Cutting a Rug with Moscow's Beloved Hippie Queen
Lois Blackburn: 75 Years of Kicking Ass and Taking Names
Auntie Em: Why don't you find a place where there isn't any trouble?
Dorothy: A place where there isn't any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto?
I've learned a lot from The Wizard of Oz. I've learned that too often we confuse cowardice with wisdom, that we must pay attention to the man behind the curtain, that there's no place like home, and that there's no place on earth where there isn't any trouble. Most importantly, I've learned that "A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others." I thought about this on Friday night as I attended Lois Blackburn's standing room only birthday party in Moscow's historic 1912 Building. Lois has never sought trouble, but she's never run from it, either. And, if our hearts are judged by how much we're loved by others, then Lois has made the right choices. This is a salute to Moscow's Hippie Queen: Long may she reign!
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Real estate & development in the Northern Rockies
Amenity Properties Hot, Entry-Level Housing Not
NewWest.Net’s second annual conference on Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies kicked off this morning at 10,000 feet, with an aerial view of the housing market from economist Christopher Thornberg.
The first panel of the conference, right after Thornberg’s presentation, was more on the ground level. The panel, a mix of developers, investors and real estate agents, looked at the trends in the housing markets in and around Missoula, Hamilton, Bozeman, and Coeur d’Alene.
In summary, the panelists said across the board, the national slowdown in the housing market is hitting hardest on the low end of the market. But for the most part the amenities offered by many areas of the Rocky Mountain West are still attracting mid to high-end buyers resulting in a softer blow to real estate than is being felt in the country at large.
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TRCP, GUARANTEEING YOU A PLACE TO HUNT AND FISH
New Group Carries on the Legacy of Theodore Roosevelt
I don't know if you believe in the power of visualization, but if you do, you should visualize former republican president and legendary conservationist Theodore Roosevelt in his grave out near Sagamore Hill, his New York home, with a huge smile on his face.
The reason is the roaring success of his newest namesake group called the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP).
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WHERE THE QUIET TRAILS DEBATE TAKES US
Are We Ready for Wilderness Lite?
Two weeks ago when I wrote the quiet trails proposal for the central Continental Divide of Montana, I left the ensuing debate with two thoughts. First, local mountain biking clubs and the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) are getting very sensitive about being called anti-Wilderness, which is a great sign. IMBA seems to have moved away from opposing efforts to protect wild lands to working collaboratively with Wilderness advocates.
And second, for Wilderness advocates, it might finally be time to suck it up and push for Wilderness Lite. This new strategy could allow us to move forward and truly protect the last roadless lands in the New West.
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NO WONDER THEY HAVE AN IMAGE PROBLEM
Cyclists on Cell Phones?
In today's society, it's hard not to be frustrated about a lot of things. Nonetheless, each week when I sit down to write my column, regardless of the morning's news, I tell myself not to rant. But today, I can't stop myself, so I apologize in advance. This will be a little ranty, but if any subject deserves it, this is it.
Earlier today, I'm walking down the sidewalk on my daily trip to the Post Office, and I'm almost run down by a young woman riding a bicycle, one hand on the handlebars, one hand pressing a cell phone on her ear. On top of all that, she was riding with no helmet and way too fast down a busy downtown sidewalk where people can pop unexpectedly out of businesses and cause a major crash.
And this is the third time I have observed this most dangerous and thoughtless behavior in the last two months, all within a block of my downtown office.
Don't you agree this warrants a rant?
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COLLABORATION CAN SOLVE CONFLICT OVER TRAIL USE
Creating Quiet Trails Doesn’t Need to be Noisy
A few weeks ago, I spent a couple of hours on a Monday night listening to long-time adversaries working together like long-time chums. When this happens, you almost always end up with positive results instead of endless polarization. And endless polarization is fairly close to what we've had in Montana on the white-hot issues of Wilderness designation and trail use.
Perhaps this is the start of a sea change, I said to myself as I listened, and now, that's what it looks like, the wave of the future, using a collaborative process to unite what I call natural allies and to do things together instead of against each other.
Note: An update to this article was placed at the end of the full post on 9/28/07....Bill Schneider
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GET 35 MPG WHILE TOWING YOUR BOAT
Groups Opposing CAFE Off Track
I have to take a deep breath when I see "outdoor recreation" organizations opposing efforts by Congress to require automakers to make more fuel-efficient vehicles, including those used for towing, but that's exactly what's happening. At least two groups purporting to want what's best for anglers, hunters and other outdoor recreationists say we need gas guzzlers to pull boats and RVs, and if required to make more fuel-efficient SUVs and pickup trucks, automakers will simply stop making them.
Is there anybody out there who really believes automakers will abandon one of the largest and most lucrative markets because Congress requires better gas mileage?
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INSIGHT AND INGENIUS FROM NEWWEST READERS
2007 Comments Worth Repeating III
All those great comments continue to pour in. Thanks everybody.
This is already the third selection of notable comments I've published so far this year. You can read the first two here and here.
And I wouldn't be too surprised if I had one more. Enjoy.
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NOTES FROM THE TRAIL
Pyramid Rocks, Creating Whisperers, Stringers, and Feeling Your Power
During my decades in the outdoor writing and publishing biz I developed a habit of always carrying my reporter's notebook with me. I'm constantly jotting down notes and keeping lists for later because I'll forget half of those important "todos" if I don't. I take that notebook everywhere, even on backpacking trips. This year, I had three memorable hiking trips, and of course, I took notes.
Here are a few of those notes from the trail.
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TANDEM FOLLOW-UP TO PAST COLUMNS
Bicycling Back to School, Pro Cycling Conspiracy Contest
Bicycling is on my mind today, but two completely different issues.
Next week is Back to School Week in many communities, so as a follow-up to a June column, Making the Connection, I have a proposal for parents on how to safely get their kids to school and reduce their carbon footprint at the same time.
And last week's column, Pro Cycling Backpedaling Fast, stirred up a lot of offline comments for me, at the coffee shop, at the salon, and out on the group rides. Something is rotten about the story of Tailwind Sports suddenly walking away from professional cycling, but what is it?
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