Dan's Outside

I go, I see, I do, I walk, I think, I like…

State says many drivers change oil too often

An article in SF Gate (“State says many drivers change oil too often”) reports what many of us have thought for quite awhile: there is no real advantage in changing our engine oil more often than recommended by the manufacturer (note: not the dealer) and there are considerable environmental costs in doing so.

An excerpt:

Like many drivers hoping to coax a long, productive life out of a car, Durand Gist, a mailman from Castro Valley, faithfully changes the oil on his vehicle every 3,000 miles.

“That’s what they recommend – 3,000 miles, right?” asked Gist, saying he got that advice “probably from the oil-changing place. It’s good for their business, right?”

But a new state campaign is urging Gist and fellow California drivers to ignore both conventional wisdom and probably also that clear plastic sticker in the corner of their windshields. The message: Put off that oil change for a couple of thousand miles or more.

“Used oil is so much of a problem in California that if you can change your oil in less-frequent intervals, you not only save yourself money, you help save the environment,” said Jamie Cameron-Harley, a spokeswoman for the California Integrated Waste Management Board, sponsor of “The 3,000-Mile Myth” campaign.

While you certainly should follow the manufacturer’s schedule for changing the oil in your engine, you should think twice about increasing the frequency of your oil changes beyond these recommendations if you think you are going to improve the performance or life of your engine. You almost certainly won’t see any benefit at all, and you will contribute to excess oil consumption and recycling problems.

February 10, 2008 Posted by | Commentary, Environment | Comments Off on State says many drivers change oil too often

OK, this is really outside

I like to think of myself as an outside kinda’ guy. But my brother has outdone me. This morning he shared a photo of a moose that wandered into his back yard. Hey, I saw an opossum in my yard once, so there! :-)

February 10, 2008 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on OK, this is really outside

Rocky Creek Bridge, Surf and Fog


Rocky Creek Bridge, Surf and Fog. Big Sur Coastline, California. February 9, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

A photo. I went to Point Lobos this morning, but arrived before the gates opened. Rather than sit in my car for a half hour I drove south on Highway 1. This was my reward. :-)

February 9, 2008 Posted by | Commentary, Ocean | Comments Off on Rocky Creek Bridge, Surf and Fog

Are Americans Afraid of the Outdoors?

An article in Scientific American poses the question.

Americans have been visiting national parks and other natural reserves less and less since 1987, new research confirms. Outdoor pursuits, ranging from camping to hunting, have entered a persistent and growing decline.

“Folks are going out into nature much less and decreasingly every year,” says conservation ecologist Patricia Zaradic of the Environmental Leadership Program and co-author of the report published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. “It would take 80 million more visits this year to get the per capita number back up to the level it was in 1987.”

There is a suggestion that the fact that Americans increasingly live their lives online (he types into his computer… ;-) may be a factor.

February 7, 2008 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on Are Americans Afraid of the Outdoors?

Post-Groundhog Day Hike Delayed

I guess it will still be a post-Groundhog Day hike if we do it in a few weeks, right? Despite the fact that Groundhog Day means nothing in any concrete sort of way – or perhaps because of this – a group of us were going to do a hike at Coe Park. But it has rained for the past month or so. It rained all last week. It rained yesterday. It was raining this morning.

Wishing to avoid hiking in ankle-deep mud we have postponed the hike.

February 3, 2008 Posted by | Commentary, Events | 3 Comments

Death Valley Photos by "w9jim"

I’m enjoying a series of Death Valley photographs posted on Flicker by w9jim, who apparently visited recently.

February 3, 2008 Posted by | Commentary, Photography, Places | Comments Off on Death Valley Photos by "w9jim"

About joining this site

If you are interested, you can join this site and leave comments and discuss posts. I’m happy to hear from readers and to discuss relevant issues with readers who enjoy the blog and share my interest in the subjects covered here.

A few important “rules” for this:

  • Participation in the discussions requires that you register for the site.
  • Anonymous registration requests will be deleted. Please include a name (and a web address if you have one) when you register.
  • If I send an email to the address you provide and it doesn’t work or you don’t respond I will delete your membership.
  • Comments are encouraged.
  • Using comments primarily or solely to promote your personal business, cause, etc. won’t be tolerated – I’ll cancel your membership.
  • Spam posts will be deleted and the membership of the person posting them will be cancelled.
  • Members are free to disagree with me but posts that I believe are disrespectful or otherwise out of line will be deleted and may result in cancellation of membership. (Start your own blog if you don’t want to worry about this.:-)

I enjoy it when people read my blog and respond, and I often enjoy the dialog – whether it takes place on these pages, in email, or between our blogs. I’ve even met and hiked with a few of you in person! :-)

Why am I posting this? Recently I’ve seen a string of “problem” membership requests, and I have to deal with them. Contact me if you think your membership request was unfairly deleted.

Thanks,

Dan

February 2, 2008 Posted by | Commentary | 1 Comment

A Day for Free-Heelers

From SFGate:

SKIING / Free-heelers get their days. Skiers from around the West will head to Bear Valley Mountain Resort next week for the annual Telemark Ski Festival. The festival will run Feb. 8-10 at Bear Valley, which is just off Highway 4 in the central Sierra east of Arnold (Calaveras County)… [SFGate: Tom Stienstra]

As a mid-level telemark skier, and I did go to one of the previous Telemark Ski Festivals at Bear Valley. It was great fun, and I got to work with some really excellent instructors. Recommended.

January 31, 2008 Posted by | Commentary, Events | Comments Off on A Day for Free-Heelers

New Almaden Quicksilver Story in the Merc

Tom Mangan (master blogger at Two-Heel Drive) has a story in the San Jose Mercury News describing a project to create a historic trail at New Almaden Quicksilver Park, one of my favorite local hiking areas.

January 31, 2008 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on New Almaden Quicksilver Story in the Merc

Hopeful Weather Signs for California

Compared to last year, this year’s storm season in California is starting to create a bit of optimism. Last year was a drought year in California – there were few spring flowers, the snow never was very deep and it melted early, and things dried out early and dangerously during the summer.

I’m hearing some hopeful news. Where I am in the SF Bay Area we are ahead of normal rainfall amounts at this point. I just heard a snow survey report that the snowpack is about 25% thicker than normal for this time of year. People visiting the southern California desert areas are reporting significant rain and the beginnings of spring plant growth.

With a few days of sun next week I think we are about to witness the yearly but still miraculous eruption of green that marks the start of the new year in California.

January 31, 2008 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on Hopeful Weather Signs for California

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