Danner Mountain Light II

A major theme behind A Restless Transplant is the idea that "People are defined by what they can leave behind." By this I mean, if you can afford to leave it behind when you travel, then it's not a defining part of who you are. For example, I enjoy playing Xbox but if push came to shove, I could easily do with out it. With this motif in mind, I take my Danner Mountain Light II boots wherever I go.

My mom gave me my pair a little more than a month ago, on my Trip To Factory Store (ART), as an early birthday present, I turn 21 on the 19th. They haven't left my feet since.

Danner boots are built in my home town, Portland Oregon, and are known for their classic outdoor heritage and top notch quality. Danner hasn't changed the design of the Mountain Light II in over forty years and are just as at home with contemporary hikers as they were in the sixties and seventies. I prefer the outdoor heritage of Danner Mountain Light II to the work wear origins of Red Wing and Timberlands because frankly, I would rather be hiking than laying Concrete. Tintin put it well in a recent Trad post, "I busted my ass for 20 years so I wouldn't have to wear the clothes he (Michael Williams of ACL) loves so much. If I was allowed to "do what I want" years ago, I'd be a deputy sheriff somewhere in Florida with a wood porch attached to my double wide trailer filled with kids and a pissed off wife working part time at Denny's." Hiking is much cooler, don't you think?

Here are some original photos of my Danners:

Here are some more links,
Danner Mountain Light II,
Trip To Factory Store (ART),
Danner Factory Store (Archival Clothing),
1976 Backpacker (Archival Clothing,
Danner Recrafting,
Reviews (Trailspace.com)

Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen was a combative and wild actor whose off screen infamy, appetite for adventure, and Hollywood roles defined the Vietnam-Era anti-hero. As a child, Steve struggled with dyslexia (respect) and bounced around foster homes, eventually settling at the California Boys Republic in Chino California. Here McQueen found footing and sparked his interest in acting.

At the beginning of his acting career, McQueen subsidized his living expenses with winnings from weekend motorcycle races. In 1999, McQueen was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame to commemorate his life-long love and contributions to the sport.

Think of a Brad Pitt that shoots guns, smokes two packs a day, races motorcycles and Ferraris, gets in fights, has a slew of wives, does his own stunts, flies WWI biplanes, and is the highest paid man in the business.

In December of 1979, McQueen was diagnosed with mesothelioma, the topic of many of late night advertisement and holder of the coveted highest pay per click advertisement on Google AdWords. McQueen refused to take his death sentence for granted and went to Mexico to try a sketchy treatment involving coffee enemas. I couldn't make that up. His loosing battle with cancel eventually ended in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua on November 7th 1980. Steve McQueen was a man's man.

Here are some more links,
Steve McQueen (Wikipedia),
Steve McQueen (IMDB),
Bullitt (Netflix Watch Instantly),
Steve McQueen (Life Archive),
Steve McQueen (Motorcycle Hall of Fame),
Mesotholioma Wikipedia,

Raymond Carey and his 1963 John Deere 420

Meet Raymond Carey and his 1963 John Deere 420. I saw him plowing his driveway right off Highway 137 in Albion Maine. For Mainards, clearing snow with a large piece of machinery is as satisfying as popping the air pockets on protective wrap.

Raymond enthusiastically let me take photos of him doing his daily task and we chatted for some time. He was quick to say that he had recently turned 89 and he was wearing his fifteen-year-old Carhartt jacket .

Here are some more links,
My Picasa Raymond Carey Photo Album,
John Deere Crawler Forum,
A John Deere 420 for Sale (5000),
A 420 in Action (Youtube)

Short Cruising Boots

In the last couple of years there has been a lot of hoopla about rubber hunting boots such as the iconic Wellington. Although unpractical and clunky, Wellington boots typify the heritage movement that has captured the imaginations of fashionistas and bloggers the world over. Despite their symbolic heritage, I never felt like dropping 140 dollars on uncomfortable, knee-high boots to wear twice a year and avoided the silhouette altogether.

I stumbled across these short rubber boots at a sailing outfitters on the central Maine coast. I really like the Short Cruising Boots made by the nautical company Gill. Based in Nottingham England, Gill makes market leading technical sailing equipment based around the ethos, Respect the Elements. Although not as classic as the Viking by Harvik 10 inch , pictured bellow, the Short cruiser is a technical boot anchored in functionality and performance. It has removable soles and a quick dry polyester lining. They come in European sizes and are available here for $47.

Here is a photo of them in action on a warm February afternoon.