@Summitt Dweller’s Personal Blog - Template

The High Point of This Trip

Mark McFate — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:23:47 -0600

From the summit 14,115 feet

Headed West to (Dis)Obey

Mark McFate — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:44:36 -0500

First geocache stop of the trip.

Dinner From Bangladesh

Mark McFate — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 18:01:00 -0500

Draining Ushnab and his family in Grinnell for dinner this evening

New Tolen Testing

Mark McFate — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 04:36:11 -0500

Just what the title says.

Big Day - Early Start

Mark McFate — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 04:00:48 -0500

Today is the day I get Windstream/Kinetic installed again and officially replace Mediacom (again) as my ISP. The cats were fighting through the bedroom window this morning at 3 AM so I got up to start final changes now. Already have a new OTA TV antenna installed and working, and a new Eero device ready to go, time to kick that in too.

No Blood Work Today...

Mark McFate — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 08:12:40 -0500

But a chest x-ray is needed. ☹️

New Micropost Title After GitHub Fix

Mark McFate — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:47:51 -0500

Lord, I hope this works.

Testing Newest Script for GitHub Changes

Mark McFate — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 10:44:13 -0500

Trying this one more time.

New Test With Github Token

Mark McFate — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 10:32:30 -0500

Still dealing with COVID here, but trying to get a little something accomplished.

COVID Is No Joke

Mark McFate — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:14:19 -0500

Fever has finally broken but this latest phase has nearly everything leaving a horrible metallic aftertaste in my mouth..so bad last night I could not sleep.

Happy ? Anniversary

Mark McFate — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:40:49 -0500

Got home about 20 hours ago after a brutal 36 hours of travel. Went straight to the doctor and tested positive for COVID and influenza A, me with a fever of 102°. Once home, I went straight to bed. Feeling a little better this morning, but still everything aches and my fever is down to about 101°.

The last straw in this travel nightmare was that we were unable to land in Cedar Rapids as planned because of a thunderstorm and had to divert to Des Moines, where they performed maintenance on the plane and then refueled and got us back to Cedar Rapids about an hour and a half later than planned.

Pushing Back Now

Mark McFate — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 12:21:37 -0500

Pushing back from the gate for a 24-minute flight to CR

DSM Not CID

Mark McFate — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 12:08:54 -0500

Got diverted from CID due to a storm in CR. Waiting for maintenance and fuel before we can head to CR now.

MSP Preparing To Board

Mark McFate — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 09:23:06 -0500

Flying home to CID

80 Minutes More With Princess

Mark McFate — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 18:08:49 -0800

Then a couple hours at the airport in Fairbanks and an eight hour flight to Minneapolis.

A Great Day For A Walk

Mark McFate — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 23:46:35 -0800

Made the 4.09 mile, nearly 3 hour walk from Denali visitor center back to our hotel… I loved it. Met some nice “locals” and found all the geocaches on my target list.

Prospectors Pizza

Mark McFate — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 16:37:12 -0800

Watching bears (on tape) catch salmon while we catch dinner.

Bus Stop

Mark McFate — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 15:21:32 -0800

On the road to our Denali Lodge.

Breakfast

Mark McFate — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 08:11:29 -0800

Denali, the mountain, is a no-show thus far. But the nice lady at the gift shop still let me purchase a 30% club fridge magnet.

Lunch In Talkeetna

Mark McFate — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 15:03:43 -0800

At the Twister Creek Brew Pub. A really quaint little tourist town with mud streets and boardwalks (thankfully, because it just rained).

At Anchor

Mark McFate — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:16:06 -0800

On the train waiting while they swap locomotives. Not a quick process.

On The Train

Mark McFate — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 07:14:07 -0800

Waiting for our turn to enter the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel…still.

Disembarkation In 2 Hours

Mark McFate — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 03:57:16 -0800

At port in Whittier, AK

Remnants Of Skagway

Mark McFate — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 08:20:37 -0800

This is a reminder to myself to never order a big bowl of spicy chili when on a cruise. I didn’t pick up any souvenirs in Skagway, except for this chili that seems to want to stay with me for the last two or three days. ☹️

Forgot to mention that Morgan did come away from Skagway with a significant something…she got engaged!

Breakfast With Margorie

Mark McFate — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:02:10 -0800

I will see if I can attach a photograph later.

Skagway

Mark McFate — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 10:26:30 -0800

The Salty Siren tavern is not open on a Sunday morning. Imagine that.

Whale Watching

Mark McFate — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 14:05:50 -0800

And we got lucky.

And a Sea Otter

Mark McFate — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 18:53:34 -0800

Doing a backstroke… or at least a back float.

Whale Sighting

Mark McFate — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 18:48:23 -0800

Just saw a small pod of orca while dining aboard ship.

Seated For 'Encore'

Mark McFate — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 19:14:06 -0700

A Princess Cruise stage show

Sailled From Vancouver

Mark McFate — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 16:46:25 -0700

Left port about 40 minutes ago headed for Ketchikan in about 18 hours.

Westin Wall By Marriott

Mark McFate — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:40:01 -0700

Found a pair of really cool geocaches not far from here earlier this evening.

Testing Again

Mark McFate — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:27:37 -0700

From our hotel in Vancouver

Testing

Mark McFate — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:36:56 -0500

Made some script fixes at 20,000 feet!

North To MSP

Mark McFate — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 06:03:19 -0500

Waiting in CID. Apparently I am the only one in our party of 12 who got strip searched. 🙃

CID

Mark McFate — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 04:55:14 -0500

Made it to the airport safely.

Practice

Mark McFate — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:57:50 -0500

I need to get better at doing this more often so today is practice while I get my COVID-19 booster before cruising.

First Camping Of The Year

Mark McFate — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 15:35:45 -0500

Just rolled into the campground site 24 and things are looking pretty good here.

Geocaching @Geo Woodstock

Mark McFate — Sat, 23 May 2026 11:25:26 -0500

On the fairgrounds, Kansas.

A First Ever Event?

Mark McFate — Fri, 22 May 2026 20:42:04 -0500

Awaiting the start of what I believe is the first ever Geocaching drone light show.

Hutchison Zoo

Mark McFate — Fri, 22 May 2026 10:22:51 -0500

Adventure Lab completed just browsing through the zoo.

Hopefully A Quick Er Visit

Mark McFate — Tue, 12 May 2026 12:48:21 -0500

Add Grinnell regional Medical Center

Leaving Early

Mark McFate — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 08:09:25 -0500

Got a really nice cabin here at Martin’s Access in Cherokee County, but we also have a lot of rain. So Steve’s already gone and I’m going to pack up this morning and head home early too.

Mowed Again And Broke A Rib?

Mark McFate — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 21:55:28 -0500

Yup, very sore.

Some Crazy Wieting Ideas?

Mark McFate — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 20:16:14 -0500

So, my crazy idea of the ~~week~~ day is this… If the trustees are talking about replacing the two west-facing lower (concession and box office) windows, or all four west-facing windows, maybe consider replacing them with single pane no-frame non-glare plexiglass instead of windows with frames/panes. Then we mount the lobby display in the concessions window (no obstructions) so it is easy to see when you drive or walk by.

I suppose the other windows could feature decorative displays of some kind? Maybe portraits of Ella and Philip in the upper pair of windows, the ones that are permanently dark because they are under the projection booth in the crawlspace below the balcony?

The unfortunate thing is that won’t match all the other framed multi-pane windows, but it would keep things somewhat balanced, and much more functional.

Or, I’ve thought about putting a digital display just inside the windows in the new foyer between theatre and community room. Not ideal but maybe easier to see when you drive or walk by?

My other longer-term idea was to put one, two, or three monitors, like the lobby display, inside the outdoor “sign”, but then we’d have to worry more about climate control and vandalism. However, three (probably?) properly sized and matched monitors could fill the sign “case” and you would never have to open it to change the sign again… ever!

Tornado Warning

Mark McFate — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:16:01 -0500

Now coming to you from the basement where the hail can’t hit us, yet. And a second warning has just been issued.

Happy Day!

Mark McFate — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:54:55 -0500

My sister is home from the hospital!

Just in time to watch Artemis launch* in about 1.5 hours, and celebrate her birthday tomorrow.

*If the weather is clear she will be able to see and hear the rocket once it is about 10 seconds in altitude. If TSA wait times, skyrocketing air fare, and Spring Breakers had not been such a mess lately I really considered visiting her again to help get her home, and to see and hear the launch from 118 miles away.

Superior Donuts

Mark McFate — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 19:33:49 -0500

Here to support Wes

Busier Than A Cat Covering Shit

Mark McFate — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:51:53 -0500

…something my father-in-law used to say.

My sister is doing better, still in the hospital and hoping to go to a rehab center near her home soon. No telling how long her recovery and therapy will be.

Speaking of in-laws, my wife took her mother to the ER yesterday due to chest pain. She was admitted last night and is undergoing more tests this morning. She had stents placed in coronary arteries last Fall and I guess her doctor is looking at those, as well as the other side of her heart.

Found All The Caches

Mark McFate — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 19:44:25 -0500

Time for dinner at Chili’s in Chicago O’Hare just down the way from gate B11

Now Boarding

Mark McFate — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:05:59 -0400

So far this leg of the trip is going much better.

On Our Way

Mark McFate — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 13:28:17 -0400

Headed to Tampa Intl. for a 4:45 pm United flight to CID.

Danna Update

Mark McFate — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 03:17:43 -0400

Having trouble sleeping, again, so thought I would take a moment to post a relatively complete update.

So, this all began early Friday morning, March 6. My sister Danna has been recovering from knee replacement (after 2 other unrelated surgeries) for the past few months and was just back to walking without a cane. She and her husband, Wayne, were out for their morning stroll to walk their Yorkie, PeeWee. Danna had PeeWee in her arms.

When they got to the end of the driveway at the street they noticed a low-hanging internet service cable (to their house) had been hit (a SECOND time!) and was dangling down. Wayne turned to go back to the house to get wire cutters to remove it from the street, a neighbor’s car came around the corner on their street (think big cul-de-sac curve with access from both ends) and Danna tried to signal and stop them, but they were going too fast and did not see the cable.

The car hit and snagged the cable whipping the loose end at high speed; it hit Wayne across his forearm leaving a bad wound. The free end then hit Danna in the head, she has a bruise/scar extending from the left side of her mouth all the way back to just below her left ear. The vehicle didn’t stop immediately so the force of the impact spun her around and even dragged her a short distance on the pavement after she landed face down.

The impact left the bruise on her face and abrasions/bruises around her left eye, and the fall left her with a bleeding head wound, a dislocated right shoulder, at least one broken rib on the right side, and lots more abrasions on her arms and hands.

The driver did stop to help and Danna was taken by ambulance to the hospital in short order. Initial worry was with her head wound from the fall. Doctors stopped the internal and external bleeding and her brain surgeon has since ruled out any need for surgery. She was awake and able to speak a few hours after the accident, but she has no memory of the event. She also has a hard time hearing, especially on the left, and her vision isn’t good. Her eyeglasses were destroyed (but we recovered both lenses since) and we found some reading glasses that she wears if she has too.

She is in a lot of pain, any movement causes her to great discomfort, but they had her out of bed for a short time today. Her physical progress is such that they hope to send her home today with a home care arrangement and lots of physical/occupational therapy. They say recovery, especially the shoulder separation, will take several months.

We’ve been helping transport Wayne, get groceries, clean house, take care of PeeWee, make home care arrangements, and prep to get Danna home, but there’s not much more we can do now. So, sticking to our original plan, we hope to return home later today (back in CR late tonight).

I’ll post more during travel home if possible, and maybe some photos once I get back home.

I Spoke Too Soon

Mark McFate — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 23:58:17 -0700

We were about 25 to 30 minutes from boarding and they announced that while we have a captain and a plane we have no crew yet.

Pretty sure now we will be leaving tomorrow.

Preparing To Board

Mark McFate — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 23:00:25 -0700

I did manage to get in a nice long walk and a couple of train rides so I could get to the A terminal from my B gate and log some adventure labs.

Tampa? But There Is Snow?

Mark McFate — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 22:09:57 -0700

I guess this must be Denver. We touched down in Denver about 30 minutes ago and made the long walk between gates. It just dawned on me how difficult it is for a Kansas City Chiefs fan to use the words touchdown and Denver in the same sentence.

If all goes to plan, we will still leave here today, at 11:59 PM.

Can't Get A Break

Mark McFate — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:57:58 -0600

So we are sitting at an Allegiant Airlines gate and I noticed the next flight out of here is to Tampa St Pete and it arrives many hours before our United flight from Denver. So I asked if we could make a quick change, but it is the start of spring break and the Allegiant flight is full

Quick Update

Mark McFate — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:00:15 -0600

So, our 3rd flight cancellation of the day and now we are flying to Denver at 5:30 pm. Chicago must be a huge mess. We have a 5 hour layover in Denver then flying red-eye to Tampa with a projected arrival of 6:30 am tomorrow.

It sounds like my sister is waiting on a head scan to determine if surgery is needed to stop bleeding, but she is awake, responsive, and speaking. We think she also has a fracture at her shoulder and some broken ribs. It’s likely they will keep her for at least a couple of days no matter what the scan results return.

I will try to post more from Denver. Please look back at earlier posts if you are missing some information here. Take care.

Family Emergency

Mark McFate — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:02:01 -0600

Lots going on this morning. My sister Danna had an encounter with a wire of some kind on the street this morning outside her home in Spring Hill, Florida and she’s in the ER there with a head injury. I spoke to her a couple hours ago and she’s as stubborn as ever, but Chris and I are headed that way now to see what we can do to help her husband who is really shaken. He has some injuries as well.

So, right now we are on our way to Des Moines to catch a 330 flight that should put us in Tampa around 10 PM tonight. We will either rent a car or Uber to Spring Hill and see what happens from there.

For now, we have a return booked for Monday evening, I think it returns to Cedar Rapids like at 11 PM Monday night. I will post more as soon as we have time and as soon as I know more. Take care.

This Is A Test

Mark McFate — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 13:00:27 -0600

Just testing.

4898 Days

Mark McFate — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 08:16:22 -0600

This might be the longest “micropost” I ever make.

A few days after my son, Ian, passed away on October 2, 2012, I desperately needed a distraction, some tangible task to keep me from the depression that seemed to be everywhere. My family and friends were, of course, gathered around and kept me going, but I remember lying awake one morning at 3 AM and thinking I really needed something “normal” to occupy my time, and mind.

So, I did what I usually do, logged on to my computer and just started poking at ideas. I wrote a little Python script to crunch some numbers, and ended up calculating calendar dates and number of days passed for events in Ian’s life. The solution I calculated was 4898 days, that number marked the span of Ian’s life, from May 6, 1999, until October 2, 2012.

I also remember calculating the “future” date that would mark 4898 days from his death, and I marked that date on my calendar (in my computer, of course) as a reminder to look back and think about what had changed in my life.

That day is today, March 1, 2026.

I am happy to report that had I not marked the date, and frankly I’m amazed that through many software updates the reminder still appears on this computer, I think I would have missed it entirely. That’s a good thing, I think… one should not live entirely in the past. Based on my experience, it’s just not healthy.

Back in 2012 I made plans to do something special today, but as luck would have it I’ve been very busy of late, and some of those people who propped me up back in October 2012 (and every day since) made plans that I’m happy to be a part of.

Another distraction, I guess, and a very welcome one. Thank you to all who keep me moving forward.

As this day has approached I’ve been thinking about IF, life’s middle name.

I miss you bud, today maybe a little more than others, IF that’s possible. IF only you were here…

The Weather Has Turned

Mark McFate — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 07:45:12 -0600

Making a quick visit to the beach here at Gulf Shores, Alabama and the wind is howling and it’s cold. This is good prep for heading back north I guess.

Just Arrived

Mark McFate — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:06:04 -0600

Staying a couple of nights at the Comfort Inn on the beach Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Waffle House

Mark McFate — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 06:58:26 -0600

Tupelo, MS, for breakfast

Super 8

Mark McFate — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 21:59:36 -0600

Booneville, MS

Bedtime.

Lambert's

Mark McFate — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:25:50 -0600

Stopped at this legendary joint for an early dinner on the road to Bamarama.

Southbound And Down: Alabama

Mark McFate — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 07:37:43 -0600

It’s 7:36 AM and I’m headed to Grinnell to drop off Mackenzie then to St. Louis to rendezvous with Tom and then onto the Alabama Gulf Coast

The Other Place

Mark McFate — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 12:24:40 -0600

This is where you go for lunch when your (wife’s) colonoscopy was completed right next-door.

I Went Four Of Four In Southwest Iowa

Mark McFate — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 14:19:23 -0600

Just completed my fourth of four geocache’s in Southwest Iowa counties.

Ringgold County

Mark McFate — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 11:56:31 -0600

Found the first of four SW. Iowa County geocaches that I need. Log was soaking wet.

Grinnell College Staff Luncheon

Mark McFate — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 09:15:51 -0600

It’s been a very long time since I posted so… catching up.

Wasted Time

Mark McFate — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 14:38:27 -0600

Only one pharmacy open for 50 miles around and we just sat waiting more than an hour to get a simple prescription filled

Marshalltown Er

Mark McFate — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 11:16:53 -0600

Mackenzie is feeling odd again.

Staff Luncheon

Mark McFate — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 12:40:35 -0500

Doesn’t feel like 13 years, but that’s where we are.

Community Honda

Mark McFate — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 14:48:37 -0500

Finally got in for a B16 service appointment.

Fergus, Falls, Minnesota

Mark McFate — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 20:59:13 -0500

Just arrived at our Comfort Inn hotel for the evening after a couple days in Gilby, North Dakota and Grand Forks. We had a blast.

Oh Canada!

Mark McFate — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 18:33:32 -0500

Headed north to cross the border and back

Matt's Bar And Grill

Mark McFate — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 12:07:48 -0500

This place is packed!

Covid And Flu Shots

Mark McFate — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 09:09:19 -0500

Waiting for both before returning to work

Medical Care In The U.s.

Mark McFate — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:07:24 -0500

IMHO, medical care in the United States is AMAZING. A family member had outpatient surgery to implant two stents in their chest this morning, is on their way home now, and cleared to fly away on vacation this Friday. My daughter’s stroke treatment, therapy and recovery was equally AMAZING (and frankly, fascinating).

But I find medical administration (presumably due to insurance requirements?) in this country to be ABYSMAL. I suspect most medical staff are overworked, but with treatment provided by 4 or more organizations I find they can pass the buck faster than the government, and simply do not communicate well.

Case in point… MercyCare uses “My Chart” software and I love it. UIHC also uses “My Chart”, but the two are entirely different things (same software, different “systems”) and don’t share any information. Chaos rules.

Reauthenticate Github

Mark McFate — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 12:38:58 -0500

So, this morning, I found that some of my recent posts coming from my iPhone did not go through in Drafts, apparently because my GitHub credentials had expired. Once I’m able to post this draft, I will add a blog post documenting how I got back here.

Just Brought Mackenzie Home

Mark McFate — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 16:23:12 -0500

She’s doing quite well and I’m waiting for her prescriptions now .

Mackenzie Had A Seizure

Mark McFate — Sun, 14 Sep 2025 13:36:03 -0500

At 12:18 today. Called 911 and ambulance took her to M’town where we are now. She was non-verbal and groggy at home, but came around while the ambulance was still in the driveway. They took their time (68 mph) getting her here. She is alert and resting comfortably since we got here at about 1 pm.

Flashforge Headaches

Mark McFate — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 22:30:45 -0500

My MacServer is running dead slow tonight so I could not 3-D print from it. I’ve successfully installed orca-FlashForge on my Mac Mini but I could not connect to the FlashForge server to make that work,so I put the printer in LAN mode and now it looks like I may be able to print.

Meeting Ivan At The Airport

Mark McFate — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 23:03:23 -0500

Flight is a couple hours late, but it gave us time to do some Geocaching. Here with Yuke.

Minnesota Renaissance Festival

Mark McFate — Sat, 23 Aug 2025 09:50:56 -0500

Just arrived with Julie, Larry and Mackenzie in tow. Oh yeah Cristi’s here too.

Second Night Camping At Prairie Flower

Mark McFate — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 19:08:05 -0500

Nice and warm here this weekend, but not terrible. And no storms!

Breakfast Before The Show

Mark McFate — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 11:38:09 -0500

CABCO again. Very good and super quick today.

Wedding Day

Mark McFate — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 16:39:21 -0500

Beautiful day for Carrie and Jonathan’s wedding

40th Anniversary And I'm Headed Home

Mark McFate — Sun, 20 Jul 2025 06:40:26 -0500

Got the camper packed up without getting too wet and I’m ready to roll for home at 6:40 AM. My ETA is 833 but I’ll put it at 8:45.

Breakfast At Tommy's

Mark McFate — Sat, 19 Jul 2025 09:04:49 -0500

Nice breakfast in the rain. Too big though.

Heading For Home

Mark McFate — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 07:59:04 -0500

All packed up here at Cherry Glen after a great weekend of camping in Geocaching. Headed for home now.

Two Hour Recall Appointment On My Honda Ridgeline

Mark McFate — Sat, 12 Jul 2025 07:51:52 -0500

Going for a walk find a few geocaches.

Camping At Cherry Glen

Mark McFate — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 21:25:26 -0500

It was a little dicey getting here since I had to wait for the storms to pass, one of them, while sitting in a parking lot in Ankeny looking for a restaurant that is no more. However, it’s a gorgeous, cool evening in July so…probably worth the trouble.

Mercycare Tama

Mark McFate — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 07:24:12 -0500

Abdominal pain is back so…

Flet

Mark McFate — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 22:35:20 -0500

Need to take a hard look at https://flet.dev tomorrow.

Tennessee's Oldest Geocache

Mark McFate — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 06:26:02 -0500

Going on a little walk this morning to see if I can bag this oldest geocache in the state before heading home.

It's Official

Mark McFate — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 16:40:51 -0500

Alabama sucks!

Florida Aquarium on the Tampa Bay Waterfront

Mark McFate — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 12:35:27 -0400

Just arrived.

GCFA - Florida's Oldest Geocache

Mark McFate — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 10:21:28 -0400

I got it! Only got wet the last 400 - 500 feet. Water was about 10" deep along the entire “bike route”. Saw no snakes, but I’m sure some saw me. Scared the hell out of a park worker, twice. Sorry about that. I should have asked for a ride on her ATV, but not after scaring her so badly. She probably thought I was the legendary “Florida Man”.

It was hellish here, but I consider this a victory… pretty sure I ate more bugs than were able to eat me.

Florida's Oldest Geocache

Mark McFate — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 10:05:05 -0400

Just passed the 1-mile marker on the trail, got about another three or four tenths to go to Florida’s oldest, GCFA.

Power Is Out

Mark McFate — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 12:32:46 -0400

Still at Hog’s Breath, but now the power is out as the storm kicks up.

Lunch At Hog's Breath

Mark McFate — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 12:26:52 -0400

Not raining at the moment, but thunder and lightning all around.

The Thousand Sunny

Mark McFate — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 15:05:05 -0400

We have arrived for a late lunch. Interesting place and menu.

Sunshine Skyway

Mark McFate — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 10:43:33 -0400

Just stopped at the north end of the bridge rest area for a really cool geocache.

Kia Service

Mark McFate — Sat, 21 Jun 2025 10:55:46 -0400

Danna and Wayne are shopping for a new vehicle while we wait to get the Kia serviced here. Honestly, these guys are SOOOOOOOOO busy, and SLOOOOOOW.

Wrapping Up the Conference

Mark McFate — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 11:55:39 -0400

We are hoping the lines to check-out are not as long as the lines to check-in. OK, they were not as long (2 hours) so I was able to check-out in only 45 minutes. Come on Marriott, get your act together. Felt a little like the Hotel California… you can check-out but never leave?

ELUNA Day 1

Mark McFate — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 11:45:01 -0400

So far, so good.

Long, Long Line to Check-In

Mark McFate — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 16:19:47 -0400

And it just got much longer! I’m told the internet is down. OK, but these folks really should be better prepared with some kind of backup plan! 2 hours to check-in… Ouch!

GA Lab Art

Mark McFate — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 13:13:58 -0400

Just completed with Mackenzie’s help.

No New Geocaches Here

Mark McFate — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 10:49:52 -0500

Stopped here last Fall on the way to Rome, GA, and there are no new caches. Darn.

Departing from Clarksville

Mark McFate — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 08:17:22 -0500

Had a rainy night in the hotel and it’s raining again this morning.

I-64 is Stopped DEAD at this Location

Mark McFate — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 15:02:26 -0500

An emergency vehicle just went rocketing past us.

Heading South

Mark McFate — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 08:09:35 -0500

Leaving for Clarksville, TN.

Heading Home from Visiting Mark at St. Luke's

Mark McFate — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 14:45:37 -0500

Was in CR for some shopping (Mackenzie) and a CITO in Marion, and just left the patient’s room, heading for home. He’s scheduled for surgery at 7 AM on Monday.

Not All Blogs Are Abysmal

Mark McFate — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 07:17:56 -0500

I’ve built lots of blogs over the years (and they were all abysmal) and several workflows for posting to them from my phone. I finally have a workflow that is NOT as abysmal as my blog! It uses a wonderful app called “Drafts” that I can use to create and post a quick little “micropost” that automatically records the time and place I posted from. I use them to track significant events and where I’ve been mostly. My blog is really meant for me and my own memory, it’s where I also put things I don’t want to forget. I think I’ll add one now (from my phone) to remind me of a great blog address (https://gcmagicwander.blogspot.com) with a note about Drafts, too. Take care.

Re-parsing Email

Mark McFate — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 07:32:50 -0500

I had an AI chat with Spark support this morning and learned how to use the REPARSE command to restore an email thread to recover things like missing attachments.

Another MercyCare Visit

Mark McFate — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 09:59:50 -0500

This time for dermatology.

HAT Meeting

Mark McFate — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 18:00:57 -0500

The SRTS project is in great hands!

Ivan To The Airport

Mark McFate — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 17:46:32 -0500

Dropped Ivan off for a 6 PM flight, came out to Waukee to make a purchase and we’re waiting to eat dinner.

UIHC was Super Quick

Mark McFate — Fri, 30 May 2025 11:19:25 -0500

Stopped here on our way home after a Mackenzie visit to UIHC Neurology. Super fast today as all is well.

Just Left Tom's

Mark McFate — Sun, 25 May 2025 16:44:11 -0500

My ETA on the last leg of this trip is 8:17 PM. I should make 9 PM pretty easily.

Heading Home

Mark McFate — Sun, 25 May 2025 07:48:59 -0400

Departing from Morgantown and GeoWoodstock XXI

Beautiful Park Here In Dublin, Ohio

Mark McFate — Thu, 22 May 2025 09:14:23 -0400

Found a couple of highly favored geocaches here in a really beautiful area.

Dayton

Mark McFate — Thu, 22 May 2025 07:21:27 -0400

Departing from the Dayton area after an evening at Hampton Inn.

Green Gables Bar And Grill

Mark McFate — Wed, 21 May 2025 13:23:29 -0500

The chicken Philly passed the test.

Eastbound And Down

Mark McFate — Wed, 21 May 2025 08:08:07 -0500

Leaving now for lunch with Tom and then onto Morgantown, West Virginia

STC Girls Soccer with the Win!

Mark McFate — Mon, 19 May 2025 18:58:31 -0500

Morgan’s short-handed squad with zero wins this season pulls off a 3-1 victory in the rain at West Marshall this evening!

Geocaching Monthly CITO Event

Mark McFate — Sun, 18 May 2025 16:06:40 -0500

Heading home from the event in Marion now.

New Mower

Mark McFate — Thu, 15 May 2025 16:40:05 -0500

Lots going on this afternoon. Ivan passed his drivers exam, he found a couple geocaches, and my new mower arrived. Now to unbox it and get it out of the way.

Last Home Soccer Match of the Season for STC

Mark McFate — Tue, 13 May 2025 17:10:23 -0500

South Tama graduates only two girls and one boys’ soccer player?

Dining At Court Avenue Brewing Company, Before '& Juliet'

Mark McFate — Sun, 11 May 2025 11:07:29 -0500

Had lots of trouble with the ChargePoint app and our car getting the charger started. Got it going so it’s all good.

Created This New Action In Drafts

Mark McFate — Sun, 11 May 2025 07:40:57 -0500

This is my new Draft New Blog Micropost action. It bypasses the need to select from a list of Drafts templates, and selects my index 1 template, namely Micropost Template.

Waiting On The Slowest Train Ever?

Mark McFate — Tue, 06 May 2025 16:49:55 -0500

Is this the slowest train ever? I think it’s probably in the “running” since it appears to be coasting…uphill!

Departing For Home

Mark McFate — Sun, 04 May 2025 09:01:13 -0500

9 AM and I’m leaving the campground headed to home.

Camping At Red Rock

Mark McFate — Fri, 02 May 2025 22:31:54 -0500

Whitebreast Camp site 088 on a rainy, cool evening. This is my first trip of the season. I arrived at about 7:30 PM and now it’s time for bed.

Mackenzie Birthday Dinner At Golden Apple Buffet

Mark McFate — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 18:35:36 -0500

She wanted some variety so we thought we would give this place a try. It’s about half the price of buffet at Meskwaki. Not too bad, but very busy place and difficult to park.

Another Mercycare Tama Visit

Mark McFate — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 09:28:28 -0500

Back to see the doc about my leg wound, again.

Link To Iowa Public Lands Gis Data!

Mark McFate — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 05:54:35 -0500

Looks like a TREMENDOUS resource! https://geodata.iowa.gov/datasets/2e8be3c67288413f903276eea17cea43_0/explore?location=41.901076%2C-93.374550%2C7.43

Fixing Imagemagik And Magickwand

Mark McFate — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 11:16:26 -0500

On Mac OS it took a solution from https://stackoverflow.com/a/71591742.

Octopress Debbuger For Collectionbuilder

Mark McFate — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 13:34:42 -0500

Reminder: Have a look at the Octopress Debugger for Ruby. https://github.com/octopress/debugger

Junction City

Mark McFate — Sun, 30 Mar 2025 07:54:55 -0500

Rainy, cool morning so we are working some Ad Lab caches.

Kansas State University

Mark McFate — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 13:43:47 -0500

Tooling around campus doing some Adventure Lab hunting

Arrived In Kc

Mark McFate — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 20:56:44 -0500

Stopped to see Chuck briefly a little after 7 pm. Arrived at Steve’s 8 pm after a quick stop at Walmart. Next stop MOGA in Abilene.

Southbound

Mark McFate — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 15:20:13 -0500

Leaving Grinnell headed south to Kansas City, then onto Abilene, Kansas

Mercycare Tama

Mark McFate — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 10:06:07 -0500

In for another visit and I’m told that the pharmacy is closed today for a family emergency. This place is packed full of patients.

Some Like It Hot

Mark McFate — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 12:13:20 -0500

In town for the title show and had brunch at Court Avenue Brewery. It wasn’t too bad.

Back To Paperless-ngx

Mark McFate — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 05:41:10 -0500

Going to take paperless-ngx for another spin, this time using https://jimbobbennett.dev/blogs/running-ubuntu-on-a-mac/ and probably https://www.cloudron.io/get.html.

Raining Mud

Mark McFate — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 09:43:30 -0500

Just got a little rain here in Grinnell and the car is filthy. It’s raining mud.

Caching Near Sheldahl With KCMose

Mark McFate — Sat, 15 Mar 2025 15:36:12 -0500

Caching ahead of a nearby Sunday event with KCMose. Winter weather has returned… too cold and windy to be out here.

Mapping The South Tama Rec Trail

Mark McFate — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 10:43:22 -0500

I’m using https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Track-drawing_websites and https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Geojson.io with my South Tama Rec Trial Tracks GPX file to create a nice map for Facebook.

Starting Monjauro All Over Again... One Last Time

Mark McFate — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 21:44:19 -0600

So, back in December my health insurance provider denied my refill prescription for Monjauro injections. I missed a week of injections after 3 months without a miss. My doctor appealed the decision… couple weeks later “DENIED”. They appealed again… two more weeks “DENIED”. Then the very next day I get a message essentially saying “Oops, you’re approved”. So almost 7 weeks later I now get to start again from square one.

This is my FOURTH time on such a regimen, the first 3 were all terminated by insurance or supply problems.

If this round gets terminated I will be terminating something in return.

Life Of Pi

Mark McFate — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 12:54:48 -0600

They really should have booked this show for March 14.

Café At The Meadows Before The Show

Mark McFate — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 11:23:08 -0600

Thought we would give this place a try. So far seems pretty nice and quick.

Add Results Highlighting To Pagefind Search

Mark McFate — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 21:45:42 -0600

Just posting a self-reminder to implement https://pagefind.app/docs/highlighting/ as soon as possible.

Adding Search To A Static Jekyll Site Using Pagefind

Mark McFate — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 20:20:18 -0600

Eureka! Found this very interesting and welcome post… # Adding search to a static Jekyll site using pagefind. Time to shore up my “1926” project so I can give it a try there.

Genealogy With NPM And Pagefind

Mark McFate — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 21:49:59 -0600

It’s long overdue but this evening I managed to re-spin my the-Helge-Project genealogy website by adding NPM and Pagefind. Update: The result IS now available at https://tree.mcfate.family or the old site at https://helge.mcfate.family.

It should behave just like before with one BIG exception… the SEARCH bar near the top of the page.

Last night I was doing some arm-chair research for my grandmother’s 1926 travel journal and started wondering who the family would find when moving to Long Beach, CA. I quickly lamented that my https://helge.mcfate.family site had no “search” feature of any kind… How was I going to find that Long Beach connection?

Well, now that’s a piece of cake. Try it for yourself…

https://tree.mcfate.family

Stopped For Lunch At The Flc Event

Mark McFate — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 12:53:21 -0600

Mackenzie’s appointment was quick and all good news so we managed to get away for lunch.

Helping Clear Snow At The Farm

Mark McFate — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:41:37 -0600

My mother-in-law needed a little assistance, getting her electric snowblower going. Mission accomplished, now back to work.

Created A CollectionBuilder 1926 McFate Travel Journal Repo

Mark McFate — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 22:29:34 -0600

This evening I created the 1926 McFate Travel Journal repo from the grinnell-college-CB-base template repo. Now I need a script that will break the primary .md document into smaller chunks, and update them in Azure Blob storage.

Going For a Walk Around Cherry Lake

Mark McFate — Sun, 09 Feb 2025 11:14:13 -0600

This is really just another test of my system as we’re waiting on friends to go walking around the lake that isn’t anymore.

On a visit to the farm

Mark McFate — Sun, 09 Feb 2025 10:39:53 -0600

Creating this new post from my phone this morning while I visit the farm.

Now Are We Done?

Mark McFate — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 14:05:47 -0600

This test should return an accurate timestamp PLUS a valid “location” and “coordinates” from Drafts.

Thinking ahead, the “Publish Micropost to My Blog” script needs a couple more things:

The “title:” field should automatically populate from the Draft title (first line) and it should be in TitleCase.
Coordinates in Toledo or Tama (or other frequent stops) should get location tags without having to call the PositionStack API.