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Written by Tim Bondy
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 |
Excellent Day to Hike in The Owyhee Mountains - Sort of
I planned this hike a few weeks ago but life got in the way so when Sunday March 7th arrived with a forecast for great weather I was excited. I was headed down to the Owyhee Mountains off Mud Flat Road to hike up Peak 4602. This mountain isn't exactly the most visually pleasing mountain but it's easy to get to.
I knew there was something wrong almost immediate when I started heading up Mud Flat Road. Trucks with motorcycles and quads where headed out of the mountains. By the time I got near the mountains I saw a big gaggle of campers and trailer parked out in the desert and signs for a motorcycle race. The usual solitude of the Owyhee Front wouldn't be there today but I certainly would let that stop me from enjoying my day.
I parked and headed up a canyon that would take me towards the base of Peak 4602 enjoying the scenery along the way. Cross-country travel through the sage brush was rather easy and I was soon most of the way up the north side of the peak. Higher up, I found a few widely scattered rocks with veins of common opal running through them and this is always a good sign. Peak 4602 turned out be a fun hike that included some good samples of semi-gem quality opal which made this hike even better. The views from the top were excellent with deep blue skies and snow covered peaks to the south.
Video from the Top of Peak 4602
Overall, the entire hike lasted about 4 hours but I certainly wasn't in a hurry. I took a different way back to the car through some cool canyons/washes that made it more interesting than a straight out and back hike. I must have seen 10 rabbits during this hike which was probably more rabbits than I saw all of last year. I also saw a lot of antelope in the distance from the higher points of the hike.
The Bad Motor-Scooter Rant?
While I will defend the rights of others to use our public land for recreation as they see fit, I do have a problem with "some" dirt bike riders. Common sense and following the law of the land are required to be good stewards of our land. So when I was in a semi-isolated portion of the hike, well away from any trail, and saw rather fresh tracks from a dirt bike winding through the desert sage brush, I got a little annoyed. People who ride off-road and off trail like this person can and will ruin my opportunity to explore the "trailed" portions of Idaho on my ATV. People like this moron give all ATV'er a bad name and eventually someone will insists on very restrictive ATV laws. Just know if I come upon someone running through the desert or mountains riding illegally or not be responsible, I will take pictures and follow up with the authorities.
Link to More Pictures
Here is a link to a few more pictures of my hike up Peak 4602 along the Owyhee Mountain Front. These picture are also "Geocoded" to show the location of where they were taken.
URL: http://picasaweb.google.com/tim.bondy/Peak4602On7March2010?feat=directlink
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 10 March 2010 )
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Written by Tim Bondy
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Sunday, 07 March 2010 |
Click photo for a larger picture and more info.
To see a full size photograph:
http://bondyweb.com/photo-of-week/boise-sunrise.html
An early morning flight out of Idaho's Boise Airport gave me the
opportunity to experience a great sunrise.
Thanks for visiting and commenting on this story.
Tim Bondy
The Bondyweb.Com author
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 07 March 2010 )
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Written by Tim Bondy
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Tuesday, 02 March 2010 |
Click photo above to see more information and a bigger picture.
To see a full size photograph: http://bondyweb.com/photo-of-week/danskin-power-plant.html
I'm sure most people in Mountain Home, Idaho have seen this building but only from a distance. It's located north of Interstate 84 near Exit 90. From a distance, it looks more like modern art than it's real purpose. I wonder if the architects designed it that way.
Thanks for visiting and commenting on this story.
Tim Bondy
The Bondyweb.Com author
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 02 March 2010 )
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Written by Tim Bondy
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Sunday, 28 February 2010 |
Pilots from the 390th Fighter Squadron Tour Southern Idaho's Version of Napa Valley.
I found this story on the Internet the other day and thought I bring it to your attention. Some say Southern Idaho has a pretty good wine region and local pilots from Mountain Home Air Force Base might agree. Read the whole story HERE.
Here is a map of the vineyards they toured:
Click "View Large Map" link above for a better map.
You can do a "do-it-yourself" tour like the Wild Boars did or you can book a full service tour from the Idaho Winery Tours website:
http://www.idahowinerytours.com/
Thanks for visiting and commenting on this story.
Tim Bondy
The Bondyweb.Com author
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 28 February 2010 )
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Written by Tim Bondy
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Tuesday, 23 February 2010 |
The Monday February 22nd, 2010 Mountain Home City Council Meeting Review.
There was a very short City Council meeting last night and its showed with very few citizens in attendance. Counting myself, there were only 4 "non-city employees" at this 35 minute meeting. This brought out the good nature of our council as they had a few good laughs and had some frank discussion on the few items placed on their table.
Subjects Covered:
1. Considering a "No Dogs Allowed in City Parks" Ordinance. There have been some complaints about dog poop in the city parks. In short, dog owners need to clean up after their dogs our some type of ordinance will be passed banning dogs from ALL parks. It was said this is primarily a health and safety issue for the people of our community. I disagree completely! This is RESPONSIBILITY issue. If citizens can't take responsibility for their own pets, how can we expect them to act responsible when it comes to darn near anything in life.
In any case, the council is considering all their options. Most likely Legacy Park will eventually be "dog-free" because there is a "dog park" across the street of Legacy. Seems like a reasonable restriction to me but when I had a dog, I liked walking my dog there. As far as banning dogs in the rest of our parks, that will be entirely up to our dog owning citizens. Don't clean up. then lose the right to take your dog to all city parks. This "no dogs allowed" thing is a sticky (smooched between the toes if you know what I mean) issue but is not a done deal YET. By the way, I will likely be getting a new dog in the next month or two...Hopefully other dog owners will not ruin it for me?
2. Discussion/Decision on Agreement with ENEROC on Demand Response Services Proposal and Authorize the Mayor to sign agreements. Hopefully there was a just a small typo in the Mountain Home City Council Agenda on this issue.
In short, a company called "EnerNOC " (with two N's) wants to give the city money for conserving water/energy during peak demand hours. The smelly part of this issue is how it was explained to the council. If the city turns off one of our city water well pumps during peak demand hours, there will be a rebate given to us. This even applies if the city turns off one pump but simultaneously turns on another pump? Sometimes if an offer sounds too good to be true???
The city attorney currently has the contract that may have some issues. Hopefully his complete and in-depth review of this company and contract will shed some light on if the council should move ahead with this issue or walk/run away. Please note...The City Fire Chief does not like this idea AT ALL and I suspect it has to do with water pressure and fire fighting capabilities.
Hopefully our City Council will not only keep our Fire Chief in the loop but make him the point man on this issue.
Thanks for visiting and commenting on this story.
-S-
Tim Bondy
The Bondyweb.Com author
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 23 February 2010 )
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