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Monday, December 12, 2011

Solstice Schlock


Marti’s Solstice Schlock – December, 2011
With Apologies to the Dude who Wrote the Original

Twas the night before skiing
And inside my boot
Was a moldy ham sandwich
And what looked like a coot.

That stuff in my boots
Came from some where.
It smelled really stinky
Like Boise’s bad air.

“Who could have done this?”
I mumbled to no one.
My dog’s not that smart,
Perhaps it’s my young ‘un.

“Megan!” I said sternly
“Did you touch my boots?
They smell like dead animal
Or someone’s bad hooch.”

“I wouldn’t do that,”
She said with a smile.
“But I know who did,”
And she smirked with some guile.

“Remember last winter
Coming home from our ski;
You stopped for a beverage
Then got out to pee?“

"Your friend found the coot
Dead in the road;
Put it into the boot
But forgot to unload.”

“The sandwich, however,
Is a mystery to me.
Perhaps it’s an omen
By someone you’ll see”

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Can Boise State Bust the BCS Again?


Well, football fans, it's hard to say if Boise State can bust the BCS or not. Despite getting off to a good start this year, we found ourselves without a kicker. We have a kicker, a decent human being named Dan Goodale, a walk on freshman who is learning the kick of the trade. But at 32 yards as his farthest field goal, we're sorely lacking. To Dan's credit, he hasn't taken it lying down and he is only a Freshman. So one of our local fans wrote a song to honor our lack of a kicker; all in good fun.
And let's face it. Boise State has beaten Virginia Tech, Tulsa, Georgia, Oregon and Oklahoma before. They can run with the big names. And most of those big names have been going down this season. So being back ranked at 7th in the polls again, well, maybe we'll see ya'll at the Sugar Bowl this year, and maybe a BCS championship if we can get a kicker.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Snowmageddon This Winter



Well snow sports fans in Idaho and elsewhere. We're definitely headed for cold temps this winter and well above precip here in ski, snowboard, sledding land of the Northern Rockies. Though admittedly, the storm that we expected to dump 10 to 12 inches of snow at Bogus Basin in the next couple of days turned North and even South. But there is indeed hope for those of us afflicted with snow fever. We'll be at this years Warren Miller film on Friday November 18 to share in the revelry that is snow sports.

You probably read about Jamie Pierre getting flushed at Snowbird. I thought he had the record for the biggest cliif jump.

Evidently not . . .

Click on the title of this blog for the 300 plus accidental free fall by a French skier who survived while filming for a ski film. Amazing.

And Jamie, rest in peace, dude. You were one of my favorite extreme skiers and I am so sorry early crap snow at Snowbird underneath the first POW of the season took you from us, but more importantly, took you your wife and children. I hope you and Saucer Boy meet up with Speedy in the big free ride pie in the sky of extremely amazing people.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Megan Ski Jumps (at age 11)

I found this video on my computer at work that a friend sent back when Megan was ski racing for BBSEF in Boise. Figured it was time to post before I lost track of said video. She went the farthest of the J4 girls. I think she was 11 years old.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Mom's 90th Birthday Party















My mom, Barb, turned 90 this October. Making it to 30 was an ordeal for me and many thought I'd never get there. Making it to 90 and still walking on your own most of the time and living with a minimum of assistance is an epic undertaking. Mom and Dad are moving much slower and live at a retirement complex with assisted living options. They have their own apartment and mom still putters in the kitchen and makes some breakfasts and an occasional lunch or dinner. Most dining is done in the dining room at Primrose, where they live in Illinois. Dad needs quite a bit of assistance and now uses a cart he drives through the hallways and can take to the elevator to go downstairs for meals. He's a real terror in that thing!
My brother and I fly home every October to check up on mom and dad, and to celebrate mom's birthday. This year, however, was more special. We asked her if she had a preference on cake and she said she wanted angel food with burnt sugar frosting. This was something my brother recalled more from his childhood, than I did. A neighbor in Missouri used to make burnt sugar cake with burnt sugar frosting so he was pretty excited to have me find someone who could do something similar. The onus was put upon me, my sister in law Virginia and my best friend Anne to find the perfect bakery to concoct said cake. Well, Anne put in a call to her mom, who happens to be one of my mom's best friends. Donna, Anne's mom, knew of a bakery called Lana's in Decatur that might be able to do this.
Next stop was paying Lana a visit, where we found out she could indeed make us the cake but she'd never made the frosting. An elderly woman who was 95 came in and heard us discussing the frosting and said she knew the recipe and even knew how to make burnt sugar cakes. Between her and an internet search, Lana knew she could deliver. And believe me, when we picked up the cake the day of mom's birthday and then had that first bite after birthday dinner party, we knew we'd been "done right" by Lana.
To Lana's credit, she had her bakery decorated with a pumpkin sporting potato head adornments, so you can imagine how delighted I was to do business with Lana. Plus, she made my brother a burnt sugar cake he picked up the day after I left.
The angel food cake was a real hit with mom at her birthday party, but the coup d'gras was the Tiara I picked up for her to wear. Anyone over the age of 50 probably saw at least one episode of "Queen For a Day" on TV growing up in the 60's. I don't remember who the host was. If it wasn't Bob Barker, it should have been (aka Truth or Consequences host). In fact he went to college with my mom. Another story for another day. Well, Jan picked up a birthday card with Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and Queen Elizabeth on it. We got other folks to sign the card from Barry O, Shelly O and Liz as a joke. We gave her the card prior to the cake and then brought out the Tiara. Mom was beside herself, and enjoyed all this joking and attention with great gusto.
We had eleven of us at the dinner: me, Jan, mom and dad, my step brother Jim, his wife Virginia, my best friend Anne and her husband David, Anne's mom Donna, and lifelong family friend Bob and his new wife Mary. It was a stellar evening that capped a great day, all day for mom. We managed to dole out birthday cards all day long to her prior to the dinner.
Jan says I've created a monster with the Tiara as mom was prancing around in the dining area at Primrose the next day at lunch showing off her Tiara and even wearing her corsage we had made for her.
I guess we done right by mom.

Boise State vs Air Force


Okay, I'm posting long after this game occurred, but there is a small tale be told. While waiting in the Boise airport on Thursday October 20 to catch a flight to Denver and on to Chicago the plane I'd be going out on arrived. Coming off the ramp was most of the Air Force football team, slated to play the BSU Bronco team on Saturday the 22nd. Air Force had a 3-3 win/loss thus far and is a formidable foe. They always "show up" to play. While the money was certainly on the Broncos to win, there was no doubt this would be a great game. The de-planing cadets included this young cadet in casual blues with the team mascot resting on his arm. The Peregrin Falcon is the Air Force mascot, and unlike Boise State's man in a horse suit Buster Bronco, they bring the "real deal". The falcon had flown on the plane in the cabin with the cadet. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen in public and certainly not expected at the Boise Airport.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Goodbye 14, Hello 15










Well, my daughter is a 9th grader this year and today is her birthday. The years have flown by quicker than I thought. Of course, there are those days when you wish they'd fly by slower, and others that go on forever.
Megan and her closer friend Brett are celebrating their 15th birthday together on Saturday with a huge party at Brett's parents house who are graciously hosting. I'm in charge of the cake and these photos will appear on that cake. Brett and Megan are dear friends at Junior High and also play club soccer for the same club, though different U-15 teams. Tommorrow nights shindig will include a dozen boys (who will be made to leave at 11 p.m.) and a dozen girls who will be sleeping over under the supervision of Brett's parents. They are having a big bonfired and will eat and giggle and enjoy themselves to the hilt, I'm sure.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

City of Rocks-it Rocks Out!
















Okay, so the short story is this. Last Friday it was raining cats and frogs in Boise. In Idaho Falls where Little Yonni and Susun reside it was snowing to beat the band, as they say in Midwestern parlance. Kind of reminds me of parlaying in Pirates of the Caribbean, but I digress. Suffice to say that Little Yonni was way stressed about trying to back his pickup and pop-up camper out from under a dearth of snow and branches; or finalizing his rigging to get he and missus to COR on Friday late afternoon for a rendevous.
I had already arranged for a dog and chicken sitter to tend to my hearth and flock so was inclined to get out of Dodge, as they say. I decided to call my brother and sister in law in Rupert at the family farm to see if they'd put up with for a night and they graciously and enthusiastically agreed I could come and hang out.
So, all packed up I left Boise and figured I'd meet up with Yonni and Susun at COR on Saturday around 11:30 to noon. An enjoyable evening was spent with Steve and Marcy at the farm joined by Willie, Waylon and Vanna the cats, and also the beloved 10 year old border collie mutt named Callie who squeals a whimper that is both endearing and annoying at the same time. But I adore her.
After a breakfast of fresh peaches and berries with cereal I headed off to Almo, the remote spot in MOAN country where the does and bucks are nervous. Much to my surprise Yonni and Susun had pulled in only about 60 seconds or less prior to me. They accused me of spying on them when I rolled in.
We headed on out after maps and a pit stop to look for a campsite. It would seem that despite the plethora of climbing clientele, that folks had quickly tired of three days of rain and snow. Campsites appeared full and we went up to a higher site only to find excess snow to the tune of 6 inches on the picnic table and drowning in moisture and snowy wonder at the tent location. I wasn't particularly enthused at this option. Yonni and I left Susun to hold this less than desirable camp and we headed back to below snow line to look at other options I'd identified previously. As luck would have it, the climbers were sick and tired of being cold and frozen and rained upon for the past three days, most of them without any kind of fire wood, so camps were being evacuated. That was good news for us as we snagged one that I'd identified as highly desirable. Well, it turned out it was more than that. We had 360 degree panorama vistas, shelter from wind, morning sun and a flat spot for Montezuma family to park their pop up camper truck. I was in hog heaven, actually. I don't typically camp in formal campgrounds and this was hands down the best developed campsite with a picnic table and fire pit/grate I'd ever been to. I kid you not!. I even went on video to proclaim this, but Yonni hasn't put it on U tube boob yet, so it might show up later on this blob of a blog.

Well, all I can tell you is we had 48 hours of the most incredible break in weather known to camping/hiking mankind and we made the most of it by hiking all around the place. Yonni had a better description and I'll try to link to his blog when I remember how to do that.
We saw climber on the Bumblie trail loop and we hiked up on an adjacent rock dome near our camp with amazing pot holes full of snow melt and we could see lots of snow on Independence Mtn and Cassia Peak along with Mtn Harrison near Pomerelle Ski area. Hiking was superb. Coyotes sang us to sleep and the full moon almost, came up on our Sunday evening under the night sky. Susuan serenaded us with her version of Dancing with the Susun and her hippie dippie lava light tubes. I brought enough wood from my firewood pile at home to keep us in good stead for the full two day of camping.
We met folks from Bozeman, Banff in Alberta, and Boise, Nampa and even Colorado who come to hang out. All of them by and large were climbers but they were appreciative that were hikers not climbers but loved what they do. We met horse people on the trail around Bumblie on Sunday.
The difference between COR and Great Basin National Park was the difference between night and day. I didn't see a single "ranger" with law enforcement authority, nor did I see rangers or personnel per se at all except at the visitor center. We saw some state of Idaho Parks Dept folks who all waved and were convivial and they never bothered or harassed anyone.This was in stark opposition to my experience at Great Basin where I was ticketed for supposed speeding within less than 5 minutes of crossing into the boundary of the park. The Visitor Center Park service employee at Almo was amazingly knowledgeable and helpful unlike the staff at Great Basin. This guy knew everything. But then again, he was easily 30 year older than the staffer at Great Basin. And even the older staff we met seemed clueless.
My experience here was stellar. The scenery was superior to anything Great Basin has to offer and far less hassle. I plan to come back again same time next year. I'd been here at least 6 times since it became a joint NPS/State Park venture. I think the NPS should consider this model more often. Great Basin doesn't deserve National Park status and should probably be a monument or reserve and they need to unwind all their regulations which are overkill.

Monday, October 3, 2011

All Work and No Play Makes a Girl Tired

Saturday was filled with soccer games for Megan and then doing starting the process of stacking green wood while listening to the Boise State vs Nevada Wolfpack game on the radio. BSU beat them 30-10 with one TD run for 92 yards that was called back. There was a lot of penalties for needless roughing and holding during this game, and the Broncos made mistakes they can't afford to make. Consequently when the polls came out on Sunday they dropped from 4th to either 5th or 6th depending on which poll. Of course, there are some surprise teams making headway like Wisconsin and Clemson moving up and folks like TCU out of the polls now, and big drops for Virginia Tech. I love watching who goes undefeated. BSU's hopes of a BCS championship game are probably not real viable this year with all the teams they play getting trounced by teams they shouldn't be losing to. So I'm betting on a Rose Bowl berth that they lost out on last year. We shall see.

Sunday was spent grousing over finding my sprinkler system valve boxes and electrical had flooded and shorted out. I'm guessing strongly the pipe that feeds them was crushed by the nimrods who cut my trees last week and appear to have rolled a several hundred pounds stump grinder within two inches of said boxes, which had been marked to avoid. So I've got a call into the tree cutters boss regarding this issue, though of course, they have an escape clause to not be responsible. And some other tree cutting work and stump removal was not done. Then it was time to clean out the gutters completely to get ready for rain, rake out all the yard debris the wood cutters didn't clean up, and water some places with the garden hose, which took quite a bit. Bush trimming and some other work took up 6 hours and I was totally whooped. A neighbor stopped by to help roll log rounds over to my wood pile stacking area where these new pieces will sit for a few years curing. I covered the wood piles with a brand new tarp. They usually only make it one winter. Then there was the issue of sufficiently cleaning up my garage to get the SUV in. I also recycled some little kids outdoor lawn chairs to a neighbor with one toddle and one due this Thursday. Figured they could use them.

So now it's back to work for the week and packing at O-dark Thirty this coming Thursday evening after Megan's soccer practice in order to leave Friday afternoon to meet Mr and Mrs Montezuma at City of Rocks for what hopefully will turn out to be sunny and crips fall weather after what's looking to be three to four days of rain and high elevation snow. Wish us well.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Chicken Alert

As the proud mama to two Auracana hens that have grown these past five plus months I'm happy to announce that I got my first blue-green small egg yesterday. Next on the agenda is trying to determine whether Thelma or Louise is the responsible hen. The egg is smaller than the ones likely to come in the future, but this breeds eggs run in the small to medium category if one was to grade them on the USDA scale. But they'll be fun and these two girls are real sweeties as hens go.

As the "Perry Mason" in me takes over I'll give you the update on who the real chicken layer is.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

The Great Basin is MOAN Country...








Well, 1150 miles later roundtrip and $500 poorer I'm back from the middle of absolute nowhere country, as Johnny Montezuma would call it. Driving across Idaho even on I-84 much of the time you are without cell phone service. Once I headed south from Twin Falls on US 93 towards Jackpot, NV that was pretty much it. I had cell service for about a mile coming and going into Jackpot, Wells and Ely, NV (pop. 4255) and then nothing from there on out as I took US 6 toward Great Basin National Park.
The Park is anchored by the tiny burg of Baker (pop. 68.) There is a Ranger Station there, a Stinker gas pump that takes credit cards and has showers for free in a building out back, and there are about three businesses with food, some variation on lodging and that's about it.
No sooner than I had entered the park road did I have my first negative encounter of the trip. A Park Ranger was driving about 22 mph on the 8% grade road. He pulled over and turned left into a campground turnoff. Then he pulled back out behind me. I thought nothing of it and headed up the road with my sights set on camping at the base of Wheeler Peak. Barely a minute later, and I kid you not, lights are flashing behind me. I pull over thinking maybe my tail light is out or brake light. Ranger C. Otto gets on the loud speaker and tells me to run off into a campground road, which I do. Then he of course appears at my vehicle window and in a very surly tone asks me why I think it's ago to speed along at 49 mph in a 35 mph. I told him I did not believe I was speeding at all and surprised he thought so. I told him I thought maybe he stopped me because I had a light out that I did not know about. He gruffly took my drivers license, insurance and vehicle registration. I figured he'd come back and admonish me again but no, he comes back and hands me a ticket for $225. My jaw dropped. I said " you've got to be kidding me? A ticket, not a warning? I simply don't believe there is any way I could drive 49 mph on this steep road." Ranger C. Otto smirked and then asked for my social security number and phone number, which I provided. Apparently the Feds can ask for this so they can attach your social security checks or payroll if you don't pay the fine. I said very succinctly to the Ranger that I thought this was no way to treat a person who'd driven more than 8 hours and 500 miles to visit the park and it surely didn't reflect well on Park Management to drive away visitors. I also told him it meant I would now not be paying to camp there, nor would I spend a dime in the park or in the local community since I'd be paying for a speeding ticket that I was certain I was not guilty of. Ranger Otto and his sidekick, who stood outside my window on the passenger side the entire time this episode was going on, got back in their rig and drove off. I turned around and drove out of the park, into Baker and headed out to a separate canyon with primitive camping sites that the Park Service has amazingly not managed to screw up yet. I was so steamed I almost left immediately and drove back to Idaho.
But, I didn't. I also did not spend a dime in the park or locally since I didn't have any extra money in the budget now due to this inane speeding ticket. However, I did drive back up the Wheeler Peak Road to the top and the fastes I could get my rig to go was a whopping 39 mph, nothing close to 49 mph. It was like driving up the road to Bogus Basin Ski area with lots of curving, steep roadway and a few hairpin curves. The Ranger never showed me how he determined I was speeding, either, so I plan to look into pleading not guilty if I don't have to appear in a federal court in Nevada, as opposed to Idaho. Needless to say this whole experience really soured my trip, since the journey into the basin had been quite lovely.
Coming south out of Ely there is an enormous elk wildlife range set aside where elk were reintroduced from Yellowstone with 32 elk. It's been too warm for the elk to come down yet from the mountains and I wasn't there at the right time of day even if they had come down, but I was impressed they'd set this aside. Also coming out of Ely there was a sign I'm remiss I did not photograph. It stated "Prison ahead, hitchhiking prohibited". Now you don't see that everyday, and just after that sign there was a BLM Campground sign indicating a spot not too far off the road. I figure since the prisoners can't hitchhike when they escape they can at least go camp out close by awaiting their re-arrest!
Reuben and I set up camp in the Snake Canyon along a rushing creek that feeds water to a Nevada Fish and Game rearing hatchery down stream from where we camped. I imagine they raise Lahontan or Bonneville cutthroat trout there. We had a great little camp we stayed in for three nights. Despite the later hour in setting up, after the Ranger Rudeness scenario, I got the tent up, firewood ready, mixed a nice vodka drink, fed Reuben and commenced in the what was now o dark 8:00 p.m. to cut up some steak meat and peppers and onions to skillet fry for dinner. I was really hungry as I hadn't eaten since breakfast in Boise. The meal was tasty and I settled into watching my little campfire with my dog at my feet, and read until about 10, then went to bed. At the 3 a.m. pee wake-up call I stumbled out of the tent to the darkest of darkness. The night sky was so full of stars I could see every constellation imaginable, many of which I'd long ago forgotten the names. The moon came out later, but for then it was pitch black, save the starry night sky.
Next morning Greta Garbo Goat ensured I enjoyed my Ethiopian coffee made with my Melitta filter. A breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and fresh tomatoes from my garden kept me going all day. Reuben and I packed up and headed out further in the basin past the burg of Garrison and on up a road into Lexington Arch. There we took a not quite 4 mile roundtrip hike up many switchbacks on open slope dotted with all manner of Great Basin vegetation including single leaf pinon pine, bitterbrush, rabbit brush and ultimately some aspen and spruce. The climb was worth it and Lexington Arch was actually quite nice. When we cam back down into the flats of the basin I made a little video panorama that hardly captures the sheer expanse of it all.
Still, I kept asking myself why this is a National Park? It's pretty and all, but in my mind it just isn't what I consider National Park caliber. It would have been better to be BLM or Forest Service managed like it was before, just get rid of the cows and do a slightly higher level of protection, which either agency could have done. Same thing up the canyon we were camping in, which was just perfect the way it was, because it had previously been USFS before the Park Service got their mitts on it.
A great dinner of grilled steak was the meal for the night with salad made from tomatoes, cucs, green onions etc from my garden.
Tuesday we drove back up where Ranger Rudeness had interceded in ruining our day and checked out each and every campground. I was actually glad we stayed where we did because we only saw one other person camped up in our canyon. I don't need running water and toilets. We had a picnic table and fire grate so I was fine. Plus creek water that could be boiled or used for dishes. And that steep climb up the 12 miles--well, the fastest I ever hit on the drive up after the base was just as I suspected, 38 mph. Now coming downhill was a different story. I had to put it into 1st gear to let the engine just creep at 25 to 30 so I didn't have to ride the brake.
When going up toward Wheeler Peak we checked out the Stephen Mather Overlook, named after the first Park Service Chief. Wheeler Peak was nice, but again, there is alot of stuff in Idaho, Utah and Colorado far Superior. Just because it's supposedly the highest peak (there really is one higher, but no one's talking) doesn't mean it needs to be a National Park. I went for short hike to the Bristlecone PIne forest once I got to the 10,000 feet base area for hiking to the top of Wheeler Peak. Since the Park Service Nazi's don't allow dogs on any trail here except to Lexington Arch I opted not to do the 8 miles round trip hike up Wheeler. The short hike to the bristlecones was nice, though I've seen bristlecone pines in Idaho on top of Mt Harrison, too. And likely as old as these, actually.
When it was all said an done, while the drive was scenic, that really was the best part. The drive. Lehman Cave, which is actually quite small was a National Monument all along. And that's probably how it should have stayed. I didn't go into the Cave because I wasn't going to spend the money, and I've been in lots of caves before. This one is unique in that it is marble rather than limestone by and large. There was nice gift shop and small restaurant with reasonably priced food. And the lady that ran it made home made ice cream sandwiches to die for. But those aren't on my diet right now so I resisted.
MOAN country in this part of Nevada is interesting, but I wouldn't want to live there. It's a real hard scrabble life and reminded me a lot of folks in the Depression. Kind of that "Of Mice and Men" look about the area all around the Basin.
We drove home and the scenery was still stunning, but I would say that unless you need to go this route on your way to someplace else, I'd skip it. Idaho, Colorado, Utah and Arizona beat this place hands down. And I probably will stay away from National Parks. They now employ far too many Park Ranger gun nuts who seem to have a burr up their butts. I met three other people during my short time at the park who had also had negative experiences with Ranger Rudeness. I suggested they drop the Superintendent a letter, just as I plan to do so.
Were it not for Greta Garbo Goat and Reuben the wonder dog, it would not have been as much fun.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Wheeler Peak Camping Companions



As I get ready to make my first ever visit to Great Basin National Park I have been trying to decide what travelling companions will join me. I have a family of Potato Heads that have been my friends for a while. They like to travel and are relatively quiet and don't take up much room. Joining the Potato Head gang is a new addition--Greta Garbo Goat. Great is a pygmy goat who just joined the family today. She's kind of a small pygmy goat as pygmy goats go. She doesn't eat much and I'm betting she's really going to go nuts over the aroma of Ethiopian coffee I brew every morning. She'll be joining a long line of goats who have smelled Ethiopian coffee beans, and she'll get to enjoy that aroma with the spuddy buddies at Wheeler Peak.

Stay tuned for the adventures of Greta and Spuddy Buddies next week.