Thank you … there are times I appreciate hearing “thank you”. Other times it is appropriate to send a written, through snail mail, thank you card to another who deserves a thoughtful thank you. In my opinion, I feel it is worse when discovering some people never acknowledge anyone with thanks. I believe this tells you something about a person. I am just saying it matters to me.
Trail etiquette … when hiking a trail and another hiker is coming toward you. Whoever is hiking uphill has the right of way and the other person steps aside. It does happen, at times, when the uphill hiker wants to take a breather and waves you on; it is their choice. Trail etiquette is simple courtesy and that matters to me!
Traffic signs exist for a reason. I get it; many people drive 5-7 miles per hour above a speed limit sign. But why does one drive in a lane clearly marked with a red “X” on a bridge? The driver I saw doing this was speeding also! I prayed no construction person was working further down the lane with their little work sign up. I think this mattered to others on the highway as we saw that vehicle in a closed lane.
Honesty, truth, science, telling it like it is really … do not lie, embellish, or make something up. I am most happy to talk with anyone, even if our beliefs are not aligned, as long as he/she can be respectfully honest to have a productive conversation. We may part still not on the same page; however, each of us had been heard as we shared our thoughts/points of view. This matters to me especially as this nation is polarized. We, all as Americans, can work to solve issues so our country moves forward in the 21st century … that matters to me.
Respect… you are you, I am me. What makes anyone think we should all be the same? We are not. Don’t dictate the cookie cutter of your choice. The reason I travel the world is to view the differences around the world. Culture, religion, politics, environment, music, food, art, personalities, beliefs … with no expectation of others being like me or thinking like me. Respect for another’s choice for their life within the government they live. The USA is not the only country in the world. We must all learn how to work and play together so as not to destroy our planet and ways of life. This matters a whole bunch to me, especially as I travel the world. I wish everyone good health, safety and joy.
I saw this sign on a bus in Argentina and had never seen it before. The bus industry in Argentina had a campaign to train drivers to recognize signs of human trafficking a number of years ago. I learned also there are companies and businesses doing this around the world within the transit industry. This made a lot of sense to me since I only otherwise see help available with postings, such as this one:
Sign inside bathroom stall
Whatever we can do, must be done! Signs, of all sorts, indicating help is available are important!
Women’s safety must be a priority every minute of every day, especially when I read the dismal statistic: 1 in 3 women in the United States assaulted in her lifetime. Fear is not the emotion any woman wants when attempting to enjoy an activity; yet, it does cause some to hesitate or not accomplish what she wished to do. That’s not the world we want to live in!
Women can now carry a non-violent self-defense tool, a Birdie. The goal is to deter attackers while creating a distraction thus drawing attention to the woman in need of help. See the photo below:
Birdie
With a pull of the top circle, referred to as the “pin”, an ear-piercing siren happens along with a flashing strobe light, especially helpful at night. To stop the ear-piercing sound, return the pin into the Birdie. This personal safety alarm can travel everywhere, unlike tasers and pepper spray, which are not TSA-friendly. It also can be hooked onto bags, put into pockets, or hung on your keychain. Make it as accessible as you wish.
This self-defense tool was shared at a local bird festival workshop. You may wonder why there. Woman can be hesitant to hike and go bird watching alone, especially if hearing any statistics of assaults, etc. Therefore, this self-defense tool was offered as part of a workshop at the bird festival.
Hang it where you can easily access the it.
There is a new “Birdie 3.0” which has a rechargeable battery. When you visit the website you’ll see 2 other available products. One is a disc and the other a box for hotel room. Check those tools out as they may be of interest to you beyond this Birdie. My Birdie is not a 3.0, so a battery will need to be replaced in time. Women’s safety is important … share this info with others … gift someone … and have your own.
I drove away from the debris field left from that morning’s tornado. My mind wondered what would have happened if the van continued to shake. How difficult would it be to exit a shaking van? If there was no storm shelter, where would I go in the middle of a field? Has my van been damaged in any way? Why is the dashboard’s emergency light on? I have thousands of miles yet to travel; need this van and all that I carry within it.
My left hip hurt when I returned to the van after being in the storm shelter for about a half hour. Fortunately I had ice in my ice chest and put a bag of it on my hip. Now 4 hours later as I drove down the road, my van was my top priority. I stopped at a Discount Tire and asked they check the air pressure in all my tires. Good! But, emergency light is still on.
My weather report showed the storm was still about 2 hours in from of me. I decided to eat breakfast and drive slowly so I would not have another tornado concern. I also found a RAM dealership and asked about the message on my dashboard, “parking lights are out”. One light had been knocked out of place on the van’s roof, no doubt by the tree that fell at the side of my van during the tornado.
Could it be that I only have to replace one light? No other malfunction seemed to be known. The parts guy didn’t have the light, but could order one for me. I was not staying in town so he gave me the phone number of a dealership in Raleigh, North Carolina that had the light. I made arrangements for the purchase of the light and service for a couple of days after my birthday while in Raleigh.
As the rain continued, I discover a windshield leak! I had been thrilled to drive so far with no rock hitting the windshield, but now to deal with a leak! Why not!?! If it ever stops raining I would take a good look at the side of the van where tree branches swiped. Something did hit the middle of the front hood. That dent will be my constant reminder of the tornado. I wish I could say I see sunny days ahead; but no. Overall though, I am one lucky person!
I questioned the guys in the Parts Department because they shared tornadoes are just what they grew up with in Oklahoma. They were impressed with my to-go-backpack. They had seen people left with absolutely nothing after a tornado wiped their home away. I mentioned about moving to the floor of my van. They had a better idea since I had not thought about a tree crushing the van roof to the floor. I had built a sturdy bed frame with a small storage area under it. Its width about a foot, maybe 2 feet deep and 3 feet high. If needed, I would pull everything out and fold myself into the space. The bed frame is the most sturdy part of my van. With it over my head, it may not collapse under the weight of a tree or some other flying object. I hope I never have to test it!
I‘ve talked with other people in the days since my tornado experience. It’s interesting to hear their stories. A woman from Missouri told me they sit out on their porch and watch the tornado. Really!?! Others have been in their storm shelter about once a week in Oklahoma. The guys I spoke with said other places have flash floods, earthquakes, etc, we just have tornadoes; that’s how it is!
Well if experiencing a tornado was ever on my bucket list, I can now cross it off as completed. I would not be interested in experiencing another or larger tornado. One per lifetime is plenty for me! I was lucky to be with the people I was when the tornado stormed 30 miles east of Oklahoma City and shook my van and me! I appreciated the people I met later in the day who reassured me that my thinking was good during that experience. Now I am at a campground. A tornado is predicted for 11pm this night in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I already decided the restroom is where I will be for safety and was thrilled when the weather report changed to rain at 9pm. People in Arkansas told me the rolling hills here would slow any tornado and maybe that’s exactly what happened. Tomorrow I’ll deal with the windshield leak … and life … and travel goes on!
Tree I ran past in the early morning storm.
Van moved away from the trees that fell by my van.
Only goats can appreciate tree leaves so close to the ground. And there is where the trampoline landed!
Once again I am driving my van to USA’s east coast from the state of Arizona. I always look forward to this trip. I visit friends, family and add points of interest to my itinerary. The USA has many national parks. My current goal is to visit at least four national parks new to me!
Within my first week on the road, I spent a day at Bosque del Apache in New Mexico to observe and photograph birds. In Amarillo, Texas, I slept in the middle of nowhere and enjoyed a beautiful sunset.
NW of Amarillo Texas … so flat to easily see a sunset!
In Oklahoma City, I was hoping to bicycle ride on the paved bike trail paralleling the Oklahoma River. As I stepped out of my van and its door flew, I realized the wind would simply blow me on my bicycle over! So I walked and even that had some challenge when a gust came by! Everyone in town was readying for the “Run to Remember” in a couple of days. Many streets were closed. On past travel I visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The bombing of a federal building here on April 19, 1995 was horrific; this memorial honors the victims, survivors, rescuers and all who were affected. To this day, I recall the empty chairs and smaller ones for the children … take time to visit the memorial if you are in the area.
My overnight was at a family farm east of Oklahoma City. The have many animals: goats, chickens, dogs, longhorn steer … all rescued. I parked my van and readied for the night. My host mentioned a storm was coming in and suggested I turn my van into the wind. I agreed and thought it a good idea to have the van rock less. He wasn’t sure if the storm would be a tornado, but pointed out their storm shelter, just in case. He also recommended we keep in touch by phone in case he received important information about the storm. I never have my phone on after 8pm, even when I am home. I figured this night would be an exception.
I had never been in a tornado. Past tv news reports I had ever seen would show towns totally destroyed. Visualizing devastation seen on the news, I created a to-go-backpack with what I thought best to have in case I needed to leave my van. Or worse, if my van got picked up and crashed somewhere else I at least had some important items with me. The storm was predicted to arrive between 2 – 4 in the morning. I decided I should get some sleep … discovering it was not easy to do, despite telling myself 4 hours of sleep before the storm would be a good idea. Anxiety struck as I wondered about this upcoming storm. Could it be worse than the wind and rain storm on an island in New York State’s Stillwater Reservoir? There I laid in my tent as that storm was short of blowing me away. I got out of my tent, picked it up and moved it away from the island’s shoreline where trees could buffer the wind. I remember the sound of that storm to this day!
Five o’clock in the morning came with lots of rain … lots of wind … a roar of sounds I could not take time to decipher … the van shook and shook … I thought, could the van lift off the ground? I jumped off my bed and headed to the floor! After a short amount of time, it entered my mind to call my host. Should I be in the storm shelter right now? He said, I think the worst of it has happened. A minute later he called back and said, go to the shelter.
I had my headlamp in hand, put on my raincoat and grabbed my to-go-backpack. Immediately I wondered which door best to exit the van. With all the rain and wind, I decided to go out the driver’s door. The passenger seat had things on it and the sliding side van door seemed too cumbersome to maneuver with this storm.
It was dark! The headlamp worked okay, except I was moving so fast I did not see all the tree branches on the ground or the pools of rainwater. I slipped and landed on my left hip! Geez … more twigs, water, darkness and then finding the shelter in the dark … I arrived and climbed the steps down into a shelter not larger than a closet, and one you could not stand in. My host’s family: his wife and two children were already in the shelter. I sat in my host’s chair as he went to the house to check on the latest weather report. He also checked on his animals and his property.
At least a half hour later we emerged from the storm shelter. His wife told me this was their first use of the shelter this year. Tornadoes come through the end of April through mid-May. My host said it was a tornado with 90 mile per hour winds and not a large one! Large enough to shake my van, was all I could think!
We were all safe! We walked to my van and discovered a tree on the side of the sliding door. If I had decided to exit the van that way, I would never had been able to get out! Plus if I had not turned my van into the wind, the tree would have fallen on my windshield and engine. I was very, very lucky! My host’s property was not so fortunate. A tree on their home, shelters for the goats totally gone, their children’s trampoline once again for another year needing to be replaced, plus debris all over the property, and the next day he told me a young goat had died. We cleared a path for my van to exit the property.
This was my first tornado experience! I was appreciative of being with people who knew how to handle the situation. I learned a lot on this day and the next. My blog post will continue tomorrow.
Dependent on where you live in the US, there are signs: “Share the road”, Bicycles may use full lane”, “Motorists must allow at least 4 feet” between car and bicyclist, and “3 feet minimum to pass bicycles”. The bottomline is we all need to watch out for bicyclists as we also should for motorcyclists! When we drive a motor vehicle it is important to not be distracted, but instead, be aware of all that is happening on the road so everyone is safe.
In 2009 a metal sculpture, the Bike Church, was constructed from recycled bike parts; in 2014 a park was created around it. It is a permanent memorial to fallen cyclists. The sculpture has stained glass such as in a church, a top similar to Islamic temples, 2 Stars of David and a mold of a Pascua Yaqui dancer. You can walk within the sculpture for a closer look at its chimes, stained glass, various bicycle parts, and “in memory of” brick pavers. I have not seen the sculpture at night when it is lit up, but I can imagine with the stained glass it is amazing.
We wear head protection in various places. For me, I wear a hard hat on location while volunteering at Habitat for Humanity and a bike helmet while riding my bicycle. Most times I am on my own riding or working with people who do not know me very well so it is important to have medical information easily available to them if I cannot provide it myself. Recently I became aware of the “Medical Information Carrier System”, MICS, available at www.idformyhelmet.com
You write your medical information on the data form they provide, fold it up and insert it in their carrier (a small neon plastic piece you attach inside your protective hat/helmet). For others to know you have this information available, in case of medical emergency, you apply a MICS reflective decal on the outside left rear of your protective hat/helmet.
Now you are ready to have help available for you, if needed. Also, it is good practice to look on the left rear outside of helmets now…encourage others to get the medical information carrier system and/or to begin creating for yourself a first aid responder’s habit. Be safe!
Easy way to carry medical info in your helmet.
Reflective Decal placed on left rear of helmet…is the standard.
