Oct. 2015 – A few friends and I spent the weekend float tubing on Kolob Reservoir. The weather was great and the fishing was not too bad. We didn’t catch a lot, 15 or so a day each, but the fish were big and great fighters. … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Rosa and I spent a week vacationing with some friends in Marysvale. Despite Rosa having broken her arm, we still had a great time. … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Like last year, I had the opportunity to go with the Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn and build a guzzler for the bighorn sheep and other animals in the McCullough range which is right here where I live. This was very similar to the project we did last year where they helicoptered us in and we spent the day building a water shed to catch rain water and put in four large storage tanks as well as the drinker. The project itself is a lot of work. The storage tanks have to go in on level ground of which there is none when you are working on the side of a mountain. That means with picks and shovels we have to level out an area big enough for the four tanks. What seems like an impossible task because of the hard ground and seemingly infinite number of large rocks, actually … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Our family decided to take a vacation to Eaglepoint, a ski resort in Beaver Utah, for family time, skiing and lots of relaxing. Our timing couldn’t have been better. The roads were clear all the way up; and as soon as we pulled in, the snow began to fall and didn’t stop until late afternoon Saturday. This provided lots of fresh powder on Saturday. We rented a cozy little condo which was perfect for our family of six. The atmosphere provided by the pellet stove which heated the condo was great. There’s nothing quite so relaxing as sitting in front of a warm fire. Nights weren’t all sitting around. We heated things up with games of Spot-it and Scategories…. Nothing is as fun as getting the family together playing games and watching the competition heat up. Some of the memorable moments – Cameron using the wrong list in Scategories and … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
I always look forward to October. Things finally start to cool down around here, we go from 100°+ every day to ~80° by the end of October. Better still, I get away for a week or more. Hunting is really just an excuse to get out where cell phones and email don’t work. You can’t be contacted, so, the only thing to do is disconnect from the daily grind of the normal world. This year I drew a cow elk tag and again hunted the Cave Valley area. Driving up, I begin to feel a calm and quietness as Mt. Grafton comes into view. Rocky ridges surround me and the smell of sage brush permeates the air. I was fortunate to fill my tag. This was the first elk I have harvested and was completely amazed at the size and weight of such an animal. There is no moving … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Well, we have had our little flock of chickens for two years now and it has been really a great experience. We love the fresh eggs, but most of all really enjoy the chickens and their crazy personalities. My wife loves to give them snacks. Just walking to the door of the house gets them excited and they come running to see what treat she will have for them. She has even taken to cooking for them. We have really been amazed how easy it is to keep chickens. The maintenance is next to nothing; in fact it is really far less than caring for our dog. With that said, I decided to add a few chicks to the flock. I had hopped to add a little variety by getting some Rhode Island Reds or Red or Black Sex Links, but the large feed stores have not received anything yet. … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
This weekend I was invited to help put in a guzzler in the Sheep Mountain Range. A guzzler is a water source for the animals in the area, and while this was primarily for Bighorn Sheep, it will also provide water for coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, bees, and all sorts of birds and other native wildlife in the area. For pictures, I only had my phone with me, but I took a number of pictures. Unfortunately the sun was so bright I couldn’t see my screen and couldn’t tell what I was shooting or how it looked. As a result, at some point I touched something and set my camera to black and white….oh well. Folks from a number of clubs, fraternities and organizations participated in this project – NDOW, WHIN, and The Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn are a few which were represented. I’m sure there were a number of … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Work has been all consuming, leaving me little to no time to do anything around the house and yard. I have taken advantage of the longer days and warmth recently to clean up the yard and get the garden going again. With the nice weather here, our chickens have started laying again this week which we are really excited about. The fresh eggs are so much better than even the expensive organic ones from WholeFoods. I took a minute today when the sun was partially out and snapped a few pictures of the garden. This is about a week after planting. I planted a bunch of purple and white onions this year. Lettuce on the right, strawberry center and heirloom tomato left Chinese cabbage This Swiss Chard is from last year — still going strong Yellow Corn Broccoli & Kale Sugar Snap Peas Here are a couple of the girls … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Each year I look forward to getting out of the city and spending a week or so in the outdoors. Typically for me, it is hunting season, but it really doesn’t matter if I’m hunting or not, it is the outdoor experience that rejuvenates me. When I am lucky enough to draw a tag and harvest an animal, it means we will be blessed with meat for the year. If not, we eat a lot of beans, rice, chicken and fish. This year was really great! I camped with three friends, LJ, Don and Doug. This year only LJ and I had deer tags, and Don and Doug came along for the fun. While camping we enjoyed all sorts of activities. Nearly everyday we shot our bows. Relaxing around the camp and nightly campfire We explored the Cave Valley cave. Deep in the cave there is a section with … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
This weekend I went with our Scouts to the Valley of Fire. This is a great little spot with incredible scenery. The Valley of Fire is only about an hour from Henderson, so it is great for an over-nighter. In just this one day, we did all of these great activities: Camping, Hiking, Rock Climbing and Repelling — A whole lot to squeeze into an overnight camping trip. The only camera on this trip was my phone, but it really takes quite good pictures. … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
