Animal Meets His Match: The greatest moment in tv history

View of Missoula

A view of Missoula from the top of our local ski area - Montana Snowbowl. Click on it for full screen view. Shows the valley that Missoula sits in, with the surrounding mountains. Also shows choice of bowls....

My Favorite Sign - In Northern Wisconsin

Shane's Cover Shot

Off The Grind is a magazine that is distributed all across Montana. Shane made the cover this month with a photo taken of him by Jeff Hawe, who also won the magazine's photo contest (see his gallery). Nice shot - and nice Minnesota shirt!

Global Warming

Means hiking in mud in Montana in February. A good five-mile hike on Sunday but it was low in elevation, and with unusually high temps we hiked in rain and mud. Felt more like the Pacific Northwest or Southeast Alaska where we used to live. Even the rain, fog, and mists in the mountains resembled those areas. We want snow! Please reduce your carbon output so that we can ski. Thank you.

What's different about California?

A few years ago I had a business meeting in Los Angeles in the winter, flying in and out for one day from Minnesota. Something seemed really different, other than the obvious weather. Then it hit me: I didn't have to do everything I could to avoid rubbing up against the cars. They were clean. You could actually see what color they were. It's something those of us that live in wintry climates forget about this time of year. This weekend was clouds, melting snow, and lots of mud. For only a slight second I thought about what it would be like to live in San Diego. And then I went hiking and changed my mind.

A great evening above the clouds

Missoula often sits under thick clouds that sit down into our valley this time of the year. That means fog, drizzle, gray. But the top of our local ski mountain is often above these clouds, so you are skiing in the blue sky while looking down at the cloud-enveloped valley. When driving up to the ski area, you emerge out of the fog and see the snow-filled trees against the blue sky. Yesterday was such a day.

It was also the annual party for ski instructors, with us spouces welcome. The last lift of the day held ski-school employees riding up with backpacks of food and good local beer. A BBQ was held in a small A-frame near the top of the mountain, after the lifts had closed. A beautiful view of the surrounding mountains, looking down at the cloud-filled valley below. As the sun set, we stepped into skis and snowboards for the trip back down. It was near dark as we got back to the base. Some had headlamps, others of us felt our way down. Looking out over the views, the sunset, and having the mountain to ourselves was a moment we wanted to last forever. Heading down the windy road back to town, we descended back into the thick fog, the end of a perfect evening. A pint at the local brewery was in order!