Flying with River

Good Bye Jon Jon and Jonah

We love you both. Thank you for sharing your lives with us.

back to nature

Aliens are Here

There's a lot of strange political and natural stuff going on as usual, although it seems to be getting weirder as time goes on. It's too bad Larry can't just be who he really is and let go of the lying and corruption about his sexuality. In some ways invasive species are more frightening than Idaho politics because those changes are somewhat permanent and often disastrous to entire ecosystems. Invasive species and Larry Craig have a lot in common I suppose.

I still can't believe this Bill Sali guy was elected to the US House, but I tell you that he doesn't represent me as an Idahoan!

wild man Canyon

This little guy has so much enthusiasm for life, it puts a smile on my face. And boy does he dig slides. He can't get enough of the hydrotube at our local swimming pool which is a pretty extreme ride for a one year old!

the Little Man

Grimes Pass Roadless Area

The Boise River is More Precious than Gold

A group of concerned citizens and elected officials from the Boise area got together this summer for a float trip down the Middle Fork of the Boise River; a stretch of river upstream of Boise that is threatened by a proposed and open pit cyanide heap leach gold mine near the town of Atlanta, Idaho. The trip was organized by Idaho Families for Clean Water which is a collaborative effort between the Idaho Conservation League, Sierra Club and Trout Unlimited to try to block the mine.

One major concern is the amount of diesel fuel and other hazardous chemicals that would be trucked along this treacherous backcountry road in great quantities to reach the mine site. On our way up to the put in we passed the scene of a recent car accident where a driver had lost control and swerved off the road and nearly landed in the river. One can only expect that such accidents are likely to occur with the frequency of supply trips for the mine over its lifetime.

It was a great group of folks that came for the opportunity to learn more about the mine proposal and the potential effects to the river which supplies a good deal of Boise's drinking supply. It is a beautiful stretch of river that draws many visitors for fishing, hot springing, hiking, camping and hunting.

Here's John from ICL giving a very interactive and informative presentation on the specifics of the proposed mine site and the historic impacts of cyanide mining around the country. He also gave a great summary of some of the strategies that the coalition is utilizing to try to stop the mine.

Pam from TU explained how one of the oldest laws on the books, the Mining Law of 1872, is one major obstacle for blocking this mine and others like it in the West. There has been some movement afoot to reform the law and with the new democratic majority in congress we just might have a chance to overturn this ancient and absurd legislation.

Tetons- Think Rocks

This is likely a fossilized brain of a pre-pre-pre historic human that lived on the bottom of ancient seas that covered the Teton area hundreds of millions of years ago. I was just sitting enjoying the magnificence of a bright sunny day in Death Canyon when I made the discovery. As you can tell from the photo, the back of the brain of this specimen is extremely pronounced which leads me to believe that most of its thoughts were occurring in the subconscious - something that's been happening to me a lot lately.

I was on a trip with some spectacular folks for a nice walk and talk near Phelps Lake. We had a silent meditation hike down from the saddle to enjoy the sounds and sights of the wildness around us. It's something I need to do more often. Nearing the lake I heard some rustling in the bushes, and stopped to observe what curious creature might be experiencing the same reality of the locale. A momma moose and her baby slowly wandered out, mere feet from me, and crossed the trail at a leisurely pace to continue on their mid afternoon sojourn to Phelps Lake. The fragrance of sweet summer pollen was wafting in the radiating heat of plants and sun. After a refresher in the lake and a wonderful exchange of words and stories I headed up canyon to Explore Death (which I'm doing right now by the way).

I found a lovely spot along the creek for a cool dip to awaken and refresh my sweaty and pulsating body. It was so great to get the blood flowing and end up in a frigid mountain stream surrounded by all that I love. The boulder on the right in this photo was my companion and I did see a few butterflies as well.

After catching back up with my comrades near the saddle I had a wonderful conversation about the Hopi Eagle Ceremony and Clan from my friend Daron. He goes along with the Eagle Clan to help harvest eagle eggs from the cliffs to perform the Eagle Ceremony. I must say that I could have walked and listened for quite some time more when we arrived back at the trail head. A beautiful day in the Tetons all around.

the Looooong state

Boston to Steamboat in 2.5 Days held its challenges and pleasures. Most notable were our near death experiences with merging lanes of semi trucks through Chicago and cresting the pass in the Snowy mountain range of Wyoming/Colorado to glimpse a scraggly black bear and enjoy the fading light behind the Zirkel Mtns. Of all the white knuckle winter driving I've done, nothing compared to my level of anxiety driving through Chicago and the bliss I felt coming down into North Park in such beautiful light where my grandparents are buried and my father spent his childhood.

Somewhere in the middle of this everlasting state the Penske began vapor locking and didn't stop the rest of the trip. Apparently ethanol fuel mixture has a lower vaporizing temperature which led to our problem. With a new fuel filter and a short nap on the roadside we continued our Nebraska crawl without a stop at the Cabela's for a walk down memory lane (my father took me there during his business trips).

This was the view at our break down point and I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to see this view without any road, power line, fences or planted crops and with herds of buffalo, antelope and deer roaming in the distance.

Almost home and at the bottom of Rabbit Ears pass the Penske caught fire and started shooting flames out near the wheel. Luckily we had the dregs of our coffee mugs to extinguish the flames and we were on our way for the final 30 minute home stretch.

the Random Slideshow

I wanted to try out this new program for creating slideshows on my blog so here's some random photos from various adventures I've had. It's a free and easy to use flash slideshow program called slideroll.

A day with Celeb

Finally we were able to make it up to Raspberry Ranch so River could spend some time with Celeb. She was great for River and enjoyed being out and about and free to munch grass since she’s been on a pretty strict diet lately. We explored the ranch for two hours on a beautiful spring day and River was surprisingly comfortable riding for that long. He even tried trotting her a few times and loved it.A bald eagle flew right over the top of us as we wandered down this road and River nearly fell backwards staring up at the sky to watch it. The ranch is right at the base of West Mountain in the Boise National Forest and as River gets more riding experience under his belt we will be able to ride up the mountain to explore Hidden Lake or Snowbank Peak.It's something about the size of horses and their unique personalities that attract me to them so much and they are definitely fascinating animals for kids. Perhaps one day we'll be the proud owners of some fat and lazy quarter horses we can occasionally jump on for an adventure. This was great prep for a potential family horse-pack trip into the Wind Rivers. What do you say Mike?

June is in Tune

June Mishea McEvoy Woodruff has joined us in this world as of June 9th. The third of the McEvoy-Woodruff Clan, little June joins older sister Zeia and older brother Jasper in their efforts to take over the world. Weighing in at a hefty 8 lbs 4 oz, I'm sure she'll be a force to be reckoned with!Good luck with those wacky parents June! You can always visit Tio in Idaho for extended periods. No really, congratulations to the McEvoy Woodruff Clan!

Museo del Arte Moderno

Freight Train to Nowhere

What's better than riding a train with a bunch of krazy kids along the river for the afternoon? The only problem is that the train comes back, because once you get the bug for riding the rails..

Boise Foothills

Air and Sun

Wind and Space

Inside the Beauty

Of our Souls

Old Sand

I found some old pics recently from a trip up Sand Mountain north of Steamboat Springs. The trip was a beautiful sojourn with a great group of friends who converged for some winter fun in Steamboat.From the town of Hahn's Peak (north of Steamboat) we headed about 5 miles SW to Mill Creek, and started skiing just upstream from where it enters Steamboat Lake. After paralleling the creek for a couple of miles we headed up into the enchanted forest on the north flank of Sand. It's a nice and gradual climb through firs and spruce and we found a snug group of trees to huddle for a snack out of the fat, falling snowflakes. Before we reached the saddle between Mead and Sand we took a few moments to absorb the view east into the steep bowl below Sand's northeast face of cliffs. Although the open expanse of powder and steeps beckoned us, the snow was quite unstable and dropping in would not have been smart.While some of the group rested in the trees just below the saddle the rest of us headed through the final trees and up the summit ridge. Every time I have skied Sand the visibility has been awful and this time was no different. The fog and snow was so thick near the top and the lack of contrast from trees exagerated the feeling of being on a cloud.The east face of Sand is not a cornice you want to ski off unless you have a parachute. We had our moments on the top of Sand- always a special place for me- and headed back towards the saddle to make some turns and meet up with the others.

Wrapping up our hoots and hollers through the trees, we decided to head back a different way and follow a more direct drainage to meet up with Mill Creek. We quickly got held up in thick brush in a small and narrow drainage. Eventually, after the sustained bushwacking struggle, we met back up with our route and skied out to the car. Exhausted and fulfilled we relaxed back at the house with a soak in the rented hot tub. One of these days I'll make it up Sand on a blue bird day and get the winter perspective of Hahn's Peak and the Zirkels I've never had. Gosh I love north Routt county.

River's First Powder Day in Utah

While visiting beautiful Bountiful Utah recently, River and I had a chance to get out to sample some fresh Utah powder. Our cohorts rallied for Snow Basin stating that there would be no crowds, so we went along with the plan (River is cool like that). Of course we happened to be visiting on one of the busiest days ever and as I was lamenting spending the $$$ on the day pass, a fellow pulled up next to us and busted out his 1/2 rack of Hamm's and lit up his cig. I immediately remembered why I spend the majority of my snowsliding time in the backcountry, and at the same time I had an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia; nostalgia for days of spring skiing with a buzz after throwing back a few hangin on the sun deck.

It was a beautiful blue-bird day and the mountain was spectacular with its exposed cliffs and peaks towering above the resort. The older kids made a few turns while the youngins chilled with Grandma. Despite most of the snow being tracked-out we had a blast until two klutz doctors in our group collided and we decided it was time to head to lower terrain and meet up with the kids.

Zeia, River and Isaac joined us on the carpet for a few warm-up runs and then begged to head up the Gondola. River and Zeia were in heaven as we headed up in the space ship for their first big run together. Wind howling at the top did not phase them and River was in awe of the experience.River, Zeia, and Isaac wrapped the day with a long hot tub soak back in town with the other kids and shared their Utah powder day stories. I'm certain the day's events are imprinted on River's memory and his hunger for these fun adventures will only grow as he does. Good times.
-cw