Frequency Hopper Update and New Posts Coming Soon!

Yours Truly hugging a tree in the Queen Ann Garden of Stirling Castle in Stirling, Scotland

My tour of Northern England and Scotland winds up this week!

I've had a tremendous time. Most everyone has been super friendly and helpful.

A few points of order:

deltamagnet@yahoo.com or deltamagnet@facebook.com

- At this time I'm soliciting new adventures. If you are the representative of a travel bureau or own a business you would like me to visit, please email me.

- Presently, I have solid couch surfing offers from pals in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Tehama, Japan. These are my best leads for a 2012 international trip. Nearby B&Bs, upscale hostels, and unique housing situations: please ring me up! The doors are wide open and I'm in planning mode.

- I'm launching two new "ongoing series": Cafes I Have Known and Bookstores I Have Known. If your cafe or bookstore business would like to be featured in a future post, please let me know and I will arrange a visit when next I'm in your town.

- Below are some of the posts I'm organizing for the summer and fall.

I'll be folding in my promised Colorado, Wyoming, and Arizona posts also.

If you'd like a notification when a specific topic is posted, please email me and I will let you know when it is up...

Manchester, England

Salford Lads Club Smiths Room Quest (with video)

Newcastle, England

Segedunum and Hadrian’s Wall Adventure

Glasgow, Scotland

Tramway Hidden Gardens Adventure

Glasgow Necropolis Adventure

Pollok County Garden and Burrell Collection Adventure

Strathyre, Scotland

Right-of-Way to Rob Roy’s Grave Adventure (with video)

Ben Vane Hiking Adventure (with video)

Falls of Dochart and Killin Trail Adventure

Stirling, Scotland

Stirling Castle Adventure

Edinburgh, Scotland

Craigmilllar Castle Adventure

Arthur’s Seat Adventure (with video)

Egilsay, Scotland

Edible Egilsay Adventure

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville Cycle Tour Adventure

The Columbia Viper and Superhero Tourism

Knoxville, Tennessee

Knoxville Noon Music

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Dollywood Adventure

Asheville, North Carolina

Linville Caverns Adventure

Black Mountain College Quest and Montreat Hiking Adventure

Carl Sandburg Connemara Farm Adventure

Raleigh, North Carolina

Crepe Myrtle Pride Celebration

University of North Carolina Greenbelt and Botanical Garden Adventure

St. Louis, Missouri

Going Up In The Gateway Arch

Thanks to all my readers for making these journeys so fun to pursue!

xxoo
Dale

Southern US Bus Adventure

A queue inside the Nashville Greyhound bus station

The five stops on my Southen United States journey were all served by airports. At least two of the destinations were connected by rail.

I chose to ride the bus.

Why? Inexpensive, no security checkpoints, no overpriced restaurants. I got to track my own luggage without so much as a metal detector. I got bathroom breaks, an open seat next to me and I got a view of the land.

If I had flown, I would have been obliged to drive two hours to St. Louis airport, arrive 90 minutes early, fly one hour to a second location, change planes, fly another hour and a half to Nashville, collect my bags, and wait for ground transit to take me 20 minutes into town. A total of eight hours.

By bus, Columbia, Missouri to Nashvlle, Tennessee took ten hours door-to-door. That included a two hour transfer in St. Louis.

Country music stars have, for decades, chartered coaches. Some of it is superstition: Major stars like Patsy Klein and Buddy Holly died on puddle jumpers that served their tour’s minor destinations. Some of it is economic: conveying their entourage by bus permits an act to give a bigger show in more venues.

Music fans following bands recognize these realities. They save wear-and-tear on their vehicles or even the inconvenience of obtaining a vehicle.

In Knoxville, I met a Swiss student who was looking for music venues. For about the price of a round trip cross-country plane ticket, he could use a 1 month bus pass to take in Nashville, Memphis, Chicago, Washington D.C. and New York. At our lodging, he met up with a cadre Widespread Panic enthusiasts.

The bus has it’s own culture. Folks are unhurried and respectful. Very few people consider traveling on a bus as a luxury, though for many of them it is.

Yours Truly with the pillow case of fame

On the first leg of my Nashville journey, I sat at the very back of the bus with a woman and her nephew.

She was on her cell phone. He was playing with a WWF action figure and kept losing parts of its costume on the floor. She would pick them up and say, “Don’t lose the cowboy hat! I paid $25 for your wrestling man.” Then he would drop them again and laugh. And she would stop her conversation, cell phone pressed to shoulder, and pick the tiny clothes up again.

As we were disembarking, I pulled my lunch bag from under the seat in front of me and it burst. A half-empty soda can had rolled to the back of the bus and spilled on the contents. “Nobody using this,” my neighbor said, handing me a blue pillow case with blue spirals on it.

It wasn’t until I got into the terminal that I noticed how many other people were carrying belongings in pillowcases. It was far more common than people carrying a matching backpack and suitcase combo. I felt more at ease with this small, unintended assimilation.

Missouri MKT Trail Adventure

With Odette and Scooter on the CoMO fork of the MKT

My Columbia, Missouri canine charges enjoy visits to the MKT trail. Because their little feet only go so far, we typically trace 1.5 miles from one of the parking lots and back. That’s plenty of exercise.

Ted Jones and the City of Columbia, MO opened the nine mile Columbia Spur of the MKT, or “Katy” Trail almost 30 years ago. By 1999, organizers had expanded the nine mile greenway by 200 miles.

The CoMO stretch is still considered the best of the nations’ rails-to-trails projects.

Contemporary guardians maintain it’s community function with informational stops and public art. I enjoy a display describing the variety of minerals and fossils found in the area.

Blue tile pillars, arranged in a spiral to honor Martin Luther King Jr. are a visual oasis near the trail’s 3 mile mark. Other tributes and sculptures are scattered throughout.

There are no fences or wire separating the path from the shoulder of the trail, providing easy access to prime marking spots for the pets. I appreciate the firm limestone paving that has been worked into the soil. It gives my step considerable spring.

Though the trail is level and well manicured, hikers may enjoy the many side trails that charge up a hillside or down a wooded ravine.

Betsy (middle) rejoins the dog pack after a vet visit

Wooden bridges provide a change of texture for the animal’s tired paws and a shady canopy keeps them from getting overheated.

Folks walking the path are friendly and curious, so expect to stop for conversation if you’re not running or biking. If you are lucky puppy, someone may be armed with a pocket full of liver treats!

Local flora includes poison ivy. I get a brush of it on my left arm and look like I have an extremely localized case of chicken pox for two weeks. Also, since deer frequent the area, I check all trail recreators for ticks once we’ve returned home.

Hannibal Road Trip Adventure with Dogs Photos

Outside the Hannibal, MO tourism office

Scooter, Betsy, and Odette with Your's Truly as we make a pit stop at the Madison Covered Bridge. Three ladies, originally from Hannibal, were there celebrating the life of their mother. They were eating all her favorites, corn Bugles, easy cheese, Chez-Its, Coca-cola and sherry. One of them was kind enough to snap this.

Placid Mark Twain lake

For a $10 donation to the Mark Twain house, visitors can scribble on the whitewashed fence.

The law office of Mark Twain's father, which inspired many episodes in Twain's literature

Mark Twain's boyhood home

This park is at the base of the climb to the lighthouse. If you make it all the way to the top, a souvenir shop next to this statue will provide you with a commemorative card verifying that you accomplished the feat. The statue is an artist's interpretation of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

Lover's Leap is pretty, but its beauty is marred by the fence I'm standing in front of in this pic. Hannibal needs to come up with a less intrusive solution.

View of Hannibal, Missouri from Lover's Leap. The cliffside can be seen foreground left.

Hannibal Road Trip Adventure with Dogs

Americans feel sentimental about Hannibal Missouri before we even set foot in town. Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Becky Thatcher, Injun Joe, and Jim are longtime fixtures in our imagination.

Right alongside them is their creator, Mark Twain, whose wit and wisdom took root in my homebase of San Francisco for a time.

All the sites in Hannibal are outdoor attractions. If you want to pop into the ice cream store for a scoop or see the Tom Sawyer Diaoramas, the experience is there for you. Most of your time, however, you will be hiking to the Lighthouse, exploring the caves, or strolling Main Street downtown.

Between Columbia and Hannibal, my dog charges enjoy a variety of rest stops.

Mark Twain Lake is tranquil and good for hearing your bark echo.

The covered bridge in Madison is recommended particularly if there are a trio of women celebrating the birthday of their deceased mother and they offer you cheese crackers.

In Hannibal, the statue of Tom Sawyer is beloved of Betsy, Odette and Scooter as is the marker for the old jail. Both have lots of shady trees to duck and play under.

Groomingdales on Main Street is the primary sniffing area. A broad variety of high end dog fashions, toys, and treats are available inside if your wallet is willing.

On the highway out of town, Lover’s Leap extends over the town’s canopy. The effect is diminished by an awkward fence. While Hannibal doesn’t deserve the liability of people jumping from that promontory, there has to be a more attractive solution.

The picnic area there was nice for a few laps of water. The dogs aren’t used to being up that high above anything other than the floor. Vertical excitement like that appeals to Betsy most.

Photos to follow in the next post.

Feel free to add me as a friend on Facebook or to vote me up on fabulis .

Lawn Cuisine Adventure Photos

Sage, Catnip, Oregano, and Marjoram are hung with twine inside the window to dry.

Sorrel, chrysanthemum flowers (which must be blanched), and blue cornflowers.

Oak chutes grow from fallen acorns buried and forgotten by squirrels.

The leaves can be eaten raw. Here they are soaked in saline water and dried at a low temperature.

The result is a thin, slightly nutty leaf with a texture like nori.

Separating dried clover flowers from their stems.

Lawn Cuisine Adventure

(L to R: Scooter, a bichon-jack russell mix and Betsy, a miniature schnauzer, eating clover.)

An academic town since the 1830s, Columbia Missouri is known for campus life. Columbia College, Stephen’s College, and Mizzou are all here. The region is heavy with thoughtful people and cultivated physical beauty.

I’m caring for three dogs and two cats and a four bedroom four bath house while the owners are away in Greece. My adventures are, by necessity, revolving around the animals and their interests.

In the afternoons, Christopher Cat enjoys the summer lawn. The rains shake down twigs and folds of leaves bringing bugs and other curiousities down to paw level. A patch of chewable catnip inspires Christopher to roll and pounce.

The dogs enjoy the thick clover in the yard, munching on and bounding through the fluffy white flowers. It's the first place they go if they are feeling unwell. Apparently, clover assists their digestion.

These are naturally fertilized, organic gardens. While maintaining the lawn, I’m looking into what the animals know; what I can ingest from the landscaping?

Photos, to aid in plant identification, are in the next post.

Catnip

Yes, humans can eat catnip. Hot water over fresh macerated leaves makes a lovely, citrusy mint tea. No “special effects” tho.

Chrysanthemum petals

Chrysanthemum tea is one of my favorite dim sum treats. The mums in the yard here aren’t much with hot water, but they are edible when blanched.

Blue cornflower petals

I am eating these raw. They are nice for some color on top of a salad. When I cook them into something white, the blue dye in the petals makes the food look whiter (rice, mashed potatoes).

Oak chutes

It turns out oak chutes are a nutritious survival food so long as the leaves are green. With the stems removed, the leaves can eaten raw.

Since they have a bitter edge, I’m soaking them in saline water overnight. Since they are high in tannic acid, they should be eaten sparingly to permit healthy iron absorbtion.

I’ve soaked the leaves and dehydrated them slowly in a low heat oven. The result is a thin, nori-like crisp, packed with chlorophyll, protien, and vitamin-C. Ground to a powder, I’m using it to boost smoothies and thicken sauces.

Sorrel

Because it has a weed-like look and texture I’ve passed up sorrel which grows wild, in patches, like spinach. I find it more flavorful than spinach - distinctly fruity. It’s nutritional value is contrasted with a high concentration of zit-causing oxcalic acid, so I’m consuming it in moderation.

I make a beautiful sorrel bisque with olive oil, chives, and nightshade vegetables.

Clover tops

Clover tops are sweet and fragrant. They are high in protien, fiber and pectin, potassium, calcium, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

The flowers are rough on the stomach if they are not lightly baked first. Also, harvesting the flowers is time consuming (if you’ve ever separated stems and seeds from natural smoking materials, you understand the process.)

I’ve dehydrated the flowers and separated them and am sprinkling them atop salads and folding them into rice pilaf.

New Adventures

I’m on the road again!

If you are near one of the following locations, please get in touch with me deltamagnet@yahoo.com so we can get our social network on.

- Columbia, Missouri

- St. Louis, Missouri

- Nashville, Tennessee

- Knoxville, Tennessee

- Asheville, North Carolina

- Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

- Denver, Colorado

- Boulder, Colorado

- Greeley, Colorado

And be sure to friend me up on Facebook if you have not done so already.

Reviving Frequency Hopper

For the next four months, I'm reviving Frequency Hopper, the travel blog I began in 2006 to commemorate a Transatlantic cruise I took with my mother.

Presently, I'm traveling to Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Missouri, and Colorado.

My first stop is Abercam La Fortuna, a resort exclusively for gay men located in the heart of Costa Rica, as close to the active Arenal Volcano as is legally possible. I will live there for close to two months.

Unlike Delta Magnet Blog, which I've nurtured during roughly that same period, Frequency Hopper will lean more toward the plain spoken.

Travel has an implicit reward which adjectives detract from. It's an altered state without drugs or sleeplessness.

For the purposes of clarity, all times will be stated on a 24 hour clock.