Showing Tag: "california" (Show all posts)

The Dharma Bums

Posted by Jason Hussong on Monday, December 5, 2011,
I had been itching to follow up On the Road for a while, not sure I really gave Jack Kerouac a fair shot with just one book. I mean, I liked On the Road alright all in all, but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. There were a few things with the story, not so much the writing style, which bothered me. But I knew that couldn’t be all someone of Jack Kerouac’s reputation had to offer, so I gave him a second shot with The Dharma Bums.


The Dharma Bums is most specifically about aut...

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The Yosemite

Posted by Jason Hussong on Thursday, April 21, 2011,
When I bought My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir at the Muir Woods National Monument, I also purchased a second book of his: The Yosemite. It seemed smart to pick up a copy, since I was on my way to Yosemite National Park. Reading what Muir thought of the valley was definitely important to me, since I was trying to learn more about the man, but what I found in the pages was nothing close to what I expected.



The Yosemite by John Muir isn't so much a story of his time spent in the ...

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My First Summer in the Sierra

Posted by Jason Hussong on Monday, April 11, 2011,
I wanted to learn more about John Muir, so while I was at the Muir Woods National Monument north of San Francisco, I picked up a copy of My First Summer in the Sierra. It seemed reasonable to think that I would learn the most about Muir from his own words, particularly those he wrote in the mountains to which I would soon be driving. So, shortly after purchasing my new book, I kicked back in my hotel after a day spent exploring the streets of San Francisco, cracked the binding and began devou...

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Ranger Confidential

Posted by Jason Hussong on Saturday, March 12, 2011,
Since I toured my first national park years ago, I've thought of becoming a National Park Service ranger. I toyed with the idea even so far as to go online and look at job openings and descriptions. I may have never applied, but I certainly gave it strong consideration. I mean, what would be so wrong with being outdoors all day, surrounded by beauty and wildlife, and occasionally giving directions to tourists excited to see where you live? Well, before I went any further, I'm glad I read An...

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Roughing It

Posted by Jason Hussong on Friday, October 23, 2009,
In high school my English Language & Literature teacher made me read Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; I was none too impressed with her for this as I did not care for his writing style. I struggled with every page and have thus held a grudge against the man since. The perfect storm seemed to come together though when several people I know recommended I read Roughing It all at about the same time.

It had been many years since my Huck Finn encounter, so I figured I'd give ...

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