Although low gas prices definitely make traveling and adventuring more feasible lately, where I've gone has been more dictated by work and visiting family instead of just taking off somewhere. While out in Arizona a couple weeks ago for the annual conference of the American Meteorological Society, I managed to get out to some neat places. I also had some good visits with family in the Phoenix area and in Flagstaff.
Unlike the multiple snowstorms that my parents had while visiting in Flagstaff over Christmas, I had great weather the whole time. There was still lots of snow in most places above 5000 feet or so, but hardly a cloud in the sky and only a little bit of hard packed snow on the roads (the ones that were open of course). After a couple days trying to acclimate to the altitude, I made a dash up to the Grand Canyon for a long day-hike. Not as long as I would like of course; but I did manage to make it from Hermits Rest to Dripping Springs for the first time. Surprisingly I was able to do the 6 miles and about 5000 vertical feet in just about 6 1/2 hours, in spite of thinking that I was out of shape. And I didn't even hurt too terribly the next day! The trails were the iciest that I've seen them, but no problem as long as I had my in-step crampons on. And there was hardly anyone on the trail. A great place to be alone with God and to marvel at His creation.
The other little adventure that I fit in was to go through Jerome on the way back down to Phoenix. I'd never been over that way, and was really impressed at how the town really does pretty much hang on the side of the mountain. The drive over Mingus Mountain was an impressive winding road, although my enjoyment was tempered a bit when I realized that my gas was well under a quarter tank and there wouldn't be any gas stations until I got close to Prescott. I not only made to Prescott Valley all right, but also got a pretty good deal on gas.
Before going to Jerome, I took a short hike up in Fay Canyon, west of Sedona. I missed the side trail up to Fay Canyon Arch at first (really more of a natural bridge), so I got a nice work-out and enjoyed the beautiful Red Rocks. I also spent some time at Tuzigoot National Monument. In some ways the museum was more impressive as a window on the lives of people from the pre-1400 Sinagua culture than the actual ruins. It's hard sometimes to realize that these were real live people so long ago, loved by God and as lost without Him as anyone else.
A whole other set of adventures was my commuting between my uncle's home in Sun City and the conference in downtown Phoenix. The new light rail was great, but didn't go anywhere near Sun City. So I had some experiences with the city bus system, mostly very good experiences. But the schedules did sometimes cause challenges for my needs. For me, it just enhanced my enjoyment of the week and helped me clear my mind from the long days of work.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Recent ferry news
37 die as ferry sinks in Cameroun.
Construction to begin on new ferry for Port Townsend-Keystone route in Washington State.
Revision of rules for nonresidents using Greenwich, CT ferries to Island Beach and Great Captains Island.
St. Francisville, LA ferry will need propeller repairs in association with operation at low water levels.
Legal maneuvering continues in case of Hawaii Superferry.
Prices are falling on BC Ferries, to reflect decreasing fuel costs and to encourage ridership. The Horseshoe Bay-Langdale route is expected to be re-instated.
In the Philippines, investigation points fingers at Coast Guard officials in sinking of the M/V Princess of the Stars ferry between Manila and Cebu in June. Over 800 passengers were lost as the ship headed into Typhoon Frank.
A new car ferry service is being proposed for French Polynesia.
Interisland ferry service is restored between Antigua and Montserrat.
Construction to begin on new ferry for Port Townsend-Keystone route in Washington State.
Revision of rules for nonresidents using Greenwich, CT ferries to Island Beach and Great Captains Island.
St. Francisville, LA ferry will need propeller repairs in association with operation at low water levels.
Legal maneuvering continues in case of Hawaii Superferry.
Prices are falling on BC Ferries, to reflect decreasing fuel costs and to encourage ridership. The Horseshoe Bay-Langdale route is expected to be re-instated.
In the Philippines, investigation points fingers at Coast Guard officials in sinking of the M/V Princess of the Stars ferry between Manila and Cebu in June. Over 800 passengers were lost as the ship headed into Typhoon Frank.
A new car ferry service is being proposed for French Polynesia.
Interisland ferry service is restored between Antigua and Montserrat.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
A Wild Goose Chase?
This last Saturday I took the family on what I thought would be a simple little jaunt down to Chatauqua Park in Crystal Springs. The kids always love getting to feed the ducks and geese there. When we got there though, the gate was locked (and the adjoining "Tomato Museum" was closed up too). After some initial disgust we figured out that maybe they had to clean up damage from the previous day's thunderstorms that passed through the area. Without a good backup plan, we grabbed a bite to eat at Sonic. Luckily I did have sense enough to bring a map with me.
At the corner where the Sonic is, I noticed a sign for Calling Panther Lake. I'd seen signs for it over the last couple years, but hadn't thought much of it, figuring it was probably some sort of country club development. For lack of a better plan, I determined to figure out where this new mystery lake was that did not appear on my map/gazetteer. Instead of just being on the edge of town, the signs took us on a surprisingly long and confusing route across northern Copiah County. Finally we found the fairly sizable "state fishing lake" that had been created by damming Hurricane Creek (at 31.98 N, 90.48 W). It was a good break to walk around and take some pictures. But no ducks or geese to be seen.
So we headed off along the winding county roads towards Hazlehurst to check out a small lake that I couldn't remember if we'd been to before. Once we got there, I gradually remembered that we'd been there several years earlier when Cynthia was a baby. And that there were geese! It wasn't until we got out and started feeding them though that I remembered how aggressive the geese had been. Anyhow, the kids had a good time throwing crackers and bread pieces at the few geese and ducks before we circle Lake Hazle and headed back home. God had redeemed another adventure from near disaster.
At the corner where the Sonic is, I noticed a sign for Calling Panther Lake. I'd seen signs for it over the last couple years, but hadn't thought much of it, figuring it was probably some sort of country club development. For lack of a better plan, I determined to figure out where this new mystery lake was that did not appear on my map/gazetteer. Instead of just being on the edge of town, the signs took us on a surprisingly long and confusing route across northern Copiah County. Finally we found the fairly sizable "state fishing lake" that had been created by damming Hurricane Creek (at 31.98 N, 90.48 W). It was a good break to walk around and take some pictures. But no ducks or geese to be seen.
So we headed off along the winding county roads towards Hazlehurst to check out a small lake that I couldn't remember if we'd been to before. Once we got there, I gradually remembered that we'd been there several years earlier when Cynthia was a baby. And that there were geese! It wasn't until we got out and started feeding them though that I remembered how aggressive the geese had been. Anyhow, the kids had a good time throwing crackers and bread pieces at the few geese and ducks before we circle Lake Hazle and headed back home. God had redeemed another adventure from near disaster.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Some More Border Airports
In my online surfing adventures, I stumbled across two more border airports that I wasn't aware of. Whetstone International Airport (AirNav page) is at the Del Bonita border crossing between Alberta and Montana. According to the airport diagram, the runway parallels the border just a few feet over on the Canadian side. Between Sweetgrass, MT and Coutts, AB, Ross International Airport (AirNav page) is actually on the international boundary.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Slavery, Racism, and Christianity
On November 24, 1859, Charles Darwin's On the Origin of the Species was first published in England. Less than one year later, Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States. Just as the nation was poised to restrain and abolish the great sin that contradicted the very premises of America's founding, Satan was moving ahead with his "Plan B". As the great struggle to eliminate slavery and rebuild the country commenced, a fundamental shift in worldview had entered the world stage.
Building upon Darwin's concepts of natural selection and rejection of the Biblical model of creation, a "scientific" basis was now available to justify racism, eugenics, and a humanistic view of morality. While racist and naturalistic views of humanity have undoubtedly existed for millennia, the work of Darwin provided a path to legitimacy that went beyond mere xenophobic feelings of arrogant self-exaltation. It can easily be imagined that without the resulting promulgation of "scientific racism" the long period of segregation and oppression of blacks following the Emancipation Proclamation might have been significantly lessened. Interestingly, Southern blacks actually lived longer under the contradiction between the Declaration of Independence ("All men are created equal") and "emancipated" segregation (1862-1964) than they did under the contradiction of slavery (1776-1862). Christians who should have stood up against racial injustice were instead sidelined, either by buying into parts of Darwinism or by devoting all their efforts in opposition to it.
Of course, the support of anti-creation anti-Biblical theological frameworks by the Darwinian "science" was itself a tragic blow for the integrity of the Christian church. Large segments of Western society have been misled into believing that the Christian Bible has been fundamentally disproved, while others have fallen into the notion of an allegorical scripture of platitudes of questionable relevance to modern society and with little evidence of God's sovereign power. The parallels between liberal theology and the Sadducees are certainly striking.
And lest you argue that it's foolish to link the global rise of Darwinian evolution with the American experience of racism, we can see also the timing of the spiritual battle as played out within the British Empire. On August 28, 1833, the Slavery Abolition Act (of the United Kingdom) finished the life work of William Wilberforce to bring an end to slavery in all of the British Empire. At the time, Charles Darwin was surveying South America on the Beagle and beginning to formulate his ideas on evolution. Coincidence? Technically speaking, "coincidence" just means that two events are occurring at the same time. But a Christian understanding of how and why they occur is rooted in the reality of the spiritual conflict between the Lord Almighty and the rebellious angel Satan. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesian 6:12)
So is it all gloom and doom? Well, in the first place, God has promised that, in the end, He is victorious and Satan is doomed. But we also can see God's sovereign providence. If a scientific basis for racism had become accepted ten or twenty years earlier, it's quite possible that the American abolition movement would have fizzled and slavery been perpetuated. Similarly, God brought William Wilberforce into a position of influence in England just in time to ensure that a major foothold in the campaign for human equality and dignity would be in place before Darwin's ideas began to be set loose. Praise God for His wisdom and power and mercy!
Building upon Darwin's concepts of natural selection and rejection of the Biblical model of creation, a "scientific" basis was now available to justify racism, eugenics, and a humanistic view of morality. While racist and naturalistic views of humanity have undoubtedly existed for millennia, the work of Darwin provided a path to legitimacy that went beyond mere xenophobic feelings of arrogant self-exaltation. It can easily be imagined that without the resulting promulgation of "scientific racism" the long period of segregation and oppression of blacks following the Emancipation Proclamation might have been significantly lessened. Interestingly, Southern blacks actually lived longer under the contradiction between the Declaration of Independence ("All men are created equal") and "emancipated" segregation (1862-1964) than they did under the contradiction of slavery (1776-1862). Christians who should have stood up against racial injustice were instead sidelined, either by buying into parts of Darwinism or by devoting all their efforts in opposition to it.
Of course, the support of anti-creation anti-Biblical theological frameworks by the Darwinian "science" was itself a tragic blow for the integrity of the Christian church. Large segments of Western society have been misled into believing that the Christian Bible has been fundamentally disproved, while others have fallen into the notion of an allegorical scripture of platitudes of questionable relevance to modern society and with little evidence of God's sovereign power. The parallels between liberal theology and the Sadducees are certainly striking.
And lest you argue that it's foolish to link the global rise of Darwinian evolution with the American experience of racism, we can see also the timing of the spiritual battle as played out within the British Empire. On August 28, 1833, the Slavery Abolition Act (of the United Kingdom) finished the life work of William Wilberforce to bring an end to slavery in all of the British Empire. At the time, Charles Darwin was surveying South America on the Beagle and beginning to formulate his ideas on evolution. Coincidence? Technically speaking, "coincidence" just means that two events are occurring at the same time. But a Christian understanding of how and why they occur is rooted in the reality of the spiritual conflict between the Lord Almighty and the rebellious angel Satan. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesian 6:12)
So is it all gloom and doom? Well, in the first place, God has promised that, in the end, He is victorious and Satan is doomed. But we also can see God's sovereign providence. If a scientific basis for racism had become accepted ten or twenty years earlier, it's quite possible that the American abolition movement would have fizzled and slavery been perpetuated. Similarly, God brought William Wilberforce into a position of influence in England just in time to ensure that a major foothold in the campaign for human equality and dignity would be in place before Darwin's ideas began to be set loose. Praise God for His wisdom and power and mercy!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Oddities of U.S. Borders, Part 2
There are two "international parks" of interest on the U.S.-Canada border. The International Peace Garden, on the border between North Dakota and Manitoba, basically exists in the "no-man's land" between the two countries' port of entry stations. Visitors from either country may enter the park without stopping at Customs, but must stop at the appropriate port of entry when they leave the park. I suppose it would be possible for someone to get stuck in the park, not being able to enter either country. While in the park, visitors may cross freely back and forth across the border line.
Another international park is Roosevelt Campobello International Park, in New Brunswick. Although the park is entirely in Canada, it's normally accessed by crossing the border bridge from Lubec, Maine. There is also a car ferry that connects Campobello Island to the New Brunswick transportation system via Deer Island, but it only runs during the summer. The site is also unique in having been the only summer home of a U.S. president (Franklin Roosevelt) to be on foreign soil.
There are three airports that actually straddle the international border. Between Minnesota and Manitoba, Pinecreek Airport started out wholly within Minnesota, but was extended into Canadian territory. Customs offices are adjacent to the field. A similar situation exists between Washington and British Columbia, at Avery Field State Airport. The one airport whose runway actually follows the border is Coronach/Scobey Border Station Airport, between Montana and Saskatchewan.
Another international park is Roosevelt Campobello International Park, in New Brunswick. Although the park is entirely in Canada, it's normally accessed by crossing the border bridge from Lubec, Maine. There is also a car ferry that connects Campobello Island to the New Brunswick transportation system via Deer Island, but it only runs during the summer. The site is also unique in having been the only summer home of a U.S. president (Franklin Roosevelt) to be on foreign soil.
There are three airports that actually straddle the international border. Between Minnesota and Manitoba, Pinecreek Airport started out wholly within Minnesota, but was extended into Canadian territory. Customs offices are adjacent to the field. A similar situation exists between Washington and British Columbia, at Avery Field State Airport. The one airport whose runway actually follows the border is Coronach/Scobey Border Station Airport, between Montana and Saskatchewan.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Adventures with Printers
Yes, office equipment can be an adventure too! Especially when God gets involved.
For the last couple years, the printer in my office has been disabled by an annoying error message that would not go away no matter what I did. This morning I really needed a printer. I had forgotten on Friday to print off quizzes for today's eight o'clock class. And the department printer is usually not available until a little while after 8:00. My first idea was to try to access from home the online practice quiz to get questions from, and then print at home. But we've been having firewall issues lately that kept me from being able to access the web page . . .
So, when I got to the office, I was desperate enough to be pondering the possibility of completely disassembling my printer and putting it back together, or something like that. Instead, I was shocked to find that the error light on the printer was not lit up!!!! After confirming that it had paper and navigating around on the menu, I got up the courage to print the demo page. AND IT WORKED! When I tried to print the quiz though, it aborted. It didn't take too long to notice that I no longer had the USB cable connected to the printer. Once I managed to get it back in, my printer was once again fully functional. And I still had a few minutes left before class. Wow! Talk about an 'on-time' God!!!
For the last couple years, the printer in my office has been disabled by an annoying error message that would not go away no matter what I did. This morning I really needed a printer. I had forgotten on Friday to print off quizzes for today's eight o'clock class. And the department printer is usually not available until a little while after 8:00. My first idea was to try to access from home the online practice quiz to get questions from, and then print at home. But we've been having firewall issues lately that kept me from being able to access the web page . . .
So, when I got to the office, I was desperate enough to be pondering the possibility of completely disassembling my printer and putting it back together, or something like that. Instead, I was shocked to find that the error light on the printer was not lit up!!!! After confirming that it had paper and navigating around on the menu, I got up the courage to print the demo page. AND IT WORKED! When I tried to print the quiz though, it aborted. It didn't take too long to notice that I no longer had the USB cable connected to the printer. Once I managed to get it back in, my printer was once again fully functional. And I still had a few minutes left before class. Wow! Talk about an 'on-time' God!!!
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