Track Pete

Here is a quick sampling of droid photos from some of the places I've been over the past few days - Idaho, Montana, Utah, etc. Tonight I plan to shack up in a motel again and hopefully sort some of my real photos - then tomorrow I am doing some snowmobiling then meeting up with the crew at the ski house!

A couple Droid shots at sunrise just outside the South Dakotas Badlands.

There is an almost post apocalyptic feel to the snowy desolation of the entire Midwest. Everything is nearly silent, blanketed in snow and fog.

I'm always fascinated by the process of selecting gear for various expeditions - the trade-offs of proven technology vs new technology, weight vs usability, battery life vs bulk, etc.  I enjoy reading people's gear lists and their justifications for various bits, so here is my electronics gear list for my upcoming road trip and ski trip (I may post a followup with my non-electronic gear later in the week): The Premise: Ten days driving across the northern states of the US avoiding motels and massive highways (after initial stop to hang with the family).  Then five days in Salt Lake City skiing with friends, followed by a quick blitz back to DC in hopefully less than four days. Support Electronics: #1, Motorola Droid - Of course I need a phone for emergencies, but the Droid will also act as my tether to the technology of civilization.  E-mail, facebook updates, blog posts, etc. all at the touch of a finger, as well as navigation and research (the most important bit)

Opened my mail today and in it I found a summons from DC for GRAND jury duty - a required TWENTY SEVEN day summons.  And it falls perfectly in the middle of my planned trip, from late February until end of March. What is Grand Jury service?  Apparently it's the "real deal:" "Superior Court grand jurors serve for a 25-day term of service. The function of the grand jury is to investigate charges of crimes committed against the laws of the United States and/or of the District of Columbia. If the result of the investigation so warrants, the grand jury returns an indictment against the accused. There are a total of five Superior Court grand juries, each consisting of 23 persons. Three of the grand juries serve five days a week, Monday through Friday, for 25 workdays. The other two grand juries serve thr