PAX West is not just a fun gamer conference, there are also a lot of parties as well. You can find the more public ones on the PAX west parties website and Facebook group.
Finding the not-so-public ones requires being in the know and having some insider friends. 🙂
Tunnel Vision: An Unauthorized BART Ride is a documentary film by local timelapse photographer Vincent Woo. He secretly attached a camera to a BART train and rode through the arteries of the Bay Area while inserting interesting facts and tidbits.
It became something of a local hit – selling out several movie theaters. The good news is you don’t need to go to a theater, he put it up on YouTube for free.
“Over-tourism is turning the world’s most perfect destinations into the opposite of what they once were”
It’s interesting to see how tourism has evolved in the last 400 years. Tourism started in the 16th century for younger upper-class aristocrats and wasn’t designed for fun. Travel in those days was expensive, arduous, and dangerous. It was the natural progression of those aristocrats who had a thorough grounding in classic Greek and Latin literature that was the root of modern culture (until the 1900’s anyway). The goal was to become more well rounded and enlightened gentlemen, scientists, writers, philosophers, artists, speakers, and leaders by exposing themselves to the best art and cultures of the world. This idea even had a name: The Grand Tour.
You can still see the shadows of that in travel today. Have you ever wondered why there is an unwritten rule that travelers to Europe spend a lot of time visiting museums, famous churches/buildings, and arts of all kinds (plays, music, paintings, architecture)? It’s because the idea of travel comes from the idea of becoming more cultured and seeking truth.
As anyone trained in classical education will tell you, in the past we had a much better understanding of the universal artistic language in these famous works of art and buildings. A lot of classical works are largely lost and unintelligible to modern generations that have very little classical education. Even when read, the great majority of in-jokes, cultural digs, and people are unknown and themes completely missed.
It’s a terrible shame that even I was guilty of as a computer scientist. Why should I read a bunch of old dead people that seem irrelevant? I can’t even tell what they’re talking about half the time. Oh what a world was opened to me when I took some classical literature and Latin classes. Unfortunately, we have traded a millennium of thought and experience for a much more utilitarian and entertainment focus in education these days – and hence so is our travel.
Where our philosophy goes, so we go.
It makes sense how we’ve gotten to where we are today in modern travel. Without a grounding in the culture that created these great works, many people are largely ignorant of what these monuments and artworks mean. One might argue the reason we’re seeing the destruction of famous historical/artistic works is that younger people experience them as just as foreign to them as cultures they’ve never encountered in other parts of the world. It’s nearly the same level of cultural destruction as an invader who has a whole different value, ethical, and political system – except it’s their own history they are destroying. Our modern society can be seen as culturally insensitive, or downright hostile, to our very historical selves. Not the first time this has happened in history – to disastrous consequences.
It’s great that travel is now open to just about everyone with safer and cheaper travel than any time in history – but this also comes at a social, economic, and historical price. Europe, and other places, are struggling with not only record, sweltering heat this summer but also destruction of famous historical/artistic works, local livability/culture, and economic destruction by crushing numbers of people. This has now caused numerous destinations around the world to close in recent years. The trend is accelerating as tourism is rapidly destroying once pristine and amazing places.
Now Europe, and other places, are starting to do the unthinkable – actively dissuading tourists.
Even I have started to rethink my own reasons for travel in an era where you can tour just about any major world location, museum, or event in 4k. While videos do not give you the cultural or personal interactions and friendships you develop from travel – you can still experience great works of art or festivals.
But now we have Twitch streamers that broadcast their daily interactions in foreign lands, live webcast tours of most famous places, and with VR travel becoming more of a thing, we may even be able to tear down those barriers as well.
It’s not like we haven’t thought about solutions to broadcasting live experiences before. Who knew the screaming, brash, over-the-top streamer was predicted almost 2 decades before it happened…
The Edo-Tokyo Open-Air Museum is an outdoor museum where historically valuable buildings are relocated, restored, and exhibited along with most of their interiors. It’s a collection of over two dozen reconstructed houses, shops, and restaurants that feels like you’re going back into time.
It recently got even more amazing museum’s Downton Summer Evening event, in which its Shitamachi Nakadori section will remain open after sundown and offering night events where the whole street is lit up.
With locations in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia, the Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines is filled with vintage arcade machines that date back to the Soviet era. They also have a museum of smells, old phone booth and mail boxes, and soda machines. Go along with Real Russia to check it out.
Interesting video on strange, unwritten work rules of Japanese companies.
Here’s the list:
I wrote about a few remote and very primitive winter shelters in a previous post; but Travel Oregon seems to have come up with their own posting with a few new ones. I’ve collected those and also added a few others in this post.
As with all things, definitely call the ranger stations BEFORE planning a trip or you risk finding yourself at the end of a long day of travel only to be unable to access a shelter far, far from any accommodation. Forest fires, vandalism (very sadly), maintenance, and other reasons may have closed these particular shelters at any time. Calling the ranger stations before you go is mandatory as they can usually give you an update on conditions, risks in the area, etc. I know that Clear Lake Butte was closed for almost all of 2022 due to maintenance and damage. Some places have regular blacked-out days for volunteer work parties as well. Know before you go!
Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area, about 25 miles east of Pendleton, offers travelers a much warmer way to spend the night. Each of the six rustic log cabins — equipped with bunk beds, a table and an outdoor propane stove — can sleep from three to five people. Spend your days sledding or cross-country skiing at Meacham Divide Sno-Park a few miles east, one of the larger Nordic skiing areas, featuring more over 12 miles of groomed trails. Book here.
Clear Lake Butte Lookout – accessible from the Skyline Road Sno-Park. Book here.
Silcox Hut, is at 6,900 feet above Mt. Hood’s Timberline Lodge on the Palmer Snowfield. The hut sleeps up to two dozen people in six small bunk rooms. A fireplace warms a large room with hand-carved tables, where you’ll find buffet-style suppers of belly-warming fare and breakfasts with fruit and pastries. A special snow-going SUV or a snowcat can ferry you and your gear up to the hut, and groups must rent the entire building. Down in the main lodge, guests are free to use the sauna, spa and showers, too. Book here. The hut can sleep up to 24 people. Reservations can be made more than a year in advance.
Gold Lake Shelter, Bechtel, Westview and Maiden Peak shelters. Head to the Gold Lake Patrol Cabin at Gold Lake Sno-Park near the Willamette Pass resort and pop up to the cabin. It’s office and overnight quarters for the Willamette Backcountry Ski Patrol volunteers, where you can pick up maps as well as a hot drink (but not spend the night). From there you can make your way 2 miles to the Gold Lake Shelter, a three-sided warming hut with a sleeping loft, a wood stove and a picnic table. Other shelters in the area with sleeping lofts include the Bechtel, Westview and Maiden Peak shelters.Â
All of the huts are first-come, first-serve, although anyone wishing to spend the night must be accommodated. Open for overnight stays November 15 to April 30. Huts can comfortably sleep anywhere from four to a dozen or so people, and there’s no fee.
Here’s a hike/snowshoe route that hits a few of them.
There’s also a few other shelters listed here (South Waldo Shelter, Fuji Shelter) that can only really be reached by snowshoe or cross-country skiing in the winter.
Santiam pass area also has some warming huts/shelters – Mountain View Shelter and South Maxwell Snow Shelter are accessible from the Maxwell Sno-park.
Here’s a hike that hits both the Mountain View and South Maxwell shelters.
McCoy Snow Shelter is accessible via the McCoy Snowmobile Area.
Cornucopia Lodge & Packstation in the southern part of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Book here. Reservations can be made more than a year in advance. Units sleep up to six people. Open year-round.
The Associated Press reports that lighthouses in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Pennsylvania, and other states are being auctioned off by the General Services Administration (GSA), which aims to put the structures in the hands of individuals or nonprofit entities that can preserve them. This isn’t new – it’s been happening since 2000. Held annually, the 2023 auctions are offering a record 10 lighthouses—six for free, and four for public auction. Some of them come with their own islands.
The program is a result of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. Since its start, about 150 lighthouses have been transferred, 80 or so given away and another 70 auctioned, raising more than $10 million. The GSA is first offering them at no cost to federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofits, educational agencies and community development organizations. If none of those wish to own the land, it may be auctioned to the general public. To be eligible, interested buyers must be able to demonstrate they can afford to maintain the historic property, present a plan on how it will be managed and preserved, and often allow the public to access it. See more about the process here (the brochure is really good).
Besides the above mentioned items, in most cases there are other big stipulations that make these properties a unique challenge. Commercial activities are almost always prohibited. Most have very stringent rules about how the property can be modified and require strict governmental adherence to historical preservation and environmental code. Many have government easements which allow Coast Guard, state agencies, etc to enter, maintain, change, or upgrade the lighting and other equipment as an official Aid to Navigation. Most have strict requirements on how they will be made available and maintained properly for educational, park, recreational, cultural, or historic preservation purposes. So in almost no cases can you renovate them to live in (unless they were that way already), make them an AirBnB, nor make money off of them.
Also note that some are very isolated or only reachable by boat. Many of these particularly isolated ones do not have electricity, water, or sewage that may require EPA reviews. If you read the descriptions, many also note the likely presence of lead based paints, asbestos, or other harmful products in and around the sites. Others need some substantial repair work. All of which will require historical and environmental reviews before work can begin.
Still, if you’re up for owning your own island or getaway and want to maintain a lighthouse, this might be your day! Read a sample lease here to learn what you’re getting yourself into.
You can see the listing of lighthouses here.
Or, go to the actual auction site:
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department announced they are looking for a new manager for an eight room historic hotel in the far southeast corner of Oregon after current concessionaires announced their retirement. Originally built in 1917, the eight-room hotel has earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The property also includes the four-room Drover’s Inn and a caretaker’s house.
I visited Frenchglen a few years back while staying at a cool ranch as well as spending time in the Steens Mountains, Alvord Desert, and visited Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (Go a little farther and you can also see Pueblo Mountains or Crane Hot Springs).
Saying it is remote and isolated is an understatement. The next city is almost an hour away. The ‘town’ of Frenchglen has a population of 12. It was absolutely beautiful open country though. It reminded me a lot of New Mexico. I even bought the mug. 😀
Officials said they’re looking for applicants with a business background who have experience in hotels and restaurants. They’re also looking for someone who can give the old hotel a modern touch, specifically with online reservations. The parks department is accepting proposals online until 2 p.m. on June 2, 2023.
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said it is seeking 5% of revenue and $2,400 a month to maintain the property. Last year, the hotel brought in $418,770 in revenue, officials said.
The Sagamihara Used Tire Mart and Vending Machine Corner in Kanagawa, Japan has an amazing collection of very old vending machines. The staff maintains them and even cooks the meals for them. See old mechanical hot and cold serve coffee/tea machines, hamburgers, potstickers, squeezed orange juice, candied apples, Kodak film vending machine, ice cream machines, an ultra rare hot curry machine that worked before microwave technology, popcorn machines, machines with old nixie tube displays, and some old pachinko and video game machines.
