What a weekend, what a show!!

What a weekend of Adventures we just had.

You'll be able to hear about all of them on Glacier Adventures with Jay & Hill at 10:00am MST on Whitefish Radio

Including, but not limited to, our trip to Eureka, MT for the Kickoff BBQ and concert for Rendezvous Days, then we'll talk to Robert Hanson of the Flathead County Dive team as they 'Clean the Fish'. We also talk to Dori Muehlhof from the Flathead Convention and Visitors Bureau, Leslie Kehoe from the Flathead Audubon was in studio to talk about upcoming birding trips in the valley, and of course the audio from our trip down to the taste of Bigfork which we probably could have made a show out of in itself. Pam and Barb from Farmhands were nice enough to sit down at our table last week at Wasabi in downtown Whitefish and talk to us about their fabulous program as we enjoyed sushi. And a last minute interview was Bill Lavelle who is a part of Bear Aware in the Flathead valley and they have a fantastic program sponsored by the Glacier National Park Fund coming up that we will be covering for next weeks show which is called "people helping people live with bears". It's happening at the Whitefish Middle School Auditorium on Saturday, May 3, 2008 from 2 pm to 5 pm. Whether you visit bear country or live in bear country, we encourage you to attend.

Our producer/editor Ross Strauser also talks about "Death by Chocolate" happening this weekend at the Conrad Mansion.... yep, we'll be there too.




See you on the trail.





.....and don't forget Glacier Adventure has all of you Glacier National Park and Flathead Valley information.




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A Taste of Bigfork

What a day, ... what an adventure in taste.


We spent the day walking around Bigfork, MT and sampling foods from over 20 local restaurants and eateries. There were local brews and wines as well. It was truly a great day!

The variety of food was amazing and the talent showcased would make you think you were in a major metropolitan area. We sampled everything from pork paprikush on sauteed spatzels to mini pulled pork sandwiches to cascabel rubbed buffalo to homemade gourmet ice cream and just about everything in between.

If you are ever in the Glacier National Park or Flathead area at the end of April, I really recommend the Taste of Bigfork. An experience your taste buds won't soon forget.

The party at The Garden Bar for the raffle was like a family gathering. People enjoying the blue sky day, delicious food, and plenty of drink.

We are counting down the days until next year's Taste of Bigfork.

364 days to go in case you were wondering.


We'll see you there.




-jay



Make sure to visit Glacier Adventure for all of your Glacier National Park and Surrounding area information.




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Spring Cleaning, ... Whitefish Style

"Clean The Fish" was a great success. The turnout was fantastic and judging by the number of full trash bags lining the roads around town, I'd say Whitefish is much cleaner because of it.

Not only did they clean the roads of Whitefish, they also cleaned City Beach above and below the water. Robert Hanson and members of The Flathead County Dive Team (associated with the Flathead County Sheriffs Office) donned the full SCUBA gear, complete with cold suits, and cleared the swimming area and beyond of cans, bottles, broken glass and anything else that might be hazardous to City Beach dwellers this summer.

Dave Stephens and Tim Healy, a couple of local volunteers from Whitefish Lake Services, came up with a mesh sack of assorted trash, a large chunk of rope and a metal pipe about 4 feet long. I wonder how THAT got down there.

With well over a hundred volunteers, I have to say that "Clean The Fish" really gets the community together, both above and below the water.


See you at the (cleaner) City Beach.


-jay




and don't forget Glacier Adventure has all of you Glacier National Park and Flathead Valley information.





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Rendezvous Days Kickoff

So I'll start by telling you that we got our new digital SLR today and got some great pictures of the kickoff of Rendezvous Days up in Eureka, MT.

We headed out to the black powder shoot at the 69 ranch where they camp just like they did in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Tents with woodburning stoves, cooking over open fire, no poly-pro in this group, wool, cotton, canvas and leather are the main clothing textiles.

Then we went up the road to the Koocanusa Arena where they had the Rendezvous Days kickoff dinner and concert. What a blast. The food was great! BBQ brisket, coleslaw, baked beans, ... topped off with a roll. Delicious.

The music was great!!, Sarah Henderson & The Front Porch Band kicked things off followed by Kayla & Holly VanBemmel. Smash Hit Carnival was performing when we left, they are performers in every sense of the word. They change costumes to go with the band they are playing. We heard/saw them do The Cars, The Rolling Stones (and he was a dead ringer for Mick Jagger), and the Supremes just to name a few. Not to mention singing on a wireless mic while out on the dance floor. Everyone had a blast. Looks to be a GREAT weekend in Eureka. Parade is Saturday at noon. They say it's one of the largest in the state. Check it out.


















We also posted some cool new stuff up at Glacieradventure.com


Going To The Sun Road Plowing update coming up.....


stay tuned.


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The Bears are Waking Up!

The proof is in the pictures.

A friend of ours who lives north of town shared these pictures with us that were taken yesterday morning.

Here is their story in their words:

Good Morning,

We had a large bear in the driveway and yard last night. About 11:00 the dogs wanted out back, seemed like just pre-bed routine thing, but man, did they get barking and running all over with noses to the ground. Trapper the black lab especially wanted out front so I took him and Blue our lab mix. They both were barking and all on alert, noses going. I didn't take a flashlight since the moonlight was OK to see by. Wish I did have one though, as the dogs got down by Jane's car near my studio the dogs had gotten the attention of this bear. I saw him in relief and shadow but a light would have neat to get a real lit view of him. Even though he wasn't well lit he seemed very black in color

I say him because even in the low light this was a very very large bear, even on all fours. He looked black to me and didn't strike me as a Grizzly just by the body shape and outline but boy, these are some big feet and full of nails. Reading up on the print shape this morning I have to think it probably was Grizzly. I was only about 25-30 feet away last night when he appeared and I instinctively moved toward the house even as Blue dog went right at him. I was calling her back but she didn't mind that it was a bear at all. I guess her forthrightness may have harried the bear a bit and it scampered right out the front yard and off into the woods.

Walking around this morning I found track that places the bear just walking up the back driveway and through the snow by the gate. Where it crossed into our yard I didn't find clearly. Neighbor Jan was over too but we still couldn't be clear his early path in.

Anyway, that's my bear story.

Pretty amazing, ... and also a great reminder that's it's never too early to dust off the old bear spray.





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Sushi in Downtown Whitefish

... for a great cause.

We headed down to Wasabi Sushi Bar in Downtown Whitefish, Montana who donated a portion of their proceeds to FarmHands

Farmhands is a group of local farmers and consumers wishing to strengthen the natural bond between the people who produce the food and the people who eat it.

WHY LOCAL IS BETTER
Unlike corporate agriculture, family farms are run by people who live on the land and care deeply about it. They protect the soil, because it sustains them. They grow tomatoes for flavor, not shelf-life. All the food they produce is days - sometimes weeks - fresher than anything trucked in across state or national borders.

In the process, family farms help preserve America's most cherished historical, cultural and family values. Respect for hard work, the importance of neighbor helping neighbor, and a deep appreciation for the land are just a few of the values that grow strong in the fertile soil of the family farm. - FARMHANDS

We encourage you to get a Farmhands map, visit a local farm or Farmers Market and enjoy foods grown locally. You'll never shop the same way again. The map also includes restaurants that support local farms, so even when eating out here in the Flathead Valley, you can support our local farmers. ...and not to mention get some of the best tasting, freshest food around!!!

Make sure to visit Glacier Adventure for all of your Glacier National Park and Surrounding area information.

Mantracking in the Flathead Valley

One of the cool cool thing about living here full time is the variety of activities available just keeps growing and growing.

This weekend we had an old friend in town who we met when we were members of Flathead County Search and Rescue. He is a professional Man-Tracker and provides training for search and rescue groups, law enforcement, and military personell around the world.

His name is Joel Hardin and he is the Master Teacher and Educator for Joel Hardin Professional Tracking Services. He was in town this weekend holding a class on crime scene preservation and man tracking which was attended by members of local search and rescue teams and law enforcement officers.

Students were taught how to see 'sign' (evidence of someone passing) and follow that sign. They were also taught how to track while preserving possible evidence at a crime scene. This is done in classroom and hands on in the field.
You also learn how to work as a team, how to document clearly, and how to communicate what you have documented. (try describing what a partial footprint looks like over a radio)

It's a great class and even if you are not involved in SAR or law enforcement, you can still take one of Joel's classes. I guarantee you will never look at the ground the same way again

Classes are held year round at different locations around the country. For a complete listing of classes and locations go to Joel Hardin's website at www.jhardin-inc.com



It's a truly amazing skill and the more you learn, the more you realize how much more you can learn.




...and don't forget to go to Glacier Adventure for all of you Glacier National Park and surrounding area happenings.


see you in the dirt.


-jay






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