Offset Your Infidelity

An absolutely brilliant take on "Carbon Offsets" currently being offered by companies like TerraPass when purchasing airfare.

Don't hesitate, offset your cheating today at cheatneutral!

In the highly unlikely event of a water landing

Part of the in-flight instructions prior to the departure of our Palm Springs to Phoenix flight. Place the emphasis on highly.

Rotating Trams Batman!

That's right friends! Palm Springs not only specializes in superficial advertisements, they have rotating trams! The world's largest rotating tram no less!* (Is that sort of like the world's largest corn palace?)

Tim and I headed up after the conference sessions wrapped up on Wednesday. Despite my chiding, it is quite a dramatic shift as the tram rises nearly 7,000 feet from desert to full alpine elevations, and this time of year from summer to winter in 11 minutes.

An exercise in perspective


7,000 feet up, 12,000 feet long


Disco ball optional

The snow was melting, but this reality afforded Tim and I safe transit on a hard crust of snow. We climbed up into the backcountry (yes, there is wilderness in southern California beyond Death Valley!) and found a rocky ridge overlooking the valley to watch the sun drop. Later in the darkness the descent was a little more exciting as the surface iced over, but I am happy to report no GIS Analysts were injured in the filming of these scenes.

Nearly at the top


Jack Dangermond should know that his GIS tote bag makes a dandy cooler


Snowshoes! We don't need no stinking snowshoes!


Looking back at the top of the lift






Brent on a Knob

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*Actually only the floor rotates, not the entire tram car so there is some room there for a future competitor in the rotating tram record books

Insecurity as a Business Model

I nearly fell off the toilet when I found this advert in a copy of Palm Springs Life left in our hotel bathroom. Really the advertisement speaks for itself. I'll let it.











Excellent message Denise Robergé! I don't know which is scarier, the marketing insecurity and jealousy on one side or materialism on the other. Pathetic.

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Morning Hike

Tim did a little research before we left Boise and discovered Palm Canyon, an oasis of palms in the middle of sagebrush desert. The area is home of the Agua Caliente Band of the Cahuilla (Kaw-we-ah) Tribe.

It was a surprising environment. In several hundred steps down into the valley the temperature dropped ten degrees and what had been a harsh desert landscape became lush, green and alive.

We hiked up canyon and in a couple miles the walls narrowed and we were left to scramble over rocks and boulders, discovering waterfalls, flowers and hidden grottos in the in the jumbled landscape.

Looking down canyon towards the Palm Springs Valley


Under the Palms


The Canyon Narrows


One of many Pools


Site of the Stick Races


A Narrow Waterfall Grotto


Tim in a larger grotto he discovered


Looking up in the grotto (Tim's focus in the past photo)


Looking Down Canyon


My favorite pic of the Canyon


Insert Caption Here


Hot Lizard

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TSA Approved Sunblock Anyone?

Landing in Palm Springs I'm greeted with an outdoor concourse complete with a sunbathing lawn. All inside the TSA secured area. Coming fresh from winter it's a little disorienting.

So this is how the snakes got on...

Puppy Eyes

Civil Obedience

In an act of blatant civil obedience I joined over a hundred cyclists in what turned out to be a bike-laden stroll down the Greenbelt through Riverside Village. It was a great turnout for a blustery day.

It's difficult to say if this was the right method or not. It certainly didn't lead to any arrests and it was the first story on the evening news so either:
a.) I live in a really safe town where nothing much exciting happens
b.) It was just the perfect response

Truthfully, either reality is fine by me.

Riverside Village Greenbelt Protest Ride/Walk

Crop of photo by Gary

Motowrencher has proposed a protest ride/walk through the disputed section of the Greenbelt through Riverside Village in Garden City.

Invite your friends and families to ride / walk in solidarity with us, we can affect a change! If you know someone who can speak to our group, at the event, invite them. There is no official leadership or control for this event, it is an effort of the community, not one small group! Anyone is welcome but it should be said that best behavior and respect for the community should be the norm. We are trying to change an unjust law not start a riot or sour an already narrow support of bicyclists. Remember...Saturday March 15, 2008: 10:00 am MST, Glenwood and Marigold (across from Garden City, City Hall.

For more information and my comments (reposted below) visit his blog: http://access4all-motowrencher.blogspot.com

My Comments on Garden City Greenbelt Access

For me the current setup is perfect. My daily bike commute begins at Glenwood and the route is paved, albeit poorly through Garden City, to my office downtown. In the evening, the gravel bike path through Riverside Village is great for a jog with my pup.

But what is convenient for me (or any other individual) is not the issue here.

The State asked Riverside Village to build a bike path for the use of its citizens. They didn't. My tax dollars went to taking Riverside Village to court in 1994 and in the settlement they agreed to build the path, yet bikes remain excluded.

It is clear that Riverside Village and Garden City are not following the agreement that was made with the State. This is a perfect opportunity for the citizens of Garden City and all Idahoans to challenge this decision with non-violent non-cooperation.

I'm in.

But what form should this take? Do we ride the bike path? Do we walk hundreds of bikes through? Or do we like the marching band at the alley in Animal House, circle at the end of the current Greenbelt: looping from the parking area to the entrance of Riverside Village, down Glenwood and back up the Greenbelt again?

They are all attractive options. I especially like the later for the bike density it would demonstrate for the media and the fact that we would not be breaking any laws, but if we have enough mass could bring Glenwood to a crawl and completely block Riverside Drive (unfortunately residents have other options for safe egress, unlike bicycles).

I was going to recommend that something similar be included as part of bike week, but the media and the community is listening now. Count me in.

Birthday Surprise

For my birthday Shelly surprised me with an overnight ski trip to Brundage. She planned everything, complete with appetizers in the truck on the way to McCall. It was incredibly sweet, but more importantly, some incredibly sweet skiing. They'd had six inches on Monday and Tuesday, none Wednesday, but the burn your retinas bluebird day that greeted us more than made up for it.

The definition of "Bluebird Day"


Lead me not into Temptation


View from the new runs facing south to McCall and Cascade


Yep, she skis, too. In snowboard kit, but she skis.

One Week's Notice

My parents surprised me by buying plane tickets less than a week in advance. You'd think living 3,000 miles away would give you a little more time to patch the holes in the wall, rake up all the beer cans and send the loose women to the curb. But they love you, so you do what you can to accommodate them. My parents of course, not the loose women (I sent them to the curb remember).

Here's a few shots of our adventures, pity I didn't have my camera with me when we went down to the Snake River Birds of Prey and toured the petroglyphs at Centennial Park.

Dogs and Poop Bags at the Ready


Papa Frio


Mi Madre


Military Reserve, Trail in the distance is a great descent on a bike


Some hobbits on the trail (my we're small)


Dinner at Cazba


Happy Birthday to Me