Encountering your own flame

[Steve3007]

I've had friends with 1000cc bikes who were trying to figure out if they could top out higher than 187mph, there's a computer on a lot of them that cuts throttle at that point.

OK. Thanks.

Anyway, my advice: quit your job and either travel round the world a bit or do some carpentry. What's the worst that could happen? You don't have any dependent kids, right?

[Papus79]

Anyway, my advice: quit your job and either travel round the world a bit or do some carpentry. What's the worst that could happen? You don't have any dependent kids, right?

Yeah, taking a good vacation might not be a bad idea when bat flu season's over. Glacier and Yellowstone might be a plan.

[Steve3007]

Yeah, taking a good vacation might not be a bad idea when bat flu season's over. Glacier and Yellowstone might be a plan.

It's probably a cliche, but I think occasionally seeing a different part of the world from the tiny part in which most of us scuttle backwards and forwards in our daily lives is the most effective way to remind us of the insignificance of any worries we may have about things like work.

I almost got to see Yellowstone when I took my kids to Wyoming to see the eclipse 3 years ago, but it was too long a drive and they would have got too bored. The prospect of driving right across a state which is as big as the entire country in which we live to see the Earth burping wasn't something I could sell to them. We went to see Mount Rushmore instead. They were unimpressed by that too. Kids eh.

[Terrapin Station]

Yeah, taking a good vacation might not be a bad idea when bat flu season's over. Glacier and Yellowstone might be a plan.

It's probably a cliche, but I think occasionally seeing a different part of the world from the tiny part in which most of us scuttle backwards and forwards in our daily lives is the most effective way to remind us of the insignificance of any worries we may have about things like work.

I almost got to see Yellowstone when I took my kids to Wyoming to see the eclipse 3 years ago, but it was too long a drive and they would have got too bored. The prospect of driving right across a state which is as big as the entire country in which we live to see the Earth burping wasn't something I could sell to them. We went to see Mount Rushmore instead. They were unimpressed by that too. Kids eh.

Yeah, if one doesn't love desolate desert wildernesses and tend to think that they're starkly beautiful--and most kids aren't likely to think that, then Wyoming (and Nevada and New Mexico etc. etc.) is sure not an ideal state to drive through. I love desolate desert wildernesses and that's one of my favorite areas of the U.S.--the "interior West." But insofar as national parks go, most of Yellowstone has relatively subtle charms, and it's huge. There are the famous exceptions, including Mammoth Hot Springs, and you're pretty much guaranteed to see some bison if you drive around the park for even half a day, but even something like Old Faithful can result in a good 90 minute wait once you get there. So unless it's a kid who loves natural areas, who probably likes hiking, camping, etc. Yellowstone is unlikely to thrill them, unfortunately.

[Steve3007]

...So unless it's a kid who loves natural areas, who probably likes hiking, camping, etc. Yellowstone is unlikely to thrill them, unfortunately.

Yes. I've always loved hiking and camping and I inflict it on my kids, in the National Parks of England and Wales, whenever I can, in the hope of somehow brainwashing them into liking it too. It hasn't worked yet. It also probably didn't help that we'd recently flown in from NYC and it was the first time they'd been there. They loved that. The contrast couldn't have been much greater. It was the furthest west I've yet been in the US. Hoping to see the 2024 eclipse from Niagara. Perhaps we'll drive up from New York.

[Sculptor1]

...So unless it's a kid who loves natural areas, who probably likes hiking, camping, etc. Yellowstone is unlikely to thrill them, unfortunately.

Yes. I've always loved hiking and camping and I inflict it on my kids, in the National Parks of England and Wales, whenever I can, in the hope of somehow brainwashing them into liking it too. It hasn't worked yet. It also probably didn't help that we'd recently flown in from NYC and it was the first time they'd been there. They loved that. The contrast couldn't have been much greater. It was the furthest west I've yet been in the US. Hoping to see the 2024 eclipse from Niagara. Perhaps we'll drive up from New York.

Unless we can get kids to love nature I fear we are heading into an Asmovian nightware of "Caves of Steel".

[Sculptor1]

nightmare!! Not nightware.
Dreams not pyjamas

[Steve3007]

nightmare!! Not nightware.
Dreams not pyjamas

[Terrapin Station]

...So unless it's a kid who loves natural areas, who probably likes hiking, camping, etc. Yellowstone is unlikely to thrill them, unfortunately.

Yes. I've always loved hiking and camping and I inflict it on my kids, in the National Parks of England and Wales, whenever I can, in the hope of somehow brainwashing them into liking it too. It hasn't worked yet. It also probably didn't help that we'd recently flown in from NYC and it was the first time they'd been there. They loved that. The contrast couldn't have been much greater. It was the furthest west I've yet been in the US. Hoping to see the 2024 eclipse from Niagara. Perhaps we'll drive up from New York.

Niagara Falls is great. Kids are more likely to enjoy there. It's a pretty long drive from NYC to Niagara Falls--a good seven hours or even longer, depending on traffic and how fast you drive (it typically takes me 8 hours or so), but it's a nice drive for the most part either way you go--either heading to Scranton PA, first, Binghamton NY (which is a normal route if you go to Scranton first as well), or up to Albany NY first (and there are many different possible routes from any of those cities, too).

There are a lot of hills/mountains/forests on the way, you pass through some cities/developed areas, so it's not all just nature scenery all the way, there's some variety, and there are plenty of other attractions to see on the way, too.

If you have enough time while at Niagara, if you're on the Canadian side, Toronto is also only about a 2 hour drive. While at Niagara, again if you're on the Canadian side, don't overlook the Whirlpool Aero Car, and the Whirlpool Jet Boat tours are a lot of fun. Of course, at the Falls, you need to do the Maid of the Mist, and don't overlook the behind the Falls tour. It's also cool if you've never seen river locks in action to head up to the Carlton Street Bridge in nearby St. Catherines (if you're a Rush fan at all, St. Catherines/Port Dalhousie is where Neil Peart was born and raised--Lakeside Park is right on Lake Ontario in Port Dalhousie; if it's a clear day you can make out Toronto across the lake from Port Dalhousie). If you stay on the New York side, there's a bunch of stuff to do, too, and they have a couple great parks with hiking trails, etc. that the Canadian side doesn't have. But there are more attractions on the Canadian side.

[Papus79]

Yeah, taking a good vacation might not be a bad idea when bat flu season's over. Glacier and Yellowstone might be a plan.

It's probably a cliche, but I think occasionally seeing a different part of the world from the tiny part in which most of us scuttle backwards and forwards in our daily lives is the most effective way to remind us of the insignificance of any worries we may have about things like work.

Might be a cliche but it's not wrong either. I spent a few weeks last year (glad I squeezed it in!) from Banff through Jasper over to Victoria and Vancouver. I loaded up on what I hoped were really some good propaganda pictures to get my friends out there camping at Two Jack in a few years. Also if I am able to arrange that second trip I do have something that I, irritatingly at the time, wasn't able to do which is climb up to all three lakes at Lake Louis - the tour bus gave us 1 hour and 20 minutes, not even enough time to hike up to the second lake.

[Papus79]

As far as some of the other travel ideas - if I ever have a chance to hit Europe the Dolomites, Bavaria, etc. would be awesome, seeing the Klementinum in Prague would be great, hitting the Canary Islands would be great, I would have ranked rather highly getting to London to a Drum N Bass Area, Renegade Hardware, Exit, Cylon/Xtinction Agenda event night would have been a high priority but it seems like a lot of that's washing out again and alas - Fabric's closed.

[Steve3007]

Niagara Falls is great. Kids are more likely to enjoy there. It's a pretty long drive from NYC to Niagara Falls...

Thanks for all the advice. Maybe we'll stop somewhere halfway. It sounds like there'll be plenty to do when we get there. The only other time I've ever traveled across NY State was to go to a work-related conference in Rochester and that time I flew.

I did once see a Rush gig, in Birmingham (England). Can't say I'm a fan though. A friend made me go.

I spent a few weeks last year (glad I squeezed it in!) from Banff through Jasper over to Victoria and Vancouver. I loaded up on what I hoped were really some good propaganda pictures to get my friends out there camping at Two Jack in a few years. Also if I am able to arrange that second trip I do have something that I, irritatingly at the time, wasn't able to do which is climb up to all three lakes at Lake Louis - the tour bus gave us 1 hour and 20 minutes, not even enough time to hike up to the second lake.

Sounds good though. So you said CV, not resume, because you're Canadian!

As far as some of the other travel ideas - if I ever have a chance to hit Europe the Dolomites, Bavaria, etc. would be awesome, seeing the Klementinum in Prague would be great, hitting the Canary Islands would be great, I would have ranked rather highly getting to London to a Drum N Bass Area, Renegade Hardware, Exit, Cylon/Xtinction Agenda event night would have been a high priority but it seems like a lot of that's washing out again and alas - Fabric's closed.

I've worked in London but can't say I know much about the Drum n Bass scene. I've been to Tenerife in the Canaries (ex girlfriend worked there as a teacher). The volcano (Teide) is worth seeing and they have a fantastic Mardi Gras celebration. Or at least they used to back in pre-Covid times. If you happened to want to go hiking in the UK (unlikely I guess) I recommend the Coast to Coast walk across northern England. About 200 miles. Through 3 national parks, from Irish Sea to North Sea. I did it years ago and loved it. Or if you want to get very, very wet try the West Highland Way in Scotland.

[Papus79]

Sounds good though. So you said CV, not resume, because you're Canadian!

Trickier I suppose - I'm in the great lakes area of the US, and I've increasingly heard people around me saying 'cv' instead of 'resume'. I suppose that would mean that I'm in a region where we're more impressionable to certain vocabulary, although the 'ey's and 'prohsess's still strike an odd angle and aren't likely to be picked up.

[Sculptor1]

Sounds good though. So you said CV, not resume, because you're Canadian!

Trickier I suppose - I'm in the great lakes area of the US, and I've increasingly heard people around me saying 'cv' instead of 'resume'. I suppose that would mean that I'm in a region where we're more impressionable to certain vocabulary, although the 'ey's and 'prohsess's still strike an odd angle and aren't likely to be picked up.

Resume is a poor description for a CV. Sounds more like soup you have after the maincourse.

[Steve3007]

I googled it (because I'm quite interested in variations in word usages) and apparently in North America generally "CV" tends to be used to mean a much longer version of a resume. I'd previously thought that "CV" wasn't used at all, at least in the US, and "resume" was the only word used. So now I know.