The Antiplanner will be in Japan from today through September 23. I doubt I’ll make any posts during that time, but I might send a couple of photos.
If all goes well, I’ll take a ride on this train.
Since the Federal Transit Administration hasn’t yet posted July transit data, my analysis of that data will have to wait until my return. If you are eager to review the data, it will be here (currently showing June data, but it will show July when it is posted).
The Antiplanning family has a new member: Grizzly, a ten-week-old Belgian Tervuren puppy. He is our fifth dog of this breed and we look forward to many miles of hikes with him.
After we lost Smokey in January, I didn’t want to get another dog right away. But I was still grieving six months later when a breeder we admire contacted us and said she had a puppy for us. Suddenly, I found myself looking towards the future and not the past. I’ll never forget Smokey, but everything I wanted to do with him I’ll be able to do with Grizzly. Continue reading
When I included a photo of Smokey on my Christmas post last month, I knew he was sick, but I didn’t know how bad it was. In fact, beneath that gorgeous coat of his he had lost 20 percent of his body weight in two months. We were desperately trying to feed him anything he would eat but it turned out his digestive system had simply shut down and he died the day after New Years.
Smokey was born on April 1 2011 and saw his first snow in May 2011.
Having gone through this before, I thought it would be easier, but it’s not. I’m not religious, but the best way I can describe it is I feel like I’ve lost part of my soul. Continue reading
I started this blog 17 years ago today and since then have put up nearly 4,000 posts. Today, I’m taking the next step towards retirement by ending my practice of posting nearly every weekday.
Is this the origin of the phrase “pulling the pin”? Maybe not but as a railfan it is nice to think so. Photo by Ben Franske.
I still have more posts planned. I’ve written two more major reports that I hope will be published soon and will post them here. I expect to continue monitoring new releases of transportation, housing, and census data and report on them here. I also need to write at least one more chapter in The Education of an Iconoclast. Continue reading
Smokey the Antiplanning dog joins the Antiplanner and other members of the Antiplanning family in wishing you a safe and happy holiday and a wonderful new year.
Smokey was born near Austin, Texas and was reliably judged to be the cutest dog in the world by some young girls I met in an Austin park in 2011. He is still pretty handsome and it is hard to believe he has been with us for 12 years. Continue reading
Smokey in Spring Basin Wilderness near Clarno, Oregon on October 1, 2023.
Smokey, the Antiplanner dog, joins me in wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.
The Antiplanner is taking a fall trip into eastern Oregon wildlands and will be out of cell phone and internet range during most of that time. As a result, there won’t be any postings here at least until late next week.
Aspen grove in the Malheur National Forest.
I hope you enjoy your weekend.
This Fourth of July is a four-day weekend for many and a record 50 million Americans are expected to travel to celebrate, including more than 43 million by auto. Please keep in mind the latest highway accident data and drive carefully to wherever you are going.
Once you arrive, remember: only you can prevent forest fires, which means avoiding fireworks in dry areas. Fireworks start over 19,000 fires a year including a 47,000-acre fire in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge in 2017. The Forest Service urges people to use red, white, and blue silly string instead of fireworks, though even that is controversial.
With these cautions in mind, I hope you have a great holiday.
Before returning to Camp Sherman this past week, the Antiplanner camped on the Chewaucan River in the Fremont National Forest. While not as fantastic as Cedar Pass in the Warner Mountains, it was very pretty and quite isolated.
I hope you find an enjoyable place to visit this weekend and have safe travels in both directions.
I’m visiting the Fremont, Winema, Modoc, Lassen, Plumas, and Tahoe national forests.
Smokey at the headwaters of Cedar Creek, Modoc National Forest.
I may have a post later this week, but for the moment Smokey and I are hiking. Continue reading
