See Do Think and Feel

  I posted about my "Every Day Carry" (EDC) pack with the minimal items I  always have with me. If you look at the 2nd photo in that post, you'll see that most things are contained in the little belt pack. One item, not in the pack, is one of the most useful urban tools that I carry.  I've found the Victorinox - Swiss Army Knife (SAK): Explorer to be best balance of size and functionality. A bit thicker than I'd prefer (it has 4 layers), I'll often use the scissors , knife and screwdrivers (2). I'll sometimes use the toothpick, tweezers and magnifying glass. I haven't found a model with 3 layers or less that suits my needs. The exception is the model called the Compact . But at $60, it lacks the magnifying glass, real can opener and proper Philips screwdriver. I carry the Explorer in my left pocket as a most convenient go-to tool. It's quick and nimble: I don't have to dig through my backpack and it's always at the ready. I have anot...

  When I go for a run, go geocaching, scooter, bike or play disc golf, I like to listen to music, an audio book or a podcast. It's not for everyone, but I find the audio can often add to my experience. Gliding past the roller coaster at the Mission Beach boardwalk listening to Bob Marley, Jimmy Buffet or the Beach Boys ... ahh! But San Diego is a busy place, chock full of other pedestrians, bikers and cars, any of which could sneak up behind, surprise me and make for an unfortunate encounter. For this reason it's important to me to be able to hear what might be coming up behind me and maintain situational awareness . I've experimented with a couple variations on the portable audio to solve the situational awareness problem and they are just "OK". I have one that I wear around my neck. Looks like a black horseshoe (see image below). One shortcoming is that it's fallen off several times and clattered on the pavement. They really aren't designed to run with. ...

  The other day, I went to Guitar Center needing some strings, lemon oil for my fretboards, some picks and maybe a few other knickknacks.  It’s been YEARS since I’ve stepped into a Guitar Center, maybe over a decade. I used to visit all the time, just for fun. I’d go there just to browse and see what might catch my eye. I’d sometimes end up buying some affordable, reasonably priced music instrument: I bought myself a couple Djembe drums and taught myself how to play them, I bought a pan pipe, an Udu drum, harmonicas and taught myself how to play them. Irish tin whistles. You get the picture.  As I pulled up this time, I had this vague memory in the back of my mind. Somewhere back there I recalled and remembered: sales people at Guitar Center were rude, indifferent, arrogant and not helpful. Jerks. Nah. Must be memories from a couple bad encounters. Besides, it was over 10 years ago and there can’t be the same employees still working there. As I stepped in, I had that almo...

Being able to efficiently carry your luggage and "stuff" while scootering is important. Unlike riding a bike, the weight of what you carry on a scooter matters. Wearing a backpack while riding a bike, the weight is "static". That load will sit on your shoulders / spinal column in a "static" way, not really moving much as you sit on the seat and pedal. Scoot on a scooter with a backpack and EVERY up and down stroke means lifting that load up and down again and again. Over time, it adds up. Your legs will tire more quickly. Better to offload that weight onto your scooter. Let IT carry the load.  There are MANY ways to carry your load. My current favorite solution is the KlickFix rack.  To mount it on my scooter, I use this adapter Here it is on my Swifty Here it is mounted on my Boardy The KlickFix Vario Rack and mounting adapter seem to be well made and sturdy. The rack clicks on and off easily. It carries some of my heavier items: my water bottle, a batte...

Summary review of scooters I own: Pros and Cons I love scootering and own several kick, push, manual (not electric) scooters. They’re nimble, excellent for low impact exercise and are a great way to get around to find Geocaches. As I've mentioned in a previous article , I think scooters are a great solution to quickly get around (a location you might otherwise walk). They're almost as fast as bikes, but don't require a cumbersome bike rack to transport them. You can fold and fit several in your trunk. Get to your destination, unfold them and you're off! Skateboards are just as nimble but require a bit more training. Because of the brakes and added stability that handlebars offer, most people have the confidence to give scooters a go and quickly learn how to scoot.  I am, by no means, an expert regarding kick-scooters, but I have spent a lot of time riding scooters and have logged many miles doing so . Over time, I've come to own a handful of scooters. Each one was ...

Portable AC / DC Air Pump This is a great air pump. About $50. I can use it to inflate tires of my scooters, bikes and cars. I set the PSI that I want to reach, turn it on and it'll automatically stop when it reaches the designated PSI. Sweet! It works off of a 110v power outlet or a 12v "cigarette lighter" in your car. I use this to quickly pump up tires of my scooters to max pressure which helps reduce rolling resistance. It comes with some adapters for other things like soccer balls and inflatable pool toys, mattresses, etc. There's even a built in LED flashlight that might come in handy if you need to inflate your car tire on a dark, desert highway with cool wind in your hair.  On Amazon

  Deadly quiet, invisible to radar* and incredibly fuel efficient The S-117 Stealth Edition custom built A5 Air My wife Sandy, rode my Boardy the other day and experienced a VERY noticeable difference in the way it rides. Prior to the Boardy, the only scooters we owned had hard, polyurethane wheels (The Razor A5 Lux and Xootr). Hard wheels certainly have their advantages. They roll further and faster due to their low rolling resistance. They're easier to maintain as you'll never get a flat. But they do have their downsides. Hard wheels effectively and vigorously transfer the shocks and vibrations of the surface that you scoot on. Rough pavement can be teeth jarring, twigs and cracks can stop you in your tracks. In addition, hard polyurethane wheels are not ideal to ride off road, even on hard-packed flat dirt.  We love the Boardy with its pneumatic wheels and the way it rides, but couldn't justify the price of a 2nd Boardy in the family. What to do? Many pneumatic wheeled ...

My impression and review of my Boardy scooter. I also own a Razor A5 Lux and Xootr Mg. I enjoy long distance "exploring" over varied terrain. In one day, I have scootered over 30 miles on my Xootr and on another day over 32 miles on my Boardy . I also enjoy scooting for fitness, pushing the scooter at sustained speeds.  I don’t want to use a bike rack on my car to carry it to my scooting locations. My scooters  must  fit in the trunk of my small car (Mazda Miata). Pros: It's smooth over rough pavement, dirt roads. One of the reasons: it uses 12” high pressure, pneumatic tires. I keep the air pressure high to make the tires as firm as possible. It offers less rolling resistance, but still absorbs shock. Another reason it rides smooth is that it has a "flexy" wooden / fiberglass deck. Absorbs even more shock. Feels kinda like a skateboard. It can get a bit bouncy, but I think it's groovy. The deck is made of layers of wood and fiberglass. It's seems flexi...

 I've experimented with a few different mobile Bluetooth speakers. I first started riding my scooter using a small, round, red, Bluetooth speaker. See my previous post here . I hung it around my neck on a lanyard and it technically ... worked . I liked the fact that I could still hear sounds of people and traffic around me, but even at the highest level, the music wasn't as rich or fulfilling as I would've liked.  I decided to take another look on Amazon and contemplated these "Horseshoe" shaped neck speakers that I had seen. Many were beyond a price that I was willing to pay for an experiment , but I did find one that was about $20, so I gave it a try.  I ended up with an inexpensive pair by Bluedio. About $20. Here are a few photos of what it looks like wearing it. The whole thing sits on your neck, which places the 4 little speakers under your ears. I wouldn't recommend it for running, it might work it's way off your neck, but for scootering and biking ...

Several years ago, for Christmas, my family bought several push scooters, one for each of us. As I did my research on what make and model to get, I had in mind a few features. First of all I was looking for a brand that was inexpensive. Getting 3 at one time could have added up and our family was going through a financial rough spot at the time, so price was important. A recognized brand name was important, we didn't want to find something so cheap and unproven that we'd have broken scooters in a short while.  We ended up choosing the Razor brand. Lots of kids ride these so we chose 2 adult and 1 kid sized scooters. Although the Razors were rattly and noisy, they got the job done. They allowed us to scoot as a family. We scooted all around San Diego! However, after many scoots, the Razors started to show some flaws. These are really toys and the construction shows it. They rattle, shake and feel cheap, loose and wiggly. The headstock assemblies would sometimes become loose whic...

Bluetooth speakers are easily paired with a phone. They allow you to listen to music or podcasts without having to be wired and tethered. My first experience with Bluetooth speakers was the  Oontz Angle 3 . A weather proof, portable speaker about the size of a hot dog. This works fine when working out in the backyard or listening when I shower (I have a little shelf that sits above my shower area). I've also taken it on photoshoots (clients are put in a relaxed, comfortable mood and I get better expressions when I play some upbeat pop music). I've also taken it along on picnics, disc golfing (in a side pocket of my backpack), etc. so ya, I like this speaker a lot. BUT ... It's a little too big to carry around while: hiking, running, biking, skateboarding, scootering. Those are some situations where a speaker is better than headphones or earbuds. You lose situational awareness when you bike or scooter with earbuds in. Cars or other bikes could sneak up behind you and be a re...