty place. See for yourself.



From the bright lights, big city of Omarama, NZ

Good night,
Jeff


Monday, January 30, 2017

I had a dream...

or should I say nightmare.

In my subconscious, I was seated at a President Scumbag (AKA Trump) rally. Nearby were a few people I recognized but have not seen in years. One was dressed up comically in a Red, White and Blue harlequin outfit. Unfortunately, that's where the laughs ended. 

The speeches were laced with "alternative facts" and a heaping dollop of hate. In other words, a continuation of the Billionaire Con Man's campaign prattle. 

His supporters were getting worked up and frothy. In my dream/nightmare I became scared. The crowd's anger was of the almost tactile variety. I heading for an exit practically shoveling aside the hate. The doors were locked. I was trapped. (That's  a clear violation of fire department's safety code!) 

I woke up in emergency services fast mode. My hair was matted down and icy wet. Definitely a nightmare.

I've been checking into the news from far away New Zealand. I see the reality of President P---y Grabber's regime has been a true nightmare. 

A) So far:  The US will emulate East Germany and its infamous Berlin Wall. (That sure worked). We will build an overpriced physical barrier between predominantly White Folks and Brown Folks. Thus showing the world, we can't get along with our immediate neighbors. Mind you, there was no "Let's get together and see if we can find a workable immigration solution for both Nations." New Zealand's Dominion Newspaper summed it up this way, "Trump's Wall is symbolic of a catastrophic political failure."




B) Gag orders for employees of Federal Agencies? Isn't that Unconstitutional? First Amendment.

C) Ramping up Military Spending. The US already shells out more $$$$$ than the next six largest Military Nations combined! How many times do we need to blow up the world to make it safe for our way of life? 

D) Executive Order for oil pipeline construction with little regard for environmental effects. 

E) The beginning of the end of Obamacare with no program to replace it. 

F) A ninety day ban on citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries and 120 day ban on all refugees. Faster than one can say Bigot, 130 million people (mostly Muslims)  are now "Persona non grata" from entering the former Land of Religious Freedom. Now, that's Un-American. If you don't see my point, I dare you to substitute your race or religion for the word Muslim in the above note. Now, how do you feel? 

ETC. ETC.

All this unpredictability erupting from a formerly stable World Power has caused an international outlash of protests. The symbolic  "Doomsday Clock" has been bumped up 30 seconds to 2.5 minutes to Midnight/Armageddon. The last time it's been so close to "End of Days" was in 1953. That's something a new President should not be proud of. 

What really irks me about all this is knowing the hate mongers/racists now have a Representative in the White House. I think about all the times I've heard the use of the "N" word in reference to Obama, or a recent call for a "Second Crusade" to deal with the "Muslim Problem," or overheard the unfounded beliefs that  "Jew Bastards " control the World's banks and media. All these misfits are now smiling. I'm not. 

Personally, I believe President Tax Evader is insane. I can prove it too. At Zero-Dark-Thirty am, he should be snuggling next to the ever-enticing First Lady Model. Instead? He's Tweeting out angry texts while wearing an expensive suit with an American flag pinned to his lapel. As a single guy who might be a bit harmlessly crazy, I would call this act insane. 
(Maybe he's ingesting too many of these). 

BTW. I hate writing these blogs. In the past, I might not have fully agreed with the agendas of former Presidents. However, I never considered their programs to be unconstitutional or truly evil. (Maybe stupid, but not demon inspired). America is going down the twisted trail of Nationalism. President Combover's "America First!" (AKA F--k the rest of the World, we are going to do what we want) policies have already alienated our Allies.  I predicted this in my last rant. I just didn't think it would happen so fast. 


The America I was once proud to be a member of, used to be a guiding light of Democratic Ideals. (All men are created equal...). Now, we are a sputtering candle of intolerance and lowlife concepts. The US Constitution is being severely tested. It's up to the Senators, Congressmen, Supreme Court and We the People to stand up for what's right. 

President Bluster ran a campaign based upon Us vs. Them. It's safe to say I'm a Them. 


Lastly, I'll forward a link to all those who say to me (and others like me) "Get over it! Trump is the President!" I know he's the President, but I don't have to like it or him.


From far far away,
Good night,
Jeff