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Precious Medals (PM’s) are a solution to particular problems, not a blanket sollution to all problems. They are mostly handy for wealth preservation. Gold is uniquely suitable as money because it is impossible to counterfeit thanks to its high density and other unique properties. Silver has additional practical survival uses such as helping purify water sources, creating reflective surfaces and medicinal applications.

This is kind of like having supplies of shelf stable foods. It isn’t really a viable longterm strategy but it can help you bridge the gap between periods of no food and food production. Similarly PM’s can preserve your wealth across periods of economic instability. Either way you’d do well to be able to grow your own food and earn money somehow. Stores are stores, renewable sources are another thing entirely.
Do not correlate your Metals that you HAVE with PM values. Those values are speculations based on current federal Reserve Notes. If you actually have the metals, when the Federal Reserve FAILS which it will eventually. Your gold will carry over into the new monetary system which the US Treasury will have to make(and they already have plans and material to do so). Watch the PM market with the knowledge that it is nothing more than a temperature gauge of how sick the Federal Reserve is.
Suppose you’ve got a farm, shelf goods, fuel, and a truck. You have monetary gyrations, either/or deflation such that there’s no work that pays and no goods that are worth much, or inflation such that a cup of rice costs $100,000. That’s not a joke–in the last months of Weimar, an entire life insurance policy wasn’t worth a postage stamp.

But you’re prepared, the money doesn’t matter. Ooops, except for your tax bill–you sold the petrol and truck and still lost the farm and are out on the street despite your preparations. What will you do for taxes when you’re unemployed for 3 years? Or when your tax bill is $2,000,000.00 a year?

Gold and silver tend to maintain their relative values during monetary gyrations. That’s why they call them an “anchor’ but it might better be called a “sea anchor”. Savings in other forms may be at risk depending on conditions that can occur quite suddenly. Rice and bullets still have value but they take up a lot of space and you’d need to sell them to someone with–money–to pay your lawyer or tax bill. History has shown gold and silver–so far, meaning 250 generations–have been the best commodity to hold your value in. –But bullets have only been around 25 generations, who knows? Maybe we’ll see something new this time.

One of three things is going to happen:

The world is going to keep muddling along about the way it is now, PM’s will somewhat keep pace with inflation, and maybe silver will rocket one day when the COMEX finally defaults like the LME did on nickel recently. THIS is the best thing that could happen, IMHO and I sincerely hope it does. My PM’s will help me “survive” old age in some security.

OR

The world is going to go to crap IN SOME MANNER.

It could be:

A total collapse of civilization due to war, a virus, a comet hitting earth, who the heck knows…..but in any case, PM’s won’t do you a lot of good for LONG time after I’m thinking…..survival is going to mean water, food, shelter, defense, fuel, etc…..and I have always, 100% of the time, said “GET THIS IN ORDER BEFORE YOU EVER BUY THE FIRST HUNK OF SILVER OR GOLD”…..because you are going to USE most of this stuff anyway, whether the world ends or not…..so just buy it ahead of time, and have the insurance…..duhhh….is this so hard to understand ?????

OR

It could be a PARTIAL collapse of society…..like the Great Depression ( which wasn’t all that Great for many ), which we are overdue for, if you believe that such events are cycles in history. This could take the form of a deflationary depression ( like the last one ) where fiat money simply becomes scarce….or it could take the form of an inflationary collapse like 1920-22 Wiemar Germany, where fiat money becomes worthless in a big hurry……..or it could take the form of lots of OTHER fiat currencies hold their value and JUST the US ‘dollar’ goes rapidly in the toilet because the world dumps our debt on the market, collapsing the buck overnight. Precious metals are gonna be REAL handy for survival in about any of those situations….because the root problem of all of them is THE PRINTING OF FIAT MONEY and the world will be looking for REAL MONEY, which PMs are.

SO, in 2 out of 3 possible situations I laid out, PM’s are going to be a handy item to own. But if you think civilization is going to collapse to the point the few that are left are going to be living in caves and eating grubs for food, then I ‘probably’ wouldn’t buy PMs…….as you will likely be long dead before civilization ever comes back to the point of commerce again.

Recommended reading at http://goldismoney.info

Cruising up here in Alaska. I’ve been so busy, no time for anything!

We will be heading south here in a couple of weeks, through BC. I promise to show lots of pics of that trip. Until then…

Personal kit

It seems these days that many people are thinking ahead. This is a trend I like to see, because I’ve been one to try and be ready for what ever my come my way for quite some time now. The best way to put together a kit is to find a bag you won’t mind carrying with you wherever you go, then start adding things as you go. What I’ve included in my list below is the things that I have added over the years, and while it works for me, I would recommend you add or subtract things as you see fit. Remember that different situations require different things, and the list is going to be somewhat static. The most important thing here is to make it comfortable, and never let the thing get out of your immediate area, ever!

Good sturdy day pack sized backpack
Handheld radio capable of recieving weather channels and local fire/ems/police frequencies
GPS
Compass
Binocs
First Aid Kit
Band-aids
Emergency breathing mask
Tweezers
IB
Bug spray
gauze
Note pad with all important contact information (in case you lose your cell phone!)
Cell Phone
Poncho
Mylar blanket
Hand warmers
Mini Maglite
Extra batteries
Extra Zenon light bulbs
Knives
fixed blade knife
Small folding pocket knife
“Commando” Saw
Dryer lint in film canister
Lighter
Magnesium fire starter
Energy bars
Water Purification Tablets
Clear plastic garbage bag
Mirror
Whistle
Ziploc Bag
Camera
Mini Ranger survival manual
32oz nalgene water bottle
titanium coffee cup

Well, Mia and I had a great trip out across the Nevada Desert! The weather was very forgiving and we had fun exploring. Leaving from Northern California we made our way across highway 20 on up to I-80 where we decided to “luxury camp” in Donner State Park. After a few days of dust and heat it was nice to get in a shower and let our lungs breath some dust free air.

From there we headed down highway 89 to US 50 around Lake Tahoe. The lake was beautiful, as usual, and we took our time enjoying the sight. From there we headed out US 50 across Nevada. We stopped two nights along the way and did a bit of exploring. First night was at the Bob Scott campground just outside of Austin. This campground is pretty much the middle of no where, and it was a trip to hike around and check things out. We were lucky enough to be in the middle of two storms, and in a relatively calm place, so it was comfortable to explore for a couple of hours.

From central Nevada we continued east along US50 out to the Great Basin National Park and Lehman caves where we made camp. After getting camp set up and taking a tour of the cave the rain came. It was hard at times, but Mia and I holed up in the tent with good luck. It was nice to spend some time playing cards and relaxing.

The next morning we made our way up the Wheeler Peak summit road and got a great view of the peak. Just as we were heading out of the park a huge black cloud came up behind us and we got a good feeling that we had been and gone just in time. It was great.

From there we made our way east and explored the Utah desert for the day. We stopped at a dry lake to take a look and also had a great look at some really cool rock formations. Utah is so amazing!

Now we are going to take a break for a few days out here in Orem, but we have plans to explore some in the southern part of the state next week.

We spent the first leg of our trip in Lake county, north of Clear Lake in Northern California. I hadn’t been to this place before, and I’m sure glad we made the trek out there! We met my step-brother and his half-brother and we spent the whole weekend four wheeling and cruising around in his ski boat. We even made it to the top of the nearest mountain on a 4×4 route for a good look at the lake below, which is the picture above.

Good stuff, now we head east!

I’ve been in California for a couple of days now. It’s nice to be here, but the truck is packed and we are out of here. Even at this point the details of this trip are completely up in the air. I only today realized that I was headed to a National Park on 4th of July weekend! DUH!

So now the plan is to stay off the beaten path, see how things go, and head to Utah. From there we can wait out the storm for a bit, then head south to Moab and where ever else after the holiday.

Tomorrow we will actually be heading west, to meet up with my brother, where we will be camping out over in the redwoods near a town called Willits. I’ve not been to this place before, so it should be exiting and new. After that we will head back to the east following along highway 50 from Lake Tahoe to Lehman caves in eastern Nevada. I’m not sure how long we will take to get to that point, but there’s no big hurry. From there I hope to get a feel for how the crowds will be, but most likely we will end up going over to Orem for a few days of waiting and visiting.

All in all, I’m going to be exploring, camping and having fun. What else could I ask for?

I’m off the boat now, it’s been another great rotation on the Sea Lion. I kept pretty busy this go around, but I also made time for some pretty cool things. Fishing was a kick, and I learned a bit about what to do the next time around. Halibut definitely like squid and squid looking lures, as well as little herrings. I’ll focus on that the next go around, but I’m also going to try and pick up a king salmon as I’m sure they are a kick.

I also got to make a run up into Ford’s Terror, my favorite place to go up here. The scenery is just so over the top. It’s really everything that I have pictured Alaska to be in my mind all of these years. Very cool, so cool in fact that it makes me want to get a boat just so that I can go there myself in the future. Maybe someday, anyways.

Finally got a hold of my daughter last night, and it was great to hear her voice. I’m pretty excited about the next couple of weeks, hanging with her. It should be a great time.

Hanging out in Petersburg last night was pretty cool, the town is pretty small. It’s nice to spend some time in a real Alaska town, and not a cruise ship tourist trap. I spent a good couple hours just watching the fishing boats go in and out of Wrengell Narrows. I also got to see the Alaska State Ferry stroll in, too. I’d like to take a trip on that, some day. Maybe next summer I could work something out.

Next time you hear from me, I’ll be in California. Back to life. Back to reality.

It’s been a good go for me up here in Alaska. Six weeks goes by so quickly! What seems like just the other day, I was making my way up here. Now I’m headed back. I haven’t had much of a chance to talk to my daughter, but the tentative plan is to head out of California no later than the first of July and be on our way out to Utah.

It’s been a good run for me, up here. The weather has been real nice, I’ve seen more wildlife than any other time out and I’ve somehow managed to keep the ship together for another round. Speaking of which, I got my first annual performance review the other day. I was glad to see that both the chief engineer and the captain are very grateful for my hard work, and it looks as if I’ll be welcome back for some time to come. It’s good to feel appreciated.

The next time I post, I’ll give you some idea of where I’ll be headed on my vacation and talk a bit more about my plans for the future. I’ve been thinking quite a bit about it lately.

Yesterday I purchased my Alaska state week fishing license with the hope of catching some Halibut and got off to a good start. It started with a pretty good size fish around noon, but I got a bit a head of myself and ended up losing it. Once the fish got up to where it could get a good look at the boat it decided to run on me. The fish ran under the prop, and when I gave chase the prop cut my line! I was a little bummed out, but it also got me pretty pumped up.

Later in the day I had a line out, but got a call on the radio. I set the pole down and told a friend to watch for me. After about twenty minutes I returned to find my buddy standing by the pole and nothing going on. I decided to reel it in and check the bait, and then it happened. I got a hit, and set it just right. The fish gave a little run, then I brought it home. It ended up being a smaller fella, maybe 25 pounds, so I put him back. It wasn’t much, but it sure was fun. I hope that the week will bring me more.

This is my last full trip of this rotation out here in south east Alaska. It’s been a good run, with tons of wild life. I’ve seen brown and black bears, soaring bald eagles, bow riding dalls porpoises, and bubble netting humpback whales. It’s been great. This time next week, I’ll be heading home. I’m ready to see my kids. I can’t wait.

On Saturday we made it out to my favorite place of all that we go to. Ford’s Terror is a small inlet off of Endicott Arm that has quite the selection of waterfalls for my viewing pleasure. There’s 4000 foot cliffs lining either side and waterfalls every 1/2 mile or so along the whole length. The best part is that there is a section about a 1/2 mile into it that is really skinny. This is the section that helped in the naming process. Apparently, a man named ford paddled into the inlet, then when he was headed back out the tide had risen making it nearly impossible to get out. I heard a rumor that this happened to the famous John Muir as well. In typical me fashion, I shot a ton of blury pictures and not one was worth posting. Hopefully I’ll get to go back this season.

Things are going well on the boat right now. I’ve been getting quite a bit done, and working
hard to keep things in shape. I think it’s starting to show. Other than the normal piddly things (toilets and heaters, mostly) things are running good!

Just about two more weeks now on my rotation and I’m starting to think more and more about what to do. I’ve been wanting to do this camping road trip with Mia and now I’m thinking that it would be cool to take her to the ocean for a few nights. I know that it’s the wrong direction, but maybe I could work out a nice loop. I’ll have to think about it a bit more.