Rented watercraft are a great way to enjoy Washington’s Lake Chelan
By Brian J. Cantwell, The Seattle Times - Mon, Aug 20, 2012 11:16 pm
LAKE CHELAN, Wash. -- Here are three games you can play on a half-day outing aboard a rented motorboat as you explore this fjordlike lake, one of Washington’s favorite spots for sun fun:
Barbie’s Dream House: Which classic lakefront cottage - or which varnished log-cabin mini-mansion - will be yours after you win “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”
Baa, Baa Big Sheep: Which soaring lakeside...
Read more.
Campers find 'roughing it' not so rough anymore
By Bryan Brasher, Scripps Howard News Service - Mon, Jul 2, 2012 3:27 pm
When Middleton, Tenn., resident Emily Ross arrived at Crazy Horse Campground Thursday evening with her husband, Matt, she was a little aggravated to find that she had one bar of service showing on her cellphone.
In past years, she’s always had zero bars -- and that’s just how she liked it.
“When I saw that bar, I felt like saying some nasty words because I’ve always loved the fact that we could...
Read more.
Lions and rattlers and bears, oh my!
By Carol Seavey - Wed, Jun 27, 2012 6:26 pm
Arm yourself with knowledge to defend against Wyoming’s wildlife
Hiking up switchbacks on a hot summer day, you turn a corner to find a bear in your path. What you do next could be the difference between a great story and a tragic one.
“Any sort of recreating in the back country, or even the front country, is a fantastic experience,” said Tara Teaschner, information and education specialist for...
Read more.
Dry weather could increase bear problems
By Standard-Examiner staff - Tue, Jun 26, 2012 11:44 pm
It’s well known that hot, dry weather increases the danger of wildfires, but it also creates another potential hazard for campers and other people spending time in the mountains.
The dry weather Utah is experiencing so far this summer could increase the chance of human encounters with black bears in the state.
John Shivik, mammals coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, said the dry...
Read more.
Arbuckle Creek in central Florida a scene to behold
By Susan Cocking, Miami Herald - Fri, Jun 22, 2012 11:32 pm
MIAMI - It had been about eight years since I paddled and camped on central Florida’s scenic Arbuckle Creek, but on a return trip a few weeks ago, I was pleased to find it pretty much unchanged.
Even though my two friends and I didn’t paddle the entire 23 miles from Lake Arbuckle in Polk County south to Lake Istokpoga in Highlands County, we got a good taste of the creek’s scenic beauty and...
Read more.
Wildfire threatens to cast shadow on Colorado summer
By Jenny Deam and John M. Glionna, The Los Angeles Times - Fri, Jun 15, 2012 11:07 am
ESTES PARK, Colo. - Making his descent from the mountaintop Thursday morning, bicyclist Kent Bell rolled smack into the filmy haze coating this resort town. Forty miles away, near Friday’s finish line of the Ride the Rockies endurance test, one of the largest fires in Colorado history raged out of control.
Over the last few days, insulated by clear skies to the west, the 36-year-old rider had...
Read more.
A pair of grand rivers: floating the Wallowa and Grand Ronde
By Pete Zimowsky, McClatchy Newspapers, , The Idaho Statesman - Thu, Jun 14, 2012 8:52 pm
A bald eagle, with its classic white head and tail, cruised effortlessly through a hallway of evergreens along the river, immediately catching the attention of rafters at camp during a May float trip on the Lower Wallowa and Grande Ronde.
Everything about the 40-mile adventure on a wild-and-scenic river system in northeastern Oregon is relaxing, from wildlife watching to camping to morel picking...
Read more.
Historic Little Bear Inn reopens
By Tom Mast, Star-Tribune, , The Associated Press - Mon, Jun 4, 2012 7:45 pm
CHEYENNE — Kitchen manager John Andrews served up samples of a crab-and-artichoke dip with crackers for staff and drop-in visitors to try.
The verdict broke along gender lines — women favored a plainer dip; the men liked a variety with peppers.
It was just one more detail that required attention before the Little Bear Inn north of Cheyenne reopens on June 8.
The historic inn was closed last year...
Read more.
This 18-year-old builds a birch-bark canoe in rare fashion
By Brad Dokken, Grand Forks Herald - Thu, May 31, 2012 8:28 pm
NORTHWEST ANGLE, Minn. - When a tribal elder on Lake of the Woods saw the birch-bark canoe Talon Stammen was building, the native was quick with a quip.
"You know they make those in Fiberglas now," the elder joked.
The point wasn’t lost on Stammen, 18, of Grand Forks, but building a canoe using materials he’d harvested with traditional tools was as much about the journey as the destination.
He...
Read more.
Wear life jackets for safe Memorial Day on the water
By Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle - Tue, May 22, 2012 10:11 am
The three most dangerous days of the year in the outdoors arrive this weekend.
Nine months of pent-up energy -- work or school, and for many, just plain not having enough fun for a long time -- will be unleashed in a 72-hour span over Memorial Day weekend.
When people bust loose after being held down, they can be drawn to high-risk behavior. Like a young adult floating down a cold, high river in...
Read more.
