My good friend’s production company recently produced a video for the new Toshiba product called the Libretto (links here and here).  He wanted to put some fishing photos in part of the demo so he borrowed a few from my collection.  You’ll notice from :15-:20 a photo gallery with three fishing themed images. The images are the brown trout, me standing on a log in front of the Tetons, and a group of buddies I fished with recently, I don’t know who the bikini girl is, she certainly wasn’t fishing. I guess this 5 seconds will be deducted from my overall 15 minutes of fame budget.  Hopefully that leaves me enough time to still do something awesome.  Click for the full video:

Zion National Park vintage poster

A recent article in the Deseret News brought together two of my favorite things: vintage graphic art and Zion National Park. I really love seeing these old photos, especially of the one where the little kid is hanging on to the rope for dear life. I think the poster to the left is super cool and I always try, but never really succeed at making cool vintage designs.  Hard to be the actual images.  Thanks Deseret News for sharing.

The National Parks Service has just announced that admission to all national parks in the US is free during National Park Week.  What a great time to take a quick trip to your closest park and enjoy.  Spring is a great time in the parks.  Yellowstone is particularly fun as the elk and bison are calving at that time and the animals are very active.  It is also a great time to see bears as the search for food to make up for months of hibernation.  Start making your plans.  http://www.nps.gov/npweek/

Journal of a Trapper by Osborne Russell

I really enjoy reading historical books and especially those about the Old West.  Journal of a Trapper is one of my favorite such books.  As the title suggests, this book is the journal of fur trapper Osborne Russell which documents the 9 years he spent in the Rocky Mountains trapping and hunting.  I am envious of those who got to see this region in it’s nearly pristine state and Russell does an excellent job describing the experience.  One amazing passage describes how he had to wait on the trail for a couple of hours while a massive herd of bison migrates in front of him.  Sadly towards the end of his writings he notes the absence of these great herds and how it is less and less common to even see a bison.  I also enjoyed his entries about winter in what is now Ogden, UT and how, when he needed me, he would just hike up to the foothills of the Wasatch mountains and shoot a big horn sheep.  It sounds that they were plentiful in his day and of course now, I doubt there are even any transplanted sheep in the hills above Ogden.  Interestingly, at the time I read this book, I happened to travel to Yellowstone and fished at the site of one of his encampments at the confluence of the Lewis Fork of the Snake River and the Snake River (it was full of whitefish by the way).  It was cool to be standing right where he did some 170 years earlier.

I marvel that hearty souls like Osborne Russel could make a living … Continue Reading

Zion National Park (via nps.gov)

Here are a few headlines I came across for some Western parks:

• Noted wolf pack at end of its trail (via Deseret News)
• Grand Teton, Yellowstone begin plowing for spring (via Deseret News)
• Utah scenic byways guide goes online (via Deseret News)
• Spring comes to Zion National Park (via Deseret News)
• Zion National Park plan aims at protecting natural sounds (via Deseret News)

Here are some interesting links from around the net from last weekend.  Enjoy!

Fishing related:

• Spring Preview for Lake Powell (via Fishing Utah by Brett Prettyman)
• Trout fishing in Snake River should be good this spring (via Idaho Statesman)

Yellowstone:

• Annual Winter Photo Festival in West Yellowstone (via nps.gov)
• Yellowstone Recruits for 2010 YCC Program (via nps.gov)

Utah Outdoor News:

• An outdoor fair for kids (via Utah DWR)
• 26 sick bighorn sheep are euthanized (via Deseret News)
• Disease kills NE Utah bighorn sheep (via Utah DWR)

Montana Outdoor News:

• This link goes to the Billings Examiner and provides some great stories about Montana Wildlife. Billings Examiner (via @AMontanaView)

I suppose this probably isn’t big news since it is expected that Americans would travel closer to home in a down economy, but I think it is a good thing that more people are getting out and enjoying this land and its incomparable beauty.  I for one for several of those park visits this year including Teton, Zions (a couple of times), Arches, Bryce, and Canyonlands.  As the great documentary about National Parks said so well, our National parks are the very embodiment of our democracy.  Make sure you get to at least one park this year!

National park visits boom amid recession (Deseret News)

What is your favorite park?

If you have plans to be in Zion National Park on Friday February 19, or could make arrangements to get there, your help as a volunteer is needed to help mark some new boundaries.  Sounds like fun and a good excuse to get out.  Too bad I was just there last weekend.  I don’t expect I can get down there again.  Read the full story below.

Volunteers needed to mark boundaries of new Zion Wilderness (Deseret News)

I was lucky enough to be in Zion National Park this weekend with my family. The weather was gorgeous and we had a great time. I was able to get a little time to get my count in for the Great Backyard Bird Count. Since my kids weren’t into sitting an watching I got my time in on the trail to Weeping Rock.y list wasn’t too extenive but I got to see some birds I don’t normally see at home. The two best for me were the spotted towhees and the gray headed junkos. I also saw some ravens, chickadees, and house sparrows. In all a great day. Just a reminder that Monday is the last day to count so get out and relax for a few minutes counting some birds.

Here are a couple of interesting stories from the local news from both today and yesterday.  Currently in Salt Lake City we have the Outdoor Retailers Winter Market which I would love to be attending, but alas I am not an outdoor retailer so I guess that will have to wait for another year.Outdoor Retailers Winter Market

• Outdoor Retailer Winter Market Expo: Utah retailers enjoying local advantage
• Outdoor Retailer show spurs innovation
• Outdoor Retailer debuts with a flurry

Wildlife News

• 40 bison will soon have a new home
• Two chances to see bald eagles:  I have seen an eagle in each of the last 3 fishing trips I have taken.  I can recall a time not too long ago, when I never saw eagles or rarely on trips up to the greater Yellowstone region.  I am so amazed by how well they have come back from the brink of extinction.  As a kid if I saw a bald eagle it was a unbelievable sighting.  Well I still feel that way, but to my children it is a common place occurrence.  I think that is pretty great.  If you haven’t seen an eagle recently get out to one of these viewing events.  You won’t be sorry.

Yellowstone Earthquake Activity

• Update on Yellowstone Earthquakes