After 64 Years - I returned to the Philmont Scout Ranch

This is the two lane road from the Interstate to camp.  
This is where the plains meet the Rocky Mountains. 

My Dad was a scoutmaster - he look
like this guy - big nose - big ears.
They called him Happy. 

As a 14 year old boy in 1962 - my Mom and Dad worked hard for the chance to send me to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron NM. The trip was 3 weeks long. Three trains from New York to Chicago to Denver then finally to Raton NM. 

Waite Philips - a rich oil tycoon gave 38000 acres and his ranch to the Boy Scouts. They promised to keep it open for boys in America to enjoy this high adventure experience. Basically for 2 weeks we hiked through the mountains and high deserts. We learned about the earth sciences - Indian Culture - and building independence and character. 

Since it was 64 years ago - I remembered some things - and time changed the manmade stuff. But the natural settings are timeless. Most of our time was spent out in the wild. Tonight we are staying in a lodge at the base camp. We are in a lodge behind the Waite Philips Villa. 

Last night we slept in downtown Santa Fe at a Hilton Hotel which was made from an old adobe pueblo.  Both Santa Fe and Cimarron are at about 6500 feet above sea level. Cimarron is a town about as large as Tamaqua PA. It is certainly the outback of America. They get about 13 inches of rain a year compared to Tamaqua's 40 inches of rain. There are many buttes and mesas and other geologic formations. They are easy to see because of the sparse vegetation. New Mexico only has 2 million people compared to Florida' 23 million. 

Back to Philmont - this is the camp's off season. But they still use the facilities for workshops and seminars - to pay the bills. I expected to see a chain across the entrance. When we checked their web page - they offered  cabins - lodges - bungalows - even tents for rent. We spent $100 for a night in a large room - designed for seasonal counselors - and administrators. When I came here the first time in 1962 - we spent the first and last night at camp here in tents. The tents are much nicer today and designed to take harsh weather - and stay erected all year. 

I reflect on how a coal miner and factory worker scraped up the money to send me to Philmont. My Dad was a scoutmaster in Snyders PA. Many times he was offered the chance to take a group of kids here - but he could never afford to take off 3 weeks of work. Mom worked extra hard to pin $60 into the bottom inside of my sleeping bag. We had no internet or cell phones. No credit cards. In the 3 weeks - I never called home. 

We will have breakfast tomorrow in the dining hall - then we will be off to Taos - Los Alamos - Santa Fe - and Albuquerque. Tuesday at 7 am - we fly home to Tallahassee. Things are far apart out here. The highways are wide and straight - very little traffic. We are driving a Hyundai Elantra - which is very nice. The mile meter sometimes reads 50 miles per gallon. 

They have preserved Waite Philips's Model N 1906 Ford

This was the vacation home of Waite Philips

Look up the Villa on the net.

they are replacing the entire roof on the villa.

That is our lodge - the door on the right

The Santa Fe Trail goes right thru the camp. 

Philmont is a Mecca for Boy Scouts - girls now too. 

I took these pictures in the dark

The gift shop was open.

The tents have 2 roofs for shade

Cimarron downtown - high noon
We ate there at the Kit Carson. 

1906 Model N Ford

In 1957 Boy Scouts had 
Jamboree at Valley Forge - I went.

Camp philosophy

Our lodge for the night - very nice

We stayed in these tents - 64 years ago

Our car and window

We ate at the Kit Carson Restaurant for lunch.

Scout uniforms

Wagons like this rolled along on the Santa Fe
Trail before railroads. 

LIGHTHOUSE GRAND TURK ISLAND

Last month we took a cruise that stopped at Grand Turk Island. It is a little 4 mile by 7 mile island a little island about 70 miles north oh Haiti. 

At one time it was the center of a major sea salt industry. Now it runs on tourism. One can rent a gold cart and explore the whole island at leisure. They have some of the most beautiful beaches. 

I loved being able to explore this old lighthouse with a new modern light. It is on the northern tip of the island. 
 

FORD FLATHEAD 6

This is NOT the engine in my 1988 Ford F150. But I am smitten by its simplicity. Only 90 HP - but it delivered full torque at 1200 RPMs. It was found in Fords from 1941 to 1951. For a few extra dollars many chose the Ford Flathead V8. 

The camshaft was drive by gears - no timing belt. This engine only had 4 main bearings. 
 

PORTABLE CPAP AND BATTERY FOR SOME SLEEP FREEDOM

CPAP - Battery - Dc to Dc Converter

Last night I used 3 devices to improve my CPAP usage. My goal is to carry less and less as I travel in my camper - on planes - and trian - cruise ships - and hotels. I normal carry a big clunky AirSense 10 with all the clunkiness it has. It takes up so much room. 

My 3 devices are - a compact Air Mini - a ReWonder 100 watt battery power supply - and a DC to DC converter. They cost $700 - $40 - $20. Since insurance does not pay for them - you are on your own to figure out where to get them and pay for them. 

First I contacted my CPAP provider. They told me insurance would buy me a new Air Sense 11. No money is provided for travel CPAPs. They are a luxury. 

First I contacted Easy Breathe - an outfit that provides mail order CPAPs - they assure me if I send my prescription - they would send me a Mini. $700 plus a $20 piece of plastic to adapt my rubber house and mask to the new unit. You essentially pay $20 for a bottle top size piece of plastic. 

Next I bought a cord that is a DC to DC converter. It converts the 5 volts DC from an USB port to the 24 volts DC that the CPAP requires. It has to have a special plug on the end to plug into the CPAP Mini. It was $20 - the same price as the plastic adapter above.

Lastly - I wanted a battery that might power the CPAP at least 4 hours. I found the Rewonder for $40. It has several USB ports - and even had a digital gauge to tell you the state of charge. 

If they worked - it would solve many travel problems. But it would also be a backup - when power fails in our home. I could just switch over to battery power. 

Last night would be the test. We came home from the game - late and tired. I connected the 3 items together on the nightstand. I made sure the battery was fully charged - using a normal USB charger. It read 100%. 

I slept straight thru 11 pm to 7 am. At night - I would wake up and look at the digital gauge. After 8 hours of sleep - it said 38% of the battery was left! I did not even expect it to get thru 8 hours - let alone have a reserve. 

I ran it past Summer - my AI engineer - and she said that I am not taxing any of the electronics. As a matter of fact I was hardly using some of the power. Of course I can just plug the DC to DC converter directly into a USB port in the camper or into any USB power supply. I could even use the battery in my MacBook Air to power the CPAP. 

Presently I have a big lithium battery and inverter under my bed at home. I use that to power my CPAP - the refrigerator - and many other appliances during a power failure. This new setup is much tinier and more elegant. 

I will keep you informed on the performance over a long period. 

THIS IS MY TRAVEL PORTABLE CPAP MACHINE

Mini CPAP with my old one in back

I have been using a CPAP machine for the last 23 years because I have sleep apnea. It is like Sudden Infant Death Syndrome for grayheads. The CPAP has provided me with a wonderful night of sleep for a long time. 

The problem is - we travel a lot - and a normal CPAP machine is big. It takes up a lot of room in my bag. So Lulu bought me an Air Mini by ResMed. Simply it is not much bigger than a deck of cards. You use the same tube and appliance as with your traditional machine. You can power it with 110 volts AC. Or you can use a cord to power it with 12 volt DC - like with a camper or battery. It uses less than 1 amp of power. 

It has a bluetooth app that makes is easy to set up. No trip to a doctor is required. It is not cheap and medical insurance does not cover it - because they consider a travel CPAP as a luxury. You must have a doctor prescription to buy it. 

Since we travel so much - it is worth it to me. 

 

GRAND TURK - THE LAST STOP ON OUR 8 DAY CRUISE

 

Grand Turk - 4 x7 miles. 4700 people
Capital of Turks and Caicos

Grand Turk is one of many islands in Turks and Caicos. Only 4700 people live on this 4 x 7 miles island. Since it is the capital - the average income is high - like $80,000 a year for a family. Also houses average $450,000 - again overweighed by second homes from outsiders. These islands are still owned by the United Kingdom - although their currency is the US dollar. There is a much larger island called Provo which is much more upscale and touristy. It was 70 miles away. 

This was my favorite stop. Mainly because we rented a golf cart and could go anywhere we wanted. The roads were empty. We went to stores - museums - lighthouses - beaches - the Capitol. It was easy to get around. Lulu loved the roaming donkeys left over from the salt mining era. They were always pesting for food and Lulu bought a bag of carrots at the market. 

Since we had good phone service and internet - I could easily live here for a month or so in the winter. Lulu loves the clear blue water - I love the breezes. Having only 4700 on the island reminds me of my old town Tamaqua PA. 

If I came back to this country - I would explore Provo. It seems to be more upscale - more shopping - more resorts - and a real international airport. It would probably be busier. 

Even though it was hot on Grand Turk - our golf cart had a nice shady roof - and at 15 mph it created a nice breeze. I think I paid $80 a day for a golf cart. It was for all day - but our ship left at 4 pm. 

The Caribbean Princess is a very comfortable ship

The water was clear right off the ship

This was a typical market. Prices were high -
because everything is imported except for salt

I liked this beat up Nissan Cube

This was the lighthouse keeper's house

On the northern tip was an old British military base

They claim Columbus landed here

Spiral steps to the top of the light

I had the light to myself

That is the old military base

Modern electric lamp

From the lighthouse

Pretty sky

Lulu was followed by donkeys

This was the Supreme Court

This was Parliament. They opened it just for us. 

The Capitol

Parking for about 20 cars

John Glenn's capsule - he landed near here.

Gate to the airport

My golf cart ran by gasoline. 

The main beach at Grand Turk

Many people went no farther than this