Outside Archives - Page 199 of 204 - The Source

The Art and Technique of Surviving: Animals’ longevity gets hand from evolution

Sagebrush lizard in hiding. “It’s right there… right under that sagebrush,” I whispered to my friend. “See it?” I don’t know why I was whispering;

Jim AndersonJune 18, 2008May 22, 2023

Sagebrush lizard in hiding. "It's right there… right under that sagebrush," I whispered to my friend. "See it?" I don't know why I was whispering; that beautiful sagebrush lizard I was pointing at couldn't hear me if it wanted to.
There is nothing more exasperating – or exhilarating – than trying to show someone a sagebrush lizard when said lizard does not want to be seen, as in the photo above.
Just about everything in Nature has some degree of camouflage going for it, either to hide it from predators, or to warn these attackers: "Hey! Lay off! I don't taste good, if you eat me I'll make you sick," like Lady Beetles and Monarch butterflies. Or just the opposite, such as Viceroy butterflies that in reality are delicious eating (ask any flycatcher), but mimic Monarchs for protection.

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Hitting the Trails: Spring Fling adds more MTB trail miles, Dirty Half, more

Bob WoodwardJune 18, 2008August 16, 2023

The best riding is still ahead of usMore Techy Trail? You Bet

Thanks to the efforts of the 150 volunteers and 21 trail crew leaders who showed up to work during COTA's annual Spring Fling, there's a lot of new trail under construction as well as some revitalized existing trail and some promising reroutes.
One of the more interesting reroutes is on COD just above the Inn of The Seventh Mountain on the south side of Century Drive. There, a relatively boring and sandy section of trail has been blocked off and a reroute offering much more technical challenge has been added.
"The Forest Service was much more amenable to having a more technical section of trail when we walked the land to lay out the reroute," said COTA trail building and maintenance honcho, Chris Kratsch.

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If you care, leave them there! How well-meaning caretakers turn into kidnappers

Bambi belongs in the wildEvery spring, it’s the same old story; people kidnap fawns from the forest, seal pups from the coast, and other baby

Jim AndersonJune 11, 2008July 22, 2023

Bambi belongs in the wildEvery spring, it's the same old story; people kidnap fawns from the forest, seal pups from the coast, and other baby animals from their parents in the wild. No matter how often and how forceful wildlife officials say it, some people still can't seem to get it: wildlife babies are best left in the wild.
When I was working for Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, I took a group of young people down to the coast near Seal Rock to study tide pools, when I noticed a woman coming up from the beach with what appeared to be a flipper poking out from under her coat.
"Excuse me, ma'am," I said, stepping in front of her, "but are you carrying an animal under your coat?"
"No!" She blurted out, trying to get around me. I considered that the huge lump on her abdomen could be a sign she was pregnant, but then the lump and flipper moved. If she was pregnant, this was going to a big surprise for someone.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," I said, "but I think you're carrying a baby seal and if so, you're not only breaking the law, but causing a lot of problems."

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Surfing the High Desert: Stand-up paddle surfing, human power in the Tumalo backcountry & more

InternJune 11, 2008July 11, 2024

SUP
Stand-up paddle surfing
Stand up guys(SUP) is a relatively new sport making waves around the country and in Central Oregon. Stand-up paddlers make use of a long handled paddle standing on top of a longboard surfboard. The paddle is used to propel the surfer out past the surf break in the ocean and to catch waves. It can also be used like a rudder for steering once the surfer is on the wave. The sport has also taken off as a flat-water paddle sport. Stand-up surfers in Central Oregon can be found cruising the Deschutes or one of the mountain lakes. A small, core local group of paddlers has been quickly increasing in numbers. Last year, a group of 10-12 gathered on a weekly basis to paddle up and down the Deschutes after launching near Alder Creek. The group has now exploded to 45-50 folks that may show up for the Wednesday afternoon "sessions."
I met up with a bunch of SUP-ers a couple weeks ago to find out more about the sport and to learn why it's popularity is rising so quickly. A few of the initial core group were present including Peter Miller and Randall Barna and it is easy to see the passion glimmer in their eyes as they talk about their growing sport.

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What? You’ve Never Seen a Skink!: an introduction to this sexy, sexy lizard

Not too many years back, I received a phone call from an old pal, Millard Tope. “Jim!” he exclaimed, “You’ve got to come over and

Jim AndersonJune 4, 2008July 30, 2025

Not too many years back, I received a phone call from an old pal, Millard Tope. "Jim!" he exclaimed, "You've got to come over and see this lizard … it's got the bluest tail I've ever seen!"
Millard lives only a hop, skip, and a jump from me in Cascade Estates, so I grabbed up my camera and hustled over to his home. "It's over here, under this piece of plywood," he said, pointing toward the back of his house. Lifting the plywood so we could both see his prize more clearly, he said, "Now, what is it?"
One look is all you need to recognize a juvenile Western Skink. Its four-inch body is covered with shiny glass-like scales, and the tail is the bluest blue you'll ever see. If you can believe it, it's brighter blue than even a male Mountain Bluebird – and that's really blue!

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Spring Fling Thing: COTA trail build ing, adopt-a-road (ride) and more

InternJune 4, 2008July 20, 2025

COTA volunteer Dave Caplan repairs the Farewell Bend trail at last year’s COTA Spring Fling.COTA Spring Fling

Thanks to last week's rains, the mountain bike trails are in prime shape. With mountain biking on the mind, it's a good time to support the Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA) Annual Spring Fling and BBQ that takes place Saturday, June 7. CogWild, Green Energy Tours, and WebCyclery will provide shuttles to the work site, leaving at 8am from WebCyclery. Trail crews will build and repair trails until 1:00 pm, then volunteers will be shuttled back to town for the after-party BBQ. Volunteers should bring plenty of water and wear sturdy footwear and clothing, including gloves and glasses. The after-party begins at 2:00 pm at WebCyclery on SW Industrial Way. Food and beverages will be provided by COTA and Seventh Mountain Resort, while Blackstrap will play live bluegrass, and COTA will announce awards including the Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award. Trail crew volunteers will receive free food and beverages at the BBQ. The public is also invited to join the after-party and to become a member of COTA. All new and renewing members will be entered into a drawing for a Niner EMD 9 Twenty9er bicycle frame. For event details and membership information, go to www.cotamtb.com.

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Running the gauntlet: The intersection of owls, cars and evolution

CASUALTIES to nature and man.Every day you see them dead on the highway, animals that tried to run the gauntlet and lost - cats, dogs,

Jim AndersonMay 28, 2008February 19, 2023

CASUALTIES to nature and man.Every day you see them dead on the highway, animals that tried to run the gauntlet and lost - cats, dogs, squirrels, mice, mule deer, elk, pronghorn, hawks, owls, eagles, and other forms of life, both domestic and wild.
There isn't much anyone can do about it either; it is the price all Life pays for the "Advance of Civilization." Even at more than $4 a gallon for fuel, we continue to drive our motor vehicles on our wonderful, paved roads. We have to. Oh sure, I suppose we could slow down a little, but that's not the American Lifestyle. We are a "Now!" "Get it Done!" generation; driving slower just doesn't fit into our way of life.
The above photo of the dead owl and gopher demonstrates a situation on our highway that is almost impossible to avoid. Great horned owls are birds of the night. That owl would have spent the day snoozing in the shade of a nice, cool juniper; when the sun dropped below the snow-capped peaks of the Cascades he'd wake up, open those magnificent, huge eyes and look for food. First things first.

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King of Runners: A conversation with Bend’s own Max King

InternMay 28, 2008August 18, 2023

Max King competing in the 2008 Oregon RelaysMax King

Max King's running resume spills onto a second page as he quietly continues to rack up national level finishes, World XC Championship team selections, and impressive steeple chase finishes across the country and around the globe. Two main goals he's been working toward are qualifying for the 2008 World XC team and for the 2008 Olympic Games in the 3000 meter steeplechase. King checked off his first goal in February, finishing seventh in the senior men's 12 km race at the National XC Championships in San Diego. This earned him a spot on the World XC team and a trip to Scotland in March to compete against the World's best runners from 78 countries. King finished 55th overall in the 12 km race, crossing the line as the fifth of nine American racers. King also traveled to Japan in 2006 to race on the World XC Championship team.
Max began competing in the steeplechase in college. He graduated from Cornell University and was an All-American in the 3000 meter steeplechase in 2002 by finishing ninth in the NCAA Div. I National Championships. Even more impressive, Max competed at this level while completing a degree in Chemical Engineering. He worked full time as a research chemical engineer at Bend Research, Inc. out of college and took a couple years off of competing in track. After missing the competition, he started jumping back in post collegiate races. He has worked part-time the past two years at Bend Research while working full-time on steeplechase.

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Killer cat strikes again!: High Desert Museum turns a blind eye to cat menace

Nothing is safe when an outdoor cat is on the prowl. Last week I gave the High Desert Museum the glad hand for the many

Jim AndersonMay 21, 2008August 16, 2023

Nothing is safe when an outdoor cat is on the prowl. Last week I gave the High Desert Museum the glad hand for the many things they are doing to further conservation of our natural and cultural resources. The principal subject was the excellent work they are doing with spotted owl reproduction with captive owls.

In my opinion, the spotted owl work the High Desert Museum is doing is akin to the art and science carried out with the (once nearly extinct) California Condor in similar institutions around the nation.
However, when it comes to carrying out conservation of wildlife that inhabits the Museum's grounds the HDM is a total flop! At this moment they are not going to get the "glad hand," but the back of my hand. Why? The Oregon High Desert Museum is allowing one of the most destructive alien species in the country, the housecat, to kill Oregon's indigenous wildlife on museum property.
Let me tell you how this all came about…

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Hot & Fast: The 2008 edition of the PPP proves scorching, while two skiers take Europe by storm

InternMay 21, 2008July 18, 2024

shortly after landing in their invisible jet. Pole Pedal Paddle

"It's hot, it's damn hot!" This classic line from O Brother, Where Art Thou must have played over and over again in the minds of many of the PPP racers on Saturday. Scorching temperatures reaching up into the 90s made for one of the hottest PPPs in history. This sentiment was the main topic of conversation among competitors after Saturday's race.
"Even the two skiing legs were hot today," said Colin Mahood, one of the first competitors to begin the journey down from the mountain, competing in the men's elite division. Jenny Ruiter was happy to cross the finish line and proud of finishing her first individual PPP race. "The run was so hot." She added that the kayaking stretch was a relief, as she was able to dip her hands in the water to cool off. Jen and Josh Newton, who competed as a pair in the race, echoed most everyone I talked to. "The sun was just beating off the rocks toward the end of the run. Sorry if I'm a little spacey right now, but it was just so hot out there!" exclaimed Josh. Brad Bond also discussed the difficulty during the run due to the lack of shade on the course. Overall, he was quite pleased to knock around five minutes off his individual time from last year. "I think I would attribute all five minutes to better borrowed gear," joked Brad. Brad and his wife Amy Peterson came up one kayak short. In order to both complete the race as individuals, Bond and Peterson simply shared the one kayak. After crossing the finish line in second place overall in the women's elite division, Peterson couldn't talk to the press as she had to trek back to the kayak exchange to complete her last leg of the day: the kayak transport.

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