Westward Whoa!

I’m not sure if my observations over the past couple of months have been more external or internal. I have definitely learned a lot about myself—and a lot about Montana and eastern Washington! Maybe a smidgen about human nature, too.

I went as far west as I intended to for the summer; made the turning-around point to start heading back toward my Wilderness Watch board meeting in Chico Hot Springs in September. I wasn’t sure that I even wanted to add the eastern portion of Washington to my route, but I am glad I did. It is beautiful—reminds me of parts of northern New Mexico. I am not a big fan of the long, narrow valleys that entrain hundreds of miles of river, now lakes, but when you get out of those the landscapes are inviting and expansive. And they are burning. After a week or so without smoky skies, those are back even worse than earlier this summer. And speaking of burning—a New York Times Opinion piece that I wanted to share with you:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/23/opinion/more-logging-wont-stop-wildfires.html?_r=1

The forests I’ve driven through have had me so enchanted and I couldn’t figure out why. When I sat down and thought about it I realized that there were 3 things that I noticed: 1) even with 3-5 thousand feet of relief, the slopes are solidly blanketed with trees—no rocky faces, steep bare ground, just trees, and 2) no splashes and cascades of aspen; seems odd to have a forest without aspen; 3) and this is the surprising observation—there are no dead stands. No expanses of red needles and bare snags; just green—lots and lots of trees.

Enough to keep the small towns I have visited going economically. Growing up I saw, evidently, very small logging operations, mills tucked away in remote mountain areas, and never thought of what had to be happening where logging was serious business. Now I know! These are huge complexes covering dozens of acres and holding hundreds of thousands of trees ready for lumber, plywood or newsprint, or to generate power (I saw all four enterprises).

As I moved south and left the forests I entered wheat lands with harvesting going full blast. Noticed that there are not a lot or raptors hanging about as with cutting hay in Jackson—no prey in wheat?

Other things I’ve seen:

• Don’t believe that I have ever seen one before, but no mistaking a Pileated woodpecker.
• And I know that I have never seen wild turkeys with their young—all neck and legs with a bit of a bulge somewhere in the middle. Unless they form nursery groups they have very large broods.
• Blue grouse along the highway
• Western tanager
• Creambush or Oceanspray
• I had no idea that Oregon grape got 3 feet tall!  

 

And more randomness:

* Did you know that Oral-B mint flavored is made in Ireland? And that it has an expiration date?

* It has taken me a lot less time to go through my backlog of magazines then it did to collect them!

* Mountain West News captures a lot of the news in Jackson minus the Police Blotter—but I can always go online to see the inmates currently in jail with photos, charges, etc.

* E-cigarettes are a big thing, especially closer to the Canadian border. And I must say after spending an evening visiting with people at a table where 3 of them were using them that they are not nearly as bad as the real versions.

As I reflect, observe, modify, expand, all those things we do each day to figure out what to do next or who we are, I have at least put an upper cap on the population size of my next home community—and I expect to drop it even lower: 200,000—Oh mercy!