While somewhat prominently listed in the table of contents, this particular narrative should have had a teaser on the cover at the very least. Even now, at 4am, I’m forced to write this with the hope that my mind can then set the imagery and remeniscing on the skill of the story teller aside for a few hours. This fantastic tale in which three friends followed an un-labeled, hand-drawn map into the Sierras in the summer of ‘79 in search of a small cabin with “MAGIC LIVES HERE” written in the smoke curling from its chimney was submitted to Backpacker in 1983. It is utterly unbelievable and yet, considering the author disappeared on a hiking trip in 1987 leaving no way to verify the story, completely understandable that this was never published until now.

I couldn’t quite comprehend how the following short wire from August 20th, could possibly pull a reader-submitted story out of some filing cabinet where it had sat for over twenty years, but, in hindsight, one can easily imagine how memories of that outlandish story of teenagers finding tranquility and John Muir’s journal in the Sierras might’ve¹ flooded back in.

August 20, 2010, MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. (AP) – United States Forest Service officials are refusing to comment on reports that a hiker recently discovered a journal buried near a stone cabin deep in Inyo National Forest, in southern Sierra Nevada, or on speculation that the journal and cabin both belonged to famed outdoorsman John Muir, who died in 1914.

“There are lots of things buried in the mountains,” said a Forest Service official who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, “and there are probably huts and cabins that only a handful of people have ever seen. That doesn’t mean they’re important, or anything to get excited about.”

I’d highly suggest you grab a copy of the November 2010 Backpacker, turn to page 85—or just browse the magazine a few times first, as long as you don’t forget—and read “The Last Best Place”. You won’t be disappointed.

¹ – SPOILER ALERT: I said “might’ve” because I could find no record of the above wire nor the author-gone-missing, making the backstory of its origins highly suspect. In fact, it is a piece by one Steve Friedman who has contributed to Backpacker in the past (including another fictional account under a different pseudonym). This is a wonderful, hopeful piece of fiction which has put further flame to that inner desire to escape to the wilderness which exists in many of us. It harkens back to reading My Side of the Mountain as a child.

FunRover — A Land Rover Blog for Landy nuts by Landy nuts.

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this fresh, new Land Rover blog. It is well written, well designed, and quite informative.

Most of the Land Rover blogs I stumble upon are either restoration diaries, devoted to over the top modifications for mudding & rock crawling, or plastered with advertising. This one, while still in its infancy, feels well curated. Focusing on Defenders and motoring in the U.K., it follows their own motoring & green laning experiences, reviews products they’ve tested with their Land Rover, covers responsible driving, and other Land Rover-centric discussion.

Here’s to their success!

Every weekday I commute from Shelburne, VT, to Waitsfield, VT. It’s a long, but beautiful drive as I circumnavigate Camel’s Hump. In my car, I generally headed up Route 7, skipped over I-189 to I-89, got off in Waterbury and headed over Route 100 to Waitsfield. It’s easy and relatively efficient. When summer rolled around I would often cut over to Route 116, meander down & over through Huntington, climb Route 17 over the Appalachian Gap, descend into Waitsfield, and take Route 100 the last stretch to the office.

However, the Land Rover is a different beast altogether. The highway is right out since it really only pushes 55 MPH without an overdrive. Even that feat requires quite the long, flat stretch of asphalt. While I know it can handle the App Gap, the amount of time spent in the extremely slow and raucous 3rd gear would be unbearable on a daily basis, although I’m sure I’ll do it a few times for the view.

For the week before I even started driving the Land Rover, I started honing a shorter, slower, lower traffic route that missed all the town centers. Mostly because my car was not inspected and I had become the not-so-proud owner of a $100 ticket, but also with the knowledge that I’d be switching to the Land Rover in the very near future. A few days with the Land Rover and I only had to make one minor change to shave off half a mile and a bit of a hill climb.

While whittled down to about 38.5 miles it’s still 1 1/4 hours through Hinesburg (past CVU), over to Richmond, down through Jonesville, and eventually to Duxbury and up over Route 100 to Waitsfield.

Out of 5 #190, Surf & Turf — songs about surfing and skating

I’m in love with this cover art! As always, Out of 5 mixes are only available for a week, so go grab it while you can. [Via Out of 5]

I had some Cabot Seriously Sharp cheddar and a few ripe avocados I had picked up for sushi. I zipped over to the Shelburne Supermarket on my longboard for the only missing ingredient: a Stewart’s baguette.

I usually save this meal for resuscitating stale baguette, but who am I to complain about fresh? Enter, my favorite comfort food:

Ingredients:

• Sea salt
• Ripe avocado
• Cheddar cheese
• Olive oil
• Baguette

Slice half a baguette in two (laterally), sprinkle lightly with olive oil and lay thin slices of cheddar cheese on top. Bake in a toaster oven until the baguette is golden brown and cheese is melted & bubbling. Cover the toasted baguette with sliced avocado. Sprinkle w/sea salt and serve hot.

A quick glance at my father’s side of the family and you’ll see where my lanky build comes from. With metabolisms like ours, we can eat nearly anything and still maintain our slim figures.

However, I’ve long had chronic abdominal issues, including recurring peptic ulcers, which frequently places eating anywhere between unappealing and downright impossible. Keeping pain in check requires daily medication, stress relief, exercise, and—most importantly—eating. I’ve been breaking through years of bad habits of succumbing to the pain—not eating; passing out on the couch—and have been keeping myself healthy.

It’s especially difficult as I find myself deeply in debt and on a tight budget. I tend to lean towards skipping meals when I’m out of cash for groceries. Family and friends have been generous in this respect and I want to voice my thanks. While much of it seems insignificant, my daily health is more important to me than I even remember to consider, so I thank you all:

• My grandmother for a loaf of bread the last time I visited. I had toast and jam for lunch for a week. Not to mention all the treats on holidays and special occasions.
• Sylvia for the regular snacks on Wednesdays when she’s cleaning the office. Also all the bones that she passes out to the dogs, my redhead included.
• My parents for the occasional drink, snacks, or veggies before I make the 150 mile trip home on many a weekend. Esp. this past weekend after the memorial service.
• Eleanora for the meals and weekly/bi-weekly water jug fill-ups when we’re in town. Most memorably, dinners at The Steak Out.
• Osla for the occasional gifts of baklava when we miss the Brattleboro Farmers’ Market.
• Chaz for the lunch he makes Emily at the restaurant, some of which occasionally make it home in leftover form for me to enjoy.
• Ed, Kali, Mark, Jim, et al, for often providing the office with small donuts, bagels, and snacks.
• My coworker Mark for the occasional burger, dog, and/or creemee run.
• Sue & Dave for the annual veggie patch overflow donation and homemade maple syrup.

And, last, but certainly most importantly:

• Emily for the gourmet appetizers, entrées, and desserts she crafts for me nearly every night of every week. And the fantastic picnics she packs for us. And all the grocery and farmers market shopping she does for us. Delectable leftovers accompany me to work for lunches. She’s the reason I love food.

Thank you all for keeping me fed. I owe you my life.

A good example is my recent rebuild of an Apple Power Macintosh 9500 as a web & file server: buuto.makkintosshu.com. Mid-‘90s compunabula at it’s best: tower design, PowerPC 604 processor, 6 PCI slots, low wattage power supply, etc. I even drove four hours to pick up the [free] gear. This one was a success.

I use my Apple Newton MessagePad 2100—tricked out with Compact Flash storage and Bluetooth—every day for tracking appointments, contacts, and finances. Occasionally to write, scribble, or read a classic novel. I get an odd kick out of having the oldest, useful gear in a meeting.

My Mystic Apple Macintosh Color Classic, on the other hand, is back in a pile in our bedroom. Much to Emily’s distaste.

It’s not limited to Apple computers. There are vehicles too. A number of years ago my fetish was a 1968 Volvo 122 with supercharger and all-disc brakes. Man, I can’t even talk about them without a struggle against perusing bookmarks on the subject.

The problem there was rust. I’d have been fighting every Vermont winter, tooth-and-nail. I want a vehicle I can drive any day I want, not squirrel away for the next generation.

Then there was the 1995 Toyota MR2 Turbo. Probably the best performance and handling you can get on a moderate budget. I’d have killed myself within six months. I have an addiction to speed. All-natural, pedal-to-the-floor conceived adrenaline.

Where does one turn if you don’t want to forever apply bondo and should live by the “fifty-five to stay alive” motto? Only one classic bubbled to the top of my mind that might fit that criteria: a Series Land Rover.

• Light, corrosion-resistant aluminum body
• Heavy-duty frame (with new galvanized steel frames readily available)
• Modular, take-apart design (hard-top for winter, canvas & hoop set or completely topless for summer)
• Go-anywhere, fix anywhere design (by necessity)
• Only pushes 55 MPH without overdrive and 75 MPH with

I did my usual smidgen of research and rooted out as many permutations as I could. The model for me would be an early 80’s 5-door Land Rover Series III 109”. The Series III has slightly more modern electrical and accessories, a few more interior trimmings, and a gearbox with syncro in all four gears (less double-clutching required). I’d lean towards diesel. Later additions would likely include a ROVERDRIVE SX, roof rack, and a canvas & hoop set for summer.

I’ve been scouring ebay and craigslist for months. In the process discovering what I wanted was outside my budget. Many 2-door pickups with god-awful frames and swiss-cheese footwells scrolled through my browser. The prospect of having to ship such a beast across the country haunted my dreams.

A few weeks ago a local man saw my request on craigslist. He had imported a few Series IIA & III 88“s from the U.K. in February and had one drivable beater that barely fell into my price range. Naturally, I arranged to look at it on my way back over the App Gap one night.

And, as cliché as it is, that’s where this story begins…

I spend too much time on my MacBook Air—for work and for play—and it’s high time I spent more of it with my girlfriend, dog, a camera, and Newton MessagePad. Exploring. Documenting. Overland.

Join me.