Bob Mayer's Blog, page 26

How To Find Places To Disperse Camp W/Vehicle

Off-Road Camping in Arkansas

The first leg of my recent road trip was across Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma and into New Mexico. One of my goals, as it is every time I hit the road in the Wanderer, was to stay in the wilderness and avoid civilization except for the need to gas up.

As I noted in my previous post, I usually sleep in the cargo bed of the Wanderer. During this trip, I tent-camped only once. Using the cargo bay has a lot of advantages: it gets me off the ground on a smooth and level platform. It’s much faster than putting up and taking down a tent. I used a bug net over it several times until I got up to altitude. I never had to use the camping tarp to prevent rain, because the weather never threatened rain.

Here are keys I look for: National Forests, Wilderness Areas and BLM land.

National Forests generally allow dispersed camping, unless it’s specifically marked off-limits.

Understand that National Forests are not National Parks. A good example of that is when I did the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you’re on the parkway or the roadside adjacent, you are in a National Park. Dispersed camping there is a no-no, but they have well marked campgrounds (usually all spots reserved during high season and on weekends). But if the Park goes through a National Forest, as it does in many stretches of the Blue Ridge, if you get beyond the Park on a dirt road into the NF, you’re good to go.

Wilderness Areas all have different rules. I’ve found it useful to stop and google things ahead of me to see what the rules, especially state parks.

BLM land is land we all own out west. Dispersed camping is allowed there.

To determine boundaries, I use the Gaia App, which has as one of its overlays, a shading showing what land is what. This is often key as many National Forest contains private tracts. Also, often the public roads crossing privately owned land to get into the National Forest, aren’t marked.

Other options? Campgrounds. Some of these aren’t well marked. State parks often have campgrounds. National Parks have designated campgrounds or camping locations. Occasionally in a NF, along a NF Road, will be a sign “Camp in designated locations only”.

My free slideshow on maps describes how Gaia works but also points out the value of paper maps. I’ve often found campgrounds on the state topo maps I buy on Amazon. Local National Park/National Forest maps are invaluable.

The bottom line? Every night I was able to find a place to park and spend the night with little trouble. Sometimes I drove up an overgrown trail in a National Forest that obviously hadn’t been used in a long time. My first night in Arkansas I went about a quarter-mile in on a rough trail and parked next to a nice stream in the Ozark NF. The image above is from there– although I did adjust the Wanderer to be more level before crashing for the night.

Sometimes I got lucky, such as the night in southern Colorado as I began looking for a forest road to pull off into as the sun went down and saw a campground site and spent the night there—the only night I pitched a tent. Also, the only night I paid to camp—the staggering figure of $18.

Locally, I love going into the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests and the Cohutta Wilderness in Northern Georgia. They have very little private land in it and lots of NF roads.

One technique I’ve used is to find where a NF Road is gated off (lots of those) and back into it, up to the gate and camp there. I’m off the main NF Road but able to pull right on in the morning. I’ve seen people simply pull off to the side of a NF Road and set up camp.

Another thing I’ve done, such as in Big South Fork, is park the Wanderer, shoulder my backpack, and walk in to a camp site along a trail and tent camp. This is why the gear I have stored on the truck is light and can easily be packed in a few minutes.

More to come including Whites Sands National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park and the beautiful hidden drive out of the latter.

How I prepared my Gladiator for an extended off-road trip

Gladiator

This month, I took a trip west in my 2020 Gladiator. I’d spent a while since buying it used, outfitting it in numerous ways.

I’m starting with explaining that before getting into the details of the trip, and the interesting roads and places.

Because it’s image-heavy, I’ve put it into a free slideshow.

Equipping a Jeep Gladiator for Camping/Boondocking from Bob Mayer Free Slideshow

How Did Tennessee Become “Tennessee”?

Tennessee

I’ve been in Tennessee a while now and never really thought about the state’s name. I assumed it was Native American, but figured it might mean “Lots of Rocks” or “Hilly on one end, flat on the other”.

I was on a All Who Wander wander the other day in the Jeep. I have two Gaia maps open, one via Apple Car Play and the other on my iPad. Saw an unimproved road (my favorite kind) in Cherokee National Forest next to the Little River. I could tell it was a dead end on a peninsula into the river, so, of course, I took it. Just to see. Whatever. (Honestly, Scout told me to turn, but if I tell you that, then you think I’m the guy who just left the soup on the stove and forgot about it).

Gaia Map

You can see the peninsula jutting upward and road in the center. That’s the Little Tennessee River, also known as Tellico Lake because of the dam just downstream. The road ends at Jones Cemetery, so I went to see that. Some of these old cemeteries are interesting.

I didn’t even notice the monument on the way in (might be why I just burnt my soup). On the way back out, I saw this off to the right.

The Tanasi Monument was erected in 1989 and I wonder how many Tennesseans even know it’s there?

Here is the inscription and the explanation of why Tennessee is called Tennessee (because we anglicized the Cherokee and drowned the original location of the town)

The site of the former town of Tanasi, now underwater, is located about 300 yards west of this marker. Tanasi attained political prominence in 1721 when its civil chief was elected the first “Emperor of the Cherokee Nation”. About the same time, the town name was also applied to the river on which it was located. During the mid-18th century, Tanasi became overshadowed and eventually absorbed by the adjacent town of Chota, which was to the immediate North. The first recorded spelling of Tennessee as it is today occurred on Lt. Henry Timberlake’s map of 1762. In 1796, the name Tennessee was selected from among several as most appropriate for the Nation’s 16th state. Therefore, symbolized by this monument, those who reside in this beautiful state are forever linked to its Cherokee heritage.

And that’s the kind of stuff you learn when you wander down dead-end forest roads.

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How To Prepare for and Deal with Crowds, Civil Unrest and Riots

Crowds

Crowds act differently than individuals. What was a peaceful protest or event can quickly escalate. No matter what your role, even as an innocent bystander, it pays to be prepared. Also, you can unexpectedly become caught up in an incident while in transit from work, school or traveling.

This also applies to any crowded environment where things can get out of control: Sports events. Concerts. Movie theaters. Any time there is a crowd, there is a possibility for an incident that will get out of control. People have been killed and hurt at these events.

On the left is the crush at the Hillsborough Soccer match where poor crowd control led to a crush that killed 96. On the right is the Station Nightclub Fire which killed 100. Any gathering of a number of people can turn dangerous in a myriad of ways.

11 people were killed at a Who concert because of the crush for festival seating. 39 people were killed at a soccer match in Belgium while trying to escape a fight between fans. 96 people were killed at a soccer match in England when fans were channeled into too tight a space with no exit. Crowded night clubs have often been the scene of disasters. The Station fire in Rhode Island killed 100 people when pyrotechnics started a fire. Many died rushing for the same door and getting caught in the stampede.

Think about what would happen if a fire broke out or an active shooter occurred at any large event. Always know where the exits are. Have a plan to get out. Remember: people will instinctively go toward the way they came in. Find the emergency or other exits as soon as you enter any venue. Make sure you can find them in the dark and in a panicked crowd. If going with a group, make sure you have a rally point outside the venue to meet at, even if just in case someone loses their cell phone.

Know the area where you live, work, and go to school. Check out and know alternate routes. Get familiar with the area. Check maps by looking at your phone apps. Every so often, take a different route to familiarize yourself with alternatives. You might even find a faster way. If driving, make sure you have a physical street map. If you can prepare and have to travel through an area that might have a riot, carry a solution for rinsing your eyes out in case of tear gas. Make sure you have identification.

The best way to avoid problems is to avoid the riot. Social media, hashtags and local media can give warning of where crowds are gathering. Avoid places where security forces/police are gathering.

Eye protection is critical as rubber bullets are not soft. The same with gas pellets fired by ‘paintball’ guns. If either strike your eye, you can lose your vision. In 10th Special Forces, we were issued ballistic eye armor at one point, both clear and shaded, to protect our eyes during close quarters battle drills (room clearing). While it might be tempting to film things, this also puts you in the line of fire of whatever you’re filming.

Note the gear an experienced protestor has. For those not involved and bystanders, consider which parts of this you can improvise for your own protection. Do not shine laser pens into anyone’s eyes.

When traveling, aim for as many crossroads as possible because they give you three options to go in. Try not to get channelized. Remain calm. Hide. Avoidance is always best. Blend in while moving away. Avoid law enforcement if they have donned their riot gear because they will tend to arrest first and ask questions later. If you must pass through rioters/looters/etc. wear long sleeves, long pants, consider a motorcycle, bike or other helmet.

Walk, don’t run, as you might attract attention. Don’t make eye contact. Don’t confront people. Don’t stop. If you’re with someone from your team, hold hands tightly. Don’t get involved. It’s not your riot. Stay close to walls, on the edges of crowds. Avoid bottlenecks.

If you’re in your car, back up and get away from any crowds. Never attempt to drive through. If you are caught in a crowd, don’t drive through, speed up or act aggressive. Keep your doors locked and your windows up. Riots usually happen on streets, not in buildings. Get off the street and into a building. Stay away from windows. Look for another exit. Be careful of fire.

If necessary, on foot, go with the flow. Become part of the crowd and edge your path away from the violence. Don’t go against the flow of the crowd. Walk away; don’t run as it will draw attention. Avoid being filmed as much as possible. Remember there is CCTV everywhere. Keep your head down. Cover your face. Even if innocent, you can be considered a suspect.

If pushed to the ground, curl into a ball. Cover your head with your arms and remain still until the crowd moves away. If possible, try to get against a wall. If shooting breaks out, drop to the ground, lie flat, and cover your head with your arms. Try to find any cover close by. Underneath parked vehicles works.

If arrested, do not resist. Go along peacefully. If overseas and arrested try to contact the embassy immediately. Civil Unrest and Riots

Why The Restaurant Fight Club Scene in Pig?

PIG

When I reached that scene, I almost stopped watching. It just seemed too over the top. It’s early in them movie so there’s no need for a spoiler alert. Nicolas Cage is trying to get some information where his Pig is and in order to do that, he must participate in a secret, underground fight club of restaurant workers.

Like, really?

Then again, I write about aliens, so who am I to scoff? But there had to be a reason for it. I’ve read reviews where people say the actual scenes weren’t important, it was the overall theme that was important. But writers don’t just do scenes for no reason. At least they shouldn’t. If one thing writing for a living for three decades has taught me it’s that every scene must serve a purpose. Actually, it should serve two: arc character and move the plot forward.

So what this scene of Cage putting his hands behind his back and getting pummeled while on the clock?

Because, besides moving the plot in terms of getting the next clue to where his pig is, it’s representative of grief. That grief is accepting pain and not fighting back. Of absorbing every horrible blow that is thrown at you and not battling it, but accepting, because that is the only way we can actually move forward in life. Cage suffered terrible grief, but while it beat him down, he persevered. Thus the scene actually makes great sense, despite stretching the bounds of credulity.

It’s not John Wick meets a Pig. It’s about Grief.

Pig

We just watched Pig, starring Nicolas Cage. It’s an intriguing movie that achieves something rather remarkable in an odd way.

I must be honest that about fifteen minutes in when it went secret, underground, restaurant worker fight club, I was like: “WTF?” and almost done with it.

I think a huge problem for this movie is no one seems to know how to market it. It doesn’t neatly fit into a genre or summary.

In a way, it’s a series of scenes, some of which don’t make much sense. Except in terms of the overall theme. Which is one that’s very difficult to cover: Grief.

One of the hard things about grief is that it means someone you loved is no longer alive. Thus, the predicate is that you love. There are many people who will not completely love another person or even a pet, for fear of losing them. That potential pain negates the opening up of one’s self in the moment to care about someone else.

Nicholas Cage’s character is a man in grief over the loss of his wife. He’s become a recluse who has a pig as his best friend. When the pig is stolen, unlike John Wick who proceeds to wantonly kill (indicating he never really loved the dog since revenge is a sign of a sociopath, if not psychopath), Cage looks for his pig. This leads him on a journey into the restaurant world of Portland that stretches credulity; but it doesn’t matter. The point is that several characters he runs into along the way have moments of true enlightenment. The story is about love, grief, memories and how it shapes us.

I don’t want to do spoilers, but one that really impressed me was the ending, where a Bruce Springsteen song that has always seemed to be about one thing, becomes about something else altogether.

Having experienced intense grief and sharing it, I can tell you the reactions ring true and bring up painful memories. But the pain means there was also love and life.

Cage’s acting is excellent, along with that of the rest of the cast.

The First Step In Preparation: THE AREA STUDY

Area Study

It Focuses your effort and saves time & money.

Everyone’s situation is different. We’re different individuals. We have different households/situations. We live in different places with varying climate, terrain, and possible natural and man-made disasters. Thus, before we begin to ‘prepare’, we must know what we’re preparing for and what we’re working with.

By doing a good Area Study, you save time and money because you’ve focused on your priorities. You need to know your assets and your threats. You also have to get the right supplies, training, and gear for your specific situation.

In Special Forces, what made us elite was our planning and preparation. The first thing we did when we received a mission packet was conduct an Area Study of the Area of Operations (AO). In the same way, you need to conduct an Area Study of your home, work, and school Areas of Operation.

First, we’ll learn what an Area Study is and why we need it. Then there will be checklists to fill out that will get us started in the right direction. This is only a brief sampling of the more extensive information in The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide, which has been updated as of July 2021.

Area Studies can have non-emergency uses, such as if we’re considering moving to a new place. An Area Study can provide valuable decision-making data.

YOURSELF AND YOUR TEAM: What special skills and background do you have? The people on your team? These include medical, construction, problem solving, military, etc. The key is to know what you can and can’t do, and what those around you can and can’t do. These skills include medical, military, gardening, hunting, survival training and experience, pilot, boat operation, camping, weapons, cooking, land navigation, swimming, communication (personal and technical), construction, problem solving, fire starting, knot tying, the list goes on and on. It also includes physical condition of yourself and your team members.

Evaluate your Area of Operations: Think about it. You live in a tsunami zone. Have you actually driven your evacuation route? How long does it take? Have you figured out the quickest escape route on foot. You work on the 40th floor of a skyscraper. Do you ever look around and ask yourself: how do I get out of here if the normal means of egress are blocked? While schools run active shooter drills, what about the work place?

How close are you to the nearest military base? Nearest police station? Firehouse? Hospital? Do you know where the closest emergency room is? How long it will take to get there? Could you drive the route in the dark? How quickly can an ambulance respond to your location?

Where is your closest source of drinkable water if your drinking supply is contaminated? This often occurs during natural disasters especially floods. Are you prepared to a base level with emergency water?

You want to examine your environment for a lot of things. What can harm you? What can help you? What can hide you? What are your enabling factors? What are your disabling factors? What is the terrain and how can it help you or hamper you in movement? What are the roads, trails, rail, etc. What effect does your environment have on you? What are choke points, particularly river crossings (bridges and tunnels)?

Then you must must be concerned with the man-made and natural events you should prepare for in order of likelihood.

80% of natural disasters also include flooding. Do you live in a flood zone? Would you be cut off if your area floods? You can use the FEMA flood map search to determine this: https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search

Note that there are many areas that were not in flood zones, that are now included. A new map as of 2020 includes 6 million more homes than previously mapped.

There are also man-made disasters. Here is a partial list: Car accident, boat/ferry accident, train/subway accident, tall building evacuation, fire, power outage, burglary, robbery, carjacking, civil unrests/riots, terrorist attack, active shooter, firearms accidents, nuclear power plant accident, nuclear weapons, biological weapons and infectious diseases, chemical weapons/accident, industrial accident.

Are your power lines buried? What industries are in your area? What are you downwind, downstream of? What toxic materials and/or gases would be emitted if there was an accident? Is there a rail line or waterway near you? What is transported on those trains/barges? Where is the closest nuclear power plant and/or storage area? Are there labs in your area that work with dangerous biological agents? What about the local university? Are you in the flood zone of a dam breaking?

This is just the basic beginning. But by answering these questions you can begin to frame the priority of preparation. This will determine your plans and what supplies and equipment you need. Of course, there are baseline survival supplies every household should have, such as water, first aid kit, emergency radio, etc. but beyond that, an Area Study will give focus.

More on all of this in The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide where I walk you through all these steps with explanations and checklists. I hope you find this useful.

https://amzn.to/2SsTyo9

How to Prepare for and Deal with FLOODING

Think how big a gallon jug is? Consider hundreds of thousands of those jugs, each weighing over 8 pounds, moving. That’s power. Add in the following equation:

Six inches of moving water will take a person down. One foot of moving water can sweep a car away. In the desert. In fact, deserts are particularly prone to flash floods due to rocky terrain and lack of vegetation and dirt to absorb rainfall.

Having commanded a Special Forces A-Team that was focused on Maritime Operations, I learned first-hand the power of water. To demonstrate this, the instructors at the Royal Danish Navy Fromankorpset Combat Swim School had us try to swim to land near the mouth of a river. It easily pushed us back out to sea despite our best efforts.

How Likely Is a Flood In Your Area? FEMA has a web site where you can check the flood map for your location. Remember, though, that if you are traveling, you don’t know the possibilities along roads and in different areas. FEMA Flood Map Service Center

Note that there are many areas that were not in flood zones, that are now included because of rising water levels. A new map as of 2020 includes 6 million more homes than previously mapped.

There are three main types of floods: Coastal (surge) Flood River (fluvial) Flood Surface (pluvial) Flood).

COASTAL: Occurs on coast-lines of large bodies of water as the name implies. It is the result of extreme tides caused by severe weather. Storm surge pushes water onto shore. A storm surge timed with a high tide can be devastating. There are 3 levels: Minor: some beach erosion but no major damage. Moderate: more beach erosion and some damage to homes and businesses. Major: Serious threat to life and property. Large scale beach erosion. Roads will be flooded and structures damaged. Remember that a tidal surge can cause flooding.

When we lived on Hilton Head Island, many people were unaware that almost the entire island is a flood zone. When one friend who lived on the beach heard that there was a possibility of a twelve-foot storm surge, she thought that meant 12 feet horizontal (inland). We had to explain that meant 12 feet vertical which then reaches out horizontally.

If you live in a tidal zone, make sure you understand tide tables. Not all tides are the same. There are ‘spring’ tides which have nothing to do with spring, but rather when the Earth, moon and Sun are in alignment. This occurs twice a month and produces higher than usual tides. Combine a spring tide with storm surge and you have a disaster.

RIVER FLOOD: This happens when excessive rainfall over a period of time overwhelms a river’s capacity to carry the water. It can also be caused by snow melt, ice jams, and debris jams. A dam failure can cause an abrupt and catastrophic form of river flood. And vice versa: a river flood can cause dam and levee failures downstream. There are two types of river floods: Overbank flooding is when the water continues to rise over the banks. Flash flooding occurs when there is an intense, high velocity rainfall. These often are doubly dangerous as debris can be carried by the flood water. Remember, it might not be raining where you are, but the river can flood from rain and run off upstream.

The Big Thompson River flood in Colorado in 1976 killed 144 people. 12 inches of rain fell in four hours. The river is usually an average of eighteen inches deep. After this sudden rain, a wall of water 20 feet high swept through the canyon at 14 miles an hour. Farther down stream there had been no rain at all so this surprised many. The car below was crushed by the river flood.

More and more dams are aging and degrading. During your AREA STUDY, you should know whether you live downstream of a dam and what the potential is. I have a free short read about when the St. Francis Dam failed.

SURFACE FLOOD: This happens separate from an existing body of water. Torrential rainfall overwhelms the area’s normal way of channeling water. Intense rain saturates an urban drainage system and water back flows into streets and structures. Run off isn’t absorbed by the ground and the water level rises. (our house flooded at over a mile high in altitude, on top of a ridge, in Boulder, Colorado, because the rocky ground couldn’t absorb a short, intense period of rain— the ground water simply rose up into it).

A big concern with a surface flood is when the sewage system overflows. Also, floods can cause many stored toxins to be inundated and poison the flood waters. NEVER DRINK FLOOD WATER. This is why maintaining an adequate emergency supply of drinking water is critical as tap water sources will be contaminated. The same with a filtering system. More on water in that slideshow.

A Flood Watch means a flood is possible A Flood Warning means a flood is happening Flood Alerts

If you have time, move valuables to the highest level before evacuating. When evacuating, move to higher ground, away from water sources such as rivers or lakes. NEVER go around a barrier on a road during a flood. If evacuating by car avoid standing water. Drive slowly. If walking, never go through moving water. Remember earlier when I gave how much water weighed? Mass times velocity will knock you off your feet and sweep you into deeper water.

Never drive through a flooded road or bridge. Do not stay in a flooded car. If your car is swept away or submerged, stay calm and break the window to get out or go through the sun roof. Hold your breath, open the door, and swim for the surface. You will be in the current. Point your feet downstream. Go over obstacles, never under. Strive to angle toward dry ground but don’t fight directly against the current. If stuck above a flash flood, such as in a tree, stay there and wait for rescue.

While on the water, always wear your life vest. It’s the equivalent of putting your seat belt on in a car. Too many people have drowned with a life vest left on the boat. The very nature of an accident means it’s not anticipated. Therefore, you probably won’t have a chance to put it on before you’re in the water. I wrote an article on how reading a tweet about always wearing a life vest would have saved someone’s friends lives, I started wearing mine all the time and there’s a good chance it saved my life when I capsized in the fast-moving Little River in TN while kayaking.

A good tool to have within reach of your car is a combination seat belt cutter and glass breaker. Your Home If you are caught at home and can’t evacuate: Pack any coolers with as much ice as possible and use this first before opening fridge once power goes out. Fill bathtubs with water. Make sure all vehicles are topped off. Know where the closest shelter for you and pets is. Unplug everything. Do not use tap water after a storm until certain it’s not contaminated.

It’s too late to prepare once the flood is on you. There will also be a huge run of panicked people buying many of these same items, so order it now so you have it ready. This sounds trite, but after every flood, most people list these following items as things they wished they’d had on hand. Not only for the flood itself, but as importantly, for living afterwards in the chaos.

What To Have Ready BEFORE

Water: Enough for at least three days. Minimum is one gallon per person, per day. Double that for warm climates. 8 average 500ml water bottles is just over one gallon. A case of water (24 bottles) is the minimum three days supply per person. I recommend at least two cases per person. WATER

You must have a way of quickly filtering water for your family. Assume all water you find in nature is contaminated. Assume your tap water is contaminated until it is confirmed otherwise.

Non-perishables for three days minimum. Food that doesn’t require refrigeration. Don’t have food that will make you thirsty. Plan for infants and special dietary requirements. Keep separate and out of normal food rotation. Note expiration dates.

Being able to see in the dark is key. Batteries tend to be heavy and get used up but AA/AAA are light and small. Also, with solar, you can use rechargeable lights.

Know what the emergency broadcast stations are. Have a hand crank radio/flashlight combo.

Power will be out. ATMs won’t work Store computer systems will have crashed. It will be a cash environment for a while.

Know how to turn off the water coming into the house. How to turn off the power. Where the safe spots in the house are. Where the family IRP- immediate rally point— outside the house where all will gather is. Who the out of area emergency point of contact is for the family.

I constantly update free, downloadable slideshows on my web site for preparation and survival and other topics. FREE SLIDESHOWS

Tomorrow War: Great Ideas, So-So Execution

I have to be honest; I fast-forwarded through a good portion of this. Amazon and Netflix put out a lot of movies and they often have the most intriguing one-liners or premises, then are done on what is obviously a shoe-string budget.

Tomorrow War wasn’t done on a shoestring budget but it was unevenly made. There were times, as a writer, I saw threads develop, that never delivered.

The premise is intriguing: people from 2050 are coming back and recruiting people from our time to fight in their timeline. However, thinking on that, my next thought is: really? That’s the best use you can make of time travel? Cannon fodder?

Another gripe? Much like the awful Starship Troopers, it seems we can’t make tanks any more. Yes, they had F-35 jets and fancy guns, but no tanks? I mean tankers call Infantry “crunchies”. Seems these Whitespikes were crunchable.

Any time travel story has to have holes in it. I always like Bruce Willis explaining time travel to his younger self in Loopers. In my time travel series, I just have it happen. I handle the paradoxes by having the mantra that history has to stay the same. That’s the mission of the Time Patrol.

Here, the future doesn’t seem to want to change their own past so they are better prepared for their present problem. They just want bodies who are told literally that they need no training. Just grab a gun and go. Huh? Pretty much up there with the opening of Enemy at the Gate where every other man gets the gun, then the other guy scavenges off the dead.

Kudoes to Sam Richardson who was wonderful in Veep. He added a great sense of humor to it all, although, again, his background opened up a thread that just died. I really got the sense that the original screenplay was different and got mangled in production.

I was really hoping Tunguska would be the source of the problem, but no, something else. And the way the current powers-that-be shrugged off the problem once the time machine was gone seemed weird. Of course, we’re shrugging off Climate Change as the Pacific Northwest burns, the Southwest is in an epic drought and the Gulf of Mexico is on fire, so, yeah. Probably true.

It was mildly entertaining but nowhere near as good as Edge of Tomorrow.

Publication Day: No Quarter

The fifth Will Kane book, NO QUARTER, is out today in eBook, paperback, and, something new, hardcover. And, it’s also in Kindle Unlimited.

This was a tough book to write because Kane goes through another transition in it. We do finally find out who the triggerman was on the Cambodia mission years previously, but Kane, in the present, is dealing with an adversary who seems to be one step ahead of him. As all my books do now, the story evolved with deeper implications for the figured into the plot.

The ending, all leaves Kane’s future wide open. My goal in the next book will be more action in a Jack Reacher style where Kane runs into trouble on the road. But who knows?

The book before this one, Hell of a Town, is only .99 today, through the 4th

With the 4th of July coming up, Independence Day (Time Patrol) is free starting today through Sunday, the 4th. Roland’s mission in that book to Gettysburg on the 4th, 1863, is one of my favorites. You can listen to it for free on Soundcloud, here.

With Amazon now opening up hardcover publication, I have put The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide into hardcover. I also plan on doing a 25th Anniversary special edition hardcover of Area 51, with a new forward about how I came up with the idea so many years ago and how the storyline evolved. Hard as it is to believe, it was originally slotted to be a stand-alone title. The second in a two-book deal with Random House. And the original title wasn’t Area 51.

With the holiday weekend fast approaching, let’s all stay safe! Here’s a link to an article I wrote about always wearing a life vest when on the water and why I decided to do it and how it might have saved my life. Treat a life vest like the seat belt in a car. It does no good if it’s not on!

For those who haven’t heard, Gus passed at the end of last month. He had a great 14 years and will always be in our hearts. Scout is doing well and our new rescue puppy, Maggie, a long-haired German Shepherd who is just over four months old, had surgery last week (part of the reason she was a rescue as she had been slated to be a service dog, but was rejected) and is healing well although she hates the cone of shame as much as Gus did.

Enjoy the weekend!

Bob

And Scout.

And Maggie.