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I rode my dirt bike up into Daggett Creek today to do some watercolor painting. There is an old cabin up there next to an old mine that I have visited often. There is an old outhouse just up the creek from the cabin. I noticed someone has built a horseshoe pit up near the mine, so someone has been spending some time up there. They also split some wood and stacked it inside the cabin. The front porch has fallen down on one side and the roof next to the creek has collapsed. The old Chevy truck is still back in there as well. I scooped water out of Daggett Creek to use for my watercolor paints. It was a gorgeous day and very relaxing to just sit and paint and listen to the creek running by and the wind blowing through the pines.
~Tad Jones
We have been waterskiing every Wednesday night after work at Lucky Peak Reservoir. Tucker and Clancy and I grew up skiing in McCall on Payette Lake. We would get up early to ski before any other boats were on the lake & we would ski whenever we got the chance. They still have the same boat as when we were growing up. Waterskiing with great friends is still one of my most favorite things in life! Below is a link to a video of us skiing behind the Ski Nautique.
We ran the Sawtooth Relay this weekend and had a great time. The name of our team was “More Cowbell” and we were team #234
The Sawtooth Relay is a 62 mile run and is separated into twelve legs. Teams of six individuals run from Stanley, Idaho to Ketchum Idaho over the famed Galena Summit. The proceeds for the race are all donated to the PKD Foundation and are used for research in finding a cure for kidney disease.
Our team this year consisted of Trent & Shelly Koci, B and Tamara Clayton, and Karma and me. Each team is required to have one volunteer for the race and Tim Terry generously served as our volunteer.
Zoie came along with us too and Karma’s Mom Dorothy watched her while we ran the race.
We stayed in Ketchum on Friday night and then woke up around 1:30 in the morning. We picked up B and Tamara around 2:00am to drive to Stanley for a 4:00am start.
The race was a bit rainy this year, but we still had a blast!
We finished the race at around 1:00 in the afternoon with a total time of just over 9 hours.
For more information on the Sawtooth Relay please visit: http://www.sawtoothrelay.com/sawtooth/home.cfm
~Tad Jones
We rode the Weiser River Trail this weekend from Evergreen Campground to Galloway Dam near Weiser, Idaho. Karma was our shuttle driver and brought BoBeau and Hank along to keep her company on the drive home.
Photo by Tucker Anderson
The riding crew consisted of Jay Stevenor, Tucker Anderson, and Myself. Clancy brought his Xtra Cycle, Tucker used panniers mounted to a bike rack, and Jay and I towed trailers. I was towing a TW Bents trailer and Jay was trying out a Bob trailer with suspension….
Click here to continue reading and see photos and video of the trip!
We skied some amazing backcountry today. I was a bit tired from running the Race to Robie Creek the day before. We met at Don Jeffery’s house at 6:00 in the morning for an early start to make sure the snow didn’t get too warm and turn to slush before we got there. A woman named Anne met us at Don’s house too, and we drove her up to meet some of our other friends that were going to run the South Fork of the Payette today. We dropped her off at our friend’s house on the banks of the South Fork. When we arrived, JT More was wearing shorts and river sandals and standing around a raging fire. We visited for a while and then headed up the road to Banner Summit. We were on the snow by about 9:45, but even then the rays of the sun were very intense and the temperature was rising quickly. The snow crust we were skinning across soon turned to slush and we worked our way up a ridge south of Lola Creek.
From the top of the ridge we had an excellent view of the Sawtooth Range. Copper Mountain, where we had considered skiing was also in view and we could see many chutes on the north side of the mountain.
…Click here to continue reading & see photos and video…
I ran the Race to Robie Creek today. I did much better than I had expected with a finishing time of 1:57:23.392 which put me in place number 331. The race starts at Fort Boise and winds up Shaw Mountain Road. Near the top of Shaw Mountain Road the course heads up the old toll road at Rocky Canyon and over Aldape Summit. After passing over the summit the course takes a steep descent down into the Robie Creek drainage and ends with a spectacular party at a large park on the shores of Mores Creek.
The Race to Robie Creek is called “The Toughest Half-Marathon in the Northwest.” The race raises over $45,000 for local charities and non-profit organizations. There were over 2,400 runners in the race this year.
Click here to visit the website for the Race to Robie Creek.
The 2009 ski season at Bogus Basin has been excellent! A great way to end the season was with the annual end of the season costume party. This year Karma and I were the “Killer Bees on Skis!” We met up with friends Clancy and Tucker Anderson and their families. Clancy’s son Oliver was dressed up as a Meerkat and kept us in line. Click on the image below to see a video of the last day and party at Bogus! Special thanks to Bogus Basin and the events director JJ McCleod for a fantastic season!
We roll easily through the winding mountain roads of Idaho. The scenery passes by as we are transported through a winter wonderland in the heated comfort of the jeep. I hold a large cup of coffee in one hand and the other on the steering wheel. Large herds of elk are grazing on the sides of the road. I slow our speed in anticipation that one of these huge amazing animals may decide to cross in front of us. Good conversation on a crisp cold morning and amazing Idaho Scenery….Click here to continue reading and view a video & slideshow of the trip!
Below are two videos from Eric Parsons. These guys are doing some epic mountain bike trips in Alaska using Surly Pugsley Mountain Bikes with ”Large Marge” rims and tires, and Alpacka pack rafts. I keep coming back to this thread on mtbr forum about their trip. Trent & Shelly got me a new mountain bike trailer this year from TW-Bents. I like the trailer because it can carry quite a bit of weight, seems durable and has the added benefit of being able to fold up and be stored in its own drybag. The drybag is contoured to the shape of the trailer so it can be used to transport gear. The only drawback to this trailer is that it is made in Taiwan & I would rather support a trailer that is made in the USA. I am already planning my next mountain bike adventure for this summer!!
Lost Coast Trailer from Eric Parsons on Vimeo.
Kenai Coast Fun from Eric Parsons on Vimeo.
Here is a link to Eric’s company “Epic Designs“.
I posted some photos with descriptions of a hike I did in Leslie Gulch in Eastern Oregon. The photos used to be on the old website, but without commentation. I have also added a few photos of the trip that were missing from the old format. Leslie Gulch is an extraordinary place full of intrest and where the imagination can run wild. Please click on the image below for more photos of the area around Leslie Gulch.
Trent and Andrew and I went for a ride last night. Karma took this photo before we left. We all have lights mounted to either our bikes and/or helmets. The city lights were beautiful from the foothills at night. The trails were in perfect condition & to top it off we had pizza at LuLu’s after the ride. While were at LuLu’s everyone’s cell phones started ringing at the same time. My cell phone rang also and it was Karma. She told me that they had announced that Barack Obama was officially our new President Elect. I will remeber where I was at and how it felt to hear the news for the rest of my life.
We ran the Zeitgeist half marathon today. It was a blast! Both Karma and I came in faster than our original goals. Karma was shooting for under 2:30:00 and she beat it by almost 10 minutes with a time of 2:21:44. I am super proud of her. It was so cool to watch her run across the finish line. My original goal was to be between 2:10:00 and 2:20:00 and at mile 10 I realized I could make it in under 2hours so I kicked it into gear and ended with at time of 1:53:19. Trent and Michele ran really well in addition to our friends Jay Stevenor, Sue Jurf, and JT Moore. JT and Sue finished the race hand-in-hand which was pretty cool. Bill and Patty Davis came out to watch the race and see Trent and Shelly finish and they brought Zoie along. Zoie gave me a big hug after I crossed the finish line. My Mom came out to watch the race too and it was great to have her support. The race was very well organized and there were almost 1,000 participants. After the race there was live music, food, and beer for tired racers. Below is a link to the zeitgeist website:
Below is a list of the overall results for our friends and family
- 199|Tad Jones |Boise, ID|348|M|36|1:53:19|8:39
- 382|Michele Koci|Boise, ID|367|F| 37|2:05:12|9:33
- 538|Jay Stevenor | Boise, ID|922|M|46|2:16:05|10:23
- 545|Trent Koci| Boise, ID|368|M|37|2:16:47|10:26
- 610|Karma Jones| Boise, ID|346|F|34|2:21:44|10:49
- 671|Sue Jurf| Boise, ID|352|F|39|2:27:34|11:15
- 672|Jt More| Boise, ID |470|M|46|2:27:35|11:15
The overall results can be viewed at the following link:
Zeitgeist Overall Race Results
Karma and I went camping this Fourth of July weekend with our friends Clancy and Anne Anderson and Lee and Abby Fischer. We stayed at a spot along the South Fork of the Payette on the road up to Grandjean. On Saturday morning after a lot of coffee to get motivated we drove up to the trailhead at the Grandjean campground. We hiked towards Baron Lakes. Lee and Abby hiked with us for a couple miles and then turned back. They took Bobeau back with them since he was getting pretty tired and Karma and I were planning a big day ahead of us. Lee and Abby planned on taking Bobeau with them to Bull Trout Lake to go kayaking on the lake. Clancy and Anne were going to meet up with them and go to Bull Trout lake as well. Hank came with us and did really well. We saw a few horses coming down out of the mountains and a couple other hiking parties, but it felt very secluded. We turned East at the confluence of Baron Cr. and the South Fork of the Payette and headed up the wide canyon. Grandjean peak was to our South and there was still snow tucked away in the small areas that were hidden from the sun.
We saw lots of waterfalls cascading down the cliffs above us. We reached the North Fork of Baron Creek and found it a torrent of water. We searched downstream and found a large log to cross the Creek.
Our next water crossing was at Moolack Creek. We found a log upstream of the trail at this crossing.
The trail was covered in thick brush and we were glad that we had worn long pants for the treck. The temperature was a little on the warm side for long pants, but the protection they provided was well worth it.
We found a large tree with some shade and sat down to eat some Gorp and the first our Sandwiches. It was a good break. The only sounds around us were the sounds of birds and water rushing down the mountains. The wildflowers were amazing this time of year. I took photos of many of them that I didn’t recognize and some that I did such as Sego Lilies and Indian Paintbrush.
I will try to find the names out of some of the others later. On the way up we could hear woodpeckers pounding away at the surrounding timber. We also saw many trees perforated by their work. It took us about 5 hours to get to the waterfall and it was amazingly loud as we got closer to it. Huge amounts of water were tumbling off the mountains. 
We discussed going up to the lakes, but felt a bit exhausted and we were running later than we had planned so we turned around about 7,600 feet in elevation. It looked as if we were about level with the top of the waterfall and after examining the topo map I confirmed our elevation with my watch and GPS and figured we had another 2mi to the lakes. On the way back I pumped purified water into our hydration packs from Baron Creek. We had really gone through a lot of water. We ate the last of our peanut butter sandwiches and almost finished the Gorp. The views in every direction were just awesome! It reminded me of the time I had spent in the Sawtooths with Grandaddy and my Mom and Dad when I was a little kid.
The trek out took us almost 4 hours so we ended up hiking for almost 9 hours straight. Our feet and legs took a bit of a beating between sore muscles and blisters. We stopped at Sacajawea hot springs on the way back to camp to rinse off. We got back into camp around 9:00 at night and made a steak dinner. After dinner we hung around the fire with friends until we couldn’t keep our eyes open any longer. We slept outside under the stars and woke in the morning to a squirrel running over our sleeping bags. What a great weekend!
I went running with my dog Hank after work last night along the Boise River Greenbelt. We stopped at a beach along the Boise River and he played fetch with a stick he had found. This is the same area that I go fly-fishing after work in the summer. We are so lucky living in Boise with the proximity to wildlife and the outdoors.
As I ran next to the proposed Esther Simplot park, I saw excavation equipment moving dirt & beginning inital grading for the new park. It looks as if construction on the new park is finally underway!! It got me thinking about the plans for the new Whitewater Park along this stretch of river and what a benefit it will be to our community. It will be a great venue for slalom kayak competitions, a whitewater practice course, and will bring more interest and vitality to this area of our City. Best of all, it is within walking distance from my house :) What a great way to spend a hot summer day!…Kayak surfing in the cool, clear water, just out my back door. Idaho really is an amazing place to live.
Click on the links below to see more on the proposed Whitewater Park and the new Esther Simplot park.
http://www.boiseriverpark.com/
Karma and I ran 4 miles from Discovery Park down to the Diversion Dam and back yesterday. It felt great! We went to Bandanna afterward and I bought some new running shoes because the support in mine was breaking down. I used them to train for the Sawtooth Relay last year, so I have no idea how many miles they have on them. I saw John & Joni Stright at Bandana and John was on his way to Toronto to get current in flying the DeHavilland Twin Otter. We went to the Flying M afterward for a mocha.
I went running tonight when I got back from flying. It felt great to decompress and think about my flight. I ran about 4 miles and checked out the area around Boise Cascade Pond. The new Ester Simplot park is going to be a great asset to our community. Also, the whitewater park is going to bring another positive aspect to our community in Boise.
The waterfront district is taking off! It is great to see it actually coming together.