All Entries in the "Featured" Category
Stove Review: Vargo Triad versus Super Cat
I’m one of those guys that is always tweaking his gear. One of the items that caught my eye was the Vargo Triad Titanium Alcohol Stove. My homemade Super Cat has replaced my MSR gas stoves on my solo hikes, and I’ve been wanting to check out some of the manufactured stoves to see if they are better than my DIY project.
What to Bring for your Dog on a Hike
Here is a quick rundown of gear to consider if you take your dog hiking.
Hiking Recipes
I haven’t talked about food for a while so I thought I’d review a couple of meals from my latest hike. Last summer I went on a drying and baking binge and I’ve had an assortment of foods hanging around in the freezer that hadn’t been sampled for quite a while. As I was packing [...]
Springtime in the High Desert
Yes, I completely dropped off the face of the blogasphere for six months. Work, family, chores, and all of life’s other little pleasures swamped me. Every week without a post makes it just that much harder to go back and next thing you know you’re wondering why your readership is still growing when you haven’t [...]
Montana Wilderness Training, Part 2
With our base camp established somewhere over 8,000′ and a well earned night’s sleep behind us, it was time to get down to the business of training. The next several days were spent on alpine travel and rescue, avalanche awareness, climbing, and some good old winter hiking.
Montana Wilderness Training, Part 1
In May 2007, my squadron sent a team to Montana for cold weather and high altitude training in preparation for an Afghanistan deployment. This was truly one of the highlights of my Air Force career.
Best Tucson Whiskey Stores
A large part of enjoying whiskey is actually finding it. Now I love a good whiskey hunt as much as the next guy, but some of you actually have to work for a living and can’t spend time running all over town looking for the perfect dram. So I thought I’d share the best establishments I’ve found for buying whiskey in Tucson. If all you are looking for is a Glenlivet or Johnny Walker, then any supermarket or corner beverage store will fill the bill, but if you’re looking for something new then check out these stores.
Review: Insight Firearms Training
Well, I had the opportunity to do something a bit different last week. I was invited to attend the Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor Course at Insight Firearms Training in Prescott, AZ, and since I’ve always enjoyed shooting and firearms I could hardly turn down the offer! We used Insight for marksmanship and basic tactics training [...]
St George’s English Whisky
The rising popularity of malted whiskies, especially single malt barley spirits, is evidenced in the growing number of distilleries and labels that have been cropping up over the past few years. Several mothballed distilleries in Scotland have reopened for a total of five new distilleries since 2005, with as many as another half a dozen [...]
Macallan 12 Year Old Revisited
Been a bit under the weather the past week, so I’ve fallen a bit behind on my posts, but I thought you might enjoy this. This is a repost of my famous Captain Crunch whisky review of a Macallan 12 year old single malt. As you’ll see, everything is better with a little Crunch.
Podcast: Interview Stranahan’s Master Distiller, Jake Norris (12/2/09)
I thought I’d do something new for Whisky Wednesday this week. I enjoyed my tasting of Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey (CLICK HERE) so much last week that I wanted to know more about the people behind this unique American single malt whiskey. So I contacted the folks at Stranahan’s and asked if they would grant me [...]
Tucson Tuesday: High School Football Playoffs (Dec 1, 09)
Here is a quick preview of the Division 4A High School Football championship matchups for this weekend. The games are at 2:00 and 6:00 PM at the University of Arizona stadium.
3 Things You Must Do Before You Look for a House
For today’s Real Estate Report, I will focus on the three things a home buyers should do before they get in the car and start looking at houses. Most people and Realtors start out with price and location, but this is your house so you need to go a lot deeper than that! This video will show you how to take some of the stress out of home buying so you can focus on what is most important–buying the right house for you!
Weekly Wrap Up (Nov 27, 09)
Shackelton’s Whisky; This Week in Stocks; Whisky Leadership; Evolution Disproved (sort of); Quote of the Day
Hiking Report: Hiking Stove Review (Nov 26, 09)
Here is a quick comparison of my backpacking stoves. Super Cat, Svea Optimus, MSR Dragonfly, and MSR XGK.
Whisky Wednesday: Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey (Nov 25, 09)
Going Whisky Hunting; Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Review; Whisky Word of the Day For the Podcast of my interview with Jake Norris, Stranahan’s head distiller, CLICK HERE. Stranahan’s Colorado Whisky Surprisingly good for a two year old. Very complex and spicy with a cinnamon and herbal influence. Not Scotch and not Bourbon, just a good solid [...]
DDTV: Tucson Tuesday (Nov 24, 09)
Tucson Weather; BB Gun & Kids Study; The Phoenix Monkey Man; Arizona Budget Woes; and, What I’m Thankful For
Monday Real Estate Report (Nov 23, 09)
Inaugural episode of DDTV! Tucson Real Estate Update; Football Recap; Revisiting the Macallan 12 Year Old Single Malt (this time with Captain Crunch); Tucson Market Charts; My house as an example of what Sellers don’t want to do (see my green pool); More tips for home Sellers.
Tanque Verde Wash
One of the great things about Tucson is that there are some fantastic places to walk. During the summer, the washes (dried stream beds for those of you from wet places) are pretty unbearable but now that the weather has cooled they are a great place to put in some miles. They are easy walks [...]
Whisky Word of the Day: Angel Share
Have you ever talked to a whisky warrior, someone really fanatical about whisky, and wonder what the hell he was talking about? This video series is your personal Whisky Rosetta Stone. Listen, learn, and impress your friends. Today’s word is “Angel Share”.
Whisky Review: Macallan 12 Year Old Single Malt
Macallan 12 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky A good whisky but nothing to write home about. Fruity character with an underlying saltiness that reminds me of the ocean. A little too light and a bit forgettable. Overall Score: 14/25 Nose: 3/5 Palate: 3/5 Finish: 3/5 Experience: 5/10
Whisky Review: Glenmorangie 10 Year Single Malt
Glenmorangie 10 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky One of my favorites. A great moderately priced Highland single malt whisky. Light fruity character with enough depth and complexity for just about anyone. Overall Score: 18/25 Nose: 4/5 Palate: 4/5 Finish: 3/5 Experience: 7/10
Seven Tips for Starting a Campfire
Fire making is an essential survival and backcountry skill, and like any skill, you need some basic knowledge and lots of practice! Here is video and a few tips to help you get that campfire going.
A Dog’s Life
I’ve been a bit busy lately, so here is a short video of Saja showing what is really important in life.
