[NOTE: I’ve blogged all these “how-to” posts before, but am gonna re-run them on occasion, since folks may have missed them, and many of them have been updated or expanded since they were first posted.] Back in my younger days as a backpacker, we used almost no electricity at all. I sometimes carried a small … More Life in the Van: Electricity

This is a nice little park located in downtown Oak Ridge TN. There is a Commemorative Walk honoring the Manhattan Project atomic workers who first settled here, and a Peace Bell from Japan. It’s a nice place to spend an afternoon. Some photos.

This building was one of the schoolhouses that was built for the children of the atomic workers at Oak Ridge. Today it is a museum which, though aimed at kids, has interesting stuff for adults too. The exhibits illustrate the history of the region, and there is also an “international” area. The National Park Service … More Childrens Museum of Oak Ridge

The Manhattan Project developed several different methods for enriching U-235. All of these potential processes were technically challenging and expensive, but since nobody knew which, if any, would work best, the physicists decided to go ahead with all of them at once. The first method of isotope separation to be developed by the Manhattan Project … More American Museum of Science and Energy

[NOTE: I’ve blogged all these “how-to” posts before, but am gonna re-run them on occasion, since folks may have missed them, and many of them have been updated or expanded since they were first posted.] So, how do I cook while living in the van? Often, I don’t. Walmart parking lots are usually surrounded by … More Life in the Van: Cooking

Greetings from Tennessee. I had hoped to be able to visit some of the old Manhattan Project sites in Oak Ridge, but alas the X-10, Y-12 and K-25 sites are all closed because of the virus. But there are a couple accessible public museums here that display artifacts from Oak Ridge’s nuclear history. One of … More Greetings From Oak Ridge TN

This National Seashore preserves a stretch of beach and fragile dune habitat on Okaloosa Island near Destin FL, which is one of the barrier islands protecting the Florida Panhandle’s coastline. The Park stretches along the coast for 160 miles, from Destin to Pensacola, with another section lying off the coast of Mississippi. In Destin, the Beasley … More Coast Islands National Seashore

The Indian Mound in Fort Walton Beach FL is one of the largest in the area, and was constructed as a ceremonial temple mound about 1,000 years ago. Although traces of Paleo-Indian occupation can be found in the Florida Panhandle dating back over 10,000 years, the first evidence of settled communities comes around 600 CE. At … More Fort Walton Beach Indian Mound and History Museum

Nothing beats a nice relaxing day at the zoo. Gulf Breeze Zoo is a typical small city-owned zoo, but it has nice spacious enclosures, great landscaping, and some species I have not seen before (that gets harder and harder as I visit more and more zoos). Some photos.

The Gator Beach Alligator Park in Destin FL bills itself as “The World’s Greatest Alligator Park”. Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration: it’s actually just a typical Florida tourist trap located on the grounds of a Fudpucker’s Restaurant. But it has baby gators and a live alligator show, and it’s free for … More Gator Beach