Lynda Mapes and Steve Ringman of The Seattle Times teamed up to tell the story of the largest dam removal ever. Glines Canyon Dam was still intact as Steve one-handed this shot taken in spring , 2011.
(Mountaineers Books - Braided River - Skipstone)
RIVERS -- The author of “ Elwha: A River Reborn ,” will be in Spokane on Tuesday for a free presentation on the people, places, fish and history behind the world's largest dam removal effort.
Lynda Mapes, a Seattle Times reporter, will speak at 7 p.m. in the Community Building Lobby, 35 W. Main Ave .
The program is sponsored by Save Our Wild Salmon and the Spokane Falls Chapter of Trout Unlimited .
Mapes joined Times photographer Steve Ringman to document what’s led to this monumental $325 million environmental restoration project.
Two antiquated dams are being removed to allow the Elwha to run freely for 45 miles from its headwaters in Olympic National Park to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The effort is opening more than 70 miles of spawning habitat to steelhead and all five species of Pacific salmon
Scientists, tribes, elected officials, local communities, agency officials and anglers are putting stock in the power of nature to turn back the clock on an Olympic Peninsula river once known for hosting runs of 100-pound chinook .
For more info on the Tuesday program, contact Sam Mace at sam@wildsalmon.org , (509) 747-2030.
BUMPY ROAD TO RECOVERY: Fish hatchery losses
A pump failure at the Elwha Klallam fish hatcher last weekend led to the deaths of at least 200,000 coho salmon, spawned last fall, and roughly 2,000 year-old steelhead trout -- about 50 percent of this year's crop of the fish destined for restoring runs in the Elwha River. See the story .
Overbuilt, grit-hungry road bikes capable of steamrolling tarmac and conquering trails are flooding the marketplace. Our test drive of Open Cycles’ Unbeaten Path proves it to be near the top of the pack.
Seems most everyone with a bike brand is pitching some variety of the gravel bike these days. Just as you thought the ‘cross games have reached critical mass, the industry has oozed into new off-road territory with a breed of plus-size, adventure ready mountain-“ish” gravel bikes.
This fall, we got our hands on a deliciously plump, orange-cream bike by Open Cycles. Never heard of them? Well, you’ve likely heard of the founders’ other projects: Gerard Vroomen cofounded Cervélo Cycles and Andy Kessler was the CEO of Swiss juggernaut BMC bikes.
Review: Open Cycles’ Unbeaten Path Bike
Fastidious perfectionists, the pair’s Unbeaten Path (U.P.) bike is the second steed in Open Cycles’ stable in four years. (Open’s first bike was a lithe hardtail frame that barely tipped the scales at 900 grams; that’s lighter than most road frames, people! It earned a title of the lightest 29er on the market.)
The new U.P. is a transformer of adventure bikes. Clever engineering has managed to preserve its racy road geometry while affording plush mountain bike tire clearance.
Open’s gravel plus tackling early season snow in the Boise foothills
The company calls the U.P. a performance-oriented “gravel-plus” cross/road bike with clearance for mountain bike tires “so you can ride anywhere, and ride fast.”
We put the U.P. frame paired with 650b (27.5″) mountain bike tires to the test on Boise, Idaho, area roads and foothill trails, where we tackled both gravel and the beyond. Unbeaten Path or boulevard of broken dreams… read on to hear our take.
The Space Race
The priciest real estate on a bike crowds around the bottom bracket, where the chainring, crank, chainstay, and tire all fight for precious space.
Mountain bikes buy extra room for the knobbies by pushing the chainstay (and hence the chainring and cranks) out laterally, yielding more clearance. But this wider space doesn’t accommodate the narrower cranks and gearing found on cyclocross and road bikes.
By dropping the drive-side chainstay, Open picked the space gridlock, clearing nearly twice the space of the typical road bike while keeping the wheelbase short and sprightly.
And because the radius of a 700c road slick, 40mm cyclocross tires, and 650b mountain bike tires are nearly identical, the U.P. pulls a true hat trick, capable of running all three wheelsets on one frame without compromising the bike’s handling.
Running 2.1″ tires on the 650b rim, the rear wheel has plenty of room to clear the gunk
700c rims are very close to 29″ diameter, so why stop at 27.5-inch wheels?
Once you wrap that 29 rim in a 2.1″ tire, you start to choke out that narrow chainstay space and risk tire rub. And extending the wheelbase to accommodate the added girth would compromise the bike’s handling.
Keeping the overall radius at or below 650b keeps a relatively compact wheelbase, applying more power on the rear wheel and ensuring a responsive ride.
Svelte Lines
First blush and it’s impossible to miss how clean the bike looks. All cables quickly duck into housing and route internally to the brakes and drivetrain, allowing the clean frame to effortlessly shoulder up cyclocross race course runups.
And should you want to strap on some frame bags, the cables are tucked out of the way and free from straps and errant snags in the wild.
Of course, the naked veneer makes for a helluva good looking frame and a real head turner when cranking watts on the road.
Options
The frames are offered in small, medium, large and x-large in orange and chocolate brown, and they cost a cool $2900, a fair amount of coin for just a frame and fork.
But the price is not outrageous when considering that this one frame can pair with so many uses with the simple swap of a wheelset. Inevitably this implies the ideal owner will pony up for several wheels to match the terrain.
Full builds can be tested and purchased through a small network of partnering retailers . Depending on the specs, an aluminum component bike with SRAM Rival drivetrain will run you just over $5000.
Reach for the top shelf and upgrade to Ultegra Di2 … pair the frame with full carbon Enve cockpit and wheelset … and you are looking at a $12,000 bike.
How was the ride?
The bike we tested was shipped with 650b tires on ENVE rims, powered by SRAM’s Force1 (x11) drivetrain, and weighed a stitch above 17 pounds … perfect for our Boise foothills, which transition from gradual gravel roads to boney singletrack.
Swinging a leg over the saddle, I immediately noticed how fast the bike was off the line. As expected, the carbon was stiff and responsive, applying force directly from pedal to pavement. The bike rocketed around town and to the trailhead much more aggressively than a mountain bike.
Once on the gravel, the bike flowed into its comfort zone. With less aggressive geometry than a true cyclocross bike, it churned through the miles in comfort and inspired “one more detour before we go home” type riding.
Boise singletrack varies from smooth to semi-technical. We tested the U.P. on our more pedestrian trails and found it had superior traction compared to a typical ‘cross bike, where it ate up the elevation gain as fast or faster than a traditional mountain bike.
But the geometry began to falter when tackling steep, loose sand and technical rock. Even while running 650b, without a wide flat bar, the margin for control was slim. And without suspension, the ride down washboard roads rattled the rider pretty good.
Bottom line
Straight up, there are other, less expensive bikes that can pivot from narrow to wider tires. The U.P. is designed for those who want that extra footprint that 650b provides. With its shapely figure, the 17 pound U.P., running 650b, carries its weight very well and provided gobs of traction.
Make no mistake—it won’t replace your mountain bike. But with the ability to run a single bike in a gamut of setups with the simple swap of a wheel, the U.P. has unrivaled versatility in the current gravel marketplace.
And as I sell off my current road and cyclocross bikes, it may just Open UP more room in my garage, too.
This tale involves a common thresher shark, caught recently off Florida, which boasted a tail so long that it boosted the predator’s overall length to about 20 feet.
Common thresher sharks are also referred to as long-tailed thresher sharks, but even so, this shark's tail seemed to resemble the rib bone of a whale.
“Normally a thresher’s tail is about as long as its body, but you’re right, this one had an abnormally long tail,” said Mark “the Shark” Quartiano, a popular but controversial fishing guide based in Miami.
The guide estimated the tail fin to measure perhaps 13 feet. Overall, it's the largest thresher he has encountered, and he claims to have caught hundreds of them.
The shark was reeled in by a female angler, after a two-hour battle, from a depth of 590 feet.
It was not weighed before the meat was processed, but Mark the Shark estimated the weight at between 700 and 750 pounds.
For the sake of comparison, the International Game Fish Association lists a 767-pound thresher , caught in 1983 off New Zealand, as the all-tackle world record.
Thresher sharks, which have small mouths, use their scythe-like tail fins to kill, stun or even shred schooling fish, such as mackerel, sardines and anchovies.
On Tuesday, Mark the Shark posted the accompanying image on Instagram , under the description: "Moose common thresher over 19' long ate a 15 lb bluefish on the bottom in 590' of water!"
The guide added multiple hashtags, including #veryrare, #monsterfish, #catchingmonsters, and #nothinggetsaway. (Mark the Shark is controversial mainly because he targets sharks, and doesn't release as many as some people would like.)
While this was the largest thresher he has caught, and could possibly have weighed as much or more than the IGFA record, it falls far shy of what might be the largest thresher ever landed.
In 2007, a 32-foot thresher shark was caught in a net off Cornwall, England. It weighed 1,250 pounds, but because it was landed by a commercial fisherman with trawl gear, it could not have qualified for an IGFA record.
Mark the Shark explained that the 20-foot thresher was kept at the request of his clients. “The shark fed a lot of people,” he said.
Spokane County acquired 280 acres on June 5, 2015, known as the Trautman property in the Nine Mile area adjacent to Riverside State Park. The land was acquired with county Conservation Futures funding and will be managed by the County Parks Department (Spokane County Parks)
PARKS – Proposals for managing a 280-acre “Trautman” addition to Riverside State Park will be discussed in a public workshop, 6:30 p.m., Thursday, June 25, at 6:30 p.m. at Lakeside Middle School Auditorium, 6169 Highway 291, Nine Mile Falls.
Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/kPP5E
Management objectives to be addressed include:
Boundary adjustments with Spokane County.
Agreement with Spokane County Parks to manage the Trautman property.
Agreement for state parks to manage recreation on Lake Spokane lands owned by Avista.
Funding by Avista for recreational development.
The Trautman property acquisition at Nine Mile provides potential to link the Centennial Trail to Long Lake and the park’s Nine Mile Resort.
See details on the planning and comment online at http://j.mp/rsp-planning .
Info: Michael Hankinson, parks planner, (360) 902-8671, email michael.hankinson@parks.wa.gov .
There are plenty of trails available for fans of snowmobiling. (Tia Troy / Glacier Country)
WINTERSPORTS -- A free snowmobile safety course for youths ages 12-16 is set for Nov. 8 at the Spokane Winter Knights Snow Show at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center.
Pre-register by Friday, Oct. 10.
The snowmobile safety course training includes:
Basic snowmobile maintenance.
Survival skills and dealing with emergencies, including an avalanche awareness presentation by representatives of the Northwest Avalanche Center.
The proper clothing and protection from winter weather.
Hand signals while riding and other basic riding skills.
The Atherton Tablelands in Tropical North Queensland was the setting for our early morning hot air balloon ride.
Before arriving in Tropical North Queensland I was of course familiar with it being the location of the Great Barrier Reef, Cape Tribulation, and the World Heritage Daintree Rainforest.
But, throw in the Atherton Tablelands and the diversity of this area is why I now call it one of my favourite regions in all of Australia. Being the nature lover that I am, this area just speaks to me.
Located just one hours drive west of Cairns, the tablelands are a sub-tropical haven spread over an area larger than the state of Tasmania. Who knew?
Our first encounter in the area was our adventurous, or should I say tragic mountain biking experience . This time, we would be taking things a lot SLOWER and admiring the region from the air.
Turns out, North Queensland is one of the most popular spots in Australia for a hot air balloon flight. The weather is favourable, and the scenery not too shabby.
Our day started early with a 4.15 am pick up from the QT Hotel in Port Douglas. Yep, sunrise is the best time to fly, but starting your day watching the sun rise over the rolling hills is an experience – just be sure you’re in the very first balloon that takes off, otherwise if you’re photographers like us, the light gets hazy real quick.
Gliding along with the gentle breeze, the thing you notice most about floating in a hot air balloon is the silence – except when the propane burners are firing.
There is a calmness on board as you rotate around the basket, and whilst we weren’t airborne for long we enjoyed the 360 degree picturesque views of the greenery below before floating gently back down to earth.
Once you’re done with your balloon flight, consider indulging in some of the regions gourmet food and wine, waterfalls, or other adventure activities in Tropical North Queensland like white water rafting, jungle surfing and stand up paddle boarding .
P.S. A little thrill for us on the bus ride back into Cairns – two lovely young English lads, who were in our balloon, asked us if we were that Australian couple who have a travel blog. We then chatted for the rest of the journey and shared with them our tips for travelling Oz.
The Facts
Hot Air Balloon Cairns operates flights daily, weather dependent, from the Atherton Tablelands, Cairns, Port Douglas and Palm Cove with door to door transfers included in your hot air ballooning ticket.
Want more information? Read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor
Today is my birthday. I turn 35 (but shhh don’t tell anyone that, it’s my secret and my students still think I’m in my twenties) 35 once seemed so old to me. I used to think when you were 35 life was almost over; It was swallowed up by dishes and bills and screaming children. Well, there is that aspect to it somewhat, but really life is how you choose it to be by what you focus on. And my life at 35, (although has adult responsibilities), still has the youth and freedom of my twenties. Why would I want it to be any other way?
35 they say is often the start of the out of control mid life crises. The point when you realize “Shit I’m really not getting any younger. Life is slipping away and I haven’t done anything. Time to go out and buy the sports-car and pick up a toy boy to drive me home in it.” I don’t feel 35, and I don’t feel like the best years of my life are behind me. The best years of your life are the ones you are living now. Am I halfway to the end of my journey here on earth? I hope not yet. But who can ever know that. Perhaps I am close to the end.
Thinking of the answers to these questions will lead you to the mid life crises or to the doctors for a Prozac prescription to deaden the pains of anxiety. Instead today, I am going to live another day in celebration. Celebration for an extraordinary life so far, and celebration for the amazing journey still to come. In honor of today. I am going to list 35 things in my past I am incredibly grateful for.
35 things to celebrate
The greatest gift life has ever given me- my beautiful daughter Kalyra
My wonderful soul mate, Craig who has shared a 10 year dream life with me and has not yet killed me.
Parents who did the job I chose them for- they gave me strength, taught me passion, and supported my nomadic desires to be away from them
Siblings who understand me, love me, and never question what I want to do instead giving me a “Good on ya” I love being in the company of my brothers and sisters.
Beating the odds to be born healthy and continuing that pattern of health for 35 years.
Being born in Australia, and having incredible opportunities that I know other people born in other countries will never have.
All the pain that has existed in my past, as it has shown me a better way, and forced me to learn some truths about myself and life.
Bec for years of friendship, fun, laughter and unbelievable memories.
Woody for never giving up on me and for always bringing belly hurting laughter into my life.
For all my friends in Oz and around the world- I’m just ecstatic to have amazing friends.
For never having to call the in-laws “out-laws” A terrific family to marry into.
For the highest values in my life being fun and freedom. Not sure how that happened but it has driven me to live the life that I have.
Bangkok for putting up with my cultural shock meltdowns and allowing me to teach and live in your great country.
Thailand for teaching me to relax, and that there really are no worries in life.
Vietnam for teaching me that war is never a good option.
For finally discovering my purpose, before it is too late and I do go out and buy that Ferrari and the cute salesman
For the wonderful people I have met through this travel blogging community. Every day, I feel as if I am on the road again hanging out with you over beers or coffee.
University for teaching me how to drink beer.
Okay Uni, I’m also grateful that you gave me my teaching degree so I could teach around the world.
For all the hugs, smiles, letters, and achievements of my students- go get your dreams kiddies!
For that psycho motorbike driver in Indo who didn’t really kill me like he said he would. Stay off the mushrooms from now on will you.
For showing me Wii, so I could sing rock songs to a crowd of 65,000 cheering fans begging for more.
Travel, travel, travel, travel, travel….. do I need to say anymore.
Kim- for opening my eyes up to the beauty that lives in us all.
Dublin for being the hand that guided my way out of the dark.
Planet Earth for giving me everything I need to survive without ever asking for anything in return.
The Universe for always giving, loving, supporting, and sharing unconditionally and putting up with all our whiny bullshit in return.
Carolina Tar Heels for showing me sporting excellence. Can we make it a third championship since we have become life long friends?
America for giving us a great four years and teaching us many things, with lots of memorable times thrown in,
Hitesh for being our first American friend and still with us today.
Can I say my idiotic financial decisions that continue to haunt me? (mid life crises Caroline) Okay I am grateful. 😡
All the music in the world that has inspired, uplifted me and giving me good reason to dance (and others a reason to laugh)
Laughter, parties, festivals, and celebrations- joy joy joy
My Michael Buble concert tickets and Thai massage voucher I woke up to this morning. My husband rocks!!
Wazza for reminding me every day to live life freely, fearlessly, and with joyful passion
Many of you who have followed this blog over the years know we have a wonderful connection with brothers and sisters in Kenya and have been able to help them with food, clothing, education, micro-loans for jobs, and care for widows and orphans. Two years ago we completed an orphanage for 72 children who were living in a slum and since have financed the ongoing expenses to provide food, clothing, medical services, education and care at $3,000.00 per month. Some of you have been a real blessing in helping us share so generously with them.
Our hope all along was that the brothers and sisters in Kenya wouldn’t become dependent upon us or anywhere else in the west for resource, but would grow in their dependence on God and how he would provide for them in an ongoing way given the great need they face. We asked them to keep an eye out for some way to help fund the orphanage locally and over the past two years they have considered a number of business and agricultural opportunities that would be able to do that. The only one that has endured is to open a petrol station not far from the orphanage, on a main road near a large city that was recently named a regional center for local government. They put together a plan that would be able to offer jobs to some of their people and generate profits that would be able to fund the orphanage. While I might have hoped for something greener, this is what Father has put on their hearts and the orphanage will be the owners of the station. It will make them self-supporting once the original costs to develop the land and put in the tanks and pumps.
That will cost $72,000, which is the same and two years worth of ongoing support. This, however, will fund them long into the future. We would like to see if we could quickly raise that money as our gift to the orphans and staff, and as a way to bless the wider community. They need it quickly, so if you would like to be involved in this with us, please send in what you can as soon as you can. I am convinced they have done their due diligence and that this enterprise will benefit the brothers and sisters there in a number of ways. In faith, they have already begun development of the property with volunteer labor as you can see below.
Work begins on the property.
Digging for the underground tanks
The first hole is done.
We need to make a commitment one way or another by the end of the week, and having a sense of those who might be standing with us in this process,
If you feel called to help us support these children with this enterprise, or our monthly support until it is completed, we and they would be grateful. If you want to know more about this project or the AIDs recovery home we also support in South Africa, you can see our Sharing With the World page at Lifestream. You can either donate with a credit card there, or you can mail a check to Lifestream Ministries • 1560 Newbury Rd, Ste 1 #313 • Newbury Park, CA 91320. Or if you prefer, we can take your donation over the phone at (805) 498-7774.
One snowboard is fun so why not two? A few companies are popping up across the globe that have created two small boards for your feet, resulting in a fun device to play around with particularly in the snow park. With the recent dip in the number of kids taking up snowboarding, this could be just the thing to bring a little life back into the sport.
Based in Southern California, Dual Snowboards offers a set of mini boards, one for each leg, that can be used with standard bindings. The boards are not connected to each other, enabling you to move your legs independently. You can ride them sideways just like a snowboard when on the slopes, but more importantly, the Dual Snowboards open up new possibilities for turning, jumping, sliding, or riding in the snow park.
Dual uses a standard 4×4 bolt pattern so you can easily mount your favorite pair of snowboard bindings. The mini boards are 405mm long with a 269.5mm wide tail and 280mm wide tip. A full ABS thru-core and sidewall construction help to hold turns and reduce vibration.
Dual founder Scott Rickett is hoping that through grassroots efforts, dual boards could become the next extreme action sport of choice and future X-games or Olympic sport. The Dual Snowboards retail for $299 a pair and can be purchased from the company website.
For those of you in Europe, Spaniard Jose Barroso has decided to take the concept across the pond with his new company Twinboards. Similar in style to the Dual Snowboards, the mini boards are made from fiberglass with a poplar wood core and ABS sidewall construction. You can register your interest in buying a pair on the company website.
The view Hells Canyon Wilderness backpackers enjoy when hiking out of Lower Canon Lake back to the Trail 101 (Boise Trail) portion of the Seven Devils Loop.
PUBLIC LANDS -- Aside from probably being unconstitutional, and certainly being stupid and greedy, Idaho's effort to take over federal lands within the state's borders also would probably be unaffordable. Of course, unless the state sold off the lands to corporations.
Here's the report posted before today's meeting in Boise:
By KIMBERLEE KRUESI/Associated Press
BOISE, Idaho — Taking control of federal public lands in Idaho could cost the state $111 million a year, a new report shows.
The study by the University of Idaho’s Policy Analysis Group found the state could lose millions of dollars in eight of nine different scenarios involving such a transfer.
Researchers compared various financial benefits for the state’s timber industry to increased costs connected with management of the land.
The report was requested by a legislative committee tasked under a resolution known as HR22 with studying a state takeover of federal lands in Idaho. The panel will finalize its recommendation today (Dec. 9, 2014).
Supporters of a land transfer claim timber harvests would boom under state management. Meanwhile, opponents say the boost in revenue would do little to offset the millions of dollars needed for land management expenses.
Researchers only saw a profit of $24 million a year in one scenario. In that case, Idaho would have to boost its harvest by 1 billion board-feet of timber a year and sell it at $250 per 1,000 board-feet of lumber.
Under the worst-case scenario, Idaho would increase its harvest sales by half a billion board-feet and would sell it at $150 per 1,000 board-feet. This would result in $35 million of revenue a year and $146 million of costs, resulting a loss of $111 million a year.
In 2012, the Idaho Forest Group reported that Idaho harvested roughly 145,000 board-feet of timber.
“The question becomes, after you consider the timber markets, is how are these lands going to be managed?” said Jay O’Laughlin, who wrote the report shortly after retiring as director of the research group. “That’s going to determine the cost structure and the revenues.”
O’Laughlin said the state would face steep wildfire prevention and suppression costs if it takes control of federal lands.
Currently, Idaho relies on federal firefighters to put out wildfires on state lands. By taking control of the federal lands, Idaho would be in charge of providing enough staffing and equipment to suppress the state’s largest wildfires.
Idaho would also be responsible for payments the federal government now doles out to help offset losses in property taxes from nontaxable federal land within their boundaries.
“The question whether payments to counties should continue is likely to spark lively debate,” O’Laughlin wrote in the report.
O’Laughlin and his researchers only studied the cost of managing 16.4 million acres of the 34 million acres of public lands in Idaho now managed by the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The group chose not to include Idaho’s legally protected roadless areas and wild river corridors.
The exclusion sparked criticism from the Idaho Conservation League.
Economist Evan Hjerpe, working on behalf of the conservation group, said that HR 22 does not explicitly outline which federal lands should or should not be transferred. Instead, the conservation group believes the resolution requires the state to manage 28 million acres of public lands.
Hjerpe also wrote that O’Laughlin’s report failed to include the transition costs of taking over federal lands.
“The initial costs have been estimated elsewhere at almost $2 billion dollars of loss to the state of Idaho,” Hjerpe wrote in his review. “In conclusion, the PAG report suffers from a number of deficiencies and has only quantified part of the fiscal cost to the state of Idaho.”
O’Laughlin responded that his direction from the committee was to only study the costs once the transfer was completed. Anything else, he said, would be too confusing.
The legislative committee was formed after Idaho lawmakers passed the resolution in 2013 demanding that the federal government cede most of the public lands it oversees in Idaho to the state.
Soon after, two contradictory reports were published offering different estimates on how much the endeavor would cost. The Idaho Conservation League declared the state would lose money, while the Idaho Department of Lands said Idaho would gain money.
Built to take you on any type of island adventure, the new Maliko from OluKai performs well whether you are on wet, rocky, dry, or sandy terrain. With a unique design, the Maliko is more versatile than a minimalist trail shoe and offers more protection than a flip flop.
Apart from looking like you have camel feet, the Maliko split toe design gives you a bit more stability with the freedom of movement in your big toe, extremely useful for something like stand up paddle boarding. Unlike Vibram Five Fingers, the simple "two toe" design makes the shoes easier to get on without having to separate each of your toes.
When you are playing in the ocean, river, or lake, drainage ports on the instep help get the water out quickly so you aren't sloshing around. As the Malikos are made with a breathable air mesh upper, the shoes will dry pretty quickly once you are out of the water. The footbed is removable to help with drying or for those that would rather have a better feel of the terrain beneath their feet.
If you have sensitive skin, be aware that sand gets inside the shoes quite easily and can cause irritation. After running on the beach in my Malikos, I ended up with painful, raw skin on the top of my big toes.
The Maliko performs pretty well on the trail, especially over muddy or wet terrain. The rubber outsole extends up to provide a bit of toe protection, while the suction cup tread design gives you good traction over slippery surfaces such as river crossings.
Bottom Line: If you are into funky looking footwear and want a minimalist shoe that you can wear for almost all your summer adventures, check out the OluKai Maliko.
The men's and women's OluKai Maliko retails for $100 and is available now.
I love the questions people are asking as they wake up to the reality of living in the life of Jesus. This one came today from Mississippi and in the limited space email offers, I tried to give her a bit of an answer:
This may sound stupid. How does one share the gospel with others without being manipulative or is most “churched” people’s conception of “witnessing” wrong? How do we introduce others to Christ so they too can be free? I am new to this sight and it has one eye opener after another. Thanks.
Not stupid at all… Religion finds no end to the ways of manipulating people to do good or even to convert. As God wakes us up to his reality we can admit that most of what evangelism has meant is exploiting and manipulating our neighbors and friends, rather than demonstrating to them the reality of who God is by the way we live our lives. I’m blessed God is doing that work in you.
Scripture makes clear that it is the Spirit who convicts the world (John 16) and that it is our task to love them freely (John 13:34-35) and not manipulate them by persuasive words (I Cor 2) nor shameful tactics (2 Cor 4). Rather by living in his reality and openly talking about it as others ask us about our lives we ‘set forth the truth plainly (and in doing so) commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. (2 Cor 4:1-4)
As we live in his reality, we’ll have no end of opportunities to give an account for the hope that lies within us. And then we can truly express our love and concern for people and not just manipulate them to respond the way we think they should.
It makes sharing this kingdom a task of exquisite joy, not a heavy obligation.
Do you remember awkwardly learning how to play the keyboard during high school music lessons? Over in the UK, there’s been a serious drop-off in recent years in terms of students studying music in school, falling below 20 percent. But teachers are actually turning to the cutting-edge realm of electronic music as a new way to inspire learning.
“With free YouTube tutorials encouraging extracurricular education and a new scheme giving production hardware to schools, electronic music could become a way in which schools can engage a new generation of musically curious students,” The Guardian reports.
The report examines a particular educational initiative in the UK that was driven by leading software and hardware manufacturer Ableton , where the company offered a rebate discount to DJ/producers when they exchanged their old machines for new equipment. Ableton went on to distribute 6,000 of these old machines to schools around the country.
“The idea materialised slowly, around two years ago, when we accidentally stumbled across teachers doing stuff in the classroom with our products already, and we spoke to them about it and observed some of the lessons,” Ableton Communications Director Chris Woods told The Guardian.
“We started looking at what it would take for us to support this. We found that some teachers had the desire, but not the money to do it. Others don’t know how to use the technology, so we’re offering training to them.”
Taking electronic music into high school classrooms is still a work in progress. One of the main obstacles is the fact that curriculums have traditionally been classically based, with schools needing slow encouragement to widen their syllabi to embrace the new frontiers of electronic music.
Check out “Can electronic music revolutionise school music lessons?” over at The Guardian to read the report in full.
British designer Christopher Jenner has created an exciting new interior for the English perfume house Penhaligon’s on Regent Street.
Giant padded walls, punctured by sticky chamfered light boxes, draw the eye into a kaleidoscope of heritage; ceiling roses inspired by Westminster Abbey introduce a Tudor fretwork ceiling from which glossy Brighton Pavilion Onion Dome chandeliers are suspended. Extensive marquetry paneling and handmade furniture in white Oak, gloss and laser-cut solid Brass, surround a candy-stick maze table with bow stools, all of which sit upon a bespoke patterned encaustic cement tile floor.
According to Christopher Jenner the project is crafting English architectural heritage to eccentric effect that sits jauntily within the Beaux Arts style for which the street is famous.
At times societies break away from their obsessive ambitions, giving way to the pursuit of pleasure. With the British Empire at its height and the change of command at BuckinghamPalace, the dictated and constrained moral values of Victorian England surrendered to a pre-war period of discovery, eccentricity and joviality.
In the arts the Aesthetic movement expressed a committed support of aesthetic values over socio-political thinking, renouncing projected dictation and favouring values of ‘beauty’.
The project is an assembly of these values created via a collection of pattern, form and texture in a synthesis of traditional English handcraft and high-tech manufacturing. Styled as a symbiosis of the classic and contemporary, the design investigates a thoroughly current fusion of classic Edwardian splendor and Japanese Manga. Jenner’s strategic and lateral approach to the design is revealed through the sole use of brand iconography as informant, layered via materials and textures, emphasising his signature pointillist style.
Headed out of town this summer on a fabulous extended vacation? While planning for a short trip is pretty easy, preparing for a weeks-long odyssey requires organizational skills and pre-planning that would make Martha Stewart jealous. Don’t worry, we’re here to help:
Secure Your Home
To prevent your place from looking empty, stop your newspaper and mail delivery and put at least one light on a timer. Hire a local teen to mow your lawn while you are away, and pay him or her to walk or drive by your house every other day and remove fliers from your front door. Before you leave, put your water heater in vacation mode, turn off the water to your toilets, dishwasher, washing machine and sinks, and turn up your thermostat to 85 degrees. Leave your cell phone number with a trusted neighbor, and install fresh batteries in your smoke detector.
And clean out your fridge and pantry prior to leaving and toss any bread, milk or other food that will go bad while you are away — no one wants to return home to a nasty science experiment in their cupboards.
Prepare Your Paperwork
If you are traveling internationally, you will need more than just your driver’s license for your trip. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requires U.S. travelers to present a passport or other document that denotes identity and citizenship when entering the United States.
If you’re driving to Canada or Mexico, make sure your car insurance is up to date and that you have the most current card in your glove box. You might also want to give your insurance agent a jingle to verify your coverage in these countries and find out how to get service there in the event of a breakdown.
If you’re going to go participate in any activity that requires a license, get that squared away before you leave. For example, to go boating in Canada, you need a boating license. Visit a website like BoatOperatorCard.ca before you leave to study for the license and take the required test.
Get Your Car Ready
A week or two before leaving, bring your vehicle in for a thorough inspection and arrange for any needed maintenance. TechAuto.com has a handy checklist of what your mechanic needs to do to get your car ready for your long trip. If your tires are looking old, replace all four, and have the steering aligned. Be sure to take along a spare tire that is full of air and in great condition.
Finally, place a fully-stocked first aid kit, some blankets and a case or two of water in the trunk — you can drink it along the way and you can use it in case your engine overheats.
No matter what the size of your home or apartment, storage space is usually an issue. It seems like you never have enough.
Almost by accident, two Danish design artisans, Kaare Frandsen and Nicolas Aagaard, have come up with a solution. It’s called Pluk and this new storage device is basically two circular 8-inch rings weaved together with elastic string.
Frandsen and Aagaard originally developed Pluk to be an attractive fruit basket with a unique design. When they realized it could be used to hold a host of other items and be highly useful as a storage device, Frandsen and Aagaard decided to market the product. They developed new designs with other materials and expanded the range of colours.
Pluk can hold almost anything and the pliable, sailboat-strength elastic strings make it easy to place items in and out of the device. It is designed to hang from the ceiling but can also be used on a table.
“First we made a metal version but some people thought it was too expensive and they wanted more colors to choose from,” explains Frandsen, a cabinet-maker who is currently a student at The Danish School of Design. “We decided to make two new versions, wood and plastic, in addition to the original metal version.”
Available in black and white, the metal Pluk, is thin and powder-coated for durability. The plastic version, available in seven different colors, is designed so that it can be taken apart easily.
Needing about $6,600 to finance the materials, equipment and marketing for full production, Frandsen and Aagaard launched a Kickstarter campaign that has been quite successful. They’ve raised more than $5,000 so far but are still looking for additional funding.
Those interested in supporting this project with donations can visit the Kickstarter site at www.kck.st/1if5eAD . The site includes dozens of product photos and a demonstration video.
Depending on their donation level, backers can receive plastic, metal and wood versions of Pluk.
“Pluk is a versatile storage device and can be used for almost any purpose, in any room of the house,” says Aagaard. “We’re looking forward to being able to offer this product on a large scale. But we need some help.”
For further information, visit the Kickstarter site at www.kck.st/1if5eAD .
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Welcome to the 5Point Film Festival! For the first time ever, this two day event is coming to Asheville! Come on out August fourteenth and fifteenth and prepare to be inspired by amazing films, guests and events. The weekend’s festivities are guided by 5 simple principles – Respect, Commitment, Humility, Purpose, and Balance.
What to expect:
A great lineup of short, inspirational, adventure films at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Daytime events, special guests, free parties, and a few surprises
Friday August 14th
4-7pm – Outdoor kickoff party next to the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
7-10pm – Film Program I
Saturday Aug 15th
9am -12:30pm – Down by the river Clean Up: With Asheville GreenWorks
10-11am – Going the distance – mountain athlete discussion powered Blue Ridge Outdoors
11am – Youth Adventure Program
12-2pm – Community Picnic and Ice Cream Social
1-4pm – Down by the river demos, clinics, guests, and contests, with NRS
4-7pm – Van Life Rally with adventure vehicles, live music, drinks, food, and some of your favorite adventure brands, powered by Prestige Subaru
7-10pm – Film Program II
11pm-2am – After Party with live music
Visit the event page to find out details and get your tickets !
This zebra mussels on this boat indicte why state officials are concerned about spread of the exotic species in northwest waterways. In this case, a Florida man trailered his boat across the country before being stopped at State Line by Washington State Patrol officers. The mussels can spread wildly when reintroduced to other waters.
INVASIVE SPECIES -- An Independent Economic Advisory Board update released last week indicates that the money spent – an estimated $5 million per year from a variety of sources -- in attempts to ward off an invasion of non-native zebra and quagga mussels into the Columbia River basin is money well spent.
However, the report acknowledges there's still a probability the damaging species will eventually get into the Columbia and Snake River systems and raise havoc for irrigators, municipalities and hydropower managers, not to mention boaters and anglers.
Lake Roosevelt water levels, May 3, 2013. (U.S Bureau of Reclamation)
BOATING — The level of Lake Roosevelt is at an elevation of about 1256 feet today, and it's expected to remain in the range of 1255.0 - 1258.5 for the next week.
The Bureau of Reclamation predicts the spring runoff to begin this weekend, and the weather forecast for a heat wave moving in seems to confirm that.
Until the runoff begins lake levels are expected remain fairly steady.
The drawdown is not nearly as severe as last year, as the chart shows.
Get daily lake level forecast by phone, updated daily at 3 p.m: (800) 824-4916.
Better yet, check out this new NOAA site with Roosevelt levels and a list of boat launching elevations on the same page.
An alleged shark that appeared in a Manhattan Beach wave Friday as two children played in the water nearby was most likely a dolphin, according to experts who have examined the image (see top photo).
The unusual "photobomb" story went viral on Sunday and Monday, with some reports stating that the critter was a shark, and many other reports strongly implying that it was a shark.
This is somewhat understandable. There were several shark sightings in Manhattan Beach in late summer and fall, mostly from the pier or from the air. Juvenile great white sharks feed in Southern California coastal waters and are seen sporadically during summer months.
However, if you look closely at the photo, the tail fin is horizontal, like that of a dolphin. Also, there is no sign of a second dorsal fin, which sharks possess.
Plus, bottlenose dolphins are frequently seen surfing in the faces of waves, while sharks are not. If this still looks more like a shark than a dolphin, water distortion could be the reason.
(A sure way to tell would have been to see if the creature surfaced to breathe, which is a must for mammals. But the woman who captured the image didn't realize there was a creature in the wave till afterward.)
Stated Kera Mathes, a naturalist with the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, on her Facebook page:
"I know there has been a lot of concern over this news story, but just wanted to let everyone know this is a dolphin. A couple of us (mainly Julien Jordan haha) have been emailing in to the news. I couldn't agree more Julien, the news needs to check the photos and facts before you go scaring everyone! I hate that the poor sharks are getting a bad, scary, rep for this when it's a coastal bottlenose dolphin."
Diane Alps of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Cetacean Society commented on my Facebook page: "Sure looks to be a bottlenose dolphin! Single falcate dorsal fin, horizontal flukes. General body shape looks dolphin'esque too."
Stated Florida-based shark expert David Shiffman on Facebook : "I asked about a dozen shark scientists and a handful of dolphin scientists (yes, I know dolphin scientists) to confirm my suspicion that it was a dolphin, and 100% of them identified it as a dolphin. It doesn't have a second dorsal fin and the tail is flat. Dolphin.
"It took me only a few minutes to do this. And yet, the media ran with the inaccurate and fear-mongering story without reaching out to any scientists."
This is not the first case of likely mistaken identity (we cannot state as fact that the Manhattan Beach photobomber is not a shark, and Eric Martin, co-director of the Roundhouse Marine Studies Marine Lab and Aquarium at the end of the pier is among those who still think it's a shark).
In September of 2012 at the Hurley Pro surf contest at Lower Trestles near San Clemente, Kolohe Andino was p hotographed riding a wave while what was first thought to be a shark appeared in the wave face (middle photo).
It was identified as a bottlenose dolphin by ACS researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger, based on the shape of its dolphin-like fluke.
In 2011 at Swami's in north San Diego County, surfers were sure that a large critter photographed in a wave was a large great white shark. The tail of the animal even looked vertical, like that of a shark. But that, too, was most likely a dolphin turned sideways as it swam through the wave (bottom photo).
Said Salvador Jorgensen, a white shark expert from Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station: "It doesn't really look like a shark tail more than, say, a dolphin sideways in the wave. But it's impossible to say for sure from the picture alone."
Christopher Lowe, a white shark expert who runs the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach, also said the tail looked more like that of a dolphin.
So most likely, the two kids playing in the waves at Manhattan Beach on Friday were photobombed by a bottlenose dolphin. Still a fun story, but one that would not have gotten nearly as much attention (or website traffic) had it been reported as such.
–Pete Thomas
–Illustrations showing a bottlenose dolphin and great white shark are via Wikipedia
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