Back from the North!

Howdy Folks,

I am back from my latest journey through Utah and Idaho to Wyoming and Montana. It was a great 10 day trip beginning with "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City. It was a very good production. I viewed it in a matinee and continued on another 250 miles following the performance. I made it into Jackson, WY by midday the next day, then on out to my old stomping ground at Colter Bay in Teton Park.

My second day up there I headed up to Yellowstone NP to see my good friends Bob and Cindy Henry. Bob was on a leave from Denali Park and had met Cindy up there. It was really good to see them.

We walked around West Thumb Geyser Basin together. It was like old times together with them but alas, it was only a couple of hours. They headed south to the Tetons while I headed north to see the new Visitor Center at "Old Faithful." It opened August 25th.

"Old Ranger" Bob Hoyle and I headed out to Glacier Park a couple of days later where we ran into a bit of winter. On the drive to Bozeman the first day we drove through a small snow storm. A word about Bozeman . . . we visited an REI there and I was kind of "pissed" that a town their size had an REI and Flagstaff, which is larger, does not have one. The next day we stopped off in Missoula for break and visited another new REI. I do not mind that one because Missoula is the same size as Flag.

We arrived on the east side of Glacier Park in the early evening to stay at the Sun Rise Lodge. We had never stayed there. It was quite nice in a rustic way. The next day we headed up to Logan Pass before backtracking down to my favorite place, Many Glacier. It was very misty and gray up at the Pass but breathtaking as usual.

Many Glacier is a very beautiful place with a great old lodge built by the Great Northern Railroad to look like a large Swiss Chalet. It is a very isolated part of the Park, and ways off the highway on the east side. Before we got to the hotel we saw a large black bear. As we got closer we viewed a black bear sow with two cubs. Up on the hillside across the road there were 19 Big Horn sheep.

Later that day we had two more bear sightings, and from the deck of the hotel we saw a Moose in Swift Current Lake. It was a bonus day for wildlife viewing. Because it was raining all day we spent most of it in the lodge reading by the fireplace, eating Huckleberry soft ice cream, and wandering around the spacious hotel and gift shop. We had dinner at the hotel and went back to our lodgings at about 9pm.

The next day it was back up the pass in heavy fog. We could not see a thing until we hit the west side. Then, everything miraculously cleared up and we got great views of the peaks and waterfalls. We stopped by Lake McDonald Lodge and the Apgar Visitor Center. At the VC we got to talk with one of our favorite people, Ranger Doug. He has been a ranger at Glacier for 51 years. He is in his 80s and still going strong. Doug is quite a character. Every time he sees Bob and me, he exclaims, "Here come the Teton boys!" After that we went into Whitefish, Montana. Later, in the afternoon, we came back to our room at Apgar. Next morning we did a marathon drive back to the Tetons in rain all the way.

I spent one more day in the Tetons but it rained all day so I did not hike, which was a disappointment. The following morning, Saturday, I drove 14 hours straight and got back to Flagstaff at 6:45pm. It was a long day, 825 miles. The next trip begins this Friday to San Diego County to visit my family.

Movies: Of course I did not see any films while on the road but did see a couple before leaving and one today. The best was Get Low, an Independent film with superb performances by Robert Duval and Bill Murray. The American with George Clooney was the film I saw today. It is a different role for him as an assassin tracked by other assassins. It is filmed entirely in Italy with all foreign actors. Clooney does a great job in a different role for him. The last film I wish I did not have to mention seeing, The Switch, starring Jenifer Anniston and . . . , was forgettable.

Well, that's about it for now.

Ciao!

Rain, Rain and then more Rain

Good Mornin' Folks,




As you can see by the title of this blog that rain seems to be the topic of choice, or maybe necessity. After the early summer brought us 6 weeks of big winds, the last 3-4 weeks have been ones of big rain, thunder and electrical storms. Some of these weeks brought us daily rain storms morning, afternoon, or evenings, some all three. In most cases the temps stayed up in the 80s in the daytime which left us with very high humidity for Flagstaff.




The past couple of days have been rain free, at least in town. But, at 1am this morning all hell broke loose. I was awakened by thunder, lightening and torrential rain that lasted for at least an hour. The thunder sounded so loud that it seemed to be "cracking" right over my condos.




I know that Arizona has a monsoon season but the rains this year have been well beyond that. Flagstaff is a high wind area as well. But again, this spring's were well beyond the past and more persistent. The folks who do not believe in "climate change" need to look around the globe and see what has happened with our weather. The term "global warming" was an unfortunate use of terminology. People grasp that when winters were big here to say, "Is this your warming?" The problem is that they do not understand the total picture. For example the melting of polar caps contributing to change in weather down our way . . . and so it goes!




I haven't been doing too much since last I wrote here, mostly working out at my club, reading and seeing a few movies. However, plans are afoot to head out on two trips in September. The first will be back up to Wyoming, the Tetons, and on to Glacier Park with my friend Ranger Bob (the elder). I have secured a ticket to see "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City on my way north to WY. The plan is to stop off there for the matinee, then get in the car afterward drive north and spend the night in Bountiful, Utah. The second trip, in the middle of Sept. will be over to San Diego County to visit family.




As for the movie report I did get to Inception and it was a good film with interesting concepts. However, I liked the director's earlier movie, Memento, much more. I walked out of Dinner for Schmucks. That is a rare occasion for me. The last one I walked out of was The Invention of Lying. Schmucks was painfully unfunny and moronic. One of the best films of the summer I saw last week. It was The Kids are All Right with Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. It is a family picture but not "G" rated. It depicts the trials and tribulations of a Lesbian couple's children searching for and finding their "sperm donor" father. The last cinematic experience I had was The Other Guys, featuring Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell. Generally, I have made it a practice not to go to Ferrell's films but in this case the movie got some good reviews and I was desperate. I was pleasantly surprised. It was amusing, if not great, about 3 stars on my rating system and way above the aforementioned Schmucks.


That's about it from "rainy" but beautiful downtown Flagstaff.

Until next time, or I get tired of writing this drivel,

Adios Amigas y Amigos

Long time gone . . .

Good Mornin' to those of you still out there . . .





I would like to say that it was the demise of my rather short romantic relationship that kept me from writting on this blog, but that is not the case. In many ways it is a relief to be out of it. Although, I cared a lot for her there were too many problems related to age differences and other issues that brought an end to it. It was a mutual "break-up." However, it was nice to have, even for a short-time, that "rush" of romance in my life. We are now what we were before, friends. But even that is a bit trying. She calls or runs into me everyday. Still, I am the sounding board for her myriad of life problems.





The other night during one of my ever frequent middle of the night wakeful periods I began thinking about growing older, the non-stoppable aging process and the perceptions folks have about it. It is amusing to note people's responses to you once you tell them that you are in your 60s, and even that word, "retired." I again mention what my now departed friend and mentor, John Haynes told me about year after his retirement. He said, "do not retire too early . . . you will find people no longer value you or your opinion much anymore." What is so interesting about that statement is that I have found it to be very true.





In small scale societies (sometimes referred to as Primitive), elders are valued. They are the primary decison makers and counselors to the young. They are the library of knowledge in these preliterate cultures (you see all my background in anthropology coming through here). Today this is not the case for many reasons. First and foremost is probably the advent of the computer and all the instant information sources, albeit flawed as they may be. Granted there are cadre of older, and predominantly whites males, running the country, but for most "everyday" people this is not the case. Even in many of the cultures mentioned above once you have gotten to a certain age you determine that your usefulness to the people has come to an end and you go out on the ice (Eskimos), or into the wilderness ( Plains Indian tribes) to fast and go to the next realm. Here, in this culture, without the fasting I guess the equivalent is to move to Sun City and/or become a Wal*Mart greeter.





At any rate, in my life I have noticed some of what my friend John warned me of . . . This is especially true in relationships with the opposite sex. I have had women interested in me, or at least they seem to be in initial conversations. But, as soon as they find out my age there is a change in the way they look at me and their demeanor toward me. What is interesting for me is that I use to have what I called, "the ten year rule." That is, I would not date anyone below that threshold (I know I broke that rule a couple of times). Now-a-days I could not even get a 54 year old to be interested in me once they know my age. Joanne was an exception but that was just a fluke and we see how that turned out. If you did not get married a while back and are a bit "picky, " as some friends call me, then you are like that old bull bison who can no longer compete with the younger males and is out there on the prairie by himself. And I will not even go into the cases where peolple do not listen to you anymore, do not value your opinion. Of course, maybe many of them never did listen to you.





Nothing much has been going on with me here in Flagstaff other than I bought a new Subaru Forester a couple of weeks ago (have to stay ahead of Nephew-in-law Bob Adamo). I did not intend to purchase a new car but had gone to the dealer to schedule a oil change and service. I got caught by the financial manager and he started talking to me and a few hours later I drove out with it. Now I know what most of you are saying, but the "kicker" for me was that my payments came out to be $75 lower a month. I have always had car payments so that does not bother me. My main concern is how much goes out a month. Besides, I love the color, "Steel Metallic Silver," and was never enamored with the darker shade of the previous one.

Since purchasing the vehicle I have gotten the windows tinted, put roof racks on top and gotten my Satellite radio reinstalled, so have had some additional expenses that have ironically kept my travel for the month of July limited. My next trips are planned for the end of August and September. The first will be back up to Wyoming and Montana (Tetons again, and Glacier Park), and the second to San Diego County in mid-September to visit family.

Movies: As I have mentioned so many times, the summer movie "pickings" have been just that for the most part. I drove to Scottsdale last weekend to see the 2nd movie in the "millenium" series based on the books of Swedish author Stieg Larsson (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, etc.). I had read the three books in the trilogy and seen the first film. The 2nd film, Girl Who Played with Fire, is as excellent as the first one. Of course, you have to read sub-titles and that will put some folks off. However, I highly recommend the books and the movies. The last is set to be released in October. I saw Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. The new version of The Karate Kid was good but not as good as the original. Both were entertaining if not great movies. I am contemplating going to see Inception either today or next week. I am not a big fan of these fantasy flicks, or Leonardo, but since it is getting decent reviews I will try it and let you know.

Hope all is well with you all this summer. Stay cool!

Tetons . . .

Greetings from the Tetons,


I am on my last day here in Grand Teton Park. It has been a nice but relatively sleepless trip. At the moment I am sitting in the Jackson Lake Lodge where the signal on my Verizon broadband is strong. When I worked at Colter Bay we had a pretty strong signal there, not now.


The trip up through Colorado last week was a good one. I got to some places I'd never been and revisited some that it had been years since my last stop there. In the latter category were Durango, Silverton and Ouray. The campgrond outside of Durango where I resided for night was right next to the tracks of the Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway. Last time I was in this area was many years ago with daughter Natasha on one of our annual summer adventures.


As for new places, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park was a longtime desired destination and it was not a disappointment. I love these "big holes" in the ground. There were so many great views to take in there. That night I camped a couple of miles outside of the town of Gunnison. After establishing my camp I headed up to another first, the town of Crested Butte, which is a lovely little Mountain ski resort that use to be an old mining town. I had dinner there at The Last Steep, a bar and grill. The wake-up at the Gunnison camp was pretty cool, about 40 degrees. I got up and rapidly took down the tent and went to town for a breakfast burrito and coffee.

Littleton, CO to visit my niece was my next sojourn. That drive from Gunnison was beautiful, especially going over Monarch Pass at over 11,ooo feet. My sister Norma flew in the night I got their and her daughter Kimby and I drove out to the Denver Airport to get her. The airport is so far out it felt like it was in Kansas. At any rate the visit with Norma, Kimby, her husband Dennis and my great niece and nephew, Melissa and Kyle was a lot of fun. Even sitting through Melissa's dance recital which had about 64 dance pieces 8 of which she was a participant was an interesting experience. Littleton was another new destination for me. Kyle, Kimby, Melissa and Me

This posting is getting pretty long, and boring but I shall continue. From Colorado I headed up to Lander, WY to see my friends Ron and Brooke. The drive from Littleton to Lander was in continuous rain all the way. The most "white knucle" portion of it was on Interstate 80 between Rawlins and Laramie. Those big semi-trucks give off so much spray from their wheels that they are a hazzard to cars and there are hundreds of them on that major east/west corridor. I was so glad to get off the Interstate at Laramie. The rest of the drive was relatively uneventful except for a little snow before dropping down into Lander.


The visit with Ron was a good one except that it rained continously in Lander until the day I left. We did not get to do our annual hike up Sinks Canyon because of rain and flooding of the Popo Agie River. However we did drive to Termopolis, WY and sit in the natural hot springs there. This was another first for me. Brooke made two excellent dinners while I was there.


I left Lander on Monday and arrived midmorning at Colter Bay in the Tetons. When my friend Ranger Bob (the elder) got off work we headed up to Yellowstone to spend the night at one of my favorite places, Roosevelt Lodge. We got to sit in the rocking chairs on the porch of the lodge in the evening and the morning. After breakfast in the lodge we headed out pretty early for Cody, WY and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. We spent about 3 hours going through 3 of the 5 museums. We got back to the Tetons in time to go to dinner and Margaritas at Signal Mt. Lodge with Bob's son Ben who is a ranger here, his daughter Katy, who is also a ranger here, and her husband Jamie and their kids.
Ranger Bob and Me, Yellowstone

Bob and I headed back up to Yellowstone the next morning to the"Old Faithful" area. The first thing we did upon arrival was to "pig-out" at the breakfast buffet in the Old Faithful Inn. We walked off our rather large meal around the Geyser Basin and looked at the outside of the new visitor center (due to open in August). In addition, we were able to visit with Tom and Linda who are rangers there. They worked several years with us in the Tetons. It was good to see them and the new VC. New "Old Faithful" Visitor Center Opens August 25th


Tonight, my last here, we are going to Leeks Marina Restaurant for Pizza. This is another tradition from when I was working here as a ranger. It was usually a bi-weekly treat, most often after payday. Bob and I will meet Darlene and Mike, more friends who are back working here seasonally. That will wrap up this visit. Tomorrow it will be a motel somewhere in Utah and then on to Flagstaff on "Father's Day."


It has been a very good trip. Because of weather I did not get the hiking in that I would have liked, but getting to see everyone and have them genuinely glad to see me was gratifying. However, I have no movies to report!


Catch you all from Flagstaff next time.

Early Hot in Flag!

Mornin' Folks,


The last couple of days have been hotter than is seasonal here in Flagstaff. It was 88 yesterday and supposed to be 90 today. I hate this kind of weather. Warm is OK, but Hot is not my thing. I am not ready for full blown summer yet! Oh, to be in the Tetons where it has been rainy and cool.


Speaking of which, I am heading out on what will probably be my longest trip of the "summer" (granted it is still technically Spring) on Tuesday. I plan to camp the first two days in Colorado, somewhere around Mesa Verde the first day and near Gunnison the second. In looking at the forecast it seems it will be hot in both areas. Am not looking forward to that but I'll be "on the road" again and am looking forward to that!


I woke up in the middle of the night again and began, for some reason, thinking about my name, Evan. Now, when I was a child I hated it because I was the only one around with that moniker. I longed to be Jim, Johnny, Billy, or Bob. As I got older more appreciation for a different name became my reality. I was glad to have it because it was "special," and unique. People remembered my name when they met me. But a few years ago something curious happened, people began naming their boys Evan. I remember my confusion the first time I heard "Evan" called out in a grocery store. I turned to see who was calling me. But alas, it was not me but some little "rug rat" who was the referent. These days my name has become more and more common. I see characters on TV and in movies with it. Guess my days of being "special," at least by name, are over. And so it goes . . .


Today is the fourth anniversary of my mother's death. As it recedes further into the past the pain of her loss still lives with we her children. To this day I have a difficult time dealing with her not being in our world. Everyday I think of her and wish that I could call her and talk as we always did . . . I will miss her to the end of my days.


As I prepare to hit the road next Tuesday, I am bit melancholy about my time in the Tetons. I miss my friends there and the times I had as a Ranger there. Granted I will see some of them this trip but others, I will not. But all things come to an end and I had a good 10 year run up there in the job. It will be nice to see Bob, Laine, and maybe, Elizabeth again. This will be my 20th year going up to Grand Teton NP, first as a visitor then a ranger, and now a visitor again. It has come full circle. I need to treasure this visit because it may be my last. Not that I think my time in this life is closing but who knows where I will be next year.


Movies: The only film I've seen in the last couple of weeks is Get Him to the Greek which I found funny and on par with last years Hang Over. I would say that this one appeals to the younger "gross-out" crowd more than others, and maybe, young males are it's most likely target audience. Again, I probably would not have gone if the reviews by Ebert and others had not been good for this one. Besides, there is not much out there here in Flag. The summer is here and the cinema worth seeing, in my opinion, drops off severely. Of course I hear there are some good children's animated films out but they are not my taste, unless I am going to the movies with my gransons.


Cheers!

Good Morning Folks,

After a couple of weeks now of being "under the weather" (where does that expression come from?), I am finally beginning to see some daylight. It seems that the heavy winds we have had here for weeks may have caused allergies to develop into Sinusitis (possibly a cold thrown in). Thanks to a trip down to the VA hospital in Prescott I am now on antibiotics. At any rate I'm on the road to recovery and am even going to try the gym this morning.


The temps in Flagstaff have made it feel like Spring and almost summer. But, the aforementioned winds have been pretty crazy, 30-50 mile an hour stuff everyday for about 6 weeks now. What was a good winter for moisture is now being sucked out by these winds making for a dry fire season here.


Joanne and I are progressing along quite nicely. She had to go to Newport Beach (her hometown) for a memorial service so was out of town for several days this past week. I picked her up at the train station early yesterday morning and we spent a nice and low key day together. I had all but forgotten how nice it is to have someone in your life. Of course the added bonus is that we are so "gaga" about each other. We have discussed all the limitations of a "May/December" relationship and she knows marriage or even living together are not options and she is fine with that . . . She has her kids and is not wanting to be married again. Neither of us were looking for a relationship, it just happened. I am happy for the first time in a long while and so is she.



Natasha and Jason are thriving in Okinawa. He is working very hard at his job and she getting set-up to start classes at the Univ. of Maryland, Asia and checking out the job scene. Along with that they are preparing for their move from temporary housing on base to an off-base house at the end of this week. Coincidently, their furniture and stuff will arrive on the same day after two months getting there by sea transport.



While ill I did get out to the movies a couple of times. Most of you know me well enough to know I'd have to be on my death bed not to get out to a theater. At any rate, the summer film fare has begun. I saw Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchette's (I love her) new semi-historical opus, Robin Hood. Most of the critics didn't like it but I did. I found it entertaining and fun. I am a sucker for a big epic and all that sword play. Mind you I'm not saying it is a great film but enjoyed it in the way that I did Errol Flynn's version, pure escape. The second movie was Letters to Juliet. Again not a critics favorite but an enjoyable romantic story. I loved seeing Venessa Redgrave again. What with many of the great acting family of Redgraves dying fairly recently (to include her daughter Natasha Richardson and sister Lynn) she is nearly last of a dynasty. Most critics do not seem to like most offerings in the romance genre, but I do. Besides that you get a view of Verona, Italy and surrounding areas. So, I give both films three stars (out of 5) and a thumbs-up, but not way up!


Cheers, until next time!

Wind and Illness

Hey All,


Am sitting at home this morning instead of going to the gym. I rarely miss a workout day during the week. But it seems my allergies, after continuous strong winds here in Flagstaff, have evolved into a bad cold. Colds seem to enter my body at least once a year. The older I get the more annoying these maladies become.



Illness is interesting in how it affects your psyche. In light of the fact that I get all my immunizations and flu shots as a preventive action it always suprises me how the common cold persists as an uncurable ailment. I try not to let it get me down by attempting to combat it through the usual means but at the same time it is difficult to stay home all day. Luckily, it does not "lay me low" so the only limitation I place on myself is to cut-out my workouts for a couple of days. Even though I have not taken advantage of it, it is nice to have woman in my life who is a nurse.




Speaking of which, Joanne and I had a very good weekend together, especially Friday and Saturday. We continue to get to know each other better. Even with the illness life seems a bit more interesting these days. I do not know how long things will last between us (hopefully for good while) but there is a definite upswing in my attitude and demeanor. Romance may be my drug of choice. It is difficult to say since it has been a good while since I've had that kind of "buzz" in my life.




At any rate, life is pretty good these days all things being equal. Since I have not gotten any notification from the park service for this summer, I have begun to plan some trips. June will be my month for a sojourn to Colorado and Wyoming. In July my tentative plan is to hit the Shakepearean Festival in Cedar City. My goal is to see Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing. In August I will make another trip to southern Cal to visit family. September is still open. If I can pull together the funds I'd like to visit Ranger Bob, the younger, in Alaska. Another possiblity is trip back up to WY to go to Glacier Park with Ranger Bob, the Elder. As you can see it is a very robust plan and other factors may cause changes, not the least my new relationship. I may need to shorten some of these trips in order to be able to spend time with Joanne, or not.



Movies: Since my last transmission, I have seen two films. Iron Man II, with Robert Downey Jr in the title role. This movie is very entertaining. It is worth seeing but not as good as the first one. The second, The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo is an excellent Swedish thriller. It is rather long and has subtitles but well worth it. Also, I should warn you that there are some pretty graphic rape scenes in it, not so much nudity as violence.


I am looking forward to this Friday's release of the Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchette's version of Robin Hood. I have read that this will be a different, non-traditional approach to this often produced fabled story. It seems to be much on par with the reinterpretation of King Arthur featuring Clive Owen a few years ago. At any rate this is only the beginning of the summer onslaught of films that will be, for the most part, pablum for the masses. If we are lucky there will be a few gems buried amongst them.




Cheers all . . . Adios for now.