MONTHLY
INLAN
D
NW J U OUTD OOR LY C THE INLAND NORTHWEST GUIDE TO OUTDOOR RECREATION // JULY 2008 // VOL. 4, NO. 12
( P G . 2 ALENDAR 3ß)
where to go to see
Old Growth Forest
in theA Tree-Hugging Inland Love Affair The Crazy History of the Tour
northwest
de France / page: 26 Roadtrip: Ice-Age Floods Tour / page: 13 Bicycle Touring 101 / page: 11 Trail of COEUR D’ALENE Flood Damage Report / page: 8 Robots Invade Moses Lake / page:12
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in this issue p.5 / From the Editor The Law of the Sidewalk
10
13
p.6 / Out There News CD’A Trail Update, New Americorps Trails Position, Sustainability TF
p.11 / Everyday Cyclist Bike Touring 101 By John Speare
18
p.12 / Roadtrips Robots Invade Moses Lake, Ice Age Flood Tour By Jon Snyder and Stan Miller
p.14 / Old Growth Forest guide Where To Go To See Awesome Trees By Amy S. McCaffree
MONTHLY Out There Monthly / JUly 2008 Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Jon Snyder jon@outtheremonthly.com Art Director
Kaitlin Snyder kaitlin@outtheremonthly.com Sustainability editor
p.17 / Health & Fitness Take Our Active Families Quiz By Amy Lutz and Dr. Bob Lutz
Juliet Sinisterra juliet@outtheremonthly.com Health & Fitness Editor
Dr. Bob Lutz senior writer
Derrick Knowles
p.18 / Sustainable Living Dive Into Environmental Ed By Tiffany West
Contributing Writers:
Michael Campbell, Mira Copeland, Joan Egan, Ashley Graham, Ben Greenfield, Esther Holmes, Amy Lutz, Dr. Bob Lutz, Amy Silbernagel McCaffree, Stan Miller, John Speare, Tiffany West Distribution Coordinator
p.20 / What’s Your Gear? Paul Fish: Mountaineering By Mira Copeland
p.21 / MUSIC Reviews & Upcoming shows The Black Angels, Madonna, The Breeders, Opeth, Reptet
p.22 / Book Reviews Cascade Train Tragedy, Seafood Politics, And Black Sabbath
p.23 / JUly INLAND NW OUTDOOR CAlendar & Six Month Training Calendar p.26 / The Last Page
Barbara Snyder To request issues please call 509 / 534 / 3347 Ad Sales
Angie Dierdorff: 509 / 869 / 9438 Out There Monthly
Mailing Address: PO Box 559 Spokane, WA 99210 www.outtheremonthly.com, 509 / 534 / 3347 Out There Monthly is published once a month by Snyderco DBA/Out There Monthly. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. ©Copyright 2008 Snyderco DBA/Out There Monthly. The views expressed in this magazine reflect those of the writers and advertisers and not necessarily Snyderco DBA/Out There Monthly. Disclaimer: Many of the activities depicted in this magazine carry a significant risk of personal injury or death. Rock climbing, river rafting, snow sports, kayaking, cycling, canoeing and backcountry activities are inherently dangerous. The owners and contributors to Out There Monthly do not recommend that anyone participate in these activities unless they are experts or seek qualified professional instruction and/or guidance, and are knowledgeable about the risks, and are personally willing to assume all responsibility associated with those risks. Printed on 50% recycled paper with soy based inks in the Inland Northwest Proud member of
Blood, Blacksmiths, Beer and Bikes: An Interview with Tour de France Historian Matt Rendell By Jon Snyder
On the cover: Roosevelt grove near priest lake idaho. // photo ©Eric Zamora/conservation nW. Inset photo: nasa k10 in moses lake. // Jon Snyder
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FROM THE EDITOR: the law of The sidewalk Sidewalk bicycle riders: can we have a time-
out? I know the weather is beautiful and you just want to ride, but why are downtown sidewalks your favorite place to ride? Sure, weaving around pedestrians can be a blast, but are the city streets that terrifying? Riding the sidewalk doesn’t exempt you from traffic laws, but a lot of sidewalk riders act like the thing they love most about being on a bike is the self-imposed rule-free existence it affords them. Dude, red lights are for CARS, my bicycle must roam free. I wish I could say this reasoning is restricted to just meth-head tweakers on stolen
bikes and wannabe gangsta boys on department store BMXs, but, no. I’m sure that’s what the snazzy downtown bike commuter must have been thinking when he pulled up to the Browne and Sprague intersection from the sidewalk, took one look at me, riding towards him in the street on my commute to work, and then darted out against the red light, almost cutting me off, and continued on his carefree sidewalk journey. Nicely done my friend. I’ll know who to thank the next time a driver yells at me for doing nothing. These jerks in their cars are dead. Get on a bike
and live! Well you might be dead too if you ride on the sidewalk too much. Sidewalk riders have to enter and exit traffic every block, increasing their danger exponentially from riders who are in traffic, acting predictably, being seen, and obeying laws. A good friend of mine was hit by a car and severely injured in a bicycle/car collision a few months ago. He was riding the sidewalk and a car turning right didn’t see him. Let he who has never ridden the sidewalk cast the first stone. Understood. I’ve ridden a little sidewalk here and there, split a line now and then, and run a light in the middle of the night. It’s a
bad habit. As a cyclist, you are much safer—by a longshot—being in the road behaving as traffic. You also make all other riders safer when motorists see you operating your two-wheel steed predictably. A friend of mine just told me she now rides mostly in the street thanks to my encouragement. Word. The streets are for us on bikes. Save the sidewalks for kids on trikes. // ----------------------------------------------------JON SNYDER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Download a pdf copy of our latest issue at www.outtheremonthly.com
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You know it must be summer if the NIC Beach Hut is now open. After a long winter and a flooded spring, the North Idaho College Beach Hut operated by the Outdoor Pursuits program is now open. The red shack located on NIC’s Yap-Keehn-Um Beach is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout the summer. Boat rentals include sailboats for $25 an hour, one-person sea kayaks for $12 per hour, two-person sea kayaks for $14 per hour, lake kayaks for $9 per hour and canoes for $10 per hour. Fullday rates are also available. More info at (208) 769-3290. New on the Western Montana environmental litigation front: Conservation Groups Sue to Protect Native Fishery from Rock Creek Mine. Four conservation groups filed suit in June to protect a critical native fishery from impacts associated with the proposed Rock Creek Mine, a controversial copper and silver mine at the edge of the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness in the lower Clark Fork River watershed near Idaho. The suit, filed in state district court by the Rock Creek Alliance, the Clark Fork Coalition, Earthworks, and Trout Unlimited, alleges that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and mine owner Revett Minerals, Inc. are permitting the mine to operate in a way that violates state water quality laws, harms a key fishery, and shuts the public out of the permitting process. The Ferry County OHV saga took another interesting turn in June when a Judge issued an injunction against Ferry County off-highway vehicle ordinances. After having heard the arguments and reviewing all the evidence in the case of Quiet Communities Coalition vs. Ferry County, Spokane County Superior Court Judge Michael P. Price issued an order prohibiting Ferry County from implementing County Ordinances 2007-22 and 2008-06 regulating Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use in the County, pending further order of the Court. The Court also had “significant concerns” about the County’s enactment of Ordinance 2008-06 only hours before the scheduled hearing. Ordinance 2007-22, which opened 54 County Roads to OHV use, was adopted in December, 2007 after the Commissioners held three public meetings for citizen comment. Significant opposition in the form of emails, written and verbal comments by Ferry County residents to the new ordinance was presented during those meetings. In related news, an R.E.M. autographed guitar was auctioned for a Ferry County rail trail charity. A new Eastwood guitar signed by the three principal members of R.E.M. and presented for auction by the Ferry County Rail Trail Partners (FCRTP/a Washington State nonprofit) sold for almost $1,500 dollars. The mission of the Ferry County Rail Trail Partners is to preserve the rail corridor for the long-term economic benefit of Ferry County and create a non-motorized trail. Find out more about the FCRTP at http:// www.ferrycountyrailtrail.com/.
Want to get involved in alternative transportation in North Idaho? Coeur d’Alene area public transportation roundtable needs to fill ‘Citizen At Large’ seats. The objective of the Roundtable, which was just recently formed, is to serve in an advisory capacity to the KMPO (Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization) and provide recommendations on public transportation services and system improvements. The committee is also responsible for coordinating service, improving access to information for customers, exploring creative ways to maximize available funding, and advising the KMPO Board on policies and funding priorities for public transportation. Members of the public interested in serving on the committee are asked to fill out and submit an application. The application can be downloaded from the KMPO website at www.kmpo.net, or KMPO staff can provide it through email at kmpo@ kmpo.net, by calling 1-800-698-1927, faxing (509) 343-6400 or writing to: KMPO, 221 W. First Ave., Suite 310, Spokane, WA 99201. Applications must be received by July 26. The applications will be considered by the KMPO Board at their August meeting. The Fat Tire Trail Rider’s Club just won’t quit. The FTTRC was awarded a sign and trail marker grant in June. “We are excited to be the recipient of a $2070 grant from the Spokane Parks Foundation, specifically for trail markers at Camp Sekani City Park,” reported the club in a recent email. “Thanks to the guys of the Sekani design team for getting this together, and very big thanks to the Spokane Parks Foundation for supporting us.” Looking for a good excuse to take the Centennial Trail to see something fun? The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies play Liberty Lake on July 26th at Pavilion Park. Their forthcoming album is called Susquehanna, but you may remember them from the late 90s swing craze and their huge hit in the summer of 1998, “Zoot Suit Riot” (it led them to multi-platinum status). Could be the cycle-to event of the summer (if you don’t count the demolition derby at the Stateline Speedway on July 3). This just in from the Northwest Whitewater Association: “With river levels coming down (24,300 as of 6-16) we plan to resume Friday floats,” says the group. “It’s still BIG and full of hydraulics so you need to have good boating skills.” Make sure you have at least wet suits. If you plan to attend please send an email to: riverrunner@qwestoffice. net or call Paul at 220-8018 by Thurs. at 5 p.m. By not contacting in advance you risk the chance of launch locations, etc. being changed. Friday night floats take place on the Spokane River. Organizer’s have announced that the 200mile Tour of Pain, which was supposed to hold it’s second annual fully-supported race this month has been cancelled due to lack of registered riders. Organizer’s have not ruled out reviving the event in the future. //
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OUT THERE NEWS Trail of the Coeur d’alenes flood report Soothe your senses...
strengthen your body
Most of the trail still open
By Esther holmes
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The 24th year
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• Convenient neighborhood location • Ashtanga Yoga for all levels • Monthly Philosophy Study Group • Teacher Training Program • Child care coming soon! • Karma Yoga Program
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Massive trail washout at milepost 20.5 // Photo esther holmes.
The phone has been ringing off the hook at Old Mission State Park with people inquiring about conditions on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. Spring floods damaged portions along the Coeur d’Alene River, but Bull Run north has been repaired so the trail is open from there to Mullan and between Plummer to Harrison, which was not damaged. The 125-foot washout between Springston and Medimont will be off limits for weeks. “The hydrology of water coming down river made a back curl that washed out portions of bank and the asphalt failed,� trail manager Lonnie Johnson said. The closure didn’t deter fit-as-a-fiddle Greg Clark of Yakima who had no idea the trail was closed north of Harrison. He climbed the winding grade out of town, pedaled up Hwy. 3 and re-entered the trail at Bull Run. “It was a beautiful ride,� he said. “It’s all part of the adventure.� Others heading south from Kellogg have detoured onto the highway, determined to reach their lodging in Harrison. But the combination of spaghetti thin shoulders
and big logging trucks is a tenuous combination for cyclists and Johnson advises against it. His main concern is safety, which is why he also encourages riders not to ignore barricades at trailheads. They will encounter heavy equipment on the trail, too wide to go around and the crews working dawn to dark lose time when they have to stop what they’re doing to accommodate curious riders, he said. Most trail visitors are loading up their vehicles and doing the ride in sections. Mike Domy of Excelsior Cycles in Kellogg said “I’ve never talked to anybody that was pissy about it.� Instead trail visitors seem humbled by Mother Nature’s spunk and the washout has become part of the attraction—even if they can’t get close enough to view it. As of this writing there is still too much water for crews to repair a section of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes that washed away at milepost 20.5. // The Old Mission is the best place to get trail updates at (208) 682-3814.
Go outdoor with AmericorpS Applicants sought for trail advocacy position The Inland Northwest Trails Coalition (INTC) is accepting applications for an 11-month Research, Education, and Action Coordinator AmeriCorps position starting this September. The Coordinator will work with INTC to organize a trails volunteer and advocacy program, recruit and coordinate volunteers for Coalition partner projects, and assist efforts to implement the Spokane County Trails Plan, which was adopted with INTC’s help early in 2008. The Coordinator will be responsible for educating and engaging area residents about recreation and commuter trail opportunities as well as the many values of maintaining conservation areas and will work with INTC board members and partner groups like the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, Friends of the Washington State Centennial Trail, and others. Working collaboratively has been a key to our success, and the AmeriCorps member will be able to take advantage of these relationships and expertise of many veteran recreation and con-
servation advocates. This is a great opportunity for anyone who is passionate about our trails and natural areas and excited about sharing that passion with others. This AmeriCorps position offers a monthly living stipend, basic medical coverage, and a nearly $5,000 educational award in addition to other benefits. The Inland Northwest Trails Coalition is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization established in 2004 to preserve conservation lands and trail corridors. They partner with many local recreation and conservation organizations in their effort to create a well-distributed and connected system of nonmotorized trails and natural areas in the Inland Northwest. Find out more about INTC at: www.inlandnorthwesttrails.org. For more information about the INTC Coordinator position, e-mail Lunell at lunellh@aol.com.
Celebrating Our 10th Season Open Every Saturday 8am – 1pm
Wednesdays Market Begins June 11 Live Music, Featured Guests, & Fun Activities *Visit our website for the detailed schedule*
On 2nd Ave. between Division and Browne Downtown Spokane
www.spokanefarmersmarket.org
Veni, Vidi, Bibi I came, I saw, I drank Ten hand-crafted beers made here by the Coeur d’Alene Brewing Company. House-made soups, sauces, dressings and desserts. Hand-cut steaks and fish. Hand-tossed pizza. Local suppliers and ingredients.
Dine in Spokane’s Most Unique Building 159 S. Lincoln, Downtown (509) 777-3900 steamplantgrill.com
The new 08-09 Go Green Directory is coming this summer.
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OUT THERE NEWS Help Plan Beacon Hill Trail System FTTRC Mountain bike club continues valuable trail work
art-centered yoga
heart-centered yoga
eck the website or more events d Summer class schedule
Check the website for more events and Summer class schedule
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Northwest Spokane Pediatrics Joseph B. McManus, M.D. Daniel R. Moorman, M.D. Lance Varns, ARNP Brooke Jordan, ARNP Alex Ponomarenko, ARNP
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Meeting your child’s medical needs nwspokanepediatrics.com
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Catching air at the 2008 Beacon hill blowout. // Photo Jeff Ferguson.
The Beacon Hill Trail system is still an undiscovered treasure for many Spokane residents. The Fat Tire Trail Riders Club is leading an effort to formalize the Beacon Hill Trail Network, a mix of public and private ownership, for enjoyment for generations to come. Input is needed to help with the planning for this trail system and is being collected in an online survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/BeaconHill Feedback through this survey will be one piece of information that designers will be using in a workshop planned for the fall. A Beacon Hill Trail Connections “Charrette” (a fancy name for a design workshop) will take place October 24-25, 2008. The charrette will focus on producing creative solutions for linking the Beacon Hill to local schools, city bike routes, neighborhood parks, Centennial Trail and other community treasures. It will also find ways to improve access and use of the trails. A Community Open House showcasing the design work, will follow on Saturday evening, October 25. For the Beacon Hill workshop, the Fat Tire Trail Riders Club is teaming up with the City of Spokane
Parks and Recreation Department, Spokane County, Avista, private landowners, developers, the National Park Service, the American Society of Landscape Architects, International Mountain Biking Association, the Mountaineers, Wheelsport East, Wintersport, Inland Northwest Trails Coalition, Spokane County Regional Health District, Minnehaha Neighborhood Council, REI, Mountain Gear and a diverse group of local experts. The Beacon Hill design workshop will be the eighth Community Design Charrette in a unique partnership between the National Park Service Rivers & Trails Program and the Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. NPS Rivers & Trails has been providing technical assistance to the Beacon Hill Trail Group for the past 1.5 years. Landscape architects lend their expertise pro-bono, providing a huge design boost to these grass-roots community planning efforts. To get involved contact Penny Schwyn, at mtb@fttrc.org.
SUTAINABILITY task force gets to work Report to spokane city council coming in fall of this year The City of Spokane’s Sustainability Initiative is off and running. Earlier this spring the Mayor’s Sustainability Task Force kicked off its work toward developing a strategic plan to identify how city government can respond to the impacts of rising energy prices and climate change, including both reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for the climate of the future. The City of Spokane Sustainability Initiative is limited to what city government can accomplish: leading by example, and helping the community to “go green”. Four work groups began meeting in late May to identify actions the city can take to achieve its goal. The actions will be prioritized based on feasibility and cost-effectiveness. These groups are examining the city’s Built – Unbuilt Environment, Procurement practices, Transportation and Mobility issues and Water (including wastewater and stormwater) management. These groups are on a fast track for producing recommendations to the Task Force by the end of the summer. The task force is scheduled to report to the city council on September 29, 2008 and deliver its Draft Sustainability Strategic Action Plan by the end of February 2009. The key to success will be
participation by a wide range of citizens interested in Spokane’s future. The 13 members of the Mayor’s Sustainability Task Force include: Roger Woodworth, Avista, Chair; Mary Carr, SCC; Denny Dellwo, Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board; Terry Lawhead, CTED; Larry Lutton, EWU; Susan Meyer, Spokane Transit; Sara Orrange, Spokane Home Builder’s Association and Spokane Association of Realtors; Mike Peterson, The Lands Council; Katherine Rowden, CH2M Hill; Bob Scarfo, WSU; Juliet Sinestera, Community Minded Enterprises; Jim Wavada, Department of Ecology and Gerald Winkler, Intergus Architecture. These individuals provide a broad basis of expertise in building and transportation system planning and design. // More information on the program and how to share your ideas can be found at the websites listed below. Or you may contact the city’s Sustainability Coordinator, Susanne Croft at scroft.spokanecity.org. www.GreenSpokane.org www.sustainablespokane.blogspot.com
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BIke touring 101
now’s the time and It’s easier than you think // By John Speare
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The author’s touring rig ready to go. // Photo john speare.
July is a great time of year to take a bike tour. In this month’s column, I’ll explain some basics about how to prepare and try out your first loaded bike tour. By loaded, I’m assuming that you’ll be carrying, at a minimum, a change of clothes, but more likely, you’ll be hauling a tent and sleeping bag and other items to be self sufficient. However, there’s lots of great touring to be had that does not involve schlepping your stuff around; check out supported tours if you just want to enjoy the ride unencumbered. A supported tour is where your gear is hauled to the day’s destination for you by car. Adventure Cycling Association is probably the biggest and most respected outfit for supported tours as well as maps. But locally, the Spokane Parks and Recreation offers a bunch of guided and supported tours of our region, and Silver Bike Tours offers day rides and tours of the region as well. Another option is “credit-card” touring, where you haul a change of clothes and stay in hotels and eat in restaurants along the way. First, find a comfortable bike. If you’re just starting, nothing will turn you off to touring faster than a sore back, shoulders, and butt that result from a poor-fitting bike. You’re looking for a bike that you can pedal comfortably for about 6 hours a day. Do some research online around bike fitting for bicycle touring and go to your local bike shop to get a basic understanding of fit and bike types. Depending on your goals, you may not need a touring-specific bike. You may be able to make some modifications to an existing bike to make it tour-worthy. When it comes to the saddle, try some out. Good bike shops will let you try out saddles for a few days and bring them back for an exchange if they’re not quite right. It’s hard to evaluate a saddle by holding it and looking at it. You must ride it. And all butts are different, as are all people. No matter how hard someone may “swear by” a saddle, it’s your butt. Keep riding them until you find the right one. Keep in mind that some minor saddle soreness is normal when you first start riding a lot, but it eases off after a week or two. How you choose to pack and haul your load is in some ways similar to saddle preference. I prefer to haul loads on my bike. Some people prefer to put the load in a trailer and haul it. This is another good area for online research. Specifically, the searchable touring archives at bikelist.org offer a wealth of first-hand knowledge on all aspects related to bike touring.
After you figure out how to haul your load, you need figure out what that load contains. As a new tourist, this is where you need to be careful. It’s really easy to get into the “what if ” scenarios and start loading in everything. For example, in some cases, it may make sense to bring a second pair of shoes, but I would say, there is something fundamentally wrong with the shoes you are cycling in if you have to haul a second pair of shoes. Don’t bring a wind breaker and a rain jacket; just bring a light rain jacket. For clothes: think layers, not single use. As you make hard choices around clothing and foul weather gear: be OK with being a bit uncomfortable during the day; but pack in such a way to guarantee a dry and warm sleeping experience. Suffering through a night of no sleep means you’ll be suffering all of the next day too. Camping and hiking equipment has gotten crazy small, light, and less bulky over the last decade or so. Unless you are looking at serious expedition style cold weather touring, you can get away with some pretty small and light pack sizes. Stoves, sleeping pads, shelters, sleeping bags: all of these items are available in tiny packages. The only limiting factor is your budget. Before you go on your first tour, do an overnighter or a weekend at a local spot. The idea is to do a shakedown ride. Pack up all the stuff you’ll be bringing on your “real” tour and take the long way out to Riverside State Park. Be sure to go out of your way and climb some hills. That’s important and will really get you thinking about how essential your packing list is. When you set off on your tour be sure to mind your hydration and food intake. Again, there is a bunch of information online about proper hydration and nutrition for bike touring. Some of the lessons I’ve learned are to stay away from big, fatty, greasy, heavy meat meals. That’s a hard one to learn, because after you’ve pedaled half a day and you are sitting in front of a menu where everything looks divine, you tend to ignore the fact that you must get back on your bike and ride for another few hours or even the next day. I go for fresh fruits and vegetables whenever possible. I like lots of whole grains and I always carry a tube of peanut butter with me. Finally, build a tour that is right for you. Don’t go epic the first time out. Enjoy and take your time. // John Speare grew up and lives in Spokane. He rides his bike everywhere. Check out his blog at http://cyclingspokane.blogspot.com.
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road trips
Robots invade moses lake
A Week Of NASA Testing At The Sand Dunes ORV Park in Grant County // by Jon Snyder
Above: Testing the lunar truck. Below: watching the drilling robot. // photos jon snyder.
There are a lot of good reasons to locate an ORV park close to an urban area. It’s easier for people to get to, takes less gas to get vehicles there, easier to patrol, closer to parts and supplies, closer to
medical facilities. But this is the best reason: someday NASA might call you up and say “Hey, can we bring out a bunch of robots?” The man who received that call was Grant County Sheriff Chief Deputy Courtney Conklin. Conklin is
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a tall, authoritative law enforcement officer, who in addition to being friendly was endearing because he only referred to Moses Lake by its first name. “Their number one choice was Moses,” Conklin says speaking of the robotics team. “But it took a while to convince the higher-ups.” It’s hard to see why. Moses is just off I-90, has one of the biggest airport runways in Washington state, and the Grant County ORV park, also known as the Moses Lake Sand Dunes, is a nice facsimile of the lunar environment. And it’s ten minutes from town. Other robotic test sites NASA has used are places such as Hatten Island in Canada—accessible only by aircraft, a remote Arizona canyon, and deep underwater near the Florida Keys. Moses by contrast has some nice hotels and good food (check out Tacos El Rey on Broadway) making for pleasant testing for the several dozen NASA scientists and support crew working onsite. And Moses has Farmer Scott. Johnson Space Center’s Lucien Junkin, says when the robotics crew first arrived at the site a local farmer named ‘Scott” showed up to see what all the fuss was at the sand dunes. Junkin, whose primary responsibility is the Chariot Lunar Truck talked with Farmer Scott for a while and asked him what sort of tires he thought would work best on the truck. “He said ‘You’ve got to float on the soil, you need implement tires.’” Sure enough, Junkin had the Chariot’s knobby tires replaced with tractor tires that had a parallel grooved
The spacesuits are loud, wheezing with every step. tread and they ate up the dunes. “I hope he comes back, we still have one of his tires,” says Junkin. The Chariot is the biggest and flashiest prototype here. There are also a couple ATHLETES, a sort of small habitable moonbase on wheeled stilts, a K10 which specializes in above and below ground terrain mapping, and the dune-buggy looking Scarab rover that can drill into soil and rock. At the height of the afternoon there are well over a hundred NASA folks, media people and local onlookers all over the dunes watching the robots go through their paces—mostly
being controlled by radio from the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Just as activity is at an apex a crowd starts to gather around the trailer next to the large white tent that serves as the testing headquarters. After a few moments two men in spacesuit prototypes with brilliant gold visors emerge. A hush goes over the crowd. Not even the little kids can verbalize their awe in the midst of these majestic creatures. The suits are loud, issuing a mechanical wheeze every step forward. The pair takes command of the Chariot Lunar Truck and the transition is complete. We are no longer at the Grant County ORV park. We are now all extras on the set of a sequel to Space 1999. And then a roar thunders from the near horizon. The biggest, nastiest looking Surburban I’ve ever seen on 4x4 is doing massive sand donuts about a few hundred yards from our position. A deputy on patrol slowly heads in the Surburban’s direction to have a discussion. The deputy later admits to me that things with local off-roaders were a tad hairy on Sunday, when NASA first showed up. Law enforcement had to remind folks that the tests were only taking up a few acres of this 3,000-acre park. The park can attract up 5,000 people on a weekend during peak use on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day. Today it has rained recently so things aren’t so dusty, “primo conditions” according to Chief Deputy Conklin. Many of the ORVers have stopped to observe the robots, but one or two seem to exclaim “Don’t look at that 2 million dollar piece a junk. I’m getting air in this Toyota!” Nothing can ruin this day if you are a space enthusiast. Not even the knowledge that moon travel will never become cheap and plentiful in your lifetime. An afternoon talking to friendly NASA experts eager to share their work with you, observing their earnest effort of collaboration, and seeing the next generation of strong yet lightweight machinery operating with solar power , is enough to leave you with the warm fuzzy feeling that your tax dollars are being well-spent. // Even if you aren’t an ORV enthusiast it’s worth a visit to the other-worldly environs of the Moses Lake Sand Dunes, just try going in the middle of the week, or in the winter off-season so their aren’t so many vehicles out. The site is accessed from Potato Hill Road. More information is at http://www.grantcountyweb. org/sub_Sheriff/ORV/index.htm
WHEN YOU GO //
road trips Tour the iceage floods right next door
From Spokane travel west on US Highway
Short Trip Heavy On Cool Sites Geological History // By Stan Miller
Dry falls lake. // Photo stan miller.
There is no better way for a family to learn about “Lake Missoula and Its Humongous Floods” than the Ice Age Floods tour segment of the Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway. Outburst floods emanating from Glacial Lake Missoula between 10 and 12 thousand years ago poured across northern Idaho and eastern Washington several dozen times. These flood events, known as the Spokane Floods or Bretz Floods, carved much of the eastern Washington landscape. In the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area many of our lakes including Liberty, Hauser, Twin, Hayden, and Coeur d’Alene, as well as the Spokane Valley -Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer exist because of the remnant deposits of outwash sand and gravel from those floods. This trip takes us to Central Washington’s Grand Coulee, another outstanding feature left by the floods. From Grand Coulee Dam the drive follows the floodwaters south through the upper and lower Grand Coulee, across the eastern edge of the Quincy Basin and through the Drumheller Channels near Othello. Approaching the trip as a weekend family outing or a multi-day outdoor adventure affords the time needed to fully enjoy all the environment has to offer. The “Ice Age Floods” tour segment of the Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway follows one of Washington’s six federally designated Scenic Byways. The Coulee Corridor extends from Omak south to Othello. It follows State Route 155 south from Omak through Grand Coulee to Coulee City, across Dry Falls Dam on US Highway 2 and then south on State Route 17 to Othello, a total of 150 miles. For those with two or three days there are three must see educational stops on this trip. The first is the Grand Coulee Dam Visitors Center. Here you will view a somewhat biased view of the benefits and impacts of Grand Coulee Dam, the power it generates and the land the water from behind the dam irrigates. After visiting the center be sure to drive up the hill to the Crown Point Vista for a view of the Dam. At Crown Point you are near the edge of the glacier that dammed the river, forcing it and the floods down the Grand Coulee. Next stop at the Dry Falls Interpretive Center. Here you will find information on the geologic history of the coulee corridor and the peoples who have inhabited the region. Finally, the Moses Lake Museum
and Art Center provides displays describing the biological communities of the Columbia Basin region and the cultures that thrived there before the arrival of Western Europeans in the early 19th century. As a scenic drive this trip should be done in the mid to late spring when wildflowers are in bloom and migratory birds are still in the area. For those with time to enjoy the outdoor amenities along the route you will find something to do during
The Coulee Corridor, a designated Scenic Byway, extends from Omak, south to Othello.
Sun Lakes State Park. Near the end of the trip there are several more hikes possible in the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge northwest of Othello. With nearly half of the 365 species of birds known in Washington to be found along the corridor, the Ice Age Floods tour is the birders delight. Two special birding events take place along the route. In late February, a Bald Eagle Festival is held at Northrup Canyon by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Eagles congregate here during the winter to fish in Banks Lake and feast in the trees of the canyon. In late March, Othello hosts the three–day Sandhill Crane Festival. The Crane Festival is timed to coincide with the arrival of the Cranes at the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge northwest of Othello. These large birds and many other species stop to here rest and feed during their annual migration to breeding areas in the arctic. Dozens of seminars and guided bird watching tours are held. The many activities available along the Coulee Corridor and the abundance of public and private camping areas make the Ice Age Floods tour an ideal long weekend trip for the outdoor family. The laser light show at Grand Coulee Dam, abundant wildlife on reserves, water sports and fishing on the many lakes and the museums there something for all members of the family. // • • Football player • BIG BROTHER
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any season. Three State Parks, Steamboat Rock, Sun Lakes and Potholes, plus a number of wildlife refuges including Banks Lake and the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge provide a wide range of activites. For such a dry part of the state (annual rainfall is around 10 inches) there are a surprising number of lakes. Most of them owe their existence to leakage from canals or return water from fields of Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. Three large lakes, Banks Lake, Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir are all popular sites for warm water sport fishing. Smaller lakes in Sun Lakes State Park also support fishing. Boating, canoeing, kayaking and swimming are also popular on all these lakes. Several spa resorts tout the healing properties of the highly alkaline waters of Soap Lake. Dozens of day hikes providing a challenge for nearly every level of hiker are found along the route. At the north end, the Northrop Canyon hike and several short but steep hikes in Steamboat Rock State Park are tempting. At least half a dozen two to six–mile trips can be found in and around
2, 65 miles to Wilbur. Just west of Wilbur, take the Y to the right to State Route 174. Follow SR 174 another 19 miles to Grand Coulee. Another two miles down the hill on State Route 155 will take you to the Grand Coulee Dam Visitors Center. The Center is a good place to start the “tour.” Adding the 100 mile tour and the return to Spokane via Interstate 90, the total drive will be just over 300 miles. Checking the websites listed below will give you a taste of what you will find on the tour and provide details on travel directions and camping. For info on Washington’s Scenic byways, including the Coulee Corridor visit: www. byways.org/explore/states/WA/ For info about the Grand Coulee Dam Information Center visit: www.usbr.gov/pn/ grandcoulee/gcvc/index.html Washington State Parks: www.parks. wa.gov/alpha.asp, provides an alphabetical list of State Parks and links to park information. Moses Lake Department of Recreation: www.mlrec.com, look under Museum and Art Center for information about programs there. The following books will provide basic information on the Ice Age Floods: Glacial Lake Missoula and Its Humongous Floods, David Alt, Mountain Press Publishing Company; On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods, Bruce Bjornstad, Keokee Books; Cataclysms on the Columbia, John Allen, Margaret Burns and Sam Sargent, Timber Press. //
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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Big cedars in british columbia. // Photo courtesy conservation Northwest. Ponderosa Pines at 13-Mile. // Photo courtesy of the lands council. Walking in hoodoo canyon. // Photo courtesy of conservation northwest.
by AMY S. MCCaffree
Growing up in Western Washington, I took old-growth trees for granted. I assumed every forest had huge, gnarly trees. SKINNY ONES WERE WEIRD. BUT IN Eastern Washington, old-growth is more rare, more precious and more vulnerable to disturbances like logging and fire. “Current old growth in Eastern Washington exists because they were put in reserve sooner or were in a swampy area and overlooked by timber companies,” says Monica Spicker, who received her forest biology degree from Colorado State University and has been an instructor of natural resources at Spokane Community College for the past 29 years. “There’s psychological value to old-growth,” she says. “There’s a love affair with old-growth. I don’t think you get the same feeling of majesty with other forests as you do with a climax forest.” -----------------------------------------------------Defining Old-Growth “The definition of ‘old-growth’ is somewhat complicated,” says Tim Coleman, director of the Columbia Highlands Initiative for Conservation Northwest. He also serves as Board secretary for the Northeast Washington Forestry Coalition. “The Coalition is currently grappling with this issue, because the science isn’t exactly clear. There is a size class, which is more of what animals need. 14
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So, it doesn’t matter how old they are; if they’re more than 20 inches in diameter, they’re important for the forest,” he says. Age is also important, and a tree that’s 150 years old has genetics that make it superior, says Coleman—it’s a survivor. In general, any tree that old is considered old-growth, but “the U.S. Forest Service and science are [now] looking at definitions that include an ‘either/or’ statement,” he says. Yet, “diameter isn’t always an indicator of how old a tree is,” says Spicker. “I’ve seen trees be 12 inches in diameter and be 150 years old.” What usually isn’t disputed is an old-growth tree’s majesty and grandeur and the forest’s unique biodiversity, but having a common definition is just as vital as understanding the diverging perspectives of conservationists, landowners, the U.S. Forest Service and the timber industry. “It’s important to understand what old-growth is and what it isn’t,” says Spicker. “Old-growth is a life stage, so what it is looks different according to the type of trees and the type of climate, soils and topography. What takes 100 years to grow here can grow on the Washington coast in 40 years.”
This slower growth in Eastern Washington is due to a thin soil level (thanks to the Great Missoula Floods), low moisture and a short growing season. A forest stand’s life cycle starts with a large disturbance that happens every 300-400 years. “All forests are products of prior disturbance , whether by volcano, flood or human-caused disturbance,” Spicker says. After such an event, pioneer species such as longpole pine, fireweed, brush and ponderosa pine begin to grow—the stem initiation phase. The second stage of a forest is when these tree and plant species start competing with one other. “The brush gets shaded out, called stem exclusion. And that exclusion creates openings, but those are partially shaded by the trees that didn’t get excluded,” Spicker explains. Next is the ‘stem re-initiation’ stage when shade-tolerant trees—such as Douglas-fir, grand fir, hemlock and cedar—grow in these openings and become the forest overstory. Then comes the climax, or shifting mosaic, stage, “when small disturbances create new openings where new shadetolerant trees come in,” says Spicker. “It looks like things are stable, but they’re not. When that stage
lasts long enough, where enough overstory trees become terminal age for their species, that is old growth. It has nothing to do with virgin trees. A lot of people think it means ‘never been cut,’ but it has to do with the age of the tree.” Therefore, to identify an old-growth grove, it’s important to know the tree species, the normal disturbance cycle and the ecology (climate) to determine what old-growth really is; it’s not the same everywhere. In short, “Old-growth is a stage of climax, called ‘late successional’, ” says Spicker. -----------------------------------------------------Old-Growth In Progress There is also “old-growth in the making,” Spicker says. “On the drive to Mount Spokane at the big switchback where you can park, the forest to the left is the classic combination: nearly completely canopied; downed trees, caused by wind, root rot, winter damage or any number of reasons; and hardly anything is growing on the ground, except where something might have fallen over and there’s some green. This is classic climax. If you let that stand go long enough, and it doesn’t burn or the wind doesn’t take it out, it will become old-growth.” Because there has been fire through
there, Spicker says the current trees are only 80 to 110 years old. Indeed, a forest is “an aging community and eventually Mother Nature likes to clean house and start over again,” says Spicker, which leads to the controversial topic of fire suppression. “It isn’t necessarily good to prevent [fire] from happening—so much of the landscape is out of kilter anyway. Envision this mosaic of trees that have reached climax, that have reached old-growth. Those pockets of trees will shift around. [Tree] communities go through life stages, too, and an old-growth stand will eventually be disturbed and start over again—it’s waiting for that.” On the east side of the Cascades, she says, “If man wasn’t messing around, it would be more typical to see fire at a 7 to 15 year cycle. Those fires would be very mild and would kill a lot of the really tiny trees and freshen up the brush. And only the very tallest trees would survive, and there wouldn’t be very many of them – creating the park-like stands.” Meanwhile, on the west side of the Cascades, she says fire at 300-year intervals would be normal forest disturbance, if humans did not interfere. Yet, Mother Nature doesn’t work as fast as the timber companies have a history of logging oldgrowth stands in the Northwest faster than new ones can be created. -----------------------------------------------------Biodiversity of Old-Growth Forest “Each forest stand stage supplies something different to the entire landscape, so they each have to be there in a reasonable balance,” she says. But the old-growth area also needs to be large enough. The “edge effect,” she explains, refers to the boundary area of old-growth that is affected by the adjacent forest community. “Some of these [old-growth] patches aren’t big enough, so they look old but they don’t act old,” she says. “They’re getting too much sun or heat and not getting the true interior old-growth habitat.” Moreover, the grove is not big enough to support the animals that require this unique and complicated ecosystem. Because it’s not just about big, old trees. An old-growth grove, Spicker explains, has specific components, including standing dead material. “There’s much more dead debris in old-growth than in younger [tree] stands; we call that ‘structure’-trees that are hollow and a canopy has developed around ecosystems,” says Spicker. “Any tree is mostly dead; the only things living are the needles and the cambium layer under the bark (responsible for tree diameter increases). The amount of standing dead material and trees with very slow growth are really important habitat for a lot of critters. “Certainly, there are a whole bunch of animals that are dependent on it, but there are only a few that can only live in old-growth. You’d never want
a landscape to be all old-growth, because there are animals that need the other stages, like deer, elk and moose. Some animals might hide and live in old-growth but need the other stages for their food needs.” For example, the endangered northern spotted owl needs to have a climax stage forest for nesting, but it needs the first two, younger forest stages for hunting mice, according to Spicker. Proximity to old-growth is also vital for the owl’s protection from its primary predator, the northern goshawk. The standing snags, big trees and complex forest canopy of old-growth provide this. “The bio-diversity within old growth stands is much higher [than other forest stages],” says Spicker. Plants, fungi and lichen are more common in old-growth, and amphibians depend on it for their habitat. In fact, Spicker says that “18 of 62 amphibians are associated with late-successional” forests. In addition, 11 species of bats and 15 other mammal species prefer old-growth habitat, although are not totally dependent on it. Cavity nesters, like bats, need the snags; flying squirrels need the warmth provided by the forest canopy; bears use big, hollow trees as their dens; and 38 species of birds, including the northern spotted owl and marble murrelet (which lives near the coast), all require old-growth habitat for their survival. If you’d like to exercise your own love affair with old-growth, here are some of the last remaining groves in the Inland Northwest: -----------------------------------------------------1. Liberty Lake Loop Trail—passes through a grove of old-growth cedars • Location: Liberty Lake County Park, a Conservation Futures property purchased in 1993 for the Spokane County park system • Trail: Liberty Lake Loop Trail, two miles to the old-growth cedar grove (also a walk-in picnic area); loop is 7.5 miles round trip, easy to moderately difficult • Directions: I-90, Liberty Lake exit – head east on Appleway to Molter, south to Valleyway, east to Zephyr. • Camping: Tent and RV camping sites at the park. More info: www.spokanecounty.org -----------------------------------------------------2. Ross Creek Cedar Groves—a 100-acre grove dominated by 500-year-old giant western redcedars, some as big as eight feet in diameter and up to 175 feet tall • Location: Ross Creek Scenic Area - Kootenai National Forest, south of Troy, MT • Trail: 0.9 mile paved trail with informational signs and benches along the route • Directions: From Troy, travel west three miles on U.S. Highway 2. Turn onto Montana Highway 56 and travel 21 miles. Turn right onto Ross Creek Road 398 and follow for four miles. The turnoff to the Ross Creek Cedars is one-half mile past the
south end of Bull Lake off Montana Highway 56 – known locally as the Bull Lake Road. A four-mile long, paved windy road climbs to the parking area. • Camping: Bad Medicine Campground at Bull Lake. More info: www.libbymt.com/areaattractions/rosscreekcedars.htm -----------------------------------------------------3. Hobo Cedar Grove Trail—old-growth cedar in St. Joe National Forest, part of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests • Location: Idaho Panhandle National Forest, St. Joe Ranger District • Trail: Hobo Cedar Grove Trail (#255), easy one mile (round-trip) • Directions: From Clarkia, Idaho, follow Forest Road 301 to Forest Road 321 and then take Forest Road 3357 to the trailhead. Or from St. Maries, Idaho, follow Forest Highway 50 to Forest Road 321 at Marble Creek, and follow this to Forest Road 3357, which goes to the trailhead. • Camping: Various campgrounds in the St. Joe National Forest, including Emerald Creek Campground near Fernwood, ID. More info: www. fs.fed.us/ipnf/rec/activities/trails/szhobocedar255. html -----------------------------------------------------4. DeVoto Memorial Cedar Grove—oldgrowth western redcedar trees, 1,200 to 3,000 years old • Location: Clearwater National Forest - Lolo Pass, Idaho • Trails: Two short looped trails – Trail of Discovery, on the eastern side of the road, is a paved, wheelchair-accessible interpretive trail that loops past Crooked Fork Creek • Directions: Off U.S. Highway 12, east of Powell, ID, near the top of Lolo Pass (Idaho side). • Camping: Five campgrounds within the Powell Ranger District (12 miles west of Lolo Pass) – Jerry Johnson, Powell, Wendover, White Sand and Whitehouse campgrounds. More info: www.fs.fed. us/r1/lewisclark/lcic/grasslands/lolo_hwy12.html -----------------------------------------------------5. Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars —24 acres of old-growth ranging from 800 to 2,000+ years, up to 12 feet in diameter and 150 feet tall • Location: Priest Lake Ranger District, off the road to Upper Priest Falls • Trails: Two options – (1) Granite Falls Trail #301 (and Stagger Inn Picnic Area) includes an easy trail along the creek (365 feet) and a one-mile loop trail from the lower cedar grove (two acres) to vista points above 612-foot Lower Granite Falls; continue 0.5 mile to upper cedar grove (20 acres); (2) Roosevelt Trail #266, 4.5 miles, more difficult, ascends a hill with switchbacks to another stand of old-growth cedar. • Directions: From Highway 57, go approx. 14 miles north of Nordman to Forest Road 302.
• Camping: Stagger Inn Campground, located in the lower grove – part of the Priest Lake Ranger District. More info: www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/visit/brochures/priestlake/plrooseveltgrove.pdf -----------------------------------------------------6. Hanna Flats Cedar Grove—16 acres of old-growth western white pine and western redcedars that are 200-800 years old, 3-6 feet across, 120-150 feet tall; survived the 1926 fire • Location: Priest Lake Ranger District • Trail: Easy .25 mile, family-friendly interpretative trail; trailhead is located one mile west of the Priest Lake Ranger Headquarters • Directions: From Priest River, go approx. 30 miles north on Highway 57, turn west onto Forest Road 313, and drive approx. 1.5 miles to the trailhead. • Camping: Dickensheet Campground unit within Priest Lake State Park. More info: www. fs.fed.us/ipnf/visit/brochures/priestlake/plhannaflats.pdf -----------------------------------------------------7. Hoodoo Canyon—mixed old-growth forest in the Kettle Range of the Colville National Forest roadless area; north end is moist forest dominated by old-growth cedars, south end is dry/warm forest dominated by old-growth ponderosa pine • Location: Kettle Falls, WA – Colville National Forest • Trail: Hoodoo Canyon Trail #17, 2.5 mile trail (one-way), easy, family-friendly route with a foot bridge over south fork of Deadman Creek and views of the Kettle Range and canyon; can also hike the steep trail to Emerald Lake (recommended for experience hikers only) • Directions: From Kettle Falls, drive west on Highway 20 across the Columbia River and turn north onto Highway 395. Drive approx. 10 miles and turn west on Forest Road #460 (Deadman Creek Road). Go another 6 miles, turn left onto Forest Road 9565, and drive three miles to the trailhead and parking area on south side of road. (Most scenic route from Spokane, according to Tim Coleman, is to take Highway 2 to Wilbur, then Highway 21 north through the Sanpoil River Valley to Republic.) • Camping: Trout Lake Campground or overnight backpacking at Emerald Lake. More info: www.fs.fed.us/r6/colville -----------------------------------------------------8. Thirteen Mile Canyon—groves of oldgrowth, predominately ponderosa pine • Location: Republic, WA - Colville National Forest’s Thirteen Mile Roadless Area, just north of the Colville Indian Reservation • Trail: Thirteen Mile Trail #23, 16.5 miles; Thirteen Mile Creek from the Sanpoil River, approx. 6 miles • Directions: Access option #1: From Republic, follow Highway 20 to Forest Service Road 99
Clackamas mt., oregon. photo leif jakobsen/ conservation northwest.
Big cedars near the river at granby. // photo courtesy of the lands council.
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Protecting Old-Growth “There will be hearings later this summer, sometime in August and September, on the fate of the Colville National Forest roadless areas and facilitated by the Forest Service,” says Tim Coleman from Conservation Northwest and the Northeast Washington Forestry Coalition. “The future of these wild places will be decided by the Forest Service, and action from Congress can happen anytime. The Blueprint [proposal for managing the Colville National Forest] represents more than just the plan; it represents working with communities, problemsolving, fire risk and forest health issues, in addition to protecting big, old trees and wild places.” For more details, go to www.newforestrycoalition.org. “Old growth forests are more than a bunch of giant, moss covered trees, spongy forest floor and speckles of sunlight poking through thick canopies,” say The Lands Council’s Executive Director Mike Petersen.“ They are the homes of some of the rarest species in the United States. The mountain caribou, flammulated owl, Canadian lynx, northern goshawk and many others find their homes in these undisturbed forests.” The Lands Council has surveyed the old growth forests of North Idaho and found them fragmented, roaded and logged. While the Idaho Panhandle National Forest is only required to protect 10% of the forest as old growth, they found many of the stands they claimed were old growth were missing. One timber sale in particular, the Mission Brush project northeast of Bonners Ferry is in contention. The Lands Council challenged the decision that would have logged old growth, supposedly to help rare species. To learn more about Conversation Northwest’s work to protect old-growth forests and other wild areas from the Washington Coast to the BC Rockies, go to www.conservationnw.org/getinvolved. To learn about The Lands Council and its Old Growth Forest Campaign, go to www.landscouncil.org/forests/old_growth.asp. There’s a link to a PDF of “Lost Forests: An Investigative Report on the Old-growth of North Idaho” by Ellen Picken, published in 2005 by The Lands Council.
Visual Indicators of Old-Growth Forest • Large, live trees dominate the forest canopy, usually at least 120-150+ feet tall and/or at least 21 inches in diameter (at breast height); these trees typically have deep, furrowed bark (a weathered look) and a distinct tree shape – broken top (because the tree has stopped growing) and stout lateral branches; old-growth ponderosa pine is very distinct with its cracked “yellow cake” bark. • Standing dead trees, called snags – birds, insects and mammals use snags as foraging and nesting habitat, and bats roost on large snags. • Shade-tolerant tree species dominate the forest’s ground level; conditions in the forest can vary from dry to wet. • Large, downed logs – shelter amphibians and small mammals, and act as nurse logs to seedlings. //
(Hall Creek Road) – very rugged, four wheel drive required; Access option #2: From Republic, travel state Route 21 south 13 miles to Thirteen Mile Trailhead campground. • Camping: Thirteen Mile Campground. More info: www.fs.fed.us/r6/colville -----------------------------------------------------9. Ten Mile Trail—nice, easy hike through beautiful, mixed old growth forest that includes ponderosa pine, Douglass-fir and larch • Location: Republic, WA - Colville National Forest • Trail: Ten Mile Trail #25, 2.5 miles, begins at Ten Mile Campground • Directions: From Republic, go south on state Route 21 (Swan Lake Road) 10 miles to the Ten Mile Campground. • Camping: Ten Mile Campground (includes a good beach for swimming in Swan Lake). More info: www.fs.fed.us/r6/colville -----------------------------------------------------10. Elk Creek Falls Trail—old-growth in the Selkirk Mountains in the proposed addition to the Salmo-Priest Wilderness Area • Location: East of Metaline Falls, WA, near Sullivan Lake – Colville National Forest • Trail: Elk Creek Trail #560, 2.1 mile loop trail to Elk Falls and the beach at Mill Pond 16
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• Directions: From Spokane, take Highway 2 toward Newport, turn northwest on Highway 211 and drive 15 miles to Usk and junction with Highway 20; turn northwest (left) on Highway 20 and drive 34 miles to the tiny town of Tiger and junction with Highway 31. Continue toward Ione about three miles on Highway 31. Just before Ione there is a turnoff on the right to Sullivan Lake (County Road 9345); follow this to Sullivan Lake, around the lakeshore, and continue past Mill Pond campground to Mill Creek Historical Site (FS 9345). • Camping: Mill Pond Campground, Sullivan Ranger District – Colville National Forest. More info: www.fs.fed.us/r6/colville -----------------------------------------------------11. Virginia Lilly Old-Growth Trail— Okanogan Highlands • Location: Okanogan National Forest, near Tonasket, WA, in the Five Lakes area of the Tonasket Ranger District • Trail: Virginia Lilly Trail #322, more difficult 2-mile loop • Directions: From Tonasket, take State Route 20 east for 24 miles to Bonaparte Recreation Area exit on Okanogan County Road 4953, which turns into Forest Service Road 32. Bonaparte Lake Campground is six miles from State Route
20. Continue on FS Road 32 for two miles past Bonaparte Lake campground, then turn right on FS Road 3240 and drive six miles to the parking area. • Camping: Bonaparte Lake Campground. More info: www.fs.fed.us/r6/oka/recreation/rog/virginia. html -----------------------------------------------------12. Big Tree Botanical Loop—old-growth ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir and Englemann spruce that are 300+ years old, and two 900-yearold western larches • Location: Okanogan National Forest, east of Tonasket, WA, near Bonaparte Lake • Trail: Big Tree Trail #311, easy 0.7 mile loop • Directions: From Tonasket, take State Route 20 east for 24 miles and turn north on Okanogan County Road 4935, which becomes Forest Service Road 32. Continue on FS Road 32 for 4 miles to FS Road 33. Turn left on FS Road 33-050 and go one mile to the campground entrance and trailhead starts across the road from the guard house. • Camping: Lost Lake Campground. More info: www.fs.fed.us/r6/oka/recreation/rog/bigtree.html -----------------------------------------------------13. Clackamas Mountain—mixed oldgrowth ponderosa pine, larch and Douglas-fir • Location: Clackamas Mountain Roadless Area, six miles northwest of Republic on both the Colville and Okanogan National Forests • Trail: Approx. 8 miles, moderate difficulty with great views of the surrounding mountains and the Kettle Crest in the distance, trailhead begins at Sweat Creek Campground • Directions: From Republic, go west on Highway 20 towards NF-3100000 and drive 8.6 miles to Sweat Creek Campground. • Camping: Sweat Creek Campground, on Highway 20 between Republic and Tonasket (may not be maintained by the USFS); other campground options in the Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests. More info: www.fs.fed.us/r6/oka -----------------------------------------------------14. Denny Creek—On the way to Seattle oldgrowth western hemlock, Pacific silver fir forest and western redcedar in between the two halves of I-90 • Location: Cascade Mountains, Mount BakerSnoqualmie National Forest (Snoqualmie Ranger District) • Trail: Denny Creek Trail #1014, 4.4 miles one way, moderate difficulty • Directions: From I-90, Denny Creek exit #47, turn right onto Denny Creek Road (Forest Road 58), then turn left in one-third of a mile.
Stay on road for 2.3 miles and turn left onto Forest Road 5830 past the Denny Creek Campground. (Another option: Asahel Curtis Nature Trail and Picnic Area – take Forest Road 5590; one-mile trail loops through old-growth Douglas-fir and more on hillslope above I-90). • Camping: Denny Creek Campground and limited backpacking campsites at Melakwa Lake (4.5 miles from trailhead, Melakwa Lake Trail #1011). More info: www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/recreation/activities/trails/snrd/snrd_1014.htm -----------------------------------------------------15. Oregon’s Old-Growth Ponderosa Pine Forests—ponderosa pine can reach diameters over 100 inches at breast height and live 400+ years • Various Locations: Best old-growth ponderosa pine groves are in Central and Eastern Oregon, east of Cascade Range Crest – Gifford Pinchot National Forest (Mount Adams Ranger District), Mount Hood National Forest (Barlow Ranger District), Willamette National Forest (Middle Fork Ranger District) • More info: www.fs.fed.us/pnw/forests/east-cascade/ponderosa-pine/mature/index.shtml • Guidebook: Best Old-Growth Forest Hikes: Washington & Oregon Cascades by John and Dianne Cissel. -----------------------------------------------------16. Old Growth Trail British Columbia, Canada—cedar • Location: Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park in the Selkirk Mountains of B.C., Canada • Trail: 2 km loop, great for kids • Driving Directions: Halfway up the access road to Kokanee Glacier Park, northeast of Nelson, B.C. • Camping: 30 wilderness, walk-in campsites in the park. More info: www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/ explore/parkpgs/kokangla.html -----------------------------------------------------17. Giant Cedars Boardwalk Trail British Columbia, Canada—stand of oldgrowth western redcedar, some more than 800 years old • Location: Mount Revelstoke National Park in B.C., Canada • Trail: Begins at the Giant Cedars Picnic Area, 30 km east of Revelstoke on the Trans Canada Highway • Directions: Trans Canada Highway (Highway #1), just inside the park’s boundary for 13 km along the southeast perimeter of the park. More info: www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/revelstoke/activ/ activ2_e.asp. // Trees in the idaho panhandle national forest. // photo courtesy of the lands council.
HEALTHAndFITNESS How Active is your family?
Begin The Quest To Be Your Best…
An important step towards optimal health & fitness is understanding where you are & what you have to do to achieve your goals.
take our quiz // By amy lutz and dr. bob lutz.
The Metabolic Institute knows how to support you in taking the first steps… We are committed to guiding you on this lifelong journey. Family hiking near mt. hood, oregon.
Back in May, Amy and I attended an interna-
tional conference of researchers studying the topic of physical activity. Now at some level, I found it curious that people spend their working hours attempting to understand how and why people are physically active. Unfortunately, what we found ourselves hearing was how and why people aren’t physically active. I won’t spend too much time delving into the details, but needless to say, it’s disheartening to see how something as natural as activity has been engineered out of our daily lives. This is of even greater significance for kids. Now maybe it doesn’t matter—a federal study reported in May that the “epidemic of childhood obesity” had plateaued. But even if it’s true, 32% of American schoolchildren are still overweight or obese, representing an entire generation that will be saddled with weight-related health problems as it ages. We’re hardly out of the woods. Fundamental to keeping our kids healthy is physical activity. But if “play” is defined as a leisure-time physical activity undertaken purely for enjoyment or amusement (with no other objective), then I find myself wondering what’s happened to our understanding of child’s play. Over the past few weeks, with the warm weather, school out, and the pools open, there are plenty of kids outside doing what comes naturally to kids, i.e., play. Biking, running around, climbing trees, and swimming and splashing in the pool; these are the kinds of healthy and fun activities we want our children to be engaged in. Few could argue they’d prefer to see them indoors glued in front of a screen or sitting around eating junk food. What’s happened as part of our engineering “safe” play spaces for kids, however, has led to what Richard Louv has coined as “Nature-Deficit Disorder.” We’ve created structured opportunities (e.g. parent-supervised team sports) that have removed kids from experiencing the wonders of the outdoors and the learnings that come with exploration and imagination. Technology has made the natural environment alien and has “scared children straight out of the woods and fields.” He believes this negatively affects their physical, mental and spiritual health. And now, the newest technology (i.e., Wii Fit) has created “virtual” physical activities that will only create more disconnected youth. If adults would allow kids to be kids, they’d find that children have a special affinity, or connection,
to the natural world. They experience a type of “primal seeing” which, sadly often lessens as they grow older, maybe because society is less accepting of these activities. They create experiences through their imaginations. Fields and woods become nature’s playgrounds; lakes and pools offer unlimited opportunities and don’t require play features for fun. A few years ago, Amy and I drafted a book proposal about “Naturally Active Families.” We believed that healthy and connected families were essential in addressing the challenges of inactivity that are everywhere. Below you’ll find some characteristics we found common to such families. So how naturally active is your family? How many of these can you check off? Naturally Active Family Quiz (Check all that apply to your family): 1. Daily and regular activity is a natural part of their lives that becomes habitual (e.g. biking to the market) 2. Parents serve as active role models (active parents beget active kids) 3. Like attracts like - they hang out with likeminded families (this is especially important for teens who crave peer-approval and support) 4. Their mindset is self-reinforcing and defines how they view life 5. Activity is a simple pleasure and not looked upon as a “to-do” 6. They plan active vacations and are willing to explore new experiences 7. They feel comfortable in their bodies and take care of themselves physically and emotionally 8. They care about the natural environment; healthy environments beget healthy people 9. They know what’s happening in schools with physical education and recess time 10. Activity begins in infancy—they put their infants in a baby-backpack or a bike tag-along and go. Over the next few months with the great weather we have in the Inland Northwest, we challenge you to look for ways to enjoy being active as a family. Get out there—it’s a great investment in the health and wellbeing of your family and the community. //
WomanHealth has been serving the Spokane area for 26 years as an obstetricgynecologic practice dedicated to providing excellent health care to women in all stages of their reproductive life. Our setting is designed to foster a physicianpatient relationship in which the patient actively participates in her health care and health care decisions. We pride ourselves in our friendly individualized approach to providing state of the art office and surgical gynecologic care. We accomplish this by being a “health care team” which includes physicians, health care providers, nursing and administrative staff and YOU, the patient!
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SUSTAINABLE LIVING
green Education Goes Mainstream
Getting Kids In Nature Boosts Academic Achievement // By Tiffany West
Kids participating in the sierra club’s inner city outings. // photo courtesy the sierra club.
DONATE, Don’t Dump Call us for details. Help us build homes.
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In a society whose schools are centered on standards and testing, nature-based education often falls to the wayside. Between the lack of funding, lack of interest from the outside community, and the entertaining pull of television and video—environmental education faces numerous obstacles. However, that approach is quickly changing. Recently, Washington Governor Gregoire supported a statewide effort to incorporate environmental education into schools (Pre-K-20, communities and businesses through an initiative called E3). Standing for Environment, Education and Economy, E3 strives to make caring for the environment accessible and appealing to everyone who works, lives or plays in Washington. According to E3 Washington, “Research in Washington State shows that when students learn in real-world settings, they score higher on standardized tests, improve their grades overall, stay in school longer, behave more responsibly and graduate better prepared for the job market.” Matthew Phillipy, instructor at City School in the West Valley School district, agrees, “The beauty of teaching environmental education is that it transcends content area. We don’t have to teach just science, or just history. We can teach about topics instead of content. For instance we can teach environmental education by looking at the Spokane River. Scientifically we can take water quality surveys and look for trends over time.” Phillipy’s program is among a growing group of environmental education programs in the Spokane region. The Spokane Inner City Outings, West Valley Outdoor Learning Center, Twin Eagles Wilderness School, Turnbull Wildlife Refuge, Riverside State Park and Gonzaga University’s Center for Community Action and Service Learning are a few organizations that are either integrating more environmental curriculum into their programs or whose sole focus is naturebased education. While many of the environmental education efforts in the state are under-funded, fragmented, disjointed and, in some cases, redundant—E3 Washington is designed to optimize environmental education for everyone in Washington State. The initiative hopes by creating links and building greater awareness, increased funding can be leveraged from both private and public entities. Following is a summary of a few of our green learning opportunties underway for youth. -----------------------------------------------------Sierra Club Inner City Outings (ICO). The Spokane ICO is a community-based outreach program. Their mission is to “provide opportunities for urban youth and adults to explore, enjoy and protect the natural world. Through ICO, young people, who often lack the adult role models and support needed to develop a positive self-image, learn valuable and character-building outdoor skills, and strengthen their abilities to face challenges within and outside urban environments.” “ICO is designed to provide outdoor experiences, but it is what these experiences facilitate in the individual that is the most profound effect. We work to facilitate personal discovery of the local environment instead of boring [children] with adult speak. It is truly an amazing experi-
ence to be present while kids are discovering the world around them,” says Chris Bachman, Project Director for the Spokane ICO. Taking a field-based approach to education, Bachman has discovered that “learning is something that happens much easier when you are having fun. We use outdoor recreation to facilitate learning. The world is our classroom from mountain top to river valley.” The program, staffed entirely by volunteers, has provided students with instructive year-round nature experiences in a variety of locations, from Mt. Spokane to Turnbull Wildlife Refuge. Since June 2006, the Spokane ICO has gone on more than twenty outings, serving over 250 at risk youth who may not otherwise have these outdoor experiences. -----------------------------------------------------West Valley Outdoor Learning Center.
Bridging the gap between outdoor education programs and the classroom is the West Valley Outdoor Learning Center (OLC). The OLC is a part of the West Valley School District and educates students in grades K-5. Providing students with nature based experiential learning and appreciation for the environment, the OLC reinforces the subjects taught in the classroom. According to OLC teacher Jami Ostby-Marsh, “Kids learn best when their learning is based on personal experiences that are fun and engaging. The connection our students have to nature improves student learning overall.” At OLC, fourth graders, learning about salmon and eagle migrations have experiences unheard of in other school districts to dissect salmon and view first hand the annual eagle migration and Kokanee Salmon spawning at Lake Coeur d’Alene. Not only does the OLC reach students within the West Valley School District, but makes their staff and programs available to surrounding communities. -----------------------------------------------------City School. As a middle-school science teacher at City School in the West Valley School District, Matthew Phillipy has seen the benefits of fully incorporating environmental education into his classroom. City School allows students, grades five through eight, to direct their individualized education through exploring their own interests. Matthew Phillipy is only one of the teachers at City School who allow students to explore their own passions within and outside the parameters of the classroom. City School students have the opportunity to pursue issues not only in environmental education, but all issues involved in running their own city of sorts. From running their own café and court system, to learning skills related to numerous different professions, City School teachers have found a way to educate the whole child to an extent that many have not previously seen. “The kids will learn about the environment not by individual content areas, but by full immersion that looks at a whole system, or topic of concern. Just as students should be taught as a whole child and not just one piece at a time,” says Phillipy. -----------------------------------------------------Gonzaga University Center for Community Action and Service Learning. Jace Bylenga,
Environmental Outreach Coordinator for
SUSTAINABLE LIVING Gonzaga through AmeriCorps Vista, is organizing an environmental event for disadvantaged youth this summer called Earthbound for the Shaw Summer Academy. The Shaw Summer Academy runs July 7th through August 1st, and is offered to 5th through 8th graders. Participating students attend four 68 minute periods; two periods are academically focused and the other two are more fun activity focused. The fun activity blocks are run by volunteers. Bylenga will be organizing one activity with the help of other community partners. “It will be called Earthbound and will focus on environmental education presented in a fun and interactive manner,” says Bylenga. Earthbound plans to become an annual participant in the Shaw Summer Academy. The community partners that have committed so far are Sierra Club Inner City Outings, Pedals 2 People, and an AmeriCorps member from Turnbull Wildlife Refuge. Interest has also been expressed by members of the EnviroKids Club and CommunityMinded Enterprises. The participating partners will support the outreach in a variety of ways. Spokane Inner City Outings will be doing water quality testing and other activities. Pedals 2 People will be teaching basic bike maintenance and safe riding skills. Turnbull Wildlife Refuge will be teaching about endangered species and local wildlife. All participating students will receive USDA subsidized breakfast and lunch at no cost during the event and a short podcast video will be produced to showcase what the students have learned with the help of Community-Minded Enterprises. // ------------------------------------------------------Summer is the best time for youth to explore the outdoors. For more information on summer activities and nature-based education, please
The West Valley Outdoor Learning Center is hosting library shows this summer. Catch the
Green & Higher Ed //
reading bug and learn all about bugs of your backyard. For a complete listing of library show dates and times, please contact (509) 340-1028 or www.wvolc.org. --------------------------------------------------------------------Riverside State Park Summer Junior Ranger Program: www.riversidestatepark.org/events. htm. --------------------------------------------------------------------Twin Eagles Wilderness School: http://www. twineagles.org/ --------------------------------------------------------------------For more information on E3 Washington go to www.e3washington.org
Green Teaching Resources // While many educators would like to see environmental and sustainability issues eventually influence all subjects and aspects of curriculum development, right now, not all teachers have the opportunity to teach in a nature-based school or out in nature. Although E3 Washington is moving this effort forward, there are local resources that can be accessed to assist all classrooms to become more green. The Department of Fish and Wildlife sponsors a “Salmon in the Classroom” program, which is free to all educators. Within this project, students get the opportunity to raise trout from eggs and later release them into the wild. The project easily fits into numerous state mandated standards including conservation and lifecycles. For more information go to http://wdfw.wa.gov.//
Area colleges are also increasing their environmental focus. If you’ve been on the Spokane Community College campus lately, you may have seen the notices of this year’s school-wide theme: Sustainability: A Year of Exploration. As part of the SCC campus, the Hagan Foundation Center for the Humanities has established itself as the hub of sustainable ideas where people can meet. Amy Silbernagel McCaffree, adjunct faculty member at SCC, has been on the sustainability planning committee for SCC’s Hagan Foundation Center for the Humanities, and next year will be the new director of the Center, continuing the theme of sustainability. To increase student participation, Silbernagel McCaffree has recently created a Facebook group “Sustainability at Spokane Community College” and a MySpace page, http://www. myspace.com/sccsustainability for students at SCC to get involved in the Sustainability movement. SCC’s Hagan Foundation Center for the Humanities will continue its Sustainability theme for the 2008-09 academic year. The new tagline will be “Sustainability: Living Lightly, Living Well”. For more information on how you can live sustainably, visit their website: http://www.scc.spokane. edu/?hfch. //
contact the following organizations:
SUSTAINABLE LIVING CALENDAR // (July - August) Twin Eagles Wilderness Adventure Summer Camps. When: 9 AM - 3PM. Where: Sandpoint, ID, Spokane,
WA & Priest River, ID. For ages 6 and older. Emphasis on earth-based mentoring. Info: www.twineagles.org. (July – August) Registration: Sustainable Building Advisor Program. When: Class
meets all-day Friday (8:30 AM - 4:30 PM) and Saturday (8 AM – 1 PM). Where: CenterPlace 2426 N. Discovery Place. New session begins September 26th. This nationally-recognized certificate program enables graduates to advise employers or clients on strategies and tools for implementing sustainable building. The course includes, but is not limited to, LEED and Built Green concepts. Cost: $1950, pre-registration required, $250 discount if you register by June 20th. Info: 509-533-4717 or tmangrum@iel.spokane.edu or www.iel.spokane.edu/bct/sbap. (July 22) Riverfront Farms Garden Party. When: 5:30 PM. Where: 2605 W. Boone. A
picnic and/or potluck meal to share great conversation with neighbors. Hosted by the Riverfront Farm/EcoHouse. Info: (509) 3253104.
(July 24) sustainable Development: INcorporating Green designs into your building projects. When: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM. Where: Ramada Inn Spokane Airport,
8909 Airport Drive. Seminar for professionals. Local peakers include Melissa Ahern, Mike Peterson, Ron Reed, Allison Gray, Tom Angell, Juliet Sinisterra, Jerry Boyd, Carrie Anderson, Garth Davis & Andrew Rolwes. Info: (866) 352-3953 or www.lorman.com. (August 4 – 9) Strawbale Construction for Building Professionals. When: TBA. Where:
Pendelton, OR. Terry K. Phelan and Habib John Gonzalez will team together at a new 2-1/2 story home for a 5-day hands-on intensive. Info: Theresa Phelan (425) 427-8643 or www.livingshelter.com. // (August 5) Greening Our Neighborhoods Film Series. When: 7 – 9 PM. Where:
Riverfront Farm Eco House, 2605 W. Boone. Monthly topic will be “Options for Urban Sustainability”. Peak oil, environmental decay, poverty, racism and classism are still huge urban challenges. Come learn what you can do. Dollar donation suggested. Info: (509) 325-3104. //
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what’s your GEAR? [mountaineering] by mira copeland PAUl Fish
Fish with brent johnson in alaska. //
It’s no secret that men occasionally band together in small groups, attempting to escape their familiar routines and defy limitations imposed in their lives. For most men, this can be accomplished with a weekly poker game. For Paul Fish and his three fellow members of the Into Thin Hair expedition (Jeff Johnson, Brent Johnson and Chris Kopczynski), it meant attempting to climb Mt. Fairweather in Alaska’s
coastal range. According to Fish, it’s one of the tallest glaciated climbs in the world, “almost from the sea to the peak,” and its weather (which did not allow the group to summit), is renowned to be anything but fair. As the owner of Mountain Gear, Fish is no stranger to outdoor recreation, but he says he especially enjoys mountaineering, because “you get to see incredible things. It’s challenging, it pushes you, it’s exciting, it’s beautiful, and it’s good times with good people.” The gear that took him there and back: ------------------------------------------------------Boots: La Sportiva’s Spantik. “I’ve never been this happy with a pair of boots. I put them on and they felt like slippers, but worked like a boot.” Most of the trip was done on foot, using crampons and snowshoes to hike. The men generally carried an ice-ax in one hand and a trekking pole in the other, for safety and support. Fish used crampons and an ice-ax that weighed less than a pound each, both by Camp, and Leki Makalu titanium poles. ------------------------------------------------------Snowshoes: Atlas 925. “We hadn’t planned on using them, but at the last minute I grabbed some from the rental shop at Mountain Gear.” He used them more on the trip than he did his originallyintended gear: Dynafit Alpine Touring skis. Pack: Fish used a self-made pack during the trip, but his companions were happy with their packs by Gregory and Osprey. “Most of my mountaineering gear was pretty old, and the difference between my old gear and
the new stuff was substantial. For example, our packs before food were 36-40 pounds, including climbing gear, but thirty years ago it would have been closer to 60-70 pounds.” ------------------------------------------------------Tent: Black Diamond’s Eldorado, which can be set up from the inside so that you can be protected while you make camp. “The tents were 5.5 pounds and roomy enough that Jeff and I didn’t kill each other during our six stormbound days, even after the iPod died.” “I’d say the iPod and a solar charger are necessities when you’re climbing in Alaska because you get stormed in and can’t get out much.” ------------------------------------------------------Underlayers: Once the team got to high altitudes, Fish says, he put on the Saturn Suit by Outdoor Research (OR) and never took it off. He attributed the comfort to the light, warm, PowerStretch fabric and the full crotch zip (“to minimize exposure”). ------------------------------------------------------Coat: A softshell jacket from the North Face Flight series, and a prima-loft insulated Chaos jacket by OR for colder weather and snow. Pants: ArcTeryx Theta AR with built-in gaiters. Whenever the temperature sank below ten degrees, he added the insulated Compressor Pant by Mountain Hardwear. ------------------------------------------------------Sleeping Bag: By Valandré, weighing in at just over three pounds. “It was too warm most nights. It’s rated to negative twenty and I was cooking.” ------------------------------------------------------Food: Backpackers Pantry freeze dried meals—
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“These wasn’t a meal we didn’t like, but we planned on 4000 calories per day, which is good if you’re climbing, but a lot of the time we were tenting, so we had too much food.” ------------------------------------------------------Stoves: The MSR XGK. ------------------------------------------------------Shovels: Black Diamond D9 shovels. They were lightweight and easy to use, Fish says, but with the amount of shoveling they had to do, at least one shovel with an extendable handle would have prevented some backache. ------------------------------------------------------Hats: OR’s Sonic Balaclava, which is windproof, but “with non-windstopper fabric over the ears so I could hear.” ------------------------------------------------------Gloves: OR Alti-mitts. He replaced the liner mitten with liner gloves for added versatility. ------------------------------------------------------Goggles: “I was the only person who brought goggles and during the storms I was the only person happy.” Fish also carried Jumbo Glacier Glasses, renowned for their un-fog-ability. ------------------------------------------------------Headlamp: By Petzl, but it being summer in Alaska, with 16 hours of daylight, he only used it twice. ------------------------------------------------------GPS: Garmin Gpsmap 60CSx. “We spent a lot of time in white-outs, so the GPS was essential to have.” One last tip for aspiring mountaineers? “Don’t forget your pee bottle, and make it a different shape than your water bottle,” Fish says. //
MUSIC REVIEWS BY DR. OSLONORWAY
THE BLACK ANGELS Directions to See a Ghost (Light in the Attic)
Austin’s heirs apparent to Roky Erickson’s Thirteenth Floor Elevators as lords of South Texas sun-dazed psychedelia continue to kick out the drone on their epic follow-up to 2006’s Passover. As before, singer Alex Maas steers the course of this lengthy trip-out with his forlorn wail, which is ever-drenched in massive amounts of reverb and sounds as though it’s struggling to be heard over the slow, pounding drums, the battery of fuzzedout guitars, the layers of sitars, etc. Long buildups to extended sonic freakouts abound, and the band never wavers in its determined pursuit of creating a soundtrack to the results of ingesting the brown acid at Woodstock.
Breeders Mountain Battles (4AD)
When you get in to the full swing of your annual summer fitness reawakening, you always have a transcendent moment of gestalt where you wonder where all the winter fat came from. And you always end up running like hell from the largess of your former self. I’m here to tell you that the Breeders are prey to the same earthly psychosis we all share. But, more importantly, Kim Deal keeps running from her former self – and that’s a good thing. Cruising around now for nearly 20 years, the Breeders toy around with hip sounds with the kind of moxie that may very well scare the pants off her former band
THE FRATELLIS Here We Stand (Island)
The bouncy Glaswegian neo-Brit-pop trio punches it up a tad on their sophomore full-length, adding some rockabilly piano to the mix and throwing a touch of menace into their usually upbeat sensibilities. Case in point is the first single, “Mistress Mabel,” a paean to a mentally unstable older lover that rocks harder than anything on their previous album while still retaining their trademark pop songwriting. Several musical references to seventies rock icons such as Elton John and T-Rex appear throughout the album, and the pop-rock classicist feel of the debut remains intact here.
HEAD LIKE A KITE There is Loud Laughter Everywhere (Mush)
After creating a significant buzz with the minimalist electronica and seventies home movie samples of their 2006 debut, Random Portraits of the Home Movie, Seattle’s Head Like a Kite return with a new album that expands upon the ideas of the previous release. This time Dave Einmo and live drummer Trent Moorman are joined by several guests from the Seattle music scene; Smoosh’s Asya provides vocals for the beautiful indie-pop of “Daydream Vacation” and elsewhere members of the Long Winters, Radio 4 and others lend their talents to the project.
MADONNA Hard Candy (Warner Bros.)
For her new album, Madonna decided to let superstar pop producers the Neptunes and Timbaland take on the difficult task of keeping
her contemporary, and the results are a mixed bag at best. As hard as the producers try to earn their hefty payouts by utilizing up-to-the-minute pop sounds, Madge just can’t help coming across as a middle-aged woman trying to be cool. That said, there are plenty of tracks on this record that will satisfy devotees of the kind of beats turned out by the production team, and vocal assists from Justin Timberlake don’t hurt matters.
Opeth Watershed (Roadrunner)
As is the case with most bands, their “watershed” moment is usually around album three, and then everything else is an exercise in the wheels coming off on painful downhill slide. But Opeth is not your typical Metal band, and their “watershed” coincides with album number eight. Yup. Eight. A confounding smattering of Death Metal (read: Morbid Angel, meets Yes, meets, Cannibal Corpse, meets King Crimson) Opeth brings something new and shinier to the Death Metal table. Dare I say it, they make progressive music cool.
R.E.M. Accelerate (Warner Bros.)
After three albums of studio bound indie-pop released in the wake of the departure of longtime drummer Bill Berry, R.E.M. have decided to rock again on Accelerate. Apparently a calculated move, possibly carried out because they’ve been facing diminishing returns with each new release, the change actually suits them well and might be generously construed as a welcome return to form. They certainly sound more than re-energized on concise, hooky rockers like “Living Well is the Best Revenge” and “Supernatural Superserious.” Anyone who’s written R.E.M. off as washed up might be shocked to hear them sounding this vital so many years into their legendary career.
TILLY AND THE WALL O (Team Love)
Omaha’s happiest export just gets better and better. Since inception, these smiley-faced kiddos on Conor Oberst’s Team Love label have been turning out some of the danciest tunes to (possibly) emerge from the Midwest ever. O starts a little mellower, resurrecting a long-forgotten band track “Tall Tall Grass” (gorgeous), which quickly turns into one of the band’s most energetic tracks yet, “Pot Kettle Black” (AMAZING), before heading into recent single “Cacophony,” (where Jamie’s tap-tap-tappin’ takes center stage). Tilly’s always been attention-worthy for Jamie’s tap dancing rhythm section, but O should help establish them further as just attention-worthy, period.
WEEZER Weezer (Geffen)
Rivers Cuomo and company stretch out a bit on their sixth (and third eponymous) album, in the process creating some of their strongest work in years. Cuomo has no problem displaying his always-dependable pop songwriting chops on tracks like the blue album throwback “Pork and Beans” and the gorgeous ballad “Heart Songs,” but he also devotes a large chunk of the album to two long pop suites that in some ways recall the ambitious work of Brian Wilson on the abortive Smile sessions. Guitarist Brian Bell and drummer Pat Wilson each turn in songs for the first time, and although their material is probably the weakest on the record, it’s a welcome addition of variety to a band that’s needed fresh ideas. //
// OTM SUGGESTS //
UPCOMING SHOWS! JUly 4 (punk)
Table Top Joe, Cyrus Fell Down The Blvd., 333 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. JULY 4 (BLUES)
B.B. King northern quest casino, 325-SEAT July 17 (Indie Rock)
Motion City Soundtrack knitting factory, 911 W. Sprague, 244-3279 JUly 18 (Indie Rock)
Seven Years Absence Caterina Winery, 905 N. Washington JULY 18 (beatles)
Ringo Starr & His All-Star band northern quest casino, 325-SEAT JUly 25 (Hip-Hop)
Jamal Ali CD Release Party Caterina Winery, 905 N. Washington JUly 26 (swing daddy-o)
Cherry poppin daddies Liberty lake pavilion park July 28 (Pop)
Boz Scaggs The Fox, 1001 W. Sprague, 624-5992 July 30 (Folk Punks)
.357 String Band Mootsy’s, 406 W. Sprague, 838-1570
Reptet Chicken or Beef? (Monktail)
Warning: Even though this Seattle ensemble has a cute letter-pressed CD cover they won’t be delivering any relax-with-a-mochachino-style jazz. This record is complex energetic and unpredictable. (Two of the tracks here, one rock and one ska, aren’t even jazz.) But if bold, brassy, contemporary jazz is your thing it’s going to be hard not enjoy this album. It captures all kinetic, experimental, electricity you’ll find in their live shows and some brooding moodiness that you won’t. The CD proclaims “New Squakaphonic High Fidelity.” I won’t dispute that, but a couple tracks (“Swanni” in particular) have beautiful melodies that kept me humming for days.
THE SATURDAY KNIGHTS Mingle (Light in the Attic)
In their first major bid to become synonymous with the term “party rap” (or maybe just “party”), Seattle’s TSK sound determined to pull out all the stops to ensure that the good times never end. Enlisting the aid of a diverse group of music luminaries—including Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings (who double as Amy Winehouse’s backing band), Kim Thayil of Soundgarden and Nirvana producer Jack Endino—the Knights take their intoxicating admixture of old school hip hop, classic rock, funk, country, etc. to a new level. Throughout the LP, veteran MCs Tilson and Barfly (he’s the one who swears) trade tongue-incheek verses that address any number of subjects, from keeping it real at the dog park to professing a taste for English pop divas. JUly 2008
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BOOK REVIEWS Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically In a World of Vanishing Seafood Taras Grescoe, Bloomsbury Press, 2008, 326 pages
...Beyond the limits that stopped you before, to a place where you can hear your own voice clearly. Discover that your limits weren’t limits at all on one of 500 wilderness adventures. And come back with a new sense of yourself that will last for a lifetime. No Experience Necessary. This is Outward Bound. This challenge belongs to you.
Taras Grescoe is a West coast transplant to Montreal. While growing up in the Vancouver B.C. area, Grescoe became an avid seafood consumer; the Pacific Northwest’s abundant fish and shellfish nurtured his lifelong habit. Interestingly Garscoe begins the book by making an ethical case for not eating seafood. He goes on to counter the opposition to fish by explaining the choices that make eating seafood ethically acceptable and sustainable. The title, Bottomfeeder, has a double meaning. First, Garscoe encourages us to eat seafood low on the food chain. Second, as we become “bottomfeeders,” we will begin to consume more bottomfeeding fish, herbivores like catfish. We need a new way of making seafood choices. That six-ounce fillet of cod, tuna, swordfish or salmon that graced the center of your plate the other day was likely a poor choice. In addition to most species of predatory “game fish” being threatened species, often they are not good for us. Some of these top carnivores live to be quite old; many live for decades consuming smaller fish. In doing so they concentrate any toxics found in the smaller fish, mercury is a problem in seafood, to levels that may be harmful to humans. Garscoe even cautions us about farmed seafood. The problems are outlined carefully. There are good fish farms and bad; with fish farming the lack of information as to how and where the fish are farmed is a problem. Interestingly, aquiculture often turns carnivores into herbivores and herbivores are turned into carnivores. Salmon raised in costal pens and fed soybean meal are not good. Salmon raised in inland ponds and fed fishmeal are better. While most catfish are raised “ethically,” many tilapia are not. In search of the perfect seafood meal, Garscoe learned that, unless you are at a three-star seaside restaurant, the question is not, “Is your fish fresh?” but “How long ago was your fish thawed?” I’ll let you read the book to find out why. Stan Miller
THE WHITE CASCADE: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America’s Deadliest Avalanche Gary Krist, A Holt Paperback, 2008, 251 pages
www.outwardboundwilderness.org 1-888-88BOUND
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This is a saga of Titanic proportions, only it happens high in the Cascade Mountains on a routine train journey from Spokane to Seattle over Stevens Pass in late February, 1910, relentlessly building to its tragic conclusion. The heroic actions by crew and passengers are inspirational, as the story is told in meticulously researched detail. Krist brings to life an assorted group of people, from wealthy businessmen to widows, mothers with small children and dedicated railroad workers. It reads like fiction with page turning intensity and escalating feelings of dread and hopelessness. The history of the railroads, specifically Great Northern Railway founder James J. Hill and his monopoly of the rail lines before the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, is highly informative and illuminates the all important function of railways of that time, as it is vividly brought to life. The reader is caught up in the lives and struggles of both crew and passengers through their terrifying ordeal. Assaulted by record-breaking
snows in late February, the normally routine trip turns into the worst and most ill-fated in the long career of Superintendent James O’Neil. With super-human endurance his efforts to save his train were truly heroic. Krist writes with crisp and compelling prose in a book as gripping as any fictional tale, giving an hour-by-hour account of the growing horror, with the tension building ominously. His description of the avalanche itself is one of the most harrowing I have ever read. Compassionate and dramatic, this book carries the reader along as swiftly as a tidal wave as the tragedy unfolds. The aftermath is equally compelling when beleaguered Supt. O’Neil and survivors are made to endure a heart wrenching trial. A wonderfully human and poignant accounting, this book is impossible to put down, and ultimately life-affirming. This is a worthy recounting of a long overlooked and mostly forgotten history-making event. Joan Egan
33 1/3 : Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality John Darnielle, Continuum Books, 2008, 101 pages
What’s the best way to explain Black Sabbath? You could interview the band members, talk with music critics, or study album chart data. Or you could do what John Darnielle does with his new book 33 1/3: Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality. Darnielle has created a fictional journal written by a 16-year-old boy committed against his will to mental institution in 1985. It’s an extremely creative take on the central question of Continuum Books 33 1/3 series: what makes an album important? Most writers in the series have answered this by filling a hundred pages with an essay of nonfiction or music criticism. And if anyone but Darnielle had tried to elucidate the virtues of Sabbath’s third album, mostly remembered for the track “Sweat Leaf,” in fiction form I wouldn’t have given it a second look. But Darnielle, the singer songwriter who records under the name The Mountain Goats, and blogs on the site LastPlanetoJakarta.com, is one of the best music writers of his generation. For Darnielle Black Sabbath’s proto-heavy metal riffage is best explained as an island of sanity in a turbulent sea of working class adolescent rebellion. If you grew up in a town such as Spokane in the eighties, or Central Florida, or Southern California where this book is set, you might not need Master of Reality explained to you. It’s just in your bones. Even so this book is still a fascinating read, with interesting facts about the band and the record snuck into the story. Ozzy wrote lots of pro-Christian subtext into his lyrics. Who knew? Even if you are a close follower of Darnielle he can surprise you. For last year’s anthology book on desert-island discs called Marooned he chose a Dionne Warwick greatest hits collection. For his only entry into the 33 1/3 series he not only chose narrative over nonfiction he also chose a Sabbath record that isn’t the band’s most popular (that would be 1970’s Paranoid) or the most critically acclaimed (that might be 1976’s Sabotage). But when you’re done reading this book it won’t likely matter. You’ll look at Ozzy and company a whole different way, or you’ll rush out to buy this record if you don’t already have it. Jon Snyder //
OUTDOOR CALENDAR CLIMBING
(July, Tuesdays) Discover Rock Climbing.
When: 6 PM – 8 PM. Where: Mountain Gear, 2002 North Division. Cost: $20. Info: www. mgear.com. (July 13) Top Rope Anchors. When: 9-3PM.
Where: Mountain Gear, 2002 North Division. Take your climbing to the next level and outdoors with Top Rope Anchors. You’ll learn to set up top ropes on both bolts and natural anchors. We will spend the morning learning knots and anchor systems and the afternoon climbing on your anchors. Must have own harness, shoes and belaying system and be able to belay. Cost: $60. Info: (509) 325-9000.
CYCLING (Ongoing) Spokane’s Bike Buddy Program.
When: Ongoing. Where: Spokane, WA. The Bike Buddy Program matches you with a trained volunteer familiar with the commute between your neighborhood and workplace. Sponsored by the Spokane Bicycle Club and Bicycle Alliance of Washington. Info: SpokaneBikeBuddy@aol. com. (Ongoing) Commuter Bike Project. When:
By appointment. Where: Spokane, WA. John Speare, member of the Spokane Bicycle Advisory Board, tracks your commuter cycling route with a GPS receiver. Info: johnspeare@gmail.com
(ongoing) Pedals2People Bike Donations Needed. When: Mon/Weds nights; 6-8pm.
Where: P2P Garage: South Hill. P2P is seeking donated bikes for our programs. We are taking repairable adult bikes. Call for directions to the garage: 842-6597. Or visit pedals2people.org.
(July 5) Silveroxx Downhill Mountain Bike Festival. Info: www.silvermt.com
(July 09, 16, 23, 30) SISNA Mountain Bike Ride Series. When: Start open between 4:30-6:30PM.
Where:Farragut State Park, Athol, ID. Course timed. Free Eichardt’s Kids Ride. Sponsor raffle for adult course participants. Series grand raffle: Cat-skiing with Selkirk Powder. Info: 866-GoIdaho or www.asisna.com. (July 20) The Elk Vintage Cruiser Bike Ride.
When: 3pm. Where: The Elk, Brown’s Edition. Vintage bike ride to David’s Pizza. All bikes are invited, the older the bike the better. Come have fun and meet other vintage enthusiasts. Hopefully it won’t snow! All Cruisers are invited. Third Sunday of every month. Info: (509) 499-5422, or newtimebomb@hotmail.com.
cycling.com.
(August 2) 8 Lakes Leg Aches Bike Ride. When: 7:30 Registration. Where: Group Health Corp Office, 5615 W Sunset Highway, Spokane, WA. 30, 50 or 80 mile route. Cheney, Medical Lake, Spokane. $30 ride ~ $40 ride & t-shirt. $175 in pledges receive a Voler Long-Sleeve Jersey. Info: (509) 343-5020.
HIKING/ BACKPACKING (July 15) Pack Light, Pack Right. When: 7PM.
Where: REI, 1125 N Monroe St. Is your pack too heavy? Would you like to know how to pack lightly but still be comfortable and perhaps even have room for a few extras? Info: (509) 3289900, www.rei.com/spokane.
(JULY 19) CLACKAMAS MOUNTAIN HIKE. When:
7AM. Where: Okanogan National Forest. Join Conservation Northwest on an expertly-led, 8-mile hike through a proposed wilderness area with old-growth giants and rare views of the distant Kettle Crest. Carpool available from Spokane. Space is limited; sign up early for details. Free. Info: (509) 747-1663.
(July 20) Hidden Lake Family Hike. When: TBD.
Where: Hidden Lake, Bonners Ferry ID. Limit of 10 hikers, easy 2 mile round trip to an alpine lake in the Selkirks. Sponsored by the Idaho Conservation League. Info: (208) 265-3511, nidintern@wildidaho.org. (July 24) Intro to Backpacking Class. When: 6-8PM. Where: Mountain Gear, 2002 North Division. Learn all there is to learn about backpacking without actually putting one on. This class will cover all the basics from socks and shoes to tents and water filters. Bring your questions and plan on participating in this interactive event. Free. Info: (509) 325-9000. (JULY 26) ABERCROMBIE MT. HIKE. When: 7AM.
Where: Colville National Forest. Explore the 2nd highest peak in northeast Washington and Hooknose on this challenging, 9-mile guided hike with Conservation Northwest. Carpool available from Spokane. Space is limited; sign up early for details. Free. Info: (509) 747-1663.
(July 26) Pyramid/Ball Lakes family hike.
When: TBD. Where: Sandpoint, ID. Limit of 10 hikers, easy 5-mile roundtrip perfect short hike for short legs. Sponsored by the Idaho Conservation League. Info: (208) 265-3511, nidintern@wildidaho.org. (AUG 2) HIKE GRASSY TOP FROM PASS CREEK PASS. When: 7:30AM. Where: Colville National
Forest. Moderate, 8-mile hike just south of the Salmo-Priest Wilderness Area and home to rare wildlife such as grizzly, lynx, and bull trout. Carpool available. Space is limited; call Conservation Northwest to register. Free. Info: (509) 747-1663.
PADDLING (July 1, 8, 26, 29) Canoe & Kayak Demo. When: 5:30 - 7:3)PM. Where: Spokane River, Boulder Beach. Whether you’re a new boater or want
to take your paddling to the next level, come try the latest in kayaking and canoeing with Mountain Gear’s free demos. Conveniently located at the Spokane River’s Boulder Beach, these demos are a great opportunity to try new boat designs. If there is a boat you would like to have brought out, just give us a call the day of, and we will have it waiting for you. Free. Info: (509) 325-9000. (July 10-13) Upper Priest Lake Canoe and Hike.
When: TBD. Where: Upper Priest Lake, ID. Thursday-Sunday, July 10-13. Limit of 10 hikers, easy to moderate, canoe to Upper Priest Lake Thursday or backpack in Friday for two-day hikes. Sponsored by the Idaho Conservation League. (208) 267-3535, www.wildidaho.org. (July 12, 27) Rec Kayaking Class. When: 10-Noon. Where: Mountain Gear, 2002 North Division. Recreational kayaking is all about fun, and we’ll teach you how to get into your boat and to your destination with as little stress as possible. Class covers boat types, basic and some advanced strokes, appropriate clothing combinations, safety for self and others, gear, dry storage and rigging. Class will also discuss currents and wind. Cost: $30. Info: (509) 325-9000. (July 12, 27) Tour Kayaking Class. When: 1-5PM.
Where: Mountain Gear, 2002 North Division. Tour lakes, coastlines and islands with a complete set of boat-handling skills. Class covers: personal and safety gear, kayak design, getting in and out of your boat, spray skirts, paddles and strokes, bracing, stopping and sweeps, wet exit, self and tandem rescue. After this class, you’re ready for the San Juans! Cost: $50. Info: (509) 325-9000.
(July 17) Hydrotherapy. When: 4:30PM. Where: TBD. HydroTherapy Sessions are FREE grassroots learning events for kayakers of all skill levels and ages. (Donations to the WW park encourage.) Structured like a competition, this series will be judged by Jud Keiser. Prizes are awarded to all competitors who show up for this FREE event. Info: hydrotherapysessions.blogspot.com.
RUNNING/WALKING/MARATHONS (Thursdays—March-November) Flying Irish Running Club. When: 6PM. Where: O’Doherty’s
Irish Grille 525 West Spokane Falls Boulevard. Weekly 3 mile fun-runs, with walkers always welcome. Run six times and earn a free shirt good for food & drink discounts afterwards. EZ & fun 3 milers with food & drink half-priced afterwards! Free clothing too! Info: (509) 747-0322, or www. flyingirish.org. (July 6) HSBC Calgary Marathon. Calgary, Canada. Info: (403) 264-2996 or www.calgarymarathon. com. (July 12) Let’s Climb A Mountain Solo and Relay.
When: 6:00AM. Where: Riverfront Park, Spokane, WA. 37 mile run on Centennial Trail, north to Mt Spokane, Greenbluff area and finishing at Colbert Elem. School. Info: (509) 928-5784, www. letsclimbamountain.com. (July 13) Missoula Marathon. Missoula, MT. Info:
www.missoulamarathon.org.
(July 25-26) Ragmar Relay Northwest Passage.
C ALENDAR
(July 10) Bike Maintenance 101 Class. When: 7PM. Where: REI, 1125 N Monroe St. Bike Maintenance 101 is designed for anyone who owns a bike and wants to learn how to keep their investment running great for years to come. Info: (509) 328-9900, www.rei.com/spokane.
(July 27) Tour de Kitsap hosted by West Sound Cycling Club. Info: www.westsound-
JULY2008 OUTDOOR
(Ongoing) Spider Monkey climbing Club.
When: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM (Tuesdays). Where: Wild Walls, 202 W. 2nd Ave. For kids ages 4 – 10 years. Please call ahead. Cost: $12 (single visit), $64 (pass). Info: (509) 455-9596.
SUBMIT your event at www.outtheremonthly.com
Info: www.ragnarrelay.com. // JUly 2008
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outdoor calendar (July 27) Bare Buns Fun Run. Road running. Info:
www.kaniksufamily.com.
submit your event at www.outtheremonthly.com
(July 3-6) 4th of July American Legion Baseball Tournament. When: TBD. Where: Spokane &
Coeur d’Alene. Info: (509) 456-5812, www.spokanesports.org.
SOCCER (July 26-27) Cheney Storm Soccer Club 3-on3. When: TBD. Where: Eastern Washington
(July 10) Olympic Softball Exhibition. When:
(August 2-3) Palouse Cup Soccer Tournament.
(July 10-12) NIC coaches and players to lead summer volleyball camps. When: TBD. Where:
University. Info: (509) 456-5812, www.spokanesports.org.
7:30PM. Where: Franklin Park. Info: (509) 4565812, www.spokanesports.org.
dog first aid in the outdoors. Info: (509) 3289900, www.rei.com/spokane. (July 18-20) Girls U-18 A Fastpitch Regional Championships. When: All day. Where: Franklin
Park. Info: (509) 456-5812, www.spokanesports. org.
(July 24) Tasting and Tour at Dry Fly Distilling. When: 5:30-7:30PM. Where: 1003 E
Trent (Riverwalk complex). A benefit for Inland Northwest Land Trust. Enjoy a tour and tasting
When: 8-4PM. Where: Moscow, ID. The 13th Annual Palouse Cup Soccer Tournament will be held on the grounds of the University of Idaho in Moscow on August 2-3, 2008. This is a fun 5 v 5 tournament for youth under 8 to Adult divisions. Info: www.moscowunited.org or email at palousecup@moscow.com.
NIC’s Christianson Gym. North Idaho College volleyball staff and players are offering four volleyball camps this summer for middle and high school volleyball players. Cost varies for each camp. Info: (208) 769-3349.
TRIATHLON/MULTISPORT
Where: Spokane Falls Community College & North Central High School. Info: (509) 456-5812, www.spokanesports.org.
(August) 8 Lakes Leg Aches. Road cycling,
(July 12) Biological Drawing Workshop. When:
(August 31) Great Northwest Fall Tour.
(Ongoing Wednesday’s through summer) Moms In Motion Triathlon Training. When:
Every Wednesday at 5:45PM. Where: Witter Pool in Mission Park. Train for triathlons this summe with Moms In Motion. More info at orientation June 5 at 7pm at REI or Kirsten at tkdehart@ hotmail.com Info: (509) 327-9143, www.momsinmotion.com. (July 6) Barclays North Ironman 70-3. Lake
Stevens, WA. Info: www.lakestevens703.com.
(July 12-13) Ocean Shores Big Weekend, Ocean Shores, WA. Info: www.trifreak.com. (July 20) Whisky Dick Triathlon, Vantage, WA.
Info: www.whiskydick.com. (July 8) Valley Kids Triathlon. When: TBD.
Where: Liberty Lake. Info: (509) 456-5812, www. spokanesports.org.
(July 8) Valley Girl Triathlon. When: TBD.
(July 10-13) Junior Olympic Track and Field Region 13 Championships. When: All day.
9AM-3PM. Where: Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, just south of Cheney. EWU Professor Heather McKean will present this workshop. There is a $10 charge for materials, and a $3 entry fee (per vehicle) at the Refuge gate. Feel free to bring a lunch. Please preregister by calling Louise O’Leary at 235-4531, or email her at looeezoleary@netscape.net. This event supported by Friends of Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.
(July 12-13) Roman Nose Lakes Restoration.
When: TBD. Where: Roman Nose Lakes. Team up with the U.S. Forest Service to help restore the heavily utilized Roman Nose Lakes area. Sponsored by the Idaho Conservation League. Info: (208) 265-3511, nidintern@wildidaho.org. (July 14) CPR FRIENDS AND FAMILY, PEDIATRIC. When:
at the distillery and appetizers and refreshments at Northern Lights Brewery. Tickets $40. Info: (509) 328-2939, www.inlandnwlandtrust.org. (July 28-August 1) Youth Wakeboarding Camp.
When: 8AM-5PM, MON-FRI. Where: Hayden Lake. Kamiak Christian School is hosting a wakeboarding camp for youth ages 9-14. Wakesurf & Airchair instruction will be provided as well! Call now for more details. Info: (509) 590-0226, brianh@kamiak.org. //
SIX MONTH TRAINING CALENDAR // CYCLING (August 2) Eight Lakes Leg Aches. Cheney/ Spokane, WA. Info: www.lcsnw.org/events.
info: www.lscnw.org
nfo: 509-292-5099 or melody_geddes@hotmail.com (September 6-7) Bike MS: Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. When: Saturday, 10AM-5PM,
Sunday, 9PM-5PM. Where: Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, North Idaho. 2-day, 150 mile, bike ride with rest stops every 12-15 miles, bike mechanics, medical and communication support and meals. Pledge event for the National MS Society. Info: (509) 482-2022, bikems.org.
(September 7) Tour de Coeur 2008, Coeur d’Alene, ID. Info: 1-800-537 7710, Option
3, Ext 295 or http://www.acsidaho.org/ or Cynthia.Rozyla@cancer.org.
(September 13) Kootenai River Ride, Bonners Ferry ID. Road cycling. Info: (208) 267-7802
or http://www.ruralnorthwest.com/rotary/ bike08.htm.
(September 9) Timberline Trail Marathon, Mt. Hood OR. Info: www.roguemultisport.
com.
(October 4) Leavenworth Oktoberfest Marathon, Leavenworth, WA. Info: www.
leavenworthmarathon.com
TRIATHLON/MULTISPORT (August 2) Whidbey Island Triathlon, Langley, WA. Info: 360-221-5484 or http://
www.swparks.org/ .
(August 2) Rogue Triathlon Hellgate Challenge. Grants Pass, OR. Info: www.
roguemultisport.com.
(August 3) Troika Triathlon and Duathlons.
Spokane, WA. Info: (509) 991-0812 or www. spokanetroika@yahoo.com. (August 9) Coeur d’ Alene Triathlon and Duathlon. Coeur d’ Alene, ID. Info: www.
cdatriathlon.com.
(August 17) Danskin Women’s Triathlon Series. When: 6:45AM Start Time. Where:
Genesee Park, Seattle. Nearly 5,000 women will join together in the only Triathlon Series that emphasizes “finishing is winning” as women of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds and athletic abilities compete in the world’s largest and longest running women’s multi-sport event. Info: (973) 984-3000 ext 124, www. danskin.com/triathlon.html.
(July 26) Tri-Fusion Kids Triathlon. When:
10:00AM. Where: Camp Gifford/Deer lake. This is a kids Triathlon for ages 4-12 all abilities welcome! Info: (509) 220-8611, www.tri-fusion. com/kids/.
6:30 to 8:30PM. Where: St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute, 711 S. Cowley St. Spokane. This class provides CPR techniques for infant (birth to age 1)and child (1 to 8 years old). Other safety techniques taught include management of choking, and accident and poison prevention. This is a course designed for parents, grandparents, foster parents, older siblings and teachers. Fee: $25.00 per person. Info: (509) 232-8138.
(September 13) CHaFE 150. When: 6:30AM7PM. Where: Coldwater Creek Campus, Kootenai ID. 150-mile one day, professionally supported ride for childrens literacy program in Lake Pend Oreille School District. Info: (208) 263-7040, www.chafe150.org.
YOGA
(July 19) Italian Festival. When: 9AM-1PM.
(September 20-21) Tour de Lacs. Spokane to
(AUGUST 17) West Plains WUNDERWOMAN TRIATHLON. Spokane, WA. Info: www.emdes-
RUNNING
(August 24) Apple Capital Triathlon: Wenatchee, WA. Info: www.triwenatchee.net.
Where: Liberty Lake. Sold out. Info: (509) 4565812, www.spokanesports.org.
(July 7) Mastering the Basics of Yoga. When:
Mondays/Wednesdays at 7:15pm – 8:15PM. Where: City Yoga, 505 E. 24th St., Spokane. 8 Week Session will be team taught by Karen, and Darrel and as with the last two sessions, we are limiting the class size to 15 in order to provide more individual and in-depth instruction. So please sign up early to reserve your spot. To sign up today email katie@cityyogaspokane.com or visit our website www.cityyogaspokane.com.
EVENTS, MOVIES, MISC. (Fridays & Saturdays in July) Greenstone Outdoor Cinema Series 2008. When: Dusk.
Where: Pavillion Park in Liberty Lake. Great family films throughout the summer. See website for movie titles and details. Info: (509) 252-7507 ext. 220, www.greenstonehomes.com.
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JUly 2008
Where: Liberty Lake Farmers’ Market. Hosted by the American Italian Club of Spokane and the Market. Info: (509) 879-4965. (July 20) Latah Variety Market. When: 8AM-
4PM. Where: Latah Plaza located just off Highway 195. Besides vendors selling antiques, crafts, artwork and home decor items, growers from throughout the area will be selling an array of fresh homegrown fruits, flowers, vegetables and spices. Currently 70+ vendors and local artisans have committed to this market, making it the largest street market in the Inland Northwest of its kind. Info: (509) 624-4182, mychaps@MSN. com.
(July 17) Wilderness Dog First Aid. When: 7PM. Where: REI, 1125 N Monroe St. Do you enjoy the great outdoors with your four legged friend? Join Greg Benoit DVM MS with SouthCare Animal Medical Center for an informative evening about
Coeur d’Alene. Info: www.roundandround. com.
ports.com.
(August 15-16) Spokane To Sandpoint Team Relay, Sandpoint, ID. Running relay. Info:
(August 30) Umpqua Ultimate Triathlon.
MARATHONS
(September 13) Grand Columbian triathlon. Grand Coulee Dam, WA. Info: (360)
(509) 346-1440 or www.spokanetosandpoint. com.
(August 9) Crater Lake Rim Runs & Marathon, Crater Lake, OR. Info: www.cra-
Sutherlin, Oregon. Info: www.roguemultisport.com.
325-0715 or www.thegrandcolumbian.com. //
terlakerimruns.com.
HAVE AN EVENT YOU WOULD LIKE TO LIST? // Please visit www.outtheremonthly.com and click the “Submit Your Event” link. // Events MUST be sent in by the 20th of the month to be listed in the following month’s issue. Please follow the when, where format as seen in the calendar. Ongoing events need to be re-submitted each month.
If you are over 40 and do not have health insurance... Call for a FREE Women’s health exam, pap test & mammogram
The new 08-09 Go Green Directory is coming this summer.
Call (509) 534-3347 to get a free stack for distribution at your business.
Call the Washington Breast and Cervical Health Program
1-888-461-8876
TEL 509.324.1500 | TDD 324.1464
www.srhd.org
JUly 2008
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LASTPAGE
Blood, Blacksmiths, Beer and Bikes Tour de France Historian Matt Rendell’s New Book Covers Over 100 Years Of Racing Matt Rendell’s latest book is a concise yet thrilling year-by-year history of the Tour de France. Blazing Saddles is great for road race buffs but it’s also the perfect crossover book for anyone with even a passing interest in the Tour who loves a good read. Rendell was interviewed from his home in England. It’s amazing to think that race organizers used to adjust the rules if they felt the race was too easy and too many riders were finishing. Of all the tribulations that early Tour riders had to go through what do you think was the most cruel and unusual by today’s standards? In the early years, an essential characteristic of cycling was banned at the Tour de France: drafting is when you tuck in behind the rider in front. At high speed the effect is so powerful that the following rider feels as if he is being towed: cyclists even call their turn at the front a “pull.â€? Pulling at the front is the physical basis of teamwork in cycling—a line of domestiques sharing the load ahead of their leader—but it is also the principle behind the attack and the chase, for when a single rider or a small group breaks away from the pack, their only hope of building a lead is to work together. The first organizer of the Tour de France, Henri Desgrange, tried to outlaw drafting. He didn’t have the means to enforce his ban consistently, so he wielded it arbitrarily. In 1911, on the Pyrenean stage between Perpignan and Luchon, François Faber, whose six-liter lung capacity and improbable ninety-one kilogram physique powered him to victory in the 1909 Tour, was ill. His Alcyon teammate Maurice Brocco slowed until Faber could reach him, and began to pilot him forward to the lead group. The newspaper report the following day observed: “The race commissaire, who spends the day watching out for this sort of friendly arrangement from his car, will take decisive action: Brocco will be disqualified tonight. By way of consolation, he has the right to ride one more stage while the French cycling federation, the supreme arbiter, ratifies Monsieur Desgrange’s sentence.â€? On the following day’s stage from Luchon to Bayonne, Brocco powered away and won the stage by thirty-four minutes, before leaving the Tour in disgrace. In 1925, after twenty-two years like Canute, channelling his considerable resolve into holding back the tide, or, like Lear, into an unseeing rage, Desgrange was eventually compelled to accept what he called
ĂŠsprit d’Êquipe. It ended one of the worst tortures a human being can suffer: arbitrary law enforcement. If you could magically reintroduce any element of the early tours into today’s races what would it be? There has been recent talk of re-introducing national teams, or of banning radio contact between teammates and team staff, so no magic required there. Technical miniaturization and the use of remote images could allow the Tour back to old climbs such as the Puy de DĂ´me, an extinct volcano in the south where there was an unforgettable duel between France’s two top riders in 1964. All that can be done, and may very well come about. If I had magic at my fingertips, I’d bring back some of the old riders and pit them against today’s stars: Jacques Anquetil and Miguel IndurĂĄin both won five Tours, and they were both immaculate stylists. Anquetil was described as “Descartes on a bike,â€? and IndurĂĄin was called “the aesthetic perfection of the cycling machineâ€?—but who would beat the other over a long time trial? Which of the great climbers—RenĂŠ Pottier, Charly Gaul, Luis OcaĂąa or Marco Pantani, would top the Tourmalet first? Why did three of them commit suicide and the fourth (Gaul) become a recluse? I’d love to sit down with all four of them and work out what it is with climbers. But I’d also like to go back in time myself, perhaps to sit at that table in 1924 when the investigative journalist Albert Londres conducted the most controversial interview in Tour history with Henri and Charles PĂŠlissier, when Charles showed Londres the cocaine and chloroform he used to numb his eyes and gums, and his brother Francis told him, “Basically, we’re on dynamite.â€? Was he having him on or was he telling the truth? People have been arguing about it for eighty years. I was surprised to read that allegations of doping are almost as old as the tour. Have attitudes towards doping and the Tour changed much through the decades? I think the world, especially the world of politics and what it’s acceptable to say in public, has moved on, but cycling is finding it very difficult to catch up. Until the 1960s doping was absolutely accepted by sportsmen, sportswriters and the general public. Then at the 1965 Tour, during a high mountain stage in terrible heat, riders began to collapse at the roadside in droves. Doping was held responsible. There’d
already been one doping-related death of the Danish cyclist Knut Jensen at the 1960 Olympics. During the 1967 Tour de France the Englishman Tom Simpson collapsed and died, and drugs were found in his jersey. From then to now the road has been long and tortuous. These days there are biological passports and the medical monitoring is continuous, but cycling— and not just cycling—remains a game of cops and robbers in which the robbers are always a step ahead. It’s hard to see that ever changing. Do you think cycling is a sport where competitors can most benefit from doping and therefore it’s more widespread, or has the sport just received an inordinate amount of attention compared to other sports where doping is also a problem? A doped cyclist has an undeniable advantage over a clean one but there’s hardly a sport in existence
I’m going to be following Kim Kirchen this year. when an extra ounce of energy in the closing seconds couldn’t turn a game. I think there might be other explanations why cycling has become synonymous with doping. In recent years a gulf has opened between the version of ourselves we present to the world, and the truth. Just think of the internet: the statistics prove it’s mostly used for accessing pornography but you never find anyone who uses it for that. In this sort of world cycling is vulnerable because it has a long history of frankness about doping. It has always been very international, so even if some nationalities are very reserved, others are very forthright, so the truth will out. I also think it’s convenient for sportswriters who cover other sports to have a scapegoat: however bad things are in soccer or football or track or whatever, it isn’t as bad as cycling. And I’m not sure that’s true. Who’s your favorite rider in the history of the tour? Just to be different I’ll say Eugène Christophe. He
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By jon snyder should have won at least three Tours de France but astonishingly bad luck meant he never won the Tour, although he was the first man to wear the yellow jersey when it was introduced in 1919. There’s a wonderful story about him that shows what sort of man he was. He couldn’t bear the idea of doping, and swore that he’d never taken anything but mineral water throughout his career. Veteran journalist Jacques Marchand recalls meeting him over dinner with another old Tour rider, Marcel Bidon, fifty years after their Tour heroics. Bidon confessed he used to drink a half-bottle of champagne before each stage. Christophe was astounded: “Champagne? You drank champagne?â€? “Yes, a little,â€? Bidot replied, honestly. Marchand goes on: “And then, I swear, Eugène Christophe, furious, despite his eighty years or more, raised a threatening finger: “So, you cheated, Marcel! You cheated! You had no right to drink champagne!â€? What will you be looking out for in this year’s race? It’s wonderful to have an open race with no clear favorite. The new race director, Christian Prudhomme, said something very interesting about the sport: “I want tactics to regain their importance in cycling. I don’t want people thinking this is a sport dominated by those who can simply generate the most power through the pedals.â€? And he’s planned a very clever route that should give plenty of opportunities to riders who have the courage to attack. Just for the fun of it, I’m going to be following Kim Kirchen who rides for High Road. He’s at best an outsider for overall victory. He probably won’t win, of course. He may not even turn out to be the best rider from Luxembourg at this year’s Tour: he’ll have to beat the formidable Schleck brothers, Frank and Andy, either of whom could win the Tour. Worse, he may not even turn out to be the best rider in his family: his great uncle Jean Kirchen was fifth in the 1948 and 1950 Tour de France. But I’ll be rooting for him, because he represents one of the things I love about the Tour: it’s obsession with its own history. As the French say, Plus ça change, plus c’est la mĂŞme chose: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.â€? I think that sums the Tour up perfectly. //
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