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Blog postAmazon has finally done four things with the Kindle series that readers have long been requesting- make it waterproof, add more memory for storing more books and periodicals, include a larger screen, and restore Audible Books capability. The new Kindle Oasis is available for pre-order and will be delivered October 31.
My day job as a charter and air tour pilot means I'm away from home for up to two weeks at a time. While most of my fellow pilots fill their spare -
Blog postAmazon has finally done four things with the Kindle series that readers have long been requesting- make it waterproof, add more memory for storing more books and periodicals, include a larger screen, and restore Audible Books capability. The new Kindle Oasis is available for pre-order and will be delivered October 31.
For those of us who love to read on long backpack trips, the waterproof feature is a major improvement. Although it's rare for those with a good tent and a good b -
Blog postNo, I don't mean world travellers who stuff everything into a single giant backpack and hop around the world by airliner. I mean people with boots on the ground, hiking into remote areas for two or more days.
Recently I revisited the western end of the Superstition Mountains in central Arizona. The "Sups" as local hikers call them, have special memories for me, because it was the place I started backpacking as a teenager. Before I was old enough to drive, my parents would -
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Blog postUp until now, I've been saying that anyone who loves to read will always prefer a hardback book as the ultimate reading "device." Not any more. The best way to read is the on the new Kindle Voyage. And not just when traveling. Anywhere.
Sorry, Mr. Gutenberg.
Why?Screen resolution- the Voyage is the first e-book reader to match the resolution of the printed page, 300 dots per inch (dpi)Adaptive frontlight- as on the Paperwhite, the frontlight lets you read -
Blog postUp until now, I haven't liked touchscreen trail GPS, at least as implemented on the Garmin Oregon series of GPS receivers. I found the Oregon 450 to be slow, unresponsive, and awkward to use. It was impossible to use it with gloves, even thin liner gloves. The screen was hard to see in sunlight. I much preferred the buttons on my old Garmin 76Csx, and later, Garmin 62s.
I never tried the Garmin Montana series as they are just too heavy for backpacking use- and I'm more a backpacker -
Blog postWhen I preordered my Kindle Fire HD 8.9, I originally ordered the 4G model. I've always enjoyed the 3G E-Ink Kindles so I just assumed I'd want the 4G connectivity on the Fire HD. Meanwhile, I received a 7" Fire HD, which of course is Wi-Fi only.
After using the Wi-Fi Fire for a while, I realized my use patterns are different on the color tablet. I primarily use it for reading color magazines, non-fiction books with illustrations and photos, web, email, and sometimes listening -
Blog postAfter this post, Travels with Kindle will no longer be available as a paid subscription on the Kindle. Kind of ironic, but I don't have time to post as often as I'd like and it's not fair to those who are paying for a subscription, even at 99 cents a month.
But you can still keep up with Travels with Kindle on the web at http://travelswithkindle.blogspot.com/, and of course subscribe to the RSS feed so you will automatically see new posts in your news reader of choice. -
Blog postHow to keep your Kindle charged while on a trip? Although the Kindle E-readers- the basic $69 model, the Keyboard, and the Paperwhite all have battery lives 15 to 30 hours, the battery life drops if you have wireless on and if you use the frontlight on the Paperwhite. And the Fire and Fire HD tablets have a battery life of 5-10 hours, depending on how you use them. So you're going to have to charge them- even if only once a week for the E-readers and
All Kindles come with a USB cabl -
Blog postI'm really impressed with the accuracy of my latest GPS receiver, the Garmin eTrex 30. Capable of receiving the Russian GLONASS satellites as well as the aviation WAAS satellites, it has been achieving accuracy of 7 or 8 feet in the few days that I've been testing it. The eTrex 30 seems to consistently be several feet more accurate than my other trail GPS, a Garmin GPSMAP 62s. The 62s can receive the WAAS satellites but not GLONASS.
So what? The guaranteed civilian GPS acc -
Blog postBefore my Kindle Fire HD arrived, I bought an Azio KB334B Mini Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard. Since the Fire HD models all have Bluetooth, I wanted to give the Fire a try as a work device.
I already knew that I wouldn't like the Fire HD for serious writing- I don't like to write on my Acer netbook either. The minimum computer for serious writing for me is my Dell 15" laptop.
But writing books involves a lot of documents that are not book length, such -
Blog postWow! I've been using the Kindle Paperwhite for a couple of days and I'm really impressed. The frontlighting is beautiful and the touchscreen is really responsive. I'm not a huge fan of touch screens so I was reluctant to switch from my Kindle Keyboard to the The Kindle Touch, but the Touch won me over. It "disappeared" while I was reading just like the older, button-operated Kindles. The Paperwhite is even better.
As I mentioned in my previous post, the very effective -
Blog postFor those of us that just have to have reading material on a backpack trip, Amazon has started shipping the ultimate book reader, the Kindle Paperwhite. It weighs just 7.8 ounces and has the same 30-hour battery life as the Kindle Touch that it replaces. Like the Touch, the Paperwhite will last through all but the longest wilderness trips.
The Kindle Paperwhite has built-in front lighting so it can be read in anything from full, direct sunlight to a dark and stormy night in a tent. -
Blog postTravelling with a bare Kindle is not a good idea- you need a protective cover or sleeve to protect it from damage. As I've mentioned before, tho two choices boil down to a cover, which lets you keep the Kindle protected while using it, or a sleeve, which you have to remove before using the Kindle. Which one you choose depends on how you use your Kindle.
I've always been a fan of the lighted covers for the E-Ink Kindles. Even though expensive, the convenience of a built-in light powe -
Blog postSince the current crop of Kindles have been out for a while, there's now a large selection of accessories. This is the first in a series of posts on current accessories that are useful when travelling with your Kindle. I'll focus on the Fire, Touch, and plain Kindle (which I'll call the Basic).
One important trick- when searching Amazon for Kindle accessories, don't just search in the Kindle Store. The items there are "official" Kindle accessories- but there are many more -
Blog postAs an Arizona-based hiker, I often get asked where to hike in the state. Usually I'm asked by summer visitors. While summer is the prime hiking and backpacking season on most parts of the United States, it is NOT the best season in Arizona- unless you like hiking in a kiln. We're talking about desert temperatures of 115 F and 2% humidity.
Fall and spring- and even winter in the desert- are the best times to hike in Arizona, But since we can't control the seasons, what to do?
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Blog postAs I've said before, the Kingston Wi-Drive is a great way to add 16 or 32 gb of storage to your Kindle Fire. But I didn't own one myself until recently because I wasn't running out of space on my Fire. Now I am. Due to total immersion in a series of novels that I've been reading on my Kindle Touch, I've neglected my magazine subscriptions. Paper magazines have been piling up at home and digital mags have been filling up the Fire's memory.
Because the Wi-Drive user man -
Blog postNavigating to a trailhead with GPS is not as simple as it sounds because most street GPS receivers don't have trailheads in their points-of-interest (POI) databases, unless the trailhead is located at a park or other general attraction. And street GPS mapping, while remarkably good for highways, county roads, and city streets is often poor for back roads, especially in the western U.S. And finally, when street mapping does show back roads, it often doesn't distinguish between maintained, gr
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Blog postTonido is another way to sync files from a computer to your Kindle Fire, other mobile devices, and other computers. Setup is really easy- all you do is download Tonido Server for your PC, Mac, or Linux homne or main computer and install it. Then install the free Tonido app on your Fire- it's available in the Amazon Android App store from your web browser or Fire app store. After you create a free account, anything you place in the Tonido folder on your computer appears in the Tonido folder on yo
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Blog postA natural question for GPS users is, "Why can't I use one receiver for both trail and street navigation?" The short answer- you can. The long answer- you shouldn't, mostly.
There are more and more trail receivers that can be used for road navigation by buying optional street mapping. And many street GPS units can be used with optional topographic mapping. (By trail, I mean all backcountry uses, including hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, hunting, fishing, paddling, etc -
Blog postAmazon has just released new firmware for the Kindle Fire, upgrading version 6.22 to 6.3. This is probably the most significant update since the release of the Fire. In additional to general but unspecified performance improvements, the update adds:Sharing of highlights and notes in Kindle books to other readers of the same book, and sharing via Facebook and Twitter. Sharing is a feature already enjoyed by users of the E-Ink Kindles.Book Extras is similar to the X-Ray feature available on the K
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Blog postThe average visitor to Grand Canyon National Park spends two hours. In contrast, Professor Harvey Butchart spent 1,500 days hiking about 12,000 miles in the Canyon during his 40-year Arizona hiking career. Why? This piece says it pretty well- http://www.montrealgazette.com/travel/lure+grand+Canyon/6281454/story.html
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Blog postNow that I've had time to put some more miles on my Kindle Touch 3G as a travel reading device, I've noticed that the battery sometimes gets depleted pretty quickly, even when I'm not using it. There are a couple of possible reasons for that.
One is leaving the Kindle on and closing the cover. That's a real no-no if you then stuff it in a bag, as I learned with the Kindle Keyboard. Until the device goes into sleep mode, any pressure on the cover could press keys and cause it to stay -
Blog postNow that I've had time to put some more miles on my Kindle Touch 3G as a backcountry reading device, I've noticed that the battery sometimes gets depleted pretty quickly, even when I'm not using it. There are a couple of possible reasons for that.
One is leaving the Kindle on and closing the cover. That's a real no-no if you then stuff it in a bag, as I learned with the Kindle Keyboard. Until the device goes into sleep mode, any pressure on the cover could press keys and cause it to -
Blog postSo says one of the three judges who just shot down the illegal US Forest Service fee program on the Santa Catalina Mountains on the Coronado National Forest near Tucson, Arizona. The case is the result of four Tucson residents filing suit against the Coronado National Forest for requiring an entrance fee on the Catalina Highway, which imposes a fee for backcountry access that is clearly illegal under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA).
The three judges soundly reje -
Blog postThe US Forest Service has sent memos to its regional offices recommending that fee areas be greatly reduced or eliminated in order to comply with the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA): http://www.kvsun.com/articles/2012/01/24/news/doc4f1f237de8cae097339429.txt. It's up to the individual National Forests whether they comply with the recommendations.
FLREA is the law that replaced the original Fee Demo program. For background information, see http://westernslo -
Blog postJust a quick update to say that I finished testing the Kindle Touch 3G with wireless on continuously. The Touch had a strong Wi-Fi connection the entire time, and I used the reading light once for about an hour. To my surprise, the Touch lasted at total of 10.57 hours before the low battery warning came on the screen, which is almost exactly what Amazon claims.
Keep in mind that the Touch will use more power in areas of weak W-Fi or 3G coverage, partly because the data rate slows do -
Blog postThis is a quick look at the changes brought by the latest software updates for the current production Kindles since they were first shipped in late 2011. The Kindle Keyboard version 3.3 software and Kindle DX version 2.5 software have not been updated recently.
Kindle basic version 4.0.1Option to refresh page at every turn instead of every 5th pageKindle Touch version 5.03General software improvements but no changes to the user interface or menusKi -
Blog postI just completed testing my Kindle Touch 3G with wireless off. The test conditions were as follows:Wireless off except for 5-10 minute periods to sync and check for new itemsWireless usually Wi-Fi but occasionally 3GReading periods of 5 minutes to an hourSome use of the reading light on the Amazon Lighted Cover for Kindle TouchUnfortunately, I blew it toward the end of the test when the battery was down to about 40% by leaving wireless on overnight by mistake. In the morning the charge
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Blog postIf you're an avid reader like me, having reading material on a backpack trip, especially a solo trip, is an essential. You know you're in trouble after you zip through that paperback book you brought on the first two nights of the trip and then find your self reading food packages and tea labels over and over.
My traditional solution was to bring a book that fell short of being a page turner so I wouldn;t be tempted to stay up until the wee hours reading. Like the time a couple of f -
Blog postI've always used my E Ink kindles as a place to keep personal documents for handy reference while away from my home office. For example, as a photographer I like to have camera manuals on my Kindle in case I forget some arcane setting. As a professional pilot I like to keep a copy of the FAA regulations and Airman's Information Manual on the Kindle for reference. The Kindle Fire is even more useful for personal documents because of its vivid color display. On the Fire I can store charts and oth
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Blog postMost travelers are able to keep their Kindles (and cell phones, music players, and the like) charged by using AC power in hotels. Even those on extended camping trips generally like to rent a room occasionally, which is what I do on photography trips. But for extended travel away from sources of AC power, you'll have to come up with another power source.
On extended camping trips, you can charge your Kindle from the 12 volt power in your vehicle, assuming you're driving between camp -
Blog postPublic land user fees as authorized by the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act automatically expires in December 2014. You can help push user fees to a timely demise by joining representatives from Colorado and New Mexico who are calling for an audit of the fee system.
Previous audits by the General Accounting Office have shown serious problems with accounting and overhead and collection costs. No surprise when the agency collecting the tax is also the one doing the accounting -
Blog postAs a result of a judge's ruling in 2010, the Red Rock Ranger District on the Coconino National Forest, which administers the recreation areas around Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon, has greatly reduced the number of sites where a Red Rock Pass is required. Basically, you don't need a Red Rock Pass to park at trail heads without developed amenities or along dirt roads in the red rock country. Although the forest is still selling Red Rock Passes as if they are needed for the entire area, they are not
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Blog postAs a hiking guide book author, I see a disturbing trend in how hikes and trails are rated, especially by land managers. Essentially, everything harder than walking a few yards from a parking lot to a scenic view point is rated "difficult" or "strenuous", implying that ordinary people can't do them.
Where does that leave the real hikes- trails that are a few miles long, let alone backpack trips? Should we rate them "superhumanly difficult"?
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Blog postThere's a lot of confusion on how to make backcountry water safe for drinking, so here's some up-to-date information. Remember, the appearance of wilderness water has no bearing on how safe it is. Even a crystal-clear mountain stream can be contaminated with disease-causing organisms.
Except in the rare case of a spring that is poisonous due to chemical contaminants, what we're worried about are pathogens- bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. While most waterborne diseases in the United -
Blog postIn the ongoing battle over fees for use of public lands, another crack has appeared in the fee system. Under the original "Fee Demo" program which was in effect from 1996 through 2004, federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service could charge for parking at trailheads and other undeveloped areas. In areas such as Arizona's Redrock Country on the Coconino National Forest, and in the Pacific Northwest, the Forest Service got used to collecting such parking fees.
The perm -
Blog postRecently a hiker published an article about getting slightly lost while trying to hike a trail in Arizona. The result wasn't serious, just some epic brush-crashing. I've hiked that trail myself so I can visualize what happened. This is a classic tale of failure to read maps and an over dependence on GPS.
Don't get me wrong. GPS is a wonderful tool and a lot of fun to use. But a GPS receiver is no substitute for conventional map, compass, and wilderness navigation skills.
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Blog postThe Coconino National Forest is seeking public comment March 1 on the Red Rock fee system in place on the Sedona Ranger DIstrict.
A federal judge found some parts of the fee system illegal under federal law last year and the Forest Service stopped requiring fees at backcountry trailheads in the Sedona area as a result.
Public comments will be taken at Red Rock High School, 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Road, in west Sedona, starting at 4 PM March.
Comments can al -
Blog postMy Kindle book, Exploring Great Basin National Park, is the sponsor of the
Kindle Nation Daily Free Book Alert for Jan. 18 -
Blog postHikers, backpackers, and other wilderness and backcountry users feel that they are unfairly targeted by the Federal recreation fee program.
Consumptive users such as mining, ranching, and logging get Federal subsidies in the form of fees that are far below market values, or in the case of hard rock mining, non-existent. In contrast, recreational users are expected to pay nearly the full costs of maintaining trails, trailheads, as well as fee stations and the cost of hiring rangers t -
Blog postIn November 2009, a hiker received a citation for the U.S. Forest Service for parking at a remote trailhead on the Coconino National Forest without a Red Rock Pass. He defended himself in court with a provision of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) that prohibits fees from being charged at undeveloped trail heads and sites. On September 14, 2010, the Federal magistrate agreed and dismissed the case. As a result, the Forest Service is, at least temporarily, not charging fees at
Titles By Bruce Grubbs
Hiking Arizona: A Guide to the State's Greatest Hiking Adventures (State Hiking Guides Series)
Dec 16, 2014
by
Bruce Grubbs
$18.49
Other Formats:
Paperback
Camping Arizona: A Comprehensive Guide to Public Tent and RV Campgrounds (State Camping Series)
Oct 15, 2021
by
Bruce Grubbs
$14.49
Other Formats:
Paperback
Grand Canyon Tips: The Local’s Guide to Avoiding the Crowds and Getting the Most Out of Your Visit
Apr 24, 2016
by
Bruce Grubbs
$9.95
Other Formats:
Paperback
Camping Arizona, 3rd: A Comprehensive Guide to Public Tent and RV Campgrounds (State Camping Series)
Oct 1, 2013
by
Bruce Grubbs
$14.99
Other Formats:
Paperback
