Outside
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Red Sox Hate-ion

The Source Staff

You have the hat, and the t-shirt and the fake New England accent.
Congratulations. You're a phony baloney Boston Red Sox fan and Left
Field probably scowled at you last weekend up in Seattle where we set
up camp for the weekend series against the Mariners.

Now, let's
get one thing straight: Red Sox fans are endlessly better than Yankees
fans. And, Red Sox fans have a sort of blue-collar, beer-drinking
folksiness about them that's easy to like. But it's the bandwagon Red
Sox fans that bought a cap when Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez (now a
Yankee and a drug user, respectively) led the magical team of 2004 to
victory and now deem it necessary to root against their home team every
time the Red Sox come to town.
By Left Field's estimate, about
one in four Safeco Field seats were occupied by Red Sox fans - who
gladly chanted "Let's go Red Sox" ad nausea, which in a visiting
ballpark is the equivalent to walking over to your neighbor's home for
the express purpose of taking a paint-peeling dump. There are some
things you just don't do away from home.

Posted inOutside

It Takes a Village (to do PPP): Results and ruminations from race day

What a race! Tutu-Licious edged out the D&D Girls by 28 seconds as the fastest women’s team in 2:02:20.It’s Monday morning after PPP weekend and
Pam Stevenson

What a race! Tutu-Licious edged out the D&D Girls by 28 seconds as the fastest women's team in 2:02:20.It's Monday morning after PPP weekend and I'm trying to counteract the
lactic acid and the beer in my system with ibuprofen and Frappuccino as
I write this column. Hopefully, you'll understand if it's a bit hazy. I
love PPP (this was my 13th in a row) yet it always feels like
post-partum depression when it's all over.

PPPOST PARTUM
This
was the biggest Pole Pedal Paddle ever, with 2,925 racers, and maybe
even the best ever too, with absolutely perfect race weather. Huge
congratulations go to Molly Cogswell-Kelley, the MBSEF crew and all the
volunteers for an amazing event.
We did pretty well with our
race predictions here. Marshall Greene repeated as men's champion by a
solid three minutes, while Sarah Max repeated as women's champion by
edging out Source pick Muffy Roy by 56 seconds. At the finish line,
Sarah commented that she proved me wrong, so I want to give her credit.
PPP has a history of champions stringing together win streaks (a la
Justin Wadsworth, Ben Husaby and Suzanne King). Racers who figure out
all the fine nuances to win the race seem to be able to do it again.
Sarah is only 34 and Marshall is only 27, so both have a great shot at
becoming the winningest PPP champions ever. (The feat would require
four more victories for Sarah and five for Marshall).

Posted inOutside

PPP! Picks and Perils

Pam Stevenson

PICKS

It's here, the PPP!
Storming the beach, PPP style. Even though the weather has
been prettycrappy for training, the forecast is looking good for race
day, enthusiasm seems to be running high and there will be some serious
competition for the mugs this year. I'm sure lots of wagers are being
placed, so for what it's worth, here are my picks.
In the elite
men's category, 3-time winner Marshall Greene has to be the odds on
favorite. He will be chased by the usual pack of X-C Oregon athletes,
plus Torin Koos and Lars Flora, a couple of U.S. Ski Team ringers in
town for a training camp, but Marshall is the safe bet.

Posted inOutside

A Spirit of Optimism: Auspicious beginnings for two great new events

Pam Stevenson

Getting wild at the Wild Horse GamesThis past weekend, two passionate race directors brought innovative new
events to Central Oregon at a time when entry fees are considered a
luxury and sponsors are sparse. The auspicious debuts, however, of the
King and Queen of the Cone and the Wild Horse Games were as sweet as
Snow Cones and Mud Pie, demonstrating that Central Oregonians have not
lost our sense of adventure in tough times.

SNOW CONES
The
inaugural King and Queen of the Cone was a huge success, with 72
competitors taking on the uphill/downhill ski race at Mt. Bachelor. The
race required new thinking for some Central Oregon backcountry skiers
to embrace a competitive challenge on their "get-away from the crowds"
gear. Locals were schooled a bit by experienced out-of-towners from
Montana, Washington and Canada who sported ultracool, ultralight AT
gear. Knowing Bendites, we'll be back to win next year.
Crowns
off to Race Director Kevin Grove for his vision for a new event that is
a perfect fit for Bend and Tiaras off to his wife Molly for becoming
the first Queen.

Posted inOutside

Where Wolves?: Reclassifying wolves could have consequences

This is the second installment in a two-part piece about the decision to remove gray wolves from the Endangered Species list in Montana and Idaho.
Jim Anderson

This is the second installment in a two-part piece about the decision to remove gray wolves from the Endangered Species list in Montana and Idaho.
After the War, there was a lot of 1080 (known to the chemical industry as sodium fluoroacetate) stored in military installations around the US; it was too costly to destroy, so someone came up with the bright idea to give it to the rat-chokers to kill wildlife – and boy, did it ever! From mice to coyotes to eagles, 1080 did the job.
What no one knew at the time was that coyotes are not wolves, even though in some places in the U.S., like Texas, they're called, "wolves." Coyotes do not act, think, or behave like wolves.
If a male coyote (known as the "dog") pairs up with a female coyote, (known as a "bitch") produces 3 to 5 pups, and protects a territory, that's just fine and dandy, that's normal behavior. But if some menace, greater than family or territorial conflict, threatens the coyote, good old Darwin's ideas kick in. The dogs then run with up to three or four bitches, and instead of producing three or so pups, each bitch gives birth to up to eight young. Instead of one pair protecting a given territory, it's "every dog for itself and let's get what we can."

Posted inOutside

California Dreamin’: Soul Surfing and Riding Down Memory Lane

Pam Stevenson

Surfing Santa CruzThe Mamas and the Papas pop into my head about this time every year:
"All the leaves are brown
And the sky is gray
I've been for a walk
On a winter's day.
I'd be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
California dreamin'
On such a winter's day."
When Winter is clinging onto Central Oregon like gummy klister, I like to kick start spring with a sojourn south. So, last week, I piled my road bike, mountain bike, surfboard and dog into my van and roadtripped down to Santa Cruz for some surfing and then continued on to Palo Alto for some riding. Nothing was going to stop me from getting much-needed saltwater therapy and a Vitamin D infusion - not even the tire schrapnel on I-5 that ripped off my bumper grill and took out the air conditioning on the 92-degree day that began our journey.
SURFIN' SANTA CRUZ
Santa Cruz is a 10-hour drive from Bend and a surfing epicenter. Birthplace of O'Neil Wetsuits, board shops line the city streets and the Surfing Museum sits atop a pink and yellow iceplant-blanketed bluff overlooking reknowned Steamer Lane, a world-class point break. (Sadly, the city has shut down the the museum for economic reasons, and a local group is trying to raise $30,000 to keep it alive.) Once you're a surfer, places like this feel like home. For me, even more so, because the ashes of my dear, dear friend Dave Stevenson ride the waves at Steamer's.

Posted inOutside

Cry Wolf: Wolves to be de-listed…Is that really a good idea?

Jim Anderson

Editors note: This is the first in a two-part essay about the proposal
to remove wolves from the federal Endangered Species List.

Preparing for life on the De-List?Well,
it sounds like those ranchers in Wyoming who shot and killed the
("misbehaving") wolves that (allegedly) killed their livestock (and
immediately posted photos to prove what mighty hunters they are), and
others of their ilk are going to get their way. There is a move afoot
with the feds to remove wolves from the Endangered Species List before
they even get the opportunity to enjoy roaming free in Oregon.
Even
with President Obama's call for "good science," it may just be that he
picked the wrong guy to run the Dept. of Interior. Secretary Ken
Salazar, a rancher turned politician from Colorado, wants to follow the
flawed Bush Bunch and keep the "Big Bad Wolf" syndrome alive.

Posted inOutside

May Days: Mountain biking and PPPing

Pam Stevenson

April Shower bring May Flowers-as well as mountain bike races and Pole Pedal Paddle.

WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
Mountain
Biking season has arrived! The WebCyclery Cascade ChainBreaker Mountain
Bike Race, the traditional opener in Central Oregon, is coming May 10.
Yes, that's Mother's Day- last year, Barry Wicks brought his mom to the
race.
Beating the Sandtrap: Mountain Biking Millican OHV Trails in SpringThe race will use the same course as last year-the
Cascade Timberlands property just west of Shevlin Park, which is a
great mix of singletrack, doubletrack, short climbs, dry creekbed
crossings, a gravel road or two and a few man-made obstacles.
Categories will include:
Pro = FAST!
Cat 1 = Experienced riders with lots of mojo
Cat 2 = Riders looking for adventure and working on speed to move up to Cat 1
Cat 3 = New to the sport and out for a good time
Singlespeed = One gear, simplicity and some pain
Tandem = Two riders, one really big bike
Don't
miss this big event-over 200 cyclists compete and over $1,000 in cash
and prizes will be awarded. For more information, visit
www.webcyclery.com.

Posted inOutside

Be a Draft Dodger

The Source Staff

Oh come on, relax. We're not being unpatriotic, but
are rather talking about the NFL draft, which although not until next
weekend has already overtaken the sports websites and taken up entire
hour-long segments of valuable ESPN2 time which could easily be used to
air "Sports Century: Charles Barkley" in its entirety.

We here at
the Left Field desk do indeed care about the results of the NFL draft,
it's the draft itself that we just simply can't invest our valuable
sports-watching hours in. Sure, we might watch to see who the Lions
take as the overall number one pick and what unheard of offensive
lineman the Seahawks squander their first-round pick on, but we just
can't justify watching the whole damn thing. But as for the rest, we'll
just pick up a newspaper and see who went where and call it good until
training camp starts up.

Posted inOutside

In Its Place: Land Trust is putting Whychus Creek back where it belongs

Jim Anderson

Monday, March 23rd was a big day for the Land Trust's Camp Polk
Preserve; tour leaders and docents met at the preserve to learn the
details of the restoration of Whychus Creek, a project that will be
kicking into high gear this spring and summer. Crews are slated to
begin breaking ground to restore the historical meandering creek
channel, after which the meadow will be hopping with activity
throughout the summer and fall.

Back in 1964, over Christmas time,
Whychus, then known as Squaw Creek, went on a rampage when lots of warm
rain fell on a wet snow-pack resulting in the creek going over its
banks, flooding Sisters, killing 7 people and costing around $157
million to repair the damages.
Needless to say, that got a lot of
people upset and as the saying goes; the "stuff" hit the fan. The
"government had to do something!" In those dark ages, fish habitat,
stream health and riparian zones were terms very few people understood,
or cared about. Like old growth forests that would be around "fo-ever,"
"fish would be forever as well, so the Powers-That-Be said, 'Lets fix
that creek so it won't flood no more!'"

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