What can a middle-aged paraplegic athlete do that most walking people can’t even dream of, let alone do?
Chris Waddell, shown here with his Lightfoot-built handcycle on Utah slick rock, is planning and training to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest freestanding mountain on earth, on this handcycle in August.
Lightfoot Cycles is a local bike manufacturer specializing in recumbents and trikes. Check them out!
Today’s ride with my buddy Larry Chinn, who came across a dead hunter on this ride near the hacienda in late fall a few years back. He apparently had a heart attack and died with his rifle nearby. Yikes!
I am the luckiest heart attack victim that ever lived. Because 1: I’m still living, and 2: I’m still riding the Dead Guy Ride!
Music by me.
The creek you hear is our drinking water. The stream that Mr. Chu loves to take a dip in is the “A” ditch, an irrigation diversion off of Nelson Creek cut in in 1899. Can’t tell you what the bird making that call is.
Overlooking the West Fork of the Bitterroot River from Lavene Creek
View of Boulder Point Lookout from Lavene Creek
Most bike rides in the Bitterroot are of the uphill/downhill variety. Old logging roads intersect with single track lines (game trails that have also become bike paths) through the forest, making for interesting rides and great scenery. Basically it’s ride up and up and up and work real hard getting to wherever you’re going, gaze at the views for a while, eat some energy food and drink more water, then ride down and smile all the way home.
This ride: take the Trapper Peak trailhead road about 11 miles out the West Fork. Start riding up and take a right on 7603 spur road at about 2.5 miles. Go about 1/2 mile further, past locked gate, to first promontory and look for single track heading uphill. Go up some more.
Pollution-free exercise right out the front door. You should try it sometime.
People generally like to change, but only because they want to: lose weight, quit smoking, find or lose God, make or save more money, get sober, or even get drunk. But sometimes people are confronted with change because they have no other choice. Since this involuntary change taints America’s manifest destiny to do as we damn well please, it will take a while before we realize those uncontrollable changes are often the changes we need to make most.
We’ve thoroughly exhausted the cherished capitalist premise that more is better: we built bigger houses for all our stuff but they became too big to heat; we bought cars that could ferry a soccer team (or just a soccer mom) but were too big to park and too expensive to own; we thought we were embracing a simpler life by squeezing in a day in the garden between working and shopping and even an extra job to pay for it all.
No more.
I’ve done my share of propping up the American status quo. So have you. Admit it, we’re all culpable for the bubbles and the busts that have stolen the soul of our country. Not just the other guy or other party. No amount Tea Partying is going to fix the mess.
Now that America is bleeding like a stuck pig, you’re probably doing less propping up of the status quo in lockstep with everybody else because you can no longer afford to. That’s why Detroit is in the shitter. Ditto every other business you can think of. Why? Because you have to reign your purchasing in, not because you want to, most likely.
So finding yourself having to do much more with far less, what’re you going to do? Change your lifestyle and purchasing habits, only more than what you’re doing already.
I’m as guilty as the next person who lives in the industrial world when it comes to consuming stuff as my birthright. But I’m not so caught up in personal psychodrama (maintaining the status quo) that I don’t feel the need to rebel against this dangerous, bleeding beast called consumerism, wherever it rears its ugly and stubborn head. And I see it in the lives of people who call themselves environmentally aware, responsible adults. Uh huh.
You can rebel. And then you can rebel some more. But first you have to let go of some of your stuff, both mental and physical. It isn’t easy getting over yourself and your stuff. I’m slashing my consumer footprint. I seldom drive my car, which I bought new in 1989. I’ve worked from home for 11 years, eat little meat, drink water from a creek, wear extra layers instead of reaching for the thermostat, and while I’m at it, tend a compost heap and a garden (with my wife and partner Tamera) and chop wood to burn in a high-tech soapstone stove. Oh yeah, we don’t watch TV either. So pin a medal on my chest, right?
Years ago I made a decision to live more like people did 100 years ago and still do in developing countries because it’s far more sustainable and affordable. I ride a bike for recreation, or ski, hike, raft or kayak. Human-powered recreation is one way to pummel the status quo because when you do something physical it’s always in the moment. So we moved to the mountains next to a real river with fewer than 10 people per square mile. The simple life only makes sense in a simple place. If you’re in the middle of the urban milieu, good luck cutting through your own crap that keeps you there.
While we choose to live differently, some people I know and love (though not necessarily respect their rec choices) choose to race cars, motorcycles, ATVs, etc. Some have 50-inch flat panel televisions in every room and leave their computers on all the time. Or stay stuck in places that cost an arm and a leg, clinging to their personal traditions and lack of inertia to make real changes.
Seems whatever some people do personally to conserve is lost in a mad rush to entertainment by fossil-fueled lifestyles and diversions that are so deeply ingrained it is astonishing.
“It’s overconsumption, not population growth, that is the fundamental problem: By almost any measure, a small portion of the world’s people – those in the affluent, developed world – use up most of the Earth’s resources and produce most of its greenhouse gas emissions.”
Here’s an interesting article that explains why (y)our precious American-style consumerism is more dangerous than overpopulation.
Here’s another brief but interesting article about “economic survivalism.”
Over 100 miles since early March. It feels great to get back in the saddle after a few years (okay, most of the last 11 years) of hanging around the hacienda, mostly sitting on my butt in front of a computer or playing guitar. I used to do a lot of riding, and I plan to again, as life itself in a post-heart attack world largely depends on exercise, good nutrition and living right.
Looking west toward the Trapper Peaks massif from the road next to Rye Creek. This is a great early season 12-mile round trip with a couple of options that add more miles and elevation if I still have the legs for it. Rye Creek road is clay-like, well drained and smooth even after it’s rained, and it’s usually a few degrees warmer and a lot drier in the Sapphire range, just across the Bitterroot valley.
A wild looking cloud front near Paria Gulch, Utah, with commentary by Paul and Tamera.
We can see this lookout perched high on the mountaintop from our driveway. It is about 4 miles away, and over 3,000 feet higher. It only took me 9 years to work up the nerve to make the hike up there, mainly because it has a reputation as a “thigh burner” hike: it is a very steep and unrelenting “stair stepper” trail. But it was well worth the effort, even with all the smoke from the nearby fires. It is absolutely breathtaking to view over the edge of the cliff this 70+ year old lookout is perched on.
The abandoned USFS lookout, which shall remain unnamed, is lovingly maintained by locals who call themselves the West Fork Ski Club. It is an ideal destination anytime of the year, including winter, if you can handle the long climb up!
The smoke was thick and the ash falling at night looked like snowflakes in the flash of my camera.
Even with limited visibility, this is a fabulous local hike I will do again and again for obvious reasons.
Here’s a panoramic video from the top of Castle Rock, at the the top of Nez Perce Pass. Nez Perce Road off of the West Fork Highway is a historic Indian migration and hunting trail through southwest Montana and central Idaho. The intermediate-level 3.5 mile hike to this alpine vista is stunning, with “forever” views in all directions.
Shots of White Pockets area of the Paria plateau in southern Utah.
Always nice to head south to southern Utah this time of year. Here are a couple of shots from a recent visit to the “White Pockets” area of House Rock Valley on the Paria River plateau and Big Water, Utah.
The view taken from Paul’s backyard at dawn.
Tamera channels the light into her coffee cup after a day of exploring the slickrock. No Photoshop tricks or edits were used, this is what the camera saw…hmm.
All God’s Critters, written by the great Bill Staines. Hot (94 F.) performance at the 2006 College Park Reunion.
A beautiful, dry 105 degrees in the shade, windy during the day and feeling a lot like the high desert in Utah, this portion of the Salmon River is one of the few areas of this large, un-dammed river system that can be run in a single day.
The rapids had me swimming twice, once after capsizing in the inflatable kayak, and later in a Dagger sport kayak further downstream. Needless to say I got a good lesson in staying totally present…a few scratches, some bumps and a couple of tweaked tendons, plus a lost pair of sunglasses. But hey, I survived a long swim through Pine Creek rapids and I’d do it again tomorrow! (But stay upright the next time…8^)
End of the day shot first: North Fork of the Salmon River at dusk.
Heading toward the first rapid, Pine Creek.
Getting ready for the fun and adventure.
Great support from fellow kayakers…catching my boat and shoes after I went swimming.
Keep your eye on the guy in the orange life vest, he’s uh, nuts.
He’s also a novice when it comes to tackling technical water, as you’ll see.
The guy (yes, me) high sides on a rock and stops in the middle of the rapids.
Where’d the guy in the orange life vest go? Swimming!
Towering rock walls and blue sky
A great bunch who know how to relax, enjoy adventure, and have a good time.
Larry and Mary’s great dog, Monty, stands watch on the bow through thick and thin.
Igneous Intrusion vertical seam; rare, interesting and very tall!
Mary Chinn’s hairdo can only be created by paddlerolling like a dervish, and well.
The boatman is tired. Larry Chinn sleeps off a huge post evening meal.
Jack Herbert and Carl Barnum chow down.
Nightime descends after a great day on the water and a wonderful meal.
Think the water looks pretty mild for a whitewater river at low water? Think again. Here’s a video (20MB file) of one of the rapids, Dutch Creek, shot from the raft piloted by Larry Chinn. Any one of these waves could peel you out of a kayak or inflatable in a heartbeat. (And they did to me and a couple of the other kayakers…)
Overcast but warm and mostly dry.
View from the Trapper Peak Observation Point on the Trapper-Chaffin Creek Road
Early Bitterroot flower specimens on the trail.
Here’s a first-person account of the devastation and personal trials caused by Hurricane Katrina. It’s a compelling read (PDF) from Lawdragon Magazine about my lifelong friend Reilly Morse, an attorney in Gulfport, Mississippi who lost his legal office to Hurricane Katrina.
One could easily assume this to be a picture of the devastating tsunami in Asia in late 2004. It’s actually the coast of Mississippi Louisiana, at the very height of Hurricane Katrina storm surge around 1 p.m., August 29, 2005. (Poster’s note: I was 1/2 mile from the beach in Gulfport for this frightful storm and glad I couldn’t see the waves coming ashore.)
Thanks to Susan Rayborn of Sumrall, Mississippi for providing this great shot! According to Susan the picture was reportedly taken by a nun from the grounds of Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis. The image is one of a series captured by Don McClosky, manager of Entergy’s Michoud power plant in New Orleans. Mr. McClosky rode out the storm at the power plant, from which he snapped pictures of the storm surge.
More info here and here.
See today’s mailbox run vids:
The Staff of The Bitterroot Life has a great deal of fun this time of year enjoying the hectic pace of publishing life here in the tall Pines of the Nez Perce Road. Here’s a movie of today’s sled run from our property down about 1/4 mile. (40MB, not suitable for dialup user download.)
This video hosted courtesy of the friendly folks at Pine Door Company.
Jeanie Valentine and Paul Lyons, Stateline Slot Canyon, Page area
The Wave, near Paria Gulch and Buckskin Gulch
Great trip to southern Utah to visit buddy Paul and his friend Jeanie, who’s a bit of a shutterbug. All of the above photos were taken by her. Visit her new photo blog at jeaniev.blogspot.com
Thanks to Susan Rayborn for sending this!
Hurricane Wind (Blowin’ Sideways)
Jay Toups
A song/poem in progress about both Hurricane Camille (August 17, 1969) and Hurricane Katrina (August 29, 2005) in Gulfport, Mississippi. I was visiting Gulfport for my 30th high school class reunion when Katrina struck and lived there with my family during Camille.
August 29, two thousand and five
Only the cautious and lucky survive
The Gulf swept in block after block
All the way to the railroad never really stopped
Most folks left but a lotta people stayed
Wound up drowned or attic bound prayin’
Katrina made Camille look like trailer trash
Her hurricane party was a big time bash
Katrina dressed to kill, her eye had sin
Pushing water where it had never been
30 feet high up to ten miles in
You just wouldn’t believe the destruction
Twelve hour blow, a hundred fifty strong
A million people homeless when the day was long
Four hours from the east, eight from the south
Katrina blew the deep right out of the south
Hurricane wind, hurricane spin
Weatherman says leave you should listen to him
Most people lived but a thousand people died
And everything still livin kinda shriveled and cried
Nothing to do but go back to work
Pick up what’s left and rebuild till it hurts
Hurricane wind, hurricane spin
Next time you’ll know from how bad it’s been
Hurricane when? Hurricane spin:
Weatherman says go y’all listen to him
Back in Montana after 10 harrowing days on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, with all the familiar landmarks now blasted into oblivion for up to 5 miles inland by Katrina. Now that power is being restored and water beginning to flow again, people there are going about the business of cleaning up the mountains of debris in and around their homes and properties. And rebuilding plans are already in the works for most; that is if they still have something left besides a slab of concrete.
The construction/building industry is going to drive the rebuilding efforts. But there’s a long row to hoe because it will take time for the industry to ramp up staff and resources to meet the incredible demand for skilled services that was created overnight by all the destruction. As a result it will be some time before most people whose homes were “only” damaged to get them repaired.
People who have something to rebuild: they’re the lucky ones. Many thousands of families lost everything, including their jobs in many cases. Hundreds of people have reportedly perished, and millions of birds, fish, frogs and other animals too. I hope that coastal residents can find solace and diversion in rebuilding and avoid the pain of too much introspection about how awful this hurricane really was.
One of the things I noticed is that residential roofs made of shingles fared poorly. Most homes in the affected area had at least some damage, thousands were scraped off down to the plywood, and some roofs disappeared entirely along with the trusses underneath.
Another thing I noticed is that virtually all of the intact roofs were made of metal; aluminum, mostly. Perhaps an enterprising company sees the same opportunity that I do. Why replace a shingle roof with another shingle roof if the next big storm will tear it off? Why not spend a bit more and get far more protection and life out of the roof…often without even having to tear off the roof? Metal roofing of all types (plain or architectural tile) can be installed over up to 2 layers of shingles provided the underlayment is intact.
View looking south from our street. The building in the backgound is a military retirement home on the beachfront about 20 feet about sea level. It is now uninhabitable and probably going to be condemned and demolished because of structural damage from subsidence (the surge was at least 30 feet above sea level here). It certainly blocked at least some of the wind and probably saved us some significant damage.
View from Anniston Avenue and parking lot of the military retirement home.
The brick and steel gate of the retirement home was smashed by the surge.
The cars in the parking area were piled 5 deep in places. Many were overturned, pushed for hundreds of feet and submerged in the creek nearby.
This view from our front yard. The pine tree was a sapling when I was a kid.
7 p.m. CST: The thunder now rumbles long and hard to the east, rain in bands beginning to increase in frequency. Still not much wind, just incredibly warm, about 90 F and 98% relative humidity.
I’m about to head down to the beach to see the surf kicking up its heels. There’s a mandatory 9 p.m. curfew, so I’ll be back about then to update. Next update: 10 p.m. CST.
Just fargin’ great. I’m on the Mississippi coast for my 30th high school class reunion and there’s a category 4 hurricane headed right this way on Monday sometime. I’ve been through a few of these mega storms, like Hurricane Camille in 1969, Betsy in 1965, Frederick in the mid 80s, and Andrew in the early 90s. It is no fun when they are this big and powerful.
I intend to post throughout the storm, at least until the power goes down, which it doubtless will. I just hope and pray losing power is the largest inconvenience and nothing real bad happens. Short of evacuation, there’s not much you can do but sit down, shut up, and hold on.
Just finished a 5-day trip down the Selway River in central Idaho. It’s pristine, powerful, and loaded with wild critters, including bears! We saw three…a cub, a sow and a young adult male. Thanks to Larry and Mary Chinn for inviting me to see this very special place, indeed one of the last wild and untamed rivers in the US. And a very special thanks to “Moose” who piloted our raft through the rapids with nary a hair out of place.
We spent the first two days in New York City, taking in the city sights and playing umbrella tag with other people because it poured rain most of the time we were there. We didn’t get to go to the top the Empire State Building. We did however get to see Bernadette Peters star in Gypsy at the Shubert Theater, with many thanks to Rachel Arnold for the tickets and great company.
It was Tamera’s first visit to New York and Europe, and along with wanting to go play the role of her tour guide, I wanted to visit some old and new places in Europe again, in part to see friends Gabi Daurer in Heidelberg, Germany and music partner Paul Stowe in Munich, Germany. We had a great time in Bavaria in Tuntenhausen-Schoenau, the tiny town where Paul lives, and visiting a few of the local churches and breweries. We also visited one of King Ludwig’s four castles further south. So that’s just the first few days, the photos will tell the rest…
Tamera in Times Square, dodging rainstorms, cabs, pigeons and people
Tamera and Rachel in the Shubert Theatre prior to the start of Gypsy
After dinner, Rachel showed us which subway to take back to our hotel near Times Square
Paul Stowe and son, Eric, in Munich.
Paul, Maria, Elisa and son, Eric, in Schoenau at their lovely house enjoying yummy Bavarian-style dinner. (Maria is a dyed in the proverbial wool Bavarian…and Paul, Eric and Elisa are somewhere in between American and German, or some of both…:-)
Paul and Tamera at the Fountain of King Ludwig’s Castle
Germany’s King Ludwig II was obsessed with the creations of Louis XIV, as reflected in this imitation of the Versailles Palace near Paris; it may be a ripoff but this room’s still 100 meters long. Much of the Bavarian king’s fame is associated with his castles: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, and Herrenchiemsee (this one, his largest).
Good friends and great hosts: Paul and Maria Stowe, with Tamera
Tamera with Elios, Hans Peter and Gabi at the Bruschal, Germany palace for fascinating traveling Salvador Dali exhibit. Thanks HP and Gabi for your generous hospitality and the last minute sandwiches!
Hooded flower in early morning light along the Cinque Terre below Genoa, Italy
The lovely little town of Vernazza, Italy in the Cinque Terre.
Looking down the tower you see in the promontory point of the Vernazza picture above this one.
Vernazza is one of 5 small towns along the Cinque Terre, reachable by one very small road, footpath or by boat.
Fascinating town, Carrara. The mountains look white like they have glaciers, except it’s where the marble has been mined. Click this pic for a short movie of this awesome marble fountain in MPEG format (1.1MB)
We’ve all seen the pictures. But the Leaning Tower of Pisa is an unbelievable sight in person! We were able to walk to the top.
Tamera lines up for the perfect tourist shot of this Pisa landmark.
Looking at the Duomo from the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens in Florence.
Florence was beautiful in the rain…what we could see anyway. The roses at the Boboli Gardens weren’t complaining either.
We met up with a couple of Bitterroot friends in Florence, Tim and Sarah Southwell…good humored traveling companions for sure!
Santa Maria del Fiore, or the Cathedral (Duomo) of Florence
After Florence, the four of us headed to San Gimingano, stopping to shoot along the way.
Interesting art we found at a Fattoria La Loggia outside of Florence that makes great wine and olive oils.
Bologna is an interesting university town, bustling and still charming. There are over 25 kilometers of covered porticoes like this in Bologna.
Also in Bologna, the tower on the left actually leans nearly as much as the Pisa tower. (Sorry bad angle doesn’t show it.)
Outside of Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna
Looking up inside the main dome of Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. Click pic for more information, including 3-D tour.
The main dome of Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna
All of the interior is in 1/2″ sized mosaic. None of this is painted.
The majority of the mosaic work at Basilica San Vitale was done in the 6th century.
No visit to Venice can begin without a visit to Piazza San Marco. Click the pic for a short video!
There are hundreds of tunnels, and driving through them at speed was…fun and exciting. Click the pic above for a short vid.
We enjoyed a spectacular drive through the Dolomites and Cortina, Italy and up to Brenner Pass and Austria, then back to Paul’s house for a day or so before returning home to Montana.
The College Park Reunion of 2002 was a really fun weekend. What fun to re-acquaint with all the people I grew up with. Life’s been good to most of them, and everybody had great stories to tell about their life.
The event unfolded like clockwork as Susan Herman Rayborm and Dixie O’Connor Smith orchestrated logistics, volunteers, food, beverages, renting the pool, doing the Friday night bonfire at the beach. Lots of people helped, but these two made it happen. And all I did was put up a couple web pages and freeload the event. Kudos again, girlfriends!
What has happened since the reunion? Lots! My sister Patrice met her true love, Ricky Shultz, at the picnic and they recently got married! That’s worth the entire effort right there for me. Several people who attended have been in touch via email, including Pat Snell, Shelby Gallagher (Gibson), Karen Hudgeons Verzwyvelt, Richard Pascale, Gemia, Susan, Lidia and Dixie, to name a phew. Some of the jokes getting passed by a few of you (you know who you are) clog up my punky Internet connection and are disgusting, but that’s free speech for ya. I’ll read anything from you guys, but don’t push yer luck!
So the next College Park Reunion is scheduled for Labor Day Weekend, September 2004. There’s a College Park Reunion 2004 discussion tool if you want to get involved. With a year or so until the event, it’s early, but that doesn’t stop me from getting ready for the teeming masses of College Park residents and expatriates thirsting for information! Visit the site if you have something to say to College Park people, or just register and say howdy!
Life on the edge is so great…
Scramblin’ is so much fun
Gremlins in Miniature
Just above The Wave
The Wave
Travelers Gaze
The Wave
The Wave
Surfin’ the Wave
8 miles round trip, but it was phun!
Just above The Wave
Just above The Wave
Paria River, Vermillion Cliffs area
