Hawaii Travel: Now Is Not A Good Time, Says Governor

Above, inside the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The governor of Hawaii asks that people curtail travel to the islands for now, or at least until the end of October.

This is in fear of the delta variant of the coronavirus that seems to be spreading. 

According to the Seattle Times:

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s governor asked Monday that visitors and residents reduce travel to the islands to essential business only while the state struggles to control COVID-19 as the highly contagious delta variant spreads in the community.

Gov. David Ige wants to curtail travel to Hawaii through the end of October.

“It is a risky time to be traveling right now,” he said.

He said restaurant capacity has been restricted and there’s limited access to rental cars.

To read more, go here. 

CDC: Fully Vaccinated Can Travel Again

Above, yours truly at Mesa Verde National Park in September. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

Well, it looks like I can travel again since I am fully vaccinated. Not that anything stopped me from doing so prior to my vaccinations done in February.

This is according to a new guidance by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

According to the Seattle Times:

NEW YORK (AP) — Add travel to the activities vaccinated Americans can safely enjoy again, according to new U.S. guidance issued Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S. without getting tested for the coronavirus or going into quarantine afterward.

Still, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky urged caution and said she would “advocate against general travel overall” given the rising number of infections.

“If you are vaccinated, it is lower risk,” she said.

According to the CDC, more than 100 million people in the U.S. — or about 30% of the population — have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last required dose.

To read more, go here. 

Joe Biden: Ban 9mm Pistols

Presidential candidate former Vice-President Joe Biden usually makes news by making some hilarious gaffe, but, on occasion, he says other things that should disqualify him from the presidency even more.

He wants to ban 9mm pistols.

According to Ammoland.com:

Fairfax, VA – -(Ammoland.com)- A week after he told voters that the Second Amendment doesn’t protect “a magazine with a hundred clips in it,” 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden offered supporters more of his singular brand of anti-gun nonsense. While attending a private campaign event in Seattle, the former vice president reportedly called for a ban on 9mm pistols. 

According to an article from the Seattle Times, Biden was in town to attend two private fundraisers, one of which was at the home of “a top Amazon executive.” The posh soiree set attendees back a princely $2,800 per-person. The other fundraiser was held at the home of a local philanthropist. That staider event offered donors a relative bargain with a $500 minimum price tag. 

While speaking to attendees of the latter event, Biden claimed that he supports the Second Amendment. The 77-year-old then went on to ask “Why should we allow people to have military-style weapons including pistols with 9mm bullets and can hold 10 or more rounds?”

To read more, go here.

Portion of Grand Teton National Park Closed Due To Aggressive Bears

Above, a black bear at Yellowstone Bear World. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Despite being constantly told by the National Park Service in our national parks, there are still stupid people who do not obey the rules and feed park bears.

This is not good for people (due to attacks by aggressive bears) and it is not good for the bears as many have to be euthanized because of stupid park visitors.

This is from the Seattle Times:

MOOSE, Wyo. (AP) — Part of Grand Teton National Park is temporarily closed due to aggressive bears. 

Park officials say visitors fed bears Tuesday on Signal Mountain Summit Road. A female grizzly bear with two cubs later charged toward park visitors and employees near the road.

Just DON'T feed any national park wildlife!

To read more, go here.

Wyoming Bill Allowing State Takeover of National Parks In Shutdown Passes Senate

Above, Mammoth Hot Springs terraces in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In the event of future government shutdowns, the state of Wyoming seeks to take over the national parks within the state.

The Seattle Times reported:

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Legislation that would allow the state of Wyoming to take over operation of Yellowstone National Park and other facilities during a federal government shutdown was approved Wednesday by the state Senate. 

The measure passed 17-12 and went to the House.

Under the proposal, the governor of Wyoming would be authorized to spend up to $500,000 to operate any national park or other federal facility, except military installations, within the state’s borders. Wyoming would surrender operation of any facility once a federal government shutdown ended.

Along with Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park is also in Wyoming.

To read more, go here. 

Officials Investigating E. Coli In Bryce Canyon Drinking Water

Above, Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Tests of Bryce Canyon National Park's drinking water have come up with no trace of E. coli in treated water.

According to The Seattle Times:

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah authorities are investigating reports of drinking water contaminated by E. coli linked to prairie dogs at an iconic Utah park, but said Tuesday that tests so far show the water is clean. 

Bryce Canyon National Park saw 2.5 million visitors last year, and county leaders are alarmed about contamination reports linked to feces from prairie dogs near the well that supplies water to visitor facilities and cabins.

Park officials said contaminated samples came from untreated water. Treated water is safe, they said. State drinking water officials said they’re planning to review the system this week, but so far have seen no evidence of a problem in monthly drinking water tests.

To read more, go here.

Liberals Are Also Ruining Seattle

Above, the city of Seattle with Mt. Rainier in the background haze. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It's funny. A friend recently said that I was full of "bitterness" over California after I gave him a joking poke. He got all upset over it. (Proving once again that liberals have no sense of humor.) Others knew right away I was joking.

It is interesting that he should accuse me of being "bitter" over California, yet he constantly posts anti-Trump tirades or attacks deceased Republican presidents in a Facebook post about the Kentucky Derby.

I am not "bitter" about California. I am just sad and disgusted with over what it has become. I am not alone in this sentiment. There are others in other places.

California is not alone in being ruined by leftist lunatics. A professional science writer wrote an op-ed at the Seattle Times that liberals have also ruined the city of Seattle.

Begins with:

I KNEW Seattle was no longer a place for me when I met with Debora Juarez — the District 5 City Council member I had voted for. 

Last September, at what I thought was going to be a friendly one-on-one meeting between an elected official and her constituent, I expressed some concerns that were on my mind. I fretted over the deterioration of a city with which I had fallen in love — a city that, despite my 21 trips to Europe, I still believe to be the most beautiful in the world.

I told my council member that Northgate, my home, had seen a noticeable increase in litter and graffiti. To my dismay, she seemed to suggest these issues were someone else’s job, not hers. So, I moved on to a bigger issue: homelessness.

This should floor you:

I believe strongly that it is not compassionate to leave people who are unable or unwilling to care for themselves to suffer and die on the street. Because many (but certainly not all) homeless people struggle with mental illness or drug addiction, I suggested that Seattle find a way to make it easier to provide treatment to these troubled souls — involuntarily, if need be. It could literally save their lives. 

Juarez exclaimed, “What is this? Nazi Germany?”

Yep, trying to talk sense to liberals is about like trying to talk sense to a rabid dog. They are impervious to logic.

To read more, go here.

What Were They Thinking?!

Above, the offending photograph.

Clothing retailer H & M has a major public relations problem after an ad for a line of sweatshirts smacked of racism. 

According to the Seattle Times:

NEW YORK (AP) — Singer The Weeknd said Monday that he will no longer work with H&M after the clothing company posted an ad of a black child in a sweatshirt with the words “Coolest monkey in the jungle” on the front. 

Many people criticized the image on social media, calling it racist. H&M removed the image Monday and apologized to anyone it “may have offended.”

The Weeknd, who has a clothing line at the retailer, said on Twitter that he was “shocked and embarrassed” by the photo. 

“I’m deeply offended and will not be working with @hm anymore,” he wrote.

How could anyone in their designing department miss that? Anyone with common sense would find the sweatshirt's words eye-popping. Where were the kid's parents? I can't blame The Weeknd for his reaction.

To read more, go here.

Visiting Yosemite: Expert How-To Tips

Above, a sunrise view of Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To get more enjoyment out of a visit to Yosemite National Park with how-to tips, The Seattle Times enlisted the sage advice from a former park ranger and a videographer.

The article offers advice on such topics as hiking, sight-seeing, camping, dining, lodging and tours.

Above, Degnan's in Yosemite Village offers pizza and sandwiches, among other treats. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The sub-heading of the article:

Here are useful ideas from a former Mount Rainier climbing ranger, now in top brass at Yosemite, along with tips from an avid videographer working in the highly popular California park.

The article itself begins with:

 “ … the mighty Sierra, miles in height … so gloriously colored and so radiant, it seemed not clothed with light but wholly composed of it, like the wall of some celestial city.”
— John Muir, “The Yosemite” (1912) 

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, California — Any visit to Yosemite, even for just a day, can deliver a jolt to the senses or a tonic for the soul. So imagine what it would be like to actually live within Yosemite’s boundaries, as Muir did from 1868 to 1874. 

“It’s one of the pinnacle places to live if you’re a mountain person,” says Mike Gauthier, who in 19 years at Washington’s Mount Rainier (1990-2009) rose to chief climbing ranger and search-and-rescue coordinator before beginning a seven-year stint as chief of staff at Yosemite. 

“It’s one of the most incredible valleys on the planet,” Gauthier says. “It’s very special to live here. I know it’s a gift. I know it’s memorable. I know it’s significant. I’m struck by that every single day.” 

Steven Bumgardner, meanwhile, a videographer who since 2005 has been documenting the Yosemite experience in a distinctive interpretive film series, “Yosemite Nature Notes,” is routinely reminded of how deeply both he, a local, and visitors resonate with Yosemite’s near-mystical vibe.

Above, deer in Yosemite Village. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here. 

Get Your "Golden Geezer" Pass Before The Price Hike!

Above, my "Golden Geezer" pass hangs in The Beast. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

"Golden Geezer".

Now there's a term for the national parks Senior Pass I've never heard before, until now. And we all can thank the Seattle Times for bringing it to my attention.

As mentioned several times on this blog, the lifetime Senior Pass is going from its current $10 price to $80, presumably by the end of the year.

The Seattle Times wrote:

Seattle-area national parks and related federal agencies this spring saw a 700 percent leap in local sales of their Senior Pass, likely stimulated by buyers out to beat a big price hike for what is affectionately known among many of its users as the “Golden Geezer.” 

The lifetime pass, soon to increase in price from $10 to $80, gets the bearer in free to sites ranging from Mount Rainier to the Snow Lake trailhead, providing access to more than 2,000 recreation sites managed by six federal agencies.

Last December, Congress authorized the price increase for the pass, which is good for a lifetime for U.S. citizens and permanent residents 62 and older. An exact date for the cost increase has yet to be announced, but some who work in parks expect it by year’s end.

The article also includes a link to where you geezers can order it online.

To read more, go here.

Seattle Times: A Good Time To Travel In Japan As Yen Tumbles

Above, the Godzilla slide in Yokosuka. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Confirming (again) what I've been saying for years, the Seattle Times posted an article stating that now is a good time to travel to Japan as the yen tumbles. Visiting the land of Godzilla is a lot more affordable.

They wrote:

A record 11 million foreign tourists visited Japan in the first 10 months of this year, up 27 percent from the same period in 2013, with more than half from elsewhere in Asia, government data show. The tourism boom may signal a lower yen is starting to help the world’s third-largest economy, which last quarter slipped into its fourth recession since 2008. 

The yen has depreciated against 27 of the 31 most-traded currencies since mid-year as well. Earlier this month it fell to a seven-year low of 121.85 to the U.S. dollar.

If kaiju fans plan to go to Japan now, they can also get The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan at a reduced close-out price of $9.95 (plus $2.00 shipping and handling) before going so they can walk in Godzilla's footsteps.

To read more, go here.