The Blaſphemous Bicycler

Brian has evidently ridden down to the UPS store with my pack.

It looks like the ULA delivery vehicle is rocking the mustache bars.

From UPS.com:

Yeehaw! I have started weighing all my camping gear on Brandi’s baking scale to better become a backpacking weight weenie.

I got nine kinds of hell over putting my shoes on the food scale, but now I know. They weigh one pound per shoe.

About two years ago, one of the (now defunct) podcasts I listened to did an interview with Brian Frankle from ULA Equipment. ULA is a small sewing shop that Brian runs out of his garage, making backpacks.

He talked about his philosophy in the interview, and he sounds like exactly the kind of people I want to do business with.

One of the reasons I can’t stand the mainstream industry, and I’m glad I’m not a part of it. Is that, you know, innovation for the sake of innovation is always kind of a silly recipe in my mind. My goal is to come up with the perfect pack…and then just keep making the damn thing. There’s no reason to just change something for the sake of changing it.

[...]

[There's] been a major, major shift, in my opinion, in how things are built. Things are just built very, very poorly now. And it’s not because the Asians, (where most of the stuff is made) it’s not because they’re not skilled. They’re incredible craftsmen but the people building it just don’t demand it. Because it’s so cheap that the way they warranty things, instead of just buying or building something that’s good from the get-go [...] that it’s easier just to warranty by giving someone something new as opposed to just building something durable from the get-go.

— Brian Frankle - TrailCast #20

I’ve been mulling around the idea of a new Backpack for two years now, and I’ve been getting back into hiking and stuff a little more lately. So I emailed Brian and we talked about backpacks and my sasquatch-like bodily dimensions, and I settled on a Catalyst.

My new pack will be hand made, in the USA. It’ll be 6 pounds lighter than my current pack, and it’ll have a sleeve for a hydration bladder (which my current pack does not have). Plus it’s a lovely green color, so it will blend in nicely with the woods.

Brian says I will have my new pack in 2 or 3 weeks, so I need to get busy looking over my maps to plan out a nice overnighter to take it on. I’ll post pictures and stuff when it gets here.

Klinutus and I made use of the President’s Day holiday to go wander around the Tall Timbers Natural Area, which has some of the only old growth forest left in the State.

The trees are very big. I’m not exactly a small person, but I’m hard to find in the picture.

It was kind of a winter wonderland in the woods.

I GPS logged our whole hike, and now the map is ever so slightly more complete.

If you like pictures, there are a few more in my gallery.

Yesterday I became an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church of Modesto California.

Pending the outcome of a lawsuit against the church, I will be legally able to perform weddings in Pennsylvania.

If you would like me to officiate at your wedding, let me know. I don’t care about your religion, and I will even wear a giant chicken suit or whatever if that’s your thing.

Truth be told, I’d prefer to officiate weddings in a chicken suit, or other outlandish attire of your choosing.

_{Thanks to the Disturbed Buddha for bringing the ULC ordination process to my attention.}

I usually don’t really care enough about politics to talk about it too much. This election cycle, however, I have done at least of 10 minutes research on YouTube and decided I officially like Obama.

In addition to having his own Hazeltoid super hero, Obama appears to be down with bicycle commuting!

It looks like Pennsylvania might actually have a say in the primaries this year. I am registered as an independant, which means I’m not allowed to vote.

So, I think I’m going to join the Democrats (temporarily, at least) so I can vote for him.