Wiring Money Internationally - Glad I have Ally Bank

So it is 2012 and I am not sure if anyone has had to wire money this decade, but apparently people still have to.  This August I found myself in a tight situation, I had to wire $700 to a travel agent in Israel to cover some costs for a trip I'm taking in September.

Originally I got an email from the travel agent saying they did not accept foreign credit cards (agency policy), but needed money and I had to wire it.  So I called bull shit and tried to find out if this was some scam.  I even went to the FBI's website and was about to file a report against them, but my Israeli contact told me they were legitimate and the travel agent proved it in the email.  So after that, I was left with a few options, book with the agent by wiring the money to save $400 or go somewhere else and pick up more expensive arrangements.  

I needed to have my payment to the Israeli travel agent ASAP, but have never wired money internationally.  The first thing I did was go to Wells Fargo's website and look up how to do it.  There instructions were go to a branch during business hours since they do not do wires online.  So I left work and went to Wells Fargo.  It sure sucked at Wells Fargo.  After waiting one of the associates was nice enough to meet with me.  I told him that I needed to wire money internationally and that I had the instructions.  The associate replied that he could not wire for me, but I could wait a few minutes for another associate who does wires.  I waited and meet with the other associate.  I was very happy to hear he could do international wires and gave him my instructions.  I thought he was writing the info down when I slide over the paper, but he was not.  He said I did not have enough information and I need exact addresses for recipients and phone numbers.  I told him that I could probably look that up online and asked to use his computer.  The associate told me they did not have internet and I'd have to come back with the information.  I did not really believe that, but asked for a copy of the wire sheet so I could get all of the fields.  On they way out I asked how much does Wells Fargo charge for international wires anyways.  The associate replied $45.  So after wasting 1.3 hours of my life, I drove back to work and was worried how I'd meet the payment deadline.

At work I wanted to check my account balances anyways and we have the internet so I could look up missing parts.  I noticed that Wells Fargo was asking for a hell of a lot more information than was on the wire instructions.  I sent and email to the travel agent, who replied that I had wire instructions and the fields she gave me were all standard practice.  She did not readily know about the other information Wells Fargo wanted.  When I was checking my account with Ally, I clicked the "chat" button and in a few seconds a representative of Ally Bank asked how they could help.  As I did at Wells Fargo, I told them I need to wire money internationally and I have the wiring instructions.  With in one minute I was done with Ally Bank.  The Ally representative sent me the following link http://www.ally.com/files/pdf/ally-international-wire-transfer.pdf and told me all I needed to do was fill it out, fax it, and confirm.  I filled it out, faxed it, and confirmed the transfer within one day.  Amazingly doing this wire transfer with Ally cost me just $20 vs. the $45 it would at Wells Fargo. 


I learned a few things from this experience.  First of all, wiring money is a savage practice that should have died out a long time ago.  Second, by dealing with Wells Fargo I wasted a lot of my time and would have payed more than twice as much, plus all of the paper work hassles.  If you ask Ally Bank, they will usually be able to offer some assistance if they can.  After all of this I looked around at different banks and rates and I don't think you can really beat Ally's $20 flat international rate.  In addition their wire department and bank is open 24/7 so you wire at your own convenience. 

Maryland's Green Ridge State Forest

My thoughts and notes about Green Ridge State Forest in Western Maryland.

 

First of all note the name, "State Forest" as opposed to "State Park."  Although you could not tell the difference between a tree in either, the different names means a different set of rules (state laws) apply.  The State Forest allows hunting, alcohol and a bunch of other things.  Furthermore, it is also just that, a Forest, meaning they are preserving the land. For details see it on the state's website (http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/greenridgeforest.asp).  The Green Ridge slogan, “Its not just a walk in the park,” really is true and from my experience it is much more unique than any state park, at least in Maryland.  If you like the area, but are not hardcore enough for Green Ridge you can go to the Rock Gap Resort, which is right, up the road (I68).  They have a luxury hotel, $125/round golf, and some other stuff.        

Now I'll simply list some random thoughts and observations separated by spaces or paragraphs that may or may not have sub-titles:

I pretty much live in DC (inside the beltway and have a metro stop) and have lived mostly around different parts of the I-95 corridor of Maryland during my life.  Western Maryland provides a very unique setting with mountains and a different life style (look at the census data).  To escape my DC reality I like going to places such as Green Ridge State Forest.  Don't believe me?  Try going to the woods for just two days without any electronics except a flashlight (carry a cell phone for an emergency, but keep it off and in a plastic bag/box) and see how you feel.  Anyways, there are many places like Green Ridge around the area with great places to hike and camp.  I happen to go to Green Ridge more often since it is not only closer, but allows more activities and freedom.  You can off road, mountain bike, fish, kayak/canoe, hike, camp, shoot guns, milk cows, pick apples, and do some other stuff.  I’ve been going to Green Ridge during the summers since about 2009 and I see something different every time I go.  Initially, I would just look at a map for hiking trails, but soon learned that the area had much more to offer.   

Green Ridge Climate – The closest NOAA weather monitoring station is in Cumberland/Frostburg about 18 miles West of Green Ridge.  You can check the forecast for the area be searching Flintstone, MD.  Green Ridge is often called a “Green Desert” and although green, the area receives little rainfall annually.  One on the ground you’ll notice some dry parts, especially the rocky loose dirt and the shale mountains.  Using traditional weather reports to gauge what you’ll encounter is more or less worthless unless a giant storm system is coming through.  The many mountains and valleys have their own micro-climates.  In general, Green Ridge is cooler than most parts of Maryland.  On nice summer days that reach 86oF it is not uncommon to see temperatures drop to the 60’s or high 50’s at night.  Some mornings especially right at sunrise will be accompanied by fields of fog.  A sleeping bag or long pants with a plastic poncho should get you through the night.  In the mid-Fall months temperatures will drop even more so bring a sleeping bag and something to keep your head warm.  For people who live in cities, like me, one of the most stunning things you’ll see in Green Ridge at night are the stars.  Yes, you can see the same stars anywhere, but on most nights the sky is crystal clear and the bright specs of the stars will pierce your eyes.  It is truly amazing to see the vast see of stars without the backdrop of a large city.  So at night, be sure to look up.  If you have a camera with a good detector and high ISO try and capture a picture with your flash off.


Lyme disease and Ticks – Every time I have gone hiking in Green Ridge I have picked up ticks and felt them on me.  Once they get on my skin I usually get the off immediately.  To my knowledge I have not been bit or contracted any tick transmitted diseases e.g. Lyme’s.   Am I lucky?  Well if we look at some CDC data you’ll notice something interesting.  (http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/chartstables/incidencebystate.html)   Notice that MD has a very high incidence per 100,000 people (20.1 for the year of 2010), which is high but not as high as states around Connecticut where the disease started.  Pretty bad right?  

But have a look at the map (http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/maps/map2010.html)  and zoom in on Maryland.  Notice that a few bits in the Western part of the state have no cases along with some counties on the Eastern shore.  It is my belief that geographic barriers such as the foothills of the mountains help keep the disease out of some of these Western counties.  This is not to say there is no chance of getting diseases from ticks, but statistically it appears much safer than most parts of the state.  Regardless, you should always assume that the East coast (Original 13 colonies if you will) is more or less Lyme disease central.  Take some precautions, use common sense, and get checked if you develop symptoms or suspect something.  The bottom line is there are a lot of ticks in Green Ridge and they will try and get you.  Pretty much all of the ticks I found on my body were the black deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis).  

Animals that will kill you – There are not really any apex predators walking around Green Ridge.  Aside from insects, which are everywhere the other animals you’ll see are squirrels, raccoons, black bears (rare), common white tail deer, little painted box turtles (like University of Maryland’s Testudo), bull frogs, big toads, and some snakes.  The black bears are just little scavengers that typically back down if you confront them, in fact on the dnr website for Green Ridge it says to scare them away.  The deer probably kill the most people, but this from them popping out and hitting cars on the interstate.  On the hiking trail the deer probably won’t pop out and kill you so don’t worry.  The real threat in Green Ridge is probably the snakes and some insects if you are allergic.  The snakes that will get you are from the pit viper family and have really distinct slits in their eyes.  Other snakes such as the black rat snake are more common and have big round eyes.  As a general rule, snakes with slits in their eyes are dangerous and should be avoided.   There are other distinct features about these snakes you can see here (http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Plants_Wildlife/vsnakes.asp).  The venomous snakes you may encounter are the Northern Copperhead and Timber rattlesnake.  They are both brown and the Timber rattler actually has a rattle.  Be carful and try not to mess with any snakes.  

I was hiking at night once and scared shitless since I thought a flying monster was trying to stalk and kill me.  It turns out that this monster landed in a tree and started making a distinct sound.  After a while I heard more of these sounds and it turns out it was an owl.  The owls are pretty active at night and you’ll definitely hear them if you are in the right spot, usually on hiking trails.  Take a look at some of the goofy bastards you may see (http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Habitat/WildAcres/waowls.asp).  The owls may scare you, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard of one killing anyone.    

One of the most notorious animals you could encounter hiking is bigfoot or sasquatch.  The last thing you want is to be all alone on a hiking trail with these giant apes stalking you.  Fortunately a dedicated group of researchers, the Big Foot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) keeps tabs on these monsters across the country.  In Alleghany county where Green Ridge is, there was only one “class A” sighting over a decade ago (http://www.bfro.net/GDB/state_listing.asp?state=md).  It is very unlikely that you’ll encounter a giant ape out there, but if you do follow to BFRO guidelines to survive.  Remember that bigfoot has never been reported to kill anyone so we can only assume that 100% of all bigoot-human encounters are fatal.   

Animals that won’t kill you – There are a lot of insects that are just annoying, but not lethal.  The turtles, fish, deer, small mammals, birds, and pretty much any other animal in Green Ridge will fear humans and you should be fine.  

In Kingdom Animalia phylum arthropoda is dominant – On the hiking trials you will constantly be harassed by flying insects during the spring and summer months.  The little gnats will get in your eyes and the mosquitos really never stop, day or night.  Having a hat with face screen or some type of goggles is recommended while hiking.  If you make camp, use a tent since the simple Adirondack shelters will expose you.  However, flying insects are not the end of annoying arthropods.  Since there are so many flying insects, the spiders decided to spin webs everywhere.  It is so bad that I can’t walk more than 25 yards without getting a face full of spider webs.  The spiders could spin the webs on the ground and sometimes they do, but a majority are suspended chest or face high.  You can wait for other hikers to clear the way or pickup a leafy branch and keep waving it as you move forward on your hike.  Just bring someone you don’t like and have them lead so they takeout all of the webs for you.  So that is the main ecosystem, flying insects are everywhere and then spiders spin webs and try to catch them.
    I don’t really know what the deer do.  They basically just walk around the woods waiting for hunters to waste them.  You’ll find deer around water sources, but usually not in the elevated areas. 
   
Getting to Green Ridge – Getting to head quarters from DC or points East in Maryland is really easy, just find interstate 70, take it to interstate 68, and take the exit for Green Ridge headquarters (exit 64).  Headquarters (HQ) is actually a little cabin that has an information desk and a few natural resources officers / rangers around.  HQ is usually open from 8:30am to 3:30pm.  If you want a permit for something e.g. camping don’t worry if you can’t make their hours.  There is a display outside that has a bunch of maps and pamphlets for attractions in and around Green Ridge.  On the wall you’ll find a list to sign up for campsites along with other forms for firewood, the shooting range, etc.  Be careful in that little information display since it has a light and attracts all sorts of large flying insects at night.  Parking at HQ is free and HQ leads to a lot of trail heads.  

Getting around Green Ridge – To get the maximum experience from your visit you’ll probably want to see all or most that the park has to offer.  To accomplish this you’ll need to transition from paved roads to primitive unpaved mountain roads.  The network of these roads is complicated and I really recommend plotting with a real GPS unit since the turns and parking areas can be hard to pinpoint.  There are 4 ways to access the roads in Green Ridge.  First, the most inefficient way is to travel West and sweep down on MD-51.  The other 3 ways simply involve taking a different exit on I-68.  Exit 68 (Orleans Rd) will drop you down on a nice paved road to the C&O camp ground.  From there use the Green Ridge map (http://www.dnr.state.md.us/forests/pdfs/GRSF_map.pdf) to navigate to Oldtown Orleans Rd and linkup with the rest of the park.  Another way is to take exit 62 (Fifteen Mile Creek Rd) which more or less allows direct access to many points inside the Park.  Exit 64 for HQ actually does not offer much, but you can still link up with points in Green Ridge if you take a very long detour.  Based on the map and personal experience I’d say that you should consider exit 62 or 68 depending on where you want to go.  The maps available are actually pretty damn accurate, but they don’t tell you about road conditions.  The roads in Green Ridge are very different.  You can encounter patches of loose rock and gravel for long stretches at worst along with some mud.  Other roads have been smoothed by some type of machine, while other parts may simply be graded mountain surface.  Once you’re off the interstate it is very rare to find a paved road inside Green Ridge.  I really enjoyed taking exit 62, picking up Fifteen Mile Creek rd to Green Ridge Rd and then driving all the way down to take MD-51 into Paw Paw, WV.  The bottom line is to be careful on the roads, drive slow, and assess your situation.  Before you head out consult the map and carefully plan the most efficient route.  Use common sense too.  There are a lot of changes in elevation on the roads and there will inevitably be a lot of switchbacks & turns with elevation.  

          Driving to destinations safely takes time.  Average speeds are 15mph on most parts of roads.  Getting to Bond’s landing from Bill’s Place near the C&O took me about 40 minutes.  Traveling to most places will take at least 15 minutes or more.  On straightaways it is safe to go a little faster, but there are a lot of tight spots that can come up quick.  For some reason some sections of road have a lot of beer cans discarded on the side.  I’d imply that people sometimes drink in their cars and toss them out at random points on the road.  

    I have used several different vehicles on the back roads in Green Ridge, a 1999 Honda civic, 2008 Honda accord, 2001 Ford F-150, and a 1999 Jeep grand Cherokee.  Originally I thought that you needed a 4x4 with high ground clearance, but the Hondas actually did very well and were able to get me where I wanted.  The 4x4’s may give you a false sense of security and their only real advantage is in the mud.  The 4x4’s also can tear up parts of the trail and if you try and use your power, but fail to control it you’ll be really fucked.  The roads are narrow and there are no curbs, but large drainage ditches right on the side.  So if you drift of a little, you could be in a big rut or even fall off the mountain.  It is very important to use good judgment and drive slow.  Most cars should be fine as long as you drive careful.  Also, you probably will encounter other cars coming the opposite way.  On narrow roads this is a problem.  The best solution is to spot the other guy coming look for a wide part in the road and stop to let him pass.  However, the other guy may have already done this before you show up and wave for you to pass.  There is no need to road rage or be aggressive to other cars and usually people are very nice.    

    Be careful of the weather conditions when you are on the roads.  With all of the loose dirt, a large downpour of rain would really make things hell.  Furthermore, there are many unmarked stream crossings that swell in the rain making them virtually impassable.  If you look at some of the signs around Little Orleans some signs will warn of flooding, etc.   
        
Selecting an alternate trail-head – Ask the people at HQ for details or consult your map to learn about different parking spots in the park.  HQ has access to a few good trails, but hiking to the Potomac from HQ will take you a while, 1-2 days on trails.  If you plan right, you can park at a trail-head further South.  This way it will only be 2-4 miles to get to the river.  You can also hit trail-heads North of 68 that will allow you to get to Pennsylvania easier.   Also if you want to go to a fishing pond, the mountain bike trail, hunting spot or other locations within Green Ridge there are places to park around there.  Just remember parking at the National Parks which transition right into Green Ridge may cost money.    

What is Green Ridge? – I keep asking myself what Green Ridge actually is.  Inside the forest you will find scattered plots of private property, National Parks (C&O Canal, Paw Paw tunnel, Great Eastern Trail, etc), a network of dirt roads, long private drive ways, paved state roads, and different types of Maryland infrastructure (power lines, substations).  Pay attention to where you actually are since you could end up on private property without knowing it.  Private property in the woods is often marked with sings on trees and driveways usually have distinct yellow gates.  Houses off of places such as Green Ridge Rd are generally private property too, although they are very close to the road.  So to answer the question in the header, Green Ridge is a big plot of land that includes the C&O Canal, train tunnels, lots of little plots of private property, a bunch of dirt roads, and the forest. 

Sounds you may hear at night – At some point you may make camp and try to sleep.  Depending if you are North of interstate 68 you will hear different sounds than you will hear if you are on the Potomac or the middle of the Forest.  The most distinct sound you’ll hear if anywhere near the Potomac River are the trains that frequently run.  Several rail lines cross Green Ridge and trains are constantly moving material to large urban centers, even late at night.  You’ll hear insects, frogs and the occasional owl.  There are several rocky creeks (e.g. 15 mile creek) that run through Green Ridge to the Potomac.  These creeks attract a lot of animals that are very annoying at night.  Raccoons generally come down to the creek and start moving rocks looking for food.  The problem is that raccoons don’t stop looking and keep rattling around rocks.  If you are camping close to a creek or something stony that looks like a creek one of those little bastards will probably come down at midnight and keep moving rocks around till dawn.  If you have a closer look at the mud around the creeks you’ll probably see a lot of traffic.  Deer, black bear, raccoon, and rodent tracks are all commonly found in the mud by creeks.  In fact the green trail (Deep run / Big run hiking trail) parallels a stony creek and you’ll see tons of tracks.  The Potomac is pretty loud, with a noticeable current that produces a constant, but soothing sound.  Little animals will sometimes jump in and make splashes, but not too often.  If you can’t take any of the sounds you can scream as loud as you want and no one will probably hear you.  Most camps in the Forest are very isolated and there are not too many visitors.  During some seasons gunfire is pretty common.  If you hear someone popping off in the distance it is probably a hunter.  You should only hear a few shots.  Multiple gunshots is probably not a good sign and generally people do not target shoot at night.  If you hear a whistle blown in sets of three or something like that, it is an international signal for help.  If someone is whistling or using a horn in this manor then they probably are signaling distress.  If you are camping by a dirt road you’ll sometimes hear a car or truck roll by.  This is pretty rare and the dirt roads are seldom traveled, especially at night.    

Cemeteries and Human remains at Green Ridge – There are many small family cemeteries scattered throughout Green Ridge, with some dating back to the 1800’s.  Sometimes they are poorly marked and some are in areas you’d never expect.  I’ve found most are located on the tops (ridges) of the mountains especially around Green Ridge Rd.  You should be very respectful of these plots and avoid walking on them.  Most of the plots are stunning and are located very close to scenic overlooks.  I never really thought I’d find cemeteries interesting, but the ones in Green Ridge are worth a look.  There are also cemeteries and single graves along or near the Potomac River.  The cemeteries in Green Ridge will draw you in and some of the history is fascinating.  Many of the people who helped shaped the land are buried throughout the area.  There are probably some unmarked graves and human remains in other parts.  German POWs from WWII and rail/canal workers are the most likely to be found in unmarked graves.  It is a forest and bodies will decompose fast, especially if they had since the 1800’s or WWII.     

           

Don’t be a prick – The speed of life really slows down in Green Ridge and taking care of your basic needs such as going to the bathroom and cooking food will require a lot of effort.  When are you living, but sure to practice “leave no trace,” which means pick up your trash and leave the area as you found it.  For example, instead of taking a shit right on a road or hiking trail, move a few hundred feet off and dot.  You will probably encounter other people too, whether it is on the road or trail.  Try not to be a tough guy and start fights.  Allow people to pass and engage in small conversation if they do.  The will usually ask you how you are doing, where you are going, or if you’ve seen anything notable.  Refrain from doing any stupid shit.  That should be self explanatory, but starting fires where you should not, driving over 30mph, littering, shooting guns where you should not, and vandalism are all examples.              

The local people who live in and around Green Ridge – The people who live in and around the area have all been very nice and outgoing from my experience.  If you look at the houses there are basically two types, the ones near paved roads and the cabin type structures in the woods.  In addition, many houses are on large plots of land and people keep horses and farm the land.  I got the impression that some of the people in the woods want privacy and are survivalist to some degree.  The people who run the stores and restaurants (not too many of them around) are all very friendly and eager to talk as well as get your business.  You may also notice confederate flags as well as American flags.  Although there are confederate flags, but I’ve never seen any flags for neo-nazis or other hate groups.  This may be of concern for some ignorant people, but this is “heritage not hate.”  If you look at history or where you are, Green Ridge extends from the old Mason-Dixon line (the old line state) to the Potomac.  During the Civil war Maryland, which is South of the line was the South, so people put up confederate flags.   This is history and if you are into antiques or American history you know that Civil war stuff is big.  Many people still study it, collect relics, and even recreate events.  So do not take offense to any confederate flags, just try and understand it and it will make sense, heritage not hate.  I am not white and although the 2010 census data shows that the county Green Ridge is in is 93% white, every white person I have met has been very nice to me with absolutely no hint of racism.  One of them was even nice enough to give me a ride to HQ when I fell rock climbing and needed help.  

            Talking with the locals is a very pleasant and informative experience.  When I am done hiking trails, sometimes I just take the roads back to where I am going, especially if I have a heavy pack.  Along the roads a car may pass or I may walk by a house with people outside.  Either way, they usually wave, smile and walk over to talk.  They ask how are you doing, where are you coming from and have you seen anything interesting (more or less).  I love talking to them because I learn a lot and I also ask them if they have heard anything or why they chose to live out in Green Ridge.  Some are a few generations deep, while others are people who moved from and urban area for a different life.  They all have interesting backgrounds and I admire their life styles, whether it is the farmer, hunter, adventurer, rancher or anything else.  During conversations they can also tell you important details about the park, such as “don’t use this road here, it is flooded.”  Try not to go out of your way to talk to people you see.  Most of the time it is just to say hi and have a short conversation.  There are some places where people talk longer such as the fishing holes and shooting range.      

There are some people (unknown visitors or locals) that go around and steal items from campsites.  They take things such as stoves and somewhat expensive items that are left out.  If you leave your campsite like animals could come by anyways.  That is why you should keep your car there and put stuff you should not leave out in it.  I’ve never heard of too much crime, but you should just use common sense on this one.  A well placed hunting camera could give you and edge and will fight nicely in your car.        

Famous People that have visited Green Ridge – There are no celebrities around Western Maryland and the area is probably much better off for that.  You may have heard of General George Washington, the Founding Fathers, the Continental Congress, and the American Revolution.  All of the listed have something to do with Green Ridge and the surrounding area.  The Potomac River and Fifteen Mile Creek were major landmarks and many important figures from American history have visited what is now Green Ridge.  In fact, you’ll find that George Washington took several trips through the area, as documented in his infamous journal.  Thomas Jefferson’s father lived around the area and his son did spend some time there.  Many members of the Continental Congress had to commute to meet and followed the Potomac and other large landmarks.  There is almost no trace of those who were before the Colonists, but the advent of the rail system and the C&O Canal has left a lot of history behind.  I cannot really name a single well-known Canal or rail worker, but you’ll see their marks and maybe their bodies scattered on the land.  If you are really lucky you can find horseshoes, wagon wheels, or other artifacts.  This is rare, but who knows what a good metal detector could find out there.  Oh, and since everyone uses the Potomac River as landmark, why not try diving and seeing of there is some old boat or something like that at the bottom?  Who knows what you could find.  http://www.dnr.state.md.us/centennial/PointLookout_History.asp         
 

Emergency extraction - No ambulance can get to you on the hiking trails. If you can, get to a road and call for help. If not a road, then get to a riverbed, the river or somewhere in the open. To call, climb a mountain or something, cell phones work from at mean places in Green Ridge. Help will come by helicopter, they will fly in, dangle a harness down and take the injured out. You need to know where you are and be able to signal e.g. “I am between mile 3/7 and 4/7 on the Red Long Pond Trail, I am 300 yards east of 15 mile creek.” If you have GPSr on your phone or a GPS unit you can report your coordinates. 911, 112, or a Park Ranger 1-800-825-PARK are the best places to call for help. If you are going to die, then just go to one of the trails, sit there, die, and then someone will eventually find your body. If you die out in the woods off of the trail, it will take a while for someone to find your body, you’ll decompose and you’ll probably have to have a closed casket funeral, if the animals don’t get to your body first.  You should tell people where you are going to be and when you expect to go back, this may help initiate a rescue effort that could save you.  You should not really get lost and that is pretty silly if you do.  There are too many landmarks, long streams, creek beads, and dirt roads that are all too common.  Remember rescues cost a lot of money so try not to get hurt or lost.  Your trip to Green Ridge will be nice, but if you encounter someone that needs aid you should at least try and help.  This is a basic rule and usually people do a good job of looking out for each other.   

The Potomac does not flow North-South – On a Map the Potomac starts in Western MD / WV and flows South to DC.  Most of the way from West Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay the river forms most of Maryland’s Western border, so when you look across it, you’re probably looking into another state.  At some shallow points you can literally walk across to WV.  The branches that start the Potomac are formed by Green Ridge, but there are many twist and turns.  Before Green Ridge the river twists so much that it actually flows from the South to the North.  The many turns in Green Ridge may disorient you and you could mix up North/South.  But be aware that from Paw Paw, WV to I-70, the Potomac is always flowing from the South to the North even though there are many bends.  This can be very confusing, but if you are on the C&O Canal keep that in mind.  This is a very unique stretch on the Potomac, but other landmarks should give you some clue.  Also on the C&O, the lock # counts up as you move away from DC and closer to Cumberland.  



Biking  – There are several biking opportunities in Green Ridge.  Aside from a dedicated mountain bike trail, you can bike on the dirt roads and paved roads around the area.  I actually have seen some Olympians and professional cyclists training on the paved roads, which really build up your lungs with their hard climbs.   The elevation is really killer and you’ll find that you’ll be doing a lot of climbs.  The loose dirt can give out, but just control your speed.  If you can handle the trails, going down Green Ridge Rd and some of the paved ones will allow you to see a lot.  You can even go on the C&O Canal.  If you want some distance you can use the paved roads if you have a road bike or the C&O if you have a mountain bike or hybrid.  A few good trips I have done were taking the C&O form Hancock, Ft. Frederick State Park, and also points West (Cumberland, MD).  I actually like the C&O more than the hard trails.  Guess I won’t be training for the Olympics.  


Rock Climbing don’t do it – I don’t really use bad words too much, but I tried rock climbing and I got FUCKED UP BAD.   If you are climbing you need to make a pack, put two 60m dynamic dry ropes, helmet, nylon anchors, shoes, and other stuff in your pack.  Around the train tunnels there are some nice faces, which are a little tricky to get to.  The C&O also has some good faces right on the Canal, but they are hard to get to.  There is some good bouldering all along Fifteen Mile Creek via the Long Pond trail.  First of all, the rocks are shale rock and not really solid at all.  I did find some solid areas, but a lot of my holds broke.  Also the loose soil does not make me to confident in the trees as anchors.  I was actually able to uproot a big tree from the top of a hill and always rig up at least 3 trees for a single top rope anchor.  At the base of most routes (they’re not even routes) you’ll find the loose rock will pile up.  The loose rock can also get jagged and pose a serious threat to your rope so watch out.  If you want to get hurt very bad or commit suicide try doing trad with bolts and cams, otherwise take the time to find a face, climb up and properly top rope.  There are not bolted sport trails in Green Ridge and I’d like to think that I was one of the first to climb certain parts, but that is probably not true.  

    
        When I was climbing near a rail tunnel on the Potomac I was setting up, tripped on my rope, and then went stumbling down a step cliff into the river.  I had to swim a few hundred yards to a shore and back track around half a mile to get back to my gear.  On the C&O Canal I walked to the top of a very smooth face and setup a top rope, then rappelled down.  Me and my team setup for the first climber to go, but the face was too smooth.  Then one of my idiot friends saw there was a deep pond (lock on the C&O) right below us and decided to free solo a part.  That idiot fell in and I threw him the rope.  Getting everything taken down took forever and it really was not worth it.  Although I should have top roped, I attempted some bouldering on Fifteen Mile creek by taking a short detour from the Long Pond Trail.  The rocks did not hold up and I ended up falling about 12 feet and rolling down into the creek.  I was able to boulder across a lot of other parts, but the rock in Fifteen Mile creek is just not for climbing.  After I feel, I crawled to the shore by the trail and just laid in the creek.  Then I continued on the trail which hit a road and someone drove me back to HQ, which saved me about 8 hours in the woods.  I got in my car slept for a few hours and drove home.   If you do climb out there remember the rock is not good, you’ll be hauling a lot of gear pretty far, and I wish you the best of luck.  Oh, and timber rattle snakes also live in a lot of rocky areas.

Biggest Decision of my life: macbook pro or macbook air?

In the summer of 2007 I began the transition from my undergrad career to my Ph.D career.  However there was a slight problem, I did not have a laptop.  Classes started in August and I could not get as much work done using just desktops, not to mention check email as frequently or accomplish other tasks online.  It seemed like a lot of people around me had macbooks (white or black plastic) or macbook pros and I really hated more or less everything about the Dells and other PCs people had.  With new PC designs coming out and the new Windows Vista OS I started leaning to a PC.  And why not?  The PC was more upgradable, cheaper and most of all cost a lot less.  At the last minute, I logged into our university’s student computer program where they get you a small discount from Apple or Dell, and noticed that if you bought a mac for college you’d get a free ipod and printer (also Apple care was a ~50% discount).  Anyways, I found an excuse to go to Delaware (no sales tax vs. 6% in MD) and got a white macbook, 230GB ipod, some random scanner and Apple care for $1, 400 after rebates.  I’ll write more about this later in a different post, but long story short: I was extremely happy with my macbook, it does everything I want and more (video editing, photoshop, runs windows, internet, etc) and has been serving me faithfully since 2007.  I noticed a lot going wrong with my macbook, the battery is dying and things are starting to slow down.  I have extensively modified it and sometimes reformat and reinstall to speed things up, but compared to other computers I have grown used to it is slow.  The exact specs are Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.16 GHz, 500GB 7,200rpm hard drive, 2 GB of DDR2 667MHz RAM and combo drive (DVD & DL-DVD).  I’m sad to move away from this great machine that is actually still working fine, but I must move on to bigger and better things.

Currently it is nearing the end of July 2012 and I really liked what I saw from Apple at the WWDC in June.  I know I need a new mac, but I’m stuck between a 13in macbook pro or 13in macbook air.  I’m very sure that I want to keep my cost under $1,800, but that leaves a lot open.  From previous experience I know not to buy the top of the line mac and I’m just ignoring the retina dispay macbook pro. 

So $1,800, what do I want out of my new mac?  Apple care, 8 GB of RAM, Ivybridge i5, SD card reader and that is it.  I’m still deciding to get a 500 GB hard drive or 256GB SSD.  If I go the solid state route, maybe I’ll have to carry around another drive, but the trade off is that SSD’s are really fast and don’t use a lot of power.  I don’t really care about a video card since the graphics capabilities of the new i5’s seem to be more than adequate.  The real question I have to address is to get the pro or air.  My specs listed above are available in both.  So what is the trade off?  One thing that really pisses me off is that they welded everything so that only Apple can add RAM, change the hard drive, replace the battery, etc (you basically can’t work on your computer).  The pro does have an optical drive, but I don’t use those that much and the external ones are cheap now (~$20).  So I’m just confused, pro or air?

Based on the tech spec tie between the two models it really comes down to preference.  Since I want my new laptop to be mobile and powerful I am leaning to the macbook air.  I plan to basically set it up so that I can get great power in a very efficient package.  The slower processor i5 1.8GHz should handle almost anything and save a lot more power than an i7.  Since I plan to have some virtual machines, do video editing and some other stuff I’ll take the 8GB of RAM.  I do not really want to over pay Apple for a 512GB SSD, but the 256GB SSD should allow me to hold a bit of data and work.  Later I’ll go out and buy one of those waterproof / shock-proof 2.5in external hard drives.  The USB 3.0 should make reading from it almost like the drive is SATA connected in my computer.  Screw the remote, I got one with my last mac and hardly use it.  I’ll probably have to go on amazon and buy a knock-off thunder bolt to VGA or DVI adapter so I can give power points.  So the macbook air (i5, 256GB SSD, 8 GB RAM) will be my new mac.  I can get the same thing in the pro model, but I expect the air to have a longer battery life and be more mobile.