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Elderhostel Notebook February 1997
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Elderhostel Notebook is the monthly e-mail publication of the
Silver Threads, an informal collection of net seniors. It is the
product of elderhostlers, and is independent of the Elderhostel
organization and not associated with it.
It is published in conjunction with the Silver Threads
Newsletter, but has a separate mailing list. Submissions are
welcome and voluntary as are comments and suggestions.
Editor is Jim Olson olsonjam@uwec.edu
There is no charge for either publication. Just contact the
editor to subscribe.
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Contents
From the Editors Notebook
Elderhostel Potpourri
Elderhostel Reviews
Personals and Notices
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Editor's Notebook
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This last month has seen a number of problems on the internet
including those of our America On Line readers who have had some
problems getting connected. Other servers as well have had some
problems so I hope all of you do end up getting this issue (and I
am able to send it out without major glitches.)
But mostly I hope you are out there elderhosteling and enjoying
it as we have done this winter, and that you will continue to
report back in here with reviews of your trips and your thoughts
on elderhosteling.
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Elderhostel Potpourri
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Connecting On the Road
- Jim Olson
With the increasing popularity of lap top computers and their
new affordability, more and more people are using them as a means
of communication while travelling around the country.
On a recent elderhostel trip to Arizona from Wisconsin I used one
to keep up some of my e-mail correspondence and internet
connections, mainly to let family know where and how we were
("Drive carefully, Daddy"- you see I had a back seat driver and an
e-mail seat driver- but then I needed that). A morning connection
to the internet also gave some idea of weather conditions down
the road at cities we planned to reach in the next few days. In
some cases there is even a direct connection through the internet
to those roving helicopters reporting traffic conditions in
selected cities (I did not use that).
The latest thing on the net is also a connection to police
scanners at some of the larger cities- Newt, take note. But
mainly we just wanted family and friends to know where we were
and how things were going.
Hotels and motels are becoming more net friendly as many have
phones now with a data port on the side of the phone, and
practically all have modern phone jacks where you can easily add
a line with a two line adapter. I was able to connect and use
e-mail at every stop along the way and back, but not at the
elderhostel as they seldom have phones in the rooms and use of a
pay phone can involve a complicated and expensive acoustic
coupler. At one Super8 (but not all) I had to crawl under the bed
to find the jack. We stayed at a variety of places always
selecting one with free or inexpensive local call service .
The local calls were made to a local America On Line number or to
the 800 number that AOL uses if it has no local number. Several
internet servers including AT@T internet service have such local
call or alternate 800 number service, and I understand the free
Juno software for e-mail also has local and 800 number service.
Most motel phone services require a "9," prefix (I found the
comma was essential to have the computer wait for the dial tone)
to dial out either to call a local or an 800 number, but we did
find one where the 800 number dial out prefix was "8," which
caused some frustration until I read the directions on the phone.
Dialing is simple to do using the AOL program and I'm sure other
services as well, as there is always a place in the program where
you can easily enter a phone number to dial along with the prefix
needed. While a list of local numbers is available online with
another 800 number, I prepared by downloading a list of all local
numbers to a file ahead of the trip (and a spare copy of the
software.)
To connect via a long distance number by credit card is also
possible, but requires more computer literacy (mainly modem
literacy) than I was able to muster; although I did experiment
and after an hour of trial and error made one such connection. It
is very hard to teach your modem about "press 1 ," press 2, enter
your credit card number, etc..) There is a technique I have read
about that involves setting up the connection by hand and then
making a quick transfer to the modem when the carrier signal is
detected- I lost it every time. But then I had no pressing need
for a long distance call as the local and 800 numbers worked
well.
Another way to keep in touch via the internet is one used by Joan
Grimes who is a fellow elderhostler and the host at the travel
section of SeniorNet Roundtables on the World Wide Web. She
explains that system next.
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Cyber Cafes
-Joan Grimes
When I travel I want to keep up with what is happening in my
favorite places on the World Wide Web and I want to send e-mail
home. There is a way to do all of this without investing in a
laptop computer. Places called Cyber Cafes are opening up all
over the world.
These places may have one or two computers or many computers.
They offer you Internet access and e-mail for a given price.
Before my Elderhostel trip overseas in May and June of 1996, I
decided to search the Internet to find addresses for these places
in the areas of Europe where I was planning to travel. I found a
list of Cyber Cafes with their street addresses at
http://www.cyberiacafe.net/cyberia/guide/ccafe.htm#contents
This list includes many countries including the United States.
I used this list again when I traveled to Italy in November of
1996. Many of these Cyber Cafes have home pages of their own on
the Internet. It is very convenient to be able to use these
facilities in most of the places that you may travel. Just find
the address or addresses of the Cyber Cafes in the area before
you leave and you're on your way to being able to communicate by
computer while traveling.
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Elderhostel Reviews
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A GHOST RANCH THANKSGIVING
Ghost Ranch Elderhostel, New Mexico
Last Sunday we were all busy flying or driving In anticipation of
finally arriving At Ghost Ranch. And now it's near time for
returning. We've had a full schedule of listening and learning.
We learned it would create a colossal crisis If one of us
unearthed a small coelophysis. It might be a minus to the local
ecology But what a big booster for paleontology! The bones we
discovered were little and brittle But no new-found fossil's too
small to be little.
We learned to combine our work with our play As we nibbled and
revelled on Thanksgiving Day. Now I hope no one here in this
group is litigious And I swear my intention is not sacriligious.
I'd never offend anyone with thin skin. And I ask your
forgiveness if you think I sin. But, as Bill sealed the oven with
turkey to please us, Someone said that our menu would be "smoked
roast Jesus."
Even though it's not over, I think we can say We've all had a
joyous Thanksgiving Day. With much to be thankful for, much to
remember A great way to wind up the month of November. So
tomorrow we hope for another fine day To embark on our journey to
Old Santa Fe. But the TV forecaster is calling for snow. We'd
better just hope we'll be able to go. To conclude let's give
thanks for the food and the weather And last . . . most of all .
. . just for being together.
--Jesse Gatlin -
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Apache Lake Arizona
We attended the Grand Canyon University elderhostel at Apache
Lake Lodge held Jan 5-11, 1997. The lodge is an inholding within
the Tonto National Forest, and the first among many adventures in
attending this elderhostel is the drive over the so-called
"Apache Trail" to get to the lodge. I say "so-called" because no
Apache ever used the trail, having much more sense than to travel
along the tortuous mountain trails when a much more level route
was available along the Salt River bed.
Those real Apache trails are now under 150 feet of water in
Apache lake formed when various dams were built along the river
early in this century to supply water for Phoenix and other
cities in the Valley of the Sun. The trail, an unpaved road that
winds through the mountains was built to allow a route for
hauling supplies to various dam projects. Theodore Roosevelt was
said to have been driven 24 miles along the trail from Tortilla
Flats to the Roosevelt dam dedication standing in the back of the
open touring car admiring the view all the way.
It is a spectacular view (if you aren't the driver) providing
mountain, desert, river, lake, and canyon scenery in many
combinations. For the driver, of course, the view is that of the
narrow two lane road and deep ravine below, clearly seen over
the side of the road with the view unhampered by guard rails.
Having arrived at the lodge, few elderhostelers are tempted to
play hookey and take the ride into town to explore Apache,
Junctions, Phoenix and surrounding area. The road has been
declared a National Landmark and will be maintained in its
original condition as much as possible. It is well maintained and
provides a relatively secure and smooth surface.
There was a medical emergency that first evening and one of the
elderhostelers needed an ambulance. Fortunately there is a
sheriff's station on the site with a heliopad and a copter from
Phoenix came out within ten minutes with a physician and the man
was taken to a hospital in Phoenix where he remained for the
week, an unfortunate beginning to what proved to be a delightful
and informative week with good food and accommodations and
excellent instruction in the three courses, Apache Life,
Prehistory of the Salt River area, and Flora and Fauna of the
Salt River.
All of the instructors were experts in their field with a great
deal of experience and the ability to communicate their
knowledge. All were obviously happy teaching seniors and enjoyed
doing it as much as we enjoyed their teaching.
Michael LaCapa who taught the Apache life section is a member of
the White Mountain Apache Tribe and an author and illustrator, He
illustrated his lectures with line drawings and great deal of wit
and wisdom. He was clearly in the Indian oral tradition with his
story telling skills and attention to the sounds of and images of
langauge in his lectures, and also in the larger culture literary
tradition with his perceptive writing. In speaking of the
experience of some of his older relatives at the infamous Indian
boarding schools, he spoke of their desire to "tear down the
fences" that surrounded the schools, and his lectures tore down
several cultural fences.I believe he also teaches the Grand
Canyon U elderhostel that is held in the White Mountains.
Matt Thomas who taught prehistoric cultures in the area devoted
much of the course to tracing the various cultures through their
pottery, and the highlight of this section was a short course in
making pottery as those cultures did and firing it in a pit fire.
The pots and figurines all came out well, including the one we
all dubbed as the "constipated Big Horn sheep." This course also
provided a field trip (with busses) 12 miles up the trail to
Roosevelt dam and the Tonto National Monument, one of the many
prehistoric dwelling sites in Arizona.
The Flora and Fauna course was taught by Jeff McMichael, a
biologist who is a consultant to the Arizona Fish and wildlife
department. A feature of this course was a pontoon ride down
stream to the dam that forms the lake. The Big Horn sheep we all
looked for did not appear as we had hoped they might, but it was
a scenic and enjoyable ride.
An extra-curricular attraction the host, Jas Jones who became
bored with life in Sun City West and took to hosting and teaching
area elderhostels, taught us some gold mining history and mining
lore, topped with an experience at panning for gold. We all found
some small flecks of gold in the material he had trucked in from
an area mine he owned, but mostly we felt we had struck it rich
by coming to this elderhostel, meeting the many interesting
people there, soaking up some sunny days, and learning a little
more about the American experience.
- Jim and Maggie Olson olsonjam@uwec.edu
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Morgantown Virginia
Jsnubbin @aol.com
I just returned from an EH at West Va. Univ. in Morgantown, This
was my first EH experience and I was impressed! Most of the
folks in the group had attended 20 or more (one man had been to
110) and everyone said this was one of the best. The classes
were on Celtic poetry, history, music and art. The instructors
were excellent, housing was in high-rise dorms which were
air-conditioned and very comfortable. The cafeteria food was
very good - many choices at each meal. There were two classes
each morning, then after lunch each day but the last we had a
"field trip". Two trips were indeed outstanding - one to Frank
Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater" at Bear Run, PA, and another a
picnic to Cooper's Rock State Park in WV. The evening class was
on Celtic Music and Art. and was delightful, and included live
Celtic music .
_______
Simi Valley, California
I just returned from Brandeis Bardin Elderhostel, located in Simi
Valley Valley in California. The Elderhostel was held at the
Brandeis-Bardin Institute. It is not connected to Brandeis
University. It was founded by Justice Brandeis and Shlomo
Bardin. I was enthralled by the lecturers, delighted with the
food, and inspired by the beautiful natural surroundings. It was
an awe-inspiring experience.
Subject matter was related to Judaism. Talks about War or Peace
in the Middle Eastboth the history and fifty years later. One of
the speakers was an Arab who gave his views as opposed to the
Jewish views. We had a cantor lecture on liturgical music from
ancient times to the present. He made sus aware of the
differences of music sung in various countries aroun d the world.
We had a Klezmer Band play Eastern European music that our
ancestors enjoyed many years ago. A young lady gave a course in
the proper exercises for seniors that would not be stressful to
our bodies. We heard a duo play the guitar and flute for music
written for those instruments. A folk dance class made many of
us realize we had two left
We participated in Sabbath Services and were taught the reason
for some of the rituals. There were five members of the group
who were not Jewish. One was a Quaker and the other four were
Presbytarians.All told me they decided to attend in order to
learn more about Judaism. We took advantage of the Quaker and
asked her to please speak to us about the Quakers. It was a
wonderful experience of people to people sharing.
All told, It was a heartwarming experience and we hated to say
goodbye.
Millie Blumberg ab100@lafn.org
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Daytona Beach, Florida
We attended an off campus elderhostel, Jan5-10, off campus at
Daytona Beach Fl., sponsored by Stetson U. We stayed in a great
hotel-motel. Balcony overlooking the beach and ocean. The weather
was perfect, sunny highs in the 70s we saw all that dreadful snow
out west etc and gloated. the food was fair to good. The
professors were excellent.
One course on Shakespeare, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliette - a
superior teacher. Second course on Broadway musicals also
excellent and fun. Third course on band music. We all expected it
to be on marches because Sousa was featured in the title. It was
wind music from the 17th century to today and did include Sousa
and some other marches. But we were a little disappointed.
It is important to have a car because afternoons from 3:30 to
5:30 were free. Also there were no planned evening programs. They
plan to rectify this. It was their first off campus program and
they were learning. I would recommend it to anyone.
HHUBB4443 @aol.com
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Personals and Notices
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Elderhostel Disability Information
from http://www.elderhostel.org
Not only is each Elderhostel site unique, with very different
physical characteristics, but the needs and limitations of
hostelers may vary widely as well. We try very hard to match
hostelers who have certain disabilities with institutions that
can accommodate their special requirements. Hostelers with
disabilities who wish to participate should enclose a letter with
their registration form describing their particular needs. Our
registration staff can inquire whether your needs can be met and,
if not, help you find a more appropriate site with a program you
will enjoy.
Though seeing-eye and hearing-aid dogs can be accommodated at
most sites, we ask that you let us know in a letter accompanying
your registration form if you plan to bring your seeing-eye or
hearing-aid dog with you.
Elderhostel's TDD Phone number is (617) 426-5437.
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from Apache lake
ravens glide and swoop
along the cliff's sunwarmed face,
echoes of midnight.