Outside Archives - Page 200 of 204 - The Source

They’re not for sale!: The thing about skinks…

About three days before my son, Caleb, turned (who is now grown with a son of his own) 16, we were zipping along Highway 26

Jim AndersonMay 14, 2008October 12, 2023

About three days before my son, Caleb, turned (who is now grown with a son of his own) 16, we were zipping along Highway 26 between Sisters and Redmond, preparing him for his check ride with the Motor Vehicle Driving Examiner. As we passed the Cline Falls Airport I spotted two young boys standing next to a sign, "Lizards and skinks for sale."
"Whoa! Caleb!" I said. "We have to go back."
"Why, Dad?" He asked. (He was asking "Why?" about everything! Now his son asks the same questions. Love it!)
"Because there are some kids back there selling lizards and skinks. That's why!"
Pulling up to the lizard sales booth, two young men about 12 years old watched us eagerly with the sense of a big sale written all over their faces.

Outside

Breaking Trail and Grinding Gears: Local ultra runners, crust skiing and Chainbreaker results

InternMay 14, 2008June 23, 2024

lift off time for ryan trebon at last week’s webcyclery chainbreaker. McDonald Forest 50km
Several of Bend's ultrarunners made the trek over to Corvallis to run the McDonald Forest 50 km ultramarathon this past weekend. Runners braved an impressive 6400 feet of climbing. According to local Chris Askew, who finished in 23rd place out of 184 entrants, "The race course was a good mix of single track and logging roads with several nice climbs. Some of the climbs were run-able, some were not. A bluegrass band greeting us at the finish line was definitely a nice touch." The Bend contingency also included Joel Wirtz, who finished in 8th place in 4:37. Evelyn Dong and Darla Brader were the 1st and 2nd place women to finish in 4:38 (a new course record) and 5:04, respectively. Other strong Bend finishers included Aubrey Robbins, Jon and Karen Gnass, Colleen Moyer, Al and Nancy MacInnis, Lana Turner, Mark Pearson, and Dan and Kathy Harshburger. Good job to all of you!

Outside

The High Desert Museum’s helping hand: HDC gives the Spotted Owl a boost

Adult Northern Spotted Owl going home with breakfast. The Bush administration has proposed cutting 1.5 million acres of Northwest forests considered critical to the survival

Jim AndersonMay 7, 2008December 3, 2023

Adult Northern Spotted Owl going home with breakfast. The Bush administration has proposed cutting 1.5 million acres of Northwest forests considered critical to the survival of the Northern Spotted Owl. On the brighter side, however, the High Desert Museum is helping to save the owls.
As if the administration's bungling of wildfires and old-growth forest mismanagement are not enough, even Mother Nature has thrown a rock through the spotted owl's window in the form of the Barred Owl, a close relative and fierce competitor. They are so closely related that mixed breeding has been reported, which has professedly produced a bird known as the "Sparred Owl."

Outside

It’s a Spring Thing: Straightening up at Smith Rock, PPP training and The Chainbreaker

Team Leader Ed Roberts and crew test their newly installed staircase.The 16th annual Smith Rock Spring Thing was a huge success on Saturday. 177 volunteers

The Source StaffMay 7, 2008August 27, 2024

Team Leader Ed Roberts and crew test their newly installed staircase.The 16th annual Smith Rock Spring Thing was a huge success on Saturday. 177 volunteers came together to improve trails, build new stairs, replace old stairs, plant trees, replace bolts and anchors for climbers, pull noxious weeds, and more. Local rock climbers, visiting climbers from the Valley and around the world, hikers, and Smith Rock State Park enthusiasts were all involved in the Spring Thing. Ian Caldwell, a Smith Rock State Park employee and hard-core rock climber, organized the event. After the volunteers completed what Caldwell figured to be $20,000 worth of work, it was time for many involved to pull out their ropes, quickdraws, and gear to ascend the welded tuff faces in the Park. That evening the crew feasted on tasty burritos and brews. Raffle prizes, throw out shwag, and auction items took Caldwell well over an hour to disperse to the crowd. Amanda Stuart and Rebecca Larsen from Altrec were instrumental in pulling together over $13,000 worth of prizes from numerous outdoor companies. Slide shows by Sonny Trotter and Steve House capped off the fun-filled and productive day at Smith Rock.

Outside

Why is it so blasted cold this spring? Volcanoes could be behind this endless winter

A major weather modifier, erupting volcanoes. I’ve lived here for over 50 years and can’t remember a spring as cold as this one, and like

Jim AndersonApril 30, 2008August 11, 2024

A major weather modifier, erupting volcanoes. I've lived here for over 50 years and can't remember a spring as cold as this one, and like me, you have probably been asking, "why?" If "global warming" is to be believed – which seems irrefutable – why isn't this phenomenon warming up Central Oregon? The reason may be what is happening in other places, such as erupting volcanoes.

In the not too distance past, exploding volcanoes had considerable impact on what happens to the weather throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
Take the year 1816 for example. In New England, it was known as "The Year There Was No Summer," the "Poverty Year" and "Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death." Moreover, it wasn't just New England, the entire Northern Hemisphere suffered. In Ireland people starved to death because potato crops failed, while the resulting famine caused cholera to spread across northern Europe bringing widespread death and horror.

Outside

Pole Pedal Party: Gearing up for the annual spring celebration and Smith Rock routes

Eric FlowersApril 30, 2008August 16, 2023

PPP
Katy Van Dis Riding the LightningIt is about time to start (if you haven't already) thinking about, talking about, and gearing up for the Pole Pedal Paddle, Bend's famous multi-sport race. The first time I came to Bend in 1998 was to compete in the PPP. With the exception of the run, most of the events were new to me. I was just learning how to skate ski, had ridden a road bike just a handful of times, and had never been in a kayak. I spent the week before the race rounding up gear from my wife Molly's garage. I was able to get her family's 1967 Peugot road bike to fit my lanky frame and spent a couple days before the race attempting to learn how to paddle a white water kayak. I will never forget the excitement of that first race when the gun fired and I raced up the hill to click into some borrowed alpine skis.

Outside

Consider Fleas, Please: Things that bite in the night II

Dog flea, Ctenocephalides canis, and cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis. They can cause more problems than the entire spider combined. Last week we had a discussion

Jim AndersonApril 23, 2008June 27, 2024

Dog flea, Ctenocephalides canis, and cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis. They can cause more problems than the entire spider combined. Last week we had a discussion regarding how brown recluse and spiders are made scapegoats for misdiagnosed human ailments. This is a timely topic because of the recent misinformation published in newspapers and an extreme email circulating that purports to show the thumb of a man that was allegedly bitten by a brown recluse.

What the medical community and pet-owners have apparently overlooked as the culprit, and should be looking at, is the tiny flea – that enigmatic little beast that has been living with and on Man ever since we walked out of our caves into the sunlight.

Outside

Sliding and Gliding : Still plenty of winter sports to be had

Eric FlowersApril 23, 2008July 30, 2024

Paragliding off Bachelor
Chip Miller spreading his wingsSeveral Paragliding gurus call Bend home. Last Thursday, Steve Rotti, Chip Miller, John Iraggi, Tim Reynolds, Wade Holmes, and Mike Teixeira took advantage of the stunning spring day to spread their wings and soar. The group took off from the summit of Mt. Bachelor and flew to the base of Skyliner lift. According to Rotti, "Thursday was great for flying because the winds aloft were light and the mountain wasn't cloud-covered (referred to as "cloaked" in the local paragliding vernacular). Spring is typically a good time for flying at Bachelor. We look for thermals (columns of warm air) rising up from the ground to provide lift, which can keep us airborne for hours. On exceptionally good days paraglider pilots have flown from Bachelor to Bend and beyond." Mt. Bachelor is just one of the many hills, or buttes, in the area that provide a good ride. Imagine flying like a bird, and it is easy to see the attraction drawing these pilots to paragliding.

Outside

Things That Bite in the Night: Brown recluse and hobo spiders are getting a bum rap

The real bad “guy” (but really a “gal”), the infamous Brown Recluse. Spiders in Central Oregon are in a heap of trouble, and so are

Jim AndersonApril 16, 2008July 30, 2025

The real bad "guy" (but really a "gal"), the infamous Brown Recluse. Spiders in Central Oregon are in a heap of trouble, and so are you. I say that because of a recent article in The Bulletin regarding a woman and her son who allegedly were bitten by so-called hobo spiders in their rental home in Terrebonne.
It is time for the medical community and those who suffer from arachnophobia and other arthropod-tainted fears to get their act in shape.
I've lived in Central Oregon for over 50 years in homes filled with just about every species of "house spider" there is, and have never been "bitten." My children have been exposed to them from the time they were born, and they have never been bitten, chased or otherwise harmed by a spider, and neither have my neighbors or my neighbors' kids.
Thousands upon thousands of people are living here and never experience an alleged "spider bite." So let's get off it! Let us find out what those alleged "bites" really are and what is causing them.

Outside

Break Out The Shorts: Will legs at last see the light of day?

Bob WoodwardApril 16, 2008November 28, 2023

Breaking Up Is Hard To DoGetting down on Gray Butte
By now every road bike geek in America is in a tizzy about the lawsuit- countersuit action between Greg Lemond and bicycle maker Trek. The situation is as exciting for rabid roadies as those Hollywood star split-ups are for celebrity worshipers.
For those of you who aren't in the know, here's how it all came down. On March 20, former Tour de France winner, and American cycling legend, Greg Lemond filed a 41-page lawsuit against bicycle maker Trek claiming, in essence, that Trek wasn't paying attention to the Lemond bike line. The suit can be read online at www.velonews.com.
Trek, which has manufactured the Lemond line of road bikes since 1995 and built it into a $15 million business, struck back with a counter-suit on April 8.

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