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One More Slush Walk
Another day of rain nearly saps our motivation, but we manage one more walk in the slush up some old logging roads on Cabarton ranch. I don’t even take photos today, but I feel better for the slog afterwards.
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Tamarack by the rules
We don’t get the snow I hoped for overnight, but reports from the ski area sound pretty good so I head to the hill again with Jock and Becky MacGregor. Ann’s parents offer to buy me a lift ticket as a Christmas gift, so I even play by the rules today! To reward this good…
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Slush Walk Number One
It rains all night and shows no sign of letting up during the day, so Ann, her dad, and I get out the rain gear and slush through the slop down to the Payette river. The hard part is getting started. http://www.flickr.com/photos/96029174@N00/6610357967/ We pass the cute cabin down the hill a ways. Small Cabarton Cabin…
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Uphill at Tamarack
The Payette valley is full of Ann’s MacGregor cousins. Jock MacGregor is an insatiable skier, and I have a feeling that he’s the reason a staff member at Tamarack gives me his okay to skin up a closed run. I’m ready for a good uphill workout, and go for it. Before leaving the open part…
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Cabarton Ranch Ramble and Gold Fork Hot Springs
Cabarton Ranch on the North Fork Payette River is owned by Ann’s Dad’s cousin David MacGregor, who invited us up to spend the Christmas/New Year week. I’m hoping for snow at the nearby Tamarack ski area, but so far it’s pretty bare up here, so Ann and I walk up Cabarton Road to the town…
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Portfolio 21 Investments Launched
This is the first investment site I’ve worked on, and it required some real learning for me and my partner at Vernal Creative. When money, investment, and regulation enter the picture, a new level of rigor and attention to detail are required. This only improved the end result. I did the front end (jQuery) and…
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Reno outskirts hiking at Hidden Valley
It’s early December, cold, and we’re looking for some winter hikes close to Reno. This area in the hills east of town seems to have a big network of trails that climb up right from the trailhead – possibly good for workout hikes. We make our way up one rocky little trail and down another.…
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Thanksgiving at Kelso Dunes, Mojave National Preserve
The day before Thanksgiving we move from the high, airy Mid Hills campground at 5600 feet above sea level to the much balmier Kelso Dunes at 2400 feet. My couple of hikes in the dunes put me into a rare camera frenzy. The dunes are providers of unusual sights. A few tamarisk trees provide a…
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Mid Hills Run
Today Ann and I split up – for a few hours. She does the 9 mile trail hike from the Hole in the Wall campground to Mid Hills, while I move the camper and run back to join her. This campground is high and airy, and I find a site with fantastic views. Mid Hills…
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Barber Peak Loop, Mojave National Preserve
Some leaking transmission fluid under our truck and a weak camper battery make us question our plan to spend Thanksgiving in the remote Mojave National Preserve. We decide neither problem is too serious, and head out for the Hole-in-the-Wall campground. We arrive at sundown, with just enough time for a short exploration of Banshee canyon.…