Guam – OKIEROVER.COM

March 10, 2014May 16, 2023

Gearing Up for SCARR, Part One (Post #459) 3/10/2014

I’ve been getting my kit together for S.C.A.R.R. the past few weeks. I am going to be putting up a few posts about new, new-old, and old kit for the trip.

Coleman Cooking Stove

I’ve been reading posts from Land Cruising Adventure. Karin-Marijke, Coen, and their Toyota Land Cruiser BJ45 have been overlanding since 2003. An amazing fete’ if you ask me. So amazing, Expedition Portal named them Overlander’s of the Year for 2013. I subscribe to Overland Journal and love to read and see the adventures. Their reviews of gear each issue and in their yearly Gear Issue are most of the reason I am a subscriber.

They have a great site and I highly encourage you to go over and visit. In a recent post they were featured in Overland Journal’s gear issue. Overland Journal asked Overlander’s what was their “Most Valued” gear. Karin and Coen picked their Coleman Camp Stove.

After reading their post about their Coleman stove I had to go find the one my dad left to me. It had been in the attic of the Newcastle house since we moved back home from Guam in 1971. I think my dad used it once on a hunting trip with my Uncle Ben in the early 1970s, but I need to confirm that. I have my dad’s Coleman Lantern too. I know we used it a few times in the early 1970s when our power got knocked out from some blizzards and a thunderstorm or two. It’s safe to say it hasn’t been lit since 1975. Continue reading “Gearing Up for SCARR, Part One (Post #459) 3/10/2014”

February 7, 2014May 15, 2023

Vacation Planning Time (Post #446) 2/7/2014

It’s time to start your vacation planning. I know it’s only February, but if you plan to see any of our great national parks, you need to start now. Reservations are necessary if you plan to stay in any of the park’s resorts. A budget for your trip is necessary. Dude, there is a serious lot to do, get started!

Mrs. Okierover and I went on a 3900 miles trek to Glacier National Park with another couple back in August of 2012. It was amazing. I can’t believe I didn’t post a story about it. If I did, I can’t seem to find it. I will have to recreate the posts and get it up on this page. It was an epic trip and a very good time for all.

In any event we went to one of the most gorgeous places on earth, Glacier National Park. Today Roadtrippers.com ran a time-lapse video of the Going to the Sun Road. I stumbled upon a video someone posted on Roadtrippers.com website for Glacier National Park. There are a great many links to click in there. Here is a short video (01:18) about the park by Joe Nugent.

Mrs. Okierover and I have talked about going back as have our friends. Their schedules did not align well last year or they would have gone again in 2013. We have a few trips ahead of this one. We have talked about going out to California again. We have talked about going to Massachusetts. We have talked about going out to Washington, DC again. And Mrs. Okierover has always wanted to visit a beach with clear water. I’m thinking this will be The Keys in Florida. Hawaii, Guam, Australia, Brasil,…etc…

The list of places we want to go is almost endless. Most of these trips will need to wait until we retire. The time and funding is just not there right now. Such is the fate of a middle class drone in America.

Start planning, thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

April 17, 2012May 15, 2023

Guam, USA (Post #288) 4/17/2012

After reading this article about how a man used Google Earth to find his long-lost mother, it reminded me of my own search to find my first neighborhood. I was born in Oklahoma City. My father worked for the Federal Aeronautics Administration (FAA) and he bid on a job on Guam and won. And so at the tender age of two, we moved to Guam. My first memories of life are of living on Guam.

I got my first bicycle on Guam. This was my first taste of freedom. It was likely yours too. Riding my bicycle was amazing. When you look back at your life as a kid riding your bike, is there any wonder why so many people like riding motorcycles? The wind in your hair, flying down the road, the sense of freedom, the bugs in your mouth, bliss.

So I had endeavored to find those first magical roads I blazed upon in my youth. Thankfully Guam is a small place. When I was a kid, my dad drove around the entire island in one day, several times. I remember the basic layout of two streets that were connected at the ends. One was on the ocean side the other not. I also remember the long drive out of our neighborhood and the turns to get to the “main road”.

I then brought up maps.google.com and started looking. And to my surprise there it was.

I was fortunate or perhaps unfortunate that the place is completely abandoned. There is a photo on the site that shows and describes the place as an abandoned military road. It is not military, it was civilian housing. Several things can explain the current condition but the most like is this one. Typhoon Karen hit in 1962. I have always remembered the name Typhoon Karen. People talked about it for years. We rode out several typhoons. I was told by my parents that after we moved back to the States, a large typhoon struck the island and our houses were gone. That would make sense now considering the houses are all gone.

Unfortunately Street View doesn’t go down these roads. I’d love to ride down them one more time, if even only electronically.

On a side note the location shows Golden Shower Ln, Dededo, Guam. That is not the name of the streets on the loop. The water side road was Oceanside Drive and the other was Karen Drive. Golden Shower Lane is south of there in a new neighborhood. Yes, I know, so stop snickering.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.