Starling Travel

I am DISGUSTED at this video of boy scout leaders toppling a rock formation in Goblin Valley State Park.

The guy filming the video is David Hall. He’s the one who sings, “wiggle it just a little bit.” He’s also the guy who laughs, saying, “We have modified Goblin Valley!” Here is his Facebook Page:

• Facebook – David Hall

The man who actually pushed over the rock is Glenn Taylor. Here is his Facebook Page:

• Facebook – Glenn Taylor

He’s the owner of NoBounds IT.

Here is the Wikipedia definition of a goblin:

• Goblin Valley State Park

The unusual stone shapes in Goblin Valley result from the weathering of Entrada Sandstone. They consist of debris eroded from former highlands and redeposited on a former tidal flat of alternating layers of sandstone, siltstone and shale. The rocks show evidence of being near an ancient sea with the ebb and flow of tides, tidal channels that directed currents back to the sea and coastal sand dunes.

Joint or fracture patterns within the Entrada’s sandstone beds created initial zones of weakness. The unweathered joints intersected to form sharp edges and corners with greater surface-area-to-volume ratios than the faces. As a result, the edges weathered more quickly, producing the spherical-shaped ‘goblins’.

The rock formations are estimated to be around 170 million years old.

Those “leaders” destroyed 170 MILLION YEARS of history. The Emery County Attorney, David Blackwell, is deciding whether to press charges against them. I’ve written an email to the David Blackwell:

Dear Mr. Blackwell,

I just saw the video of the Goblin Valley vandalism performed by Glenn Taylor and the two other boy scout participants. Over the years, I’ve seen MANY hooligans like this destroy our national parks and monuments. PLEASE make an example of these guys. If you have any ability to press charges against them, please do so. I am so sick of people like this destroying our public lands.

You can email him as well: bwell@co.emery.ut.us

Here is a video of them trying to justify this behavior:

Don’t let these guys get away with this sort of behavior. It’s not their place to decide if a rock is going to topple. It’s NATURE’S place to decide (and the state park employees in charge of that park). When vandalism like this is allowed in our public lands, then what are we saving them for?

Update 12-15-13: Goblin topplers may spur new law against wilderness vandalism | The Salt Lake Tribune

Via: Fox 13 News – Man who toppled rock formation at Goblin Valley says formation was dangerous

I have been playing Animal Crossing New Leaf for the last few months and the visitors to my town’s campground are hilarious. It is so enjoyable that every time I see a tent in the campsite, I have a delicious Pavlovian response that makes me run in to see who has come to visit. I love playing this game, but I also love the fact that they have included my favorite pastime in it.

I have a bunch of advice from the game and some photos after the break. (Continue Reading…)

The Long Long Honeymoon had a wonderful experience camping in the snow. Here is the video they made about it.

I particularly like seeing how they back into the camping site. It looks so easy and efficient. I’ve seen hundreds of campers trying to back into their sites at campgrounds all over this nation and it is NEVER this easy and efficient. Either clever editing has occurred or they are SO used to camping life that it is down to a science for them.

Most of the time, a big camper like their Airstream would still be pulling in and out, inches at a time, while we hand roll our tent camper into its spot. We can get our little tent trailer into its spot, hooked up and set up before most big trailers can park. It’s a lot more heavy labor to do it than positioning a huge vehicle, but it certainly takes less time.

Last year, we camped in freezing weather that surprised the camping folks in Las Vegas and Arizona. The RV resort in Vegas was SO surprised that they didn’t turn off their water features, which froze solid overnight.

We were able to stay warm all night with two electric heaters, even though temperatures dipped down to the upper teens. It appears they were camping in the national park, however, so there are no electrical hookups to run electric heaters. They had to stock up on their propane.

The next time you feel trapped at home because it’s too cold to go camping, remember this. You can have an inexpensive and beautiful get-away as long as you’re willing to prepare for the cold.

Ernie went on an Alaskan cruise with his mother and described his reaction:

• Little, Yellow, Different • Alaskan Cruise, Day 3 Whale Watching

Seeing a whale is one of those things where even a jaded guy like myself can go from “eh, I can read about these things on Wikipedia” to a manic “ooh, ooh Mommy, whales!” and even I’m amazed at how there can be so much flurry of wildlife: whales, fish, birds, families from Long Island – are in what were previously these still waters. I look over to Mom and I see her back to me, holding on to the railings of the boat. From this angle, she is perfectly calm as she slowly disappears on all sides by families snapping photos and children darting between everyone’s legs, just like the school of fish trapped in the bubble net, only to be momentarily devoured by the same creatures we are watching ourselves.

I felt the same way when we saw whales in Cabo San Lucas. Here is the best video of what we saw:

It is so humbling to be so near a creature who could accidentally kill me without even noticing. I loved our whale excursion and it was completely worth the extra money we paid.

Here is a video that talks about the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay that they do at The Haunted Mansion in Disneyland.

Halloween and Christmas are a great time to go to Disneyland, but be warned, the crowds are HUGE at Christmas time. If you want to see this aspect of the Haunted Mansion, GO NOW! It’s so much better than when the park is packed with people at Christmas.

Via: Haunted Mansion Backstage | Disney Parks recently released a video celebrating…

Update 09-24-13

Here is another video describing a new feature of the WDW Haunted Mansion and their hitchhiking ghosts.

I want to see this so bad that I think we’ll be driving for four days straight just to get to the other side of the country and go to Disney World.

Back in January of 2012, the Costa Concordia became the first cruise ship to sink since the Titanic. It has lain, derelict, in the Italian waters for nearly two years, but it has been parbuckled, which means the ship has been turned upright and supported by six underwater platforms so it can be made sea-worthy once again. Here is more information here:

• The Guardian – Costa Concordia righted after ‘perfect’ salvage operation

You can see the parbuckling in time lapse here:

The sinking of the Costa Concordia has been one in a long line of problems with cruise ships. I’ve talked a lot about these problems in the past.

• Starling Travel – Costa Concordia: The First Cruise Ship To Sink in 100 Years
• Starling Travel – Costa Concordia: Still A Wreck After Almost A Year
• Starling Travel – Carnival Triumph Stranded

I have been on cruises and I’ve honestly enjoyed them. My favorite thing to do is sit on the deck and REST. It’s something I don’t let myself do when I am at home. I do, however, allow myself to just rest when I’m camping. Once the trailer is setup and in place, I put out my camping chair and rest in my campsite just as much as I do on a cruise ship.

If I could just hire a nice person to bring me fruity drinks every half hour, camping would be just as relaxing and enjoyable as a cruise ship. Maybe that’s a new option KOA could consider for their campgrounds. I would definitely like that addition!

Kenny on Flickr posted some scans of an old Kit Coach Homes brochure. It’s a treasure trove of retro trailer goodness! (Continue Reading…)

I can’t believe I haven’t written an article about Scamp Trailers. They are awesome fiberglass trailers that are light and easy to tow. Just look how cute this Scamp 13 is from C. Smith on Fiberglass RV:

I found this introduction video for Scamps that shows their floor plans and how they are made, but they have disabled embedding.

• YouTube – Scamp Trailers Promo

They have been around since the Seventies, so I have found many of these trailers for sale used. The benefit of buying a used Scamp is that they are fiberglass, so you don’t have to worry about wood rot.

Additionally, because they have been around so long, there are tons of owners who can answer questions and forum posts about them.

• Fiberglass RV Forums: Scamp Trailers

If you are looking for a trailer that you can pull with your normal car, Scamp is one of the best in the bumper pull category.

Back in February 2012, I discovered Teal Campers:

• Starling Travel – Teal Camper: Ugly But So Ingenious

Back then, I thought the idea of a modular camper was ingenious, but they were unavailable for purchase, so I assumed that they would disappear into the vat of great ideas, that never made it to the real world. How wrong I was. Teal Tail Feather Campers is up and running.

They have three floor plans available for purchase, with pricing in the $8000 range for modular systems with all the works (like a sink and convertible dinette).

Here is the 4X8 Design:

The 5X8 Design:

The 5X10 Design:

These are all great floorplans and they weigh nearly nothing. You do need to provide the flatbed trailer, which could be bought at the local hardware store, to make them mobile. If you would like to build your own teardrop trailer, but have no experience with woodworking, then these trailers would be great for you.

For me, I have to compare them to a used tent trailer. Last year, I bought our used Jayco tent trailer for only $1000. It can sleep six people and weighs only 980 pounds, so I can haul it with my Prius. When compared to that option, the Teal Tail Feather Trailers don’t really make sense.

This video shows a buffalo, just leisurely strolling past some hikers in Yellowstone.

This LITERALLY happens every day in Yellowstone park. I don’t think there is a time when I’ve visited a park and haven’t had a buffalo just owning the road, ambling inches past our car, trapped on the road.

I feel a little jaded because I’ve visited Yellowstone every year for the last decade. I get surprised when people stop their cars in the middle of the road just to look at the elk or buffalo. I forget that the people in those cars haven’t seen buffalo every year for the last ten years. For them, it’s the first time.

That’s the benefit of living in Utah. We are so close to tons of National Parks that wondrous sites like the passing of a buffalo are commonplace to us.

Via: Just Out For A Leisurely Stroll — Cute Overload