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My Speech for Stoners: Rick Accepts Award from High Times Magazine

I normally fly home from Europe in time for Hempfest, when over 100,000 people cap the summer by gathering in a Seattle park to call for the civil liberty to smoke marijuana in America. Because my home state passed I-502 (a referendum legalizing the adult recreational use of marijuana), the 22nd Annual Hempfest was the first one where smoking pot was legal at this “protestival.” I really wanted to be there, but I wanted to be in Russia and Iceland more, so I missed it.

But I did get home in time for High Times’ Cannabis Cup, which was celebrated in Seattle this year. And I was honored with their Lifetime Achievement Award for my work in helping to end the US government’s determined war on marijuana. (Yes, it’s early for a lifetime achievement award but, like the “most interesting man in the world” honors, I hope to earn two.)

Imagine being on stage in a smoke-filled room looking out over a thousand stoners and trying to get some serious ideas into the heads of these heads. I thought you might enjoy my three-minute attempt to do just that with this little video clip.

It’s been a good year for drug policy reform in the USA. Last November, Colorado also legalized the adult recreational use of marijuana. Last month the Obama administration gave us the go-ahead to make it a taxed and regulated market like alcohol. And the scare-mongering claims against I-502 (mostly by people who profit from the black market and fear legalizing pot will hurt their bottom line) have proven wrong. Here’s my take on a new kind of travel that’s no longer illegal in two states–and I’d bet is coming soon to what I now call “the Lower 48.”

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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Rick’s Consumer Report on a Wi-Fi Hotspot Rental

Perhaps you’ve noticed how regularly I’ve been posting to my Facebook page. Part of the reason is this year I’ve had the luxury of my own portable Wi-Fi hotspot device. (Telecom Square gave me one to use for my travels this season, and I’m flying to Israel with one next week.) Here’s my take on the experience:

You can now travel with a tiny hotspot that frees you from messing with the gobbledygook of getting online while on the road. Telecom Square rents a handy little unit about the size of four fingers called a Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot that works virtually everywhere in Europe (and most of the rest of the world too). While it’s not cheap, the convenience, reliability, and luxury of being online anywhere and anytime in my travels makes it a great value for a traveler like me.

There are a few different rental options. You can get a single-country plan with unlimited data for about $13 a day or an all-Europe plan (with 1 GB per month in 40 countries) for about $10 a day. Or you can spring for the “World Wide Wi-Fi” plan which gives you unlimited access almost anywhere (which is what I had) for about $25 a day. That’s about what many hotels and airports (that still charge for Wi-Fi) cost.

The downside: When you rent your own hotspot device, you need to pay every day you have it, whether you use it or not. The upside: You have it right with you and are nearly always able to connect with loved ones or business associates back home (assuming you’re not in some Wi-Fi hole where nothing can connect). A further advantage: It allows you (and anyone with you) to connect up to five devices at the same time for no extra cost. I experimented this year with this portable hotspot on our tour buses (while I was on our Scotland tour). We’re considering using something like this in the future as a standard feature on our buses so that up to five tour members at a time can be online during long rides.

All over Europe, it’s routine to see travelers scavenging free or cheap Internet service–in hotel lobbies, sitting on the floor at airports outside the VIP lounge door, and wasting valuable shore time while on cruises. I personally am tired of putting on my clothes at midnight to ride the elevator down to the hotel lobby to get online.

Now, with the luxury of my own private mobile hotspot, I can get online without fiddling with login credentials, petty payments here and there, and worrying about time limits. And, since a single hotspot allows access for up to five devices, my travel partner and I can have all our gear–smartphones, laptops, and tablets–online as we like and need. I’ve been online–communicating, working, or being entertained–on taxis, buses, trains, and cruise ships. I’ve used it in airports and even in cafés overlooking remote beaches. I also appreciate the device even in hotels where online access is free because my signal is often stronger and faster.

These devices are easy to use and hold their charge a long time. You only need to sign in once because your computer will remember the device every time.  Getting online is as simple as turning the power on. To learn more, visit mobilewifi.telecomsquare.us.

The portable Wi-Fi device in my hand keeps me connected to the Internet anytime and anywhere.
The portable Wi-Fi device in my hand keeps me connected to the Internet anytime and anywhere.
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Hot Rocks, Cheap Energy, and a Big Spa

Driving on a smooth-but-narrow paved road through a vast, moss-covered, lava-flow landscape, our guide explained, “This lava flow is 1,000 years old. We call it the Lava of Christianity because it hit the same year we became Christian.” Living on an island of live volcanos in the middle of the ocean is not always easy. Iceland has weathered an eruption every four or five years for at least a thousand years. With the eruption of 1783—one of the biggest lava flows in recorded history—the population dropped from 50,000 to 38,000. The eruption of  the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010 stopped air travel across Europe, inconveniencing a lot of travelers. But the 1783 Laki eruption had a bigger impact and literally helped change history. Its volcanic dust impacted weather and crops in Europe for several summers, causing widespread hunger. Some historians say those conditions contributed to the economic unrest that led to the French Revolution at the end of that decade.

Geothermal power plants tap into the heat spilling out from deep in the earth. Across Iceland, you’ll see an infrastructure of pipes and power plants tapping into that natural source of energy. And ever since the advent of thermal-powered greenhouses—which you’ll see glowing in the mist around Iceland—local boys no longer have an excuse not to buy their girlfriends fresh flowers.
Geothermal power plants tap into the heat spilling out from deep in the earth. Across Iceland, you’ll see an infrastructure of pipes and power plants tapping into that natural source of energy. And ever since the advent of thermal-powered greenhouses—which you’ll see glowing in the mist around Iceland—local boys no longer have an excuse not to buy their girlfriends fresh flowers.
It seems nearly every visitor who can afford the steep entry fee decides to kick off or cap a visit to Iceland with a luxurious soak in the famous Blue Lagoon. This giant spa complex is just 15 minutes from the airport. With so much geothermal energy, Iceland is a culture of swimming pools and hot tubs. Locals say soaking in a warm and cozy tub loosens people up and gossip flows freely. Floating around, I eavesdropped on lots of conversations...but don’t understand a word of Icelandic.
It seems nearly every visitor who can afford the steep entry fee decides to kick off or cap a visit to Iceland with a luxurious soak in the famous Blue Lagoon. This giant spa complex is just 15 minutes from the airport. With so much geothermal energy, Iceland is a culture of swimming pools and hot tubs. Locals say soaking in a warm and cozy tub loosens people up and gossip flows freely. Floating around, I eavesdropped on lots of conversations…but don’t understand a word of Icelandic.
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Iceland — Meet in the Middle

“Meet in the Middle!” That’s Iceland’s slogan for promoting conventions. Geologically, it literally is the meeting point for Europe and North America — as this is where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates do the bump. Reykjavik is technically part of America, the eastern half of the island is the edge of Europe, and the line down the middle is a fault with plenty of geological indigestion.

Tourists in Iceland are famously jet lagged. You can’t fly in here without having to deal with it. Europeans and Americans face several hours of jet lag, both coming and going. Flying from St. Petersburg to Iceland to Seattle, I was being dealt 4 or 5 hours of jet lag twice. While splitting it seemed like a clever idea, I think I’d rather have nine hours’ worth to adjust to once.

Most farming on Iceland is about raising animals, because grass is about all you can grow on the thin and poor soil. Icelanders are proud of their lamb, fish, dairy products, and horses. There are about 100,000 horses on the island — one for every three people. The Icelandic horse, which has been raised here for a thousand years without mixing with other breeds, is considered the oldest purebred horse anywhere. They’re exported for riding. Once one leaves the island, it’s not allowed to come back.
Most farming on Iceland is about raising animals, because grass is about all you can grow on the thin and poor soil. Icelanders are proud of their lamb, fish, dairy products, and horses. There are about 100,000 horses on the island — one for every three people. The Icelandic horse, which has been raised here for a thousand years without mixing with other breeds, is considered the oldest purebred horse anywhere. They’re exported for riding. Once one leaves the island, it’s not allowed to come back.
Iceland is encircled by the 850-mile-long Ring Road — also known as Route 1 — which was completed in 1974. Ninety-five percent of Icelanders live along this road and the coast. Iceland has peaks rising about 6,500 feet above sea level, and around 10 percent of the land is covered in glaciers.
Iceland is encircled by the 850-mile-long Ring Road — also known as Route 1 — which was completed in 1974. Ninety-five percent of Icelanders live along this road and the coast. Iceland has peaks rising about 6,500 feet above sea level, and around 10 percent of the land is covered in glaciers.
Nature rages powerfully in Iceland.
Nature rages powerfully in Iceland.