Like Father Like Son...

You can take the boy from the ranch but not the ranch from the boy. I'm back home in Alberta, Canada for the holidays and having eaten and opened presents, and with the Lakers/Celtics game a few hours away, there's not much else to do on the ranch. My dad was a pro bull and bronc rider in his day and even in his early 60's he's still competitively team roping (and winning money). In team roping there are two riders who ride after a steer. One rider ropes the steers head, the "header", while the other rider ropes the steer's legs, the "heeler". My dad is a heeler and In our barn he has a his practice setup of a mechanical steer and a hay bale "horse" set up, complete with saddle. The mechanical steer's legs move in a running motion and the steer's head and horns also flex to simulate an actual steer. 

As a kid, my dad taught my two brothers and I how to rope. He, being a heeler, taught us all how to rope as a headers so we would one day be able to team rope with him. I have roped throughout the years, but not on his "horse" contraption and not with his mechanical steer. So, after we had gone out and fed the cows, I decided to give the practice steer a shot. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I caught the steer 7 of my first 10 attempts. My dad was impressed and said with some riding practice I'd be good! It was good fun and a good arm and shoulder workout! Enjoy the pictures, any of you surprised over my ranch background?

*P.S. Upon further inspection I apologize for the look on my face in the pictures...I'm trying to decide if I'm just super excited or if I really am a zombie...I'm leaning towards the zombie....

Draper Boulders (Part 2)...

As promised, here is the second installment of the Draper bouldering experience. As mentioned in Part 1, Julie (photographer friend), Brian (friend and coworker) and I did a bouldering shoot at the Draper boulders. After getting lost and hiking for an hour and a half too far South (in one of the pics I'm looking from a promontory while talking to Tobin, who had given suspect directions), we found the bouldering area. The lighting by that time was less than ideal, but we got a few shots anyway. I think the problem Brian did turned out a bit better than the one I did, but Julie still made it look good. Thanks Julie for the time and thanks Brian for finding this location! Enjoy and comment, thanks!

California Love...

As mentioned in the previous post, I was in California for work a few weeks ago conducting a Pieps Avalanche Beacon clinic in the Reno/Tahoe/Truckee areas of California and Nevada. The area was gorgeous and warm (before all the snow from the past week or so) and due to the lack of snow, we conducted the clinic in Kings Beach, Ca. on the South shore of Lake Tahoe. 

The clinic consisted of education and hands on practice/testing of the major popular avalanche beacons with local ski patrol, search and rescue, shop employees, and other winter professionals. We had 15 or so participants and did several other 'shop' clinics for employees who were unable to make the larger event in Kings Beach. The clinics all went well and overall it was a successful trip for the company; it was also some very appreciated change of scenery for me personally. 

The highlight of the trip was the beauty of Lake Tahoe. Our hotel was right on the beach and I was able to go running most of the nights I was there. The sunsets, the smell of the pine trees, the clean air, and change or scenery were all refreshing. I'd say it was the perfect blend of work and play! Have any of you had experiences when work was just as fun as play?

Goin' To California...

At this very moment I am in a hotel room at the Crown Motel, literally feet from the sandy beach of the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. It's been a busy few days; I'm out here for Liberty Mountain doing Pieps Avalanche Beacon clinics for the ski patrol, search and rescue, and outdoor shop employees of the area. I've visited many shops, met a ton of people, travelled from Reno to Truckee to Kings Beach and back. Visiting shops all along the way and promoting beacon use and general avalanche safety. 

During the slow times in between shop visits and clinics, Brian (my coworker) and I were able to get a few pictures at Donner Lake (no cannibals in sight), and Lake Tahoe. Donner memorial was particularly cool because it was built to the height of the snowpack level when the Donner party had their mishap here. The weather has been sunny and gorgeous...I have jogged a few nights on the beach, the moon reflecting off of the water and the sunsets have been amazing. It is incredibly peaceful and relaxing here...enjoy the pictures.