From montana

From montana

One of Colbert's better "The Word" segments I have seen.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - He Who Smelt It, Dealt It
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Tasers

enjoy. i did.

unboxing the sneakerology 101 hookup from Ivan Orsic on Vimeo.

good morning from custer national forest



while we were car camping, waking up in the morning reminded me of the month long geology field camp i took through the University of Arizona. This picture is taken looking northeast towards Black Pyramid Mountain. It was a pleasure to open up my tent to this in the morning.

camping in the custer national forest



after finishing our drive over Beartooth Pass, we found a nice wide open 2-3 acres to camp in approximately 6 miles into the Custer National Forest. With Lost Picket Creek flowing into Rock Creek northeast of camp, the requirement for relaxing, natural white noise was met. A campsite that I would return to if I had the chance. The ride in was a little bumpy, but the mighty mighty crv and its fantastic clearance gave it just enough room to clear a couple emergent rocks.

A dear friend, Mark Trees, whom I spent an amazing month of geosciences field camp in Utah and Nevada has run into some legal issues in Brazil.

via USAToday

Three U.S. graduate students arrested last month for suspected poaching and visa violations could be stranded in a remote corner of Brazil for months as their case goes through the courts, their lawyer says.

University of Arizona geoscientists Michael McGlue, 31, and Mark Trees, 48, and University of Minnesota-Duluth student Kelly Wendt, 26, were arrested by federal police June 16 while working on a climate change project with the University of the State of Sao Paulo. The Americans spent eight nights in jail before being released on bail June 26. Police confiscated their passports as well as computers, research equipment, cellphones and cash.

Roberto Lins, the men's Brazilian lawyer, says the students may not go before a judge for six months and could face up to five years in prison if convicted of illegally prospecting for minerals.

The researchers "had permission, but everything was very informal," Lins said. They did not have "written permission" to do research in the Pantanal region, one of the world's largest freshwater wetlands.

Foreign poachers have long stolen minerals, plants and wildlife from Brazil's Pantanal region, says Larry Birns of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs. At a time of heightened nationalism, "trafficking commodities is a very sensitive matter," he said.

The men entered the country on tourist visas. Researchers are required to obtain scientific visas.

In a phone interview from their hotel room in Corumba, the remote southwest city where they are staying, the men said they were preparing their defense, which includes letters of support from Brazilian scientific groups. The University of Arizona is paying their expenses.

continued

you can help

my friend, laura, has commenced her 500 to 800 mile bike (and now apparently bus) ride of the pacific coast highway. follow her journey as she heads south through oregon and into california. while they have already run into some tire issues, it seems as though it should be quite an experience.

I am interrupting my series of short stories from my trip to Yellowstone to put my 1 to 4 followers on notice about Melanie Fiona. Watch and listen as she teams up with musical genius Questlove from the Roots to cover Kanye West's "Heartless"

Darwin's view of Beartooth Pass

Indeed, Laura's young Plott Hound made our trip that much cuter. Here she is looking over beartooth pass wondering where she can dig her next hole.

the real moose drool

Our second moose encounter took place in the beginning of our drive up Beartooth Pass. I figured it would be fitting for me to pay homage to some of Missoula's finest brew by posing with this lady moose.

mama moose


young moose



Towards the end of our eastward trek through the northern portion of YNP, we encountered a mama moose and her "mooslet" foraging through the brush. I have seen a female moose in passing in the Sleeping Child Creek drainage, but not this close and for this long. We kept our distance and close proximity to the vehicle as we snapped pictures, as an angry moose would not be the most enjoyable of experiences.

Continuing our drive across the northern portion of YNP from Gardiner, MT to Cooke City, MT, we came across a major "bear jam". So early in our trip, I certainly did not expect much - a coyote, pronghorn, bison, or mule deer. All exciting species to see, but, no bear. However, I was surprised to see the park ranger's corralling the masses into safe viewing areas. This means it can be only one of two things: bears or wolves. Indeed, we were greeted by a mama black bear and two of her cubs. My first bears since coming out to Montana (no need for any bear defense techniques).

Welcome back, readers. This is the first in a series of pictures and accompanying short stories from my recent camping trip in Yellowstone NP, Beartooth Pass, and the Custer National Forest (near Red Lodge, MT). Each post will reflect

first short story/anecdote


After driving four hours from Missoula to the northwest entrance of YNP in Gardiner, MT, the first notable wildlife we encountered was this extremely healthy coyote. At first glance, this coyote appeared to be sizable enough to be confused with a wolf. But, based on it's location and relative proximity to the road, our excitement was quickly tempered a little bit. However, this is still a very large coyote. Nothing like the smaller, gaunt coyote I saw in Yellowstone this past winter.

To me, as a young river scientist, the LA River represents the most engineered, least natural, poorest functioning river system in the United States. There may be other fluvial degenerates which possess more devastating concentrations of pollutants, but the channelized, cement flume that is the Los Angeles River is the worst. Only a small stretch of the river flows over natural substrate, however, even this portion is hemmed in by concrete banks. There has been talk of "restoring" the LA River for ecologic health, water quality, and aesthetic reasons, however, with California's recent economic woes and the degree of work that would be required, the chances of any reasonable restoration occurring is slim to none. Anyways, enjoy Conan's scenic float of the LA River. It looks like a fantastic wilderness experience.

via BBC

Ah yes, an often overlooked delicious dish from Croatia - deep fried worms? I certainly do not remember this option on any of the menus during my familia's trip to the land of the croats.

As a side note, when watching the linked video, please turn the volume in the media player all the way up to...eleven. I would like to think that the BBC is taking a cue from Nigel.

Every once and a while I am reminded of specific albums/artists/songs from my childhood (many thanks to pater). While watching the "Freestyling with the Roots" segment of the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show, I was brought back to the bouncing to the eclectic rhythms of Paul Simon's Graceland in the living room of my parents humble abode. (See the third song)



Dancing like Johnny Clegg and Savuka, father and son would release a torrent of energy out on the wood floor. Graceland, rich with lively horn sections, still forces this listener to move with songs like "You Can Call Me Al", "I Know What I Know", "The Boy in the Bubble", and "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes".

By the way, on last night's show, Paul Simon performed "Late in the Evening" with The Roots. Check it out.

- the hatchet throw. (take time to admire the lefty form)

As a transplanted Delaware native, I did not grow up with the potential for many an encounter with bear. so, in preparation for that day when I do encounter a bear, I have been honing my useless bear defense techniques (all of which do not include actual bear defense techniques like encounter prevention, bear spray, gun...etc). I give you the hatchet throw - useless bear defense technique number one.

while some of our camping plans fell through this weekend, in montana, outdoor opportunities abound. check out these pictures from my overnight trip to west shore state park on the flathead.