Interurban Trail ride

How did you spend the last day of May?

Since it was the last day of National Bike Month, I figured what better way to spend it then, well biking!

I met up with my dad and one of his friends and we did 50 miles on the Interurban Trail. We rode from Tukwila to Sumner.

Along the way I hit some glass and got a flat. So luckily our stop in Sumner was right next to the Bonney Lake Bicycle Shop of Sumner! I got a patch for the tire as the glass had put a hole through to the tube and had them do a quick tuneup since I was there.

But our main goal in Sumner was to get a fresh Strawberry rhubarb shake from a small shake/burger joint. It was AWESOME! If I did food reviews, I'd write a better review than that. But it was great. Promise.

The ride as a whole was great. We hit some rain but it was a warm rain so not bad at all. On our way back the sun came out and dried up the trail really nice (oh and us).

The trail is paved, maintained and pretty flat the whole way. So not very hard going. You can get a good pace throughout most of it. Some sections get a bit annoying as there are multiple cross streets that you have to wait for traffic fairly close together (mostly in Kent). But for an urban trail, this one is very nice.

All in all it was a great way to spend the last day of Bike Month.

Epic Video: Brandon moving

This is how Brandon's moving went this weekend.

I'm back on the grid

Okay so there's no internet in my apartment at the moment, creating some interesting logistic issues but at least my fridge shakes when it turns on! Keeps my on my toes at night.

While my studio apartment is certainly better than Casey's cardboard box (he is unemployed after all) there a couple quirks about it.

1. The shower and bathtub have reverse pluming, and I didn't discover this until about five minutes into a cold shower, then was stunned to find I was then being assaulted by boiling water.

2. The outlet situation is something to be desired but after a few power strips I'm now ready to be the biggest fire hazard in all of Polson, Mont.

3. No internet. Hence, I watched DVDs all night, folded clothes and listened to a top 40 station out of Kalispel. In other words, I'm a forty year old bachelor.

4. I can't tell if the water is really good, or if I'm going to have the death plague. I'll keep you updated.

5. No cable yet. Good god, I didn't find out if the Red Sox won or lost until 12 hours after the fact. Yuck.

Brandon the Montanan

In case you missed it, Brandon has moved to Montana. That's right, Montana. The one state that no one would have ever thought would welcome Brandon within its boarders. Yet, for some reason they opened their gates for him and he's in.

Either that or he snuck in through Canada.

Now I've been to Montana lots of times since I have family there. And I must say, it's a very pretty state. Well, the western part is. (but that's just my opinion).

There a few things though that Brandon must remember now that he lives in Big Sky Country that I'd like to pass on to him. Call them, "words of wisdom" if you will. But since they are coming from me, call them what they are, "words."

1. When passing through Missoula make sure not to stop - Now this may seem a bit strange, but the truth is that while Brandon may now be a Montanan, he made a number of "non friends" in Grizzly fans within Missoula. But none the less, GO EAGLES!

2. Don't pet grizzly bears - Speaking of Grizzlies, Brandon shouldn't pet them. He once mistook an opossum for a house cat. He even went around town posting these signs:


That's right. Not housebroken and not friendly. I'm pretty sure that's an opossum. Nice try Brandon.

3. Hannah Montana is not cool - Now that Brandon lives in Montana all he's been listening to is Hannah Montana. He said it was to "get in touch" with the local music. No Brandon, that's not how it works. When Brandon visited Boston last year he wouldn't stop singing "More Than a Feelin'" for three weeks. THREE WEEKS!

4. Yaking and kayaking are NOT the same thing - Kayaking is in a small boat, yaking is....well...riding a yak. Don't try yaking. Even the yaks that seem calm aren't and don't appreciate a saddle.

5. Buy a goat - Now that you've left the city of Spokane and the comfort of a roommate to help with bills, buy a goat. They are great for helping cut the cost of groceries (milk, butter, buttermilk) and they help cut the cost of utilities. A goat can eat your garbage. Oh, and be your new roomate. Leave him in the living room and he'll watch TV all day.

There you Brandon. Good luck in Montana!

Outdoor Photo of the Week: Kayaking

Today's Outdoor Photo of the Week comes from the kayak trip that we went on today. It was a lot of fun and we got to get our kayaks wet for the first time this season.

We were out on Lake Tapps in Bonney Lake, WA. Next Sunday we're going to head out to the Arboretum in Seattle for another trip.

Photo by Al Knopik, Buckley, WA.

Think you've got a great outdoor photo? Want to see it hosted on Just Northwest? Send your submissions to justsouthofnorth@gmail.com.

Please include your name, a short caption about the photo (date, location, and what makes it special) and your location.

Check back each Sunday for a new Outdoor Photo of the Week.

Epic Video: Dennis Hopper in Waterworld

Dennis Hopper died today at age 74. My favorite movie of his is "Hoosiers" where he plays the drunk assistant coach/son of one of the players. He also was the bad guy in this movie...



Anyone who faces off against Kevin Costner is okay in my book because Costner is a scary man.

The World Cup is already off to a great start

South Africa may have some issues. Namely security issues. Like an entire football team getting robbed before the World Cup even starts. Uh-oh.

Local press are reporting the Colombian national football team, in town to play out their 2-1 friendly defeat to South Africa on Thursday, had £1,900 worth of cash stolen from their suitcases — a DAY after turning up to the Hyde Park Southern Sun hotel, in northern Johannesburg.

The five-star resort is set to be home to the Slovenian World Cup squad, who are arriving, bum bags padlocked shut, on June 8.

Two female employees have already been arrested and charged, after a pair of "scantily clad" women were spotted on CCTV skulking around corridors prior to the robbery.

Punters robbed by half-naked workers in their bedrooms? There's a name for those sort of ‘hotels.'

Somehow I think this is going to be a made-for-TV Fox movie. And I will watch it. Scarves up!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the NEW movie

Growing up the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were the coolest. Oh who am I kidding, they still are the coolest.

I saw this over at Superhero Hype:

Michael Bay and the rest of Platinum Dunes will oversee the launch of a new live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, according to Deadline New York. The film marks the first non-horror remake for Platinum Dunes, who will team with Paramount and Nickelodeon to re-adapt the property.

The franchise, which began as a black and white comic book series in 1984, rose to tremendous popularity when it became an animated series in 1987.

Following the first live-action film in 1990, the series spawned two live-action sequels, a live-action television series, a second animated series and a CGI feature film.

AWESOME!!!!! I can't wait.

Epic Video: Top 10 Tour de France moments

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Epic Video: Dean Potter: Falling to Fly

Here's an awesome video that was directed my way:

Dean Potter is characterized by creativity, commitment and challenge. He started climbing as a child, with a free solo fall from a stone wall as one of his earliest memories. Since that time, he has speed soloed Half Dome and El Capitan, Cerro Torre, and Fitzroy. He was the first to make a one-day free ascent of El Cap and Half Dome, and a one-day speed linkup of both of those big walls and Mount Watkins, Yosemites third Grade VI wall. He has also established testpiece crack routes in the Utah desert and highball boulder problems in Yosemite.

Dean has walked the longest highlines, often without a safety leash, though he has dedicated over a decade of engineering and testing to create the safest highline systems currently used. Most recently, he has combined BASE jumping skill with highlining and free soloing, using a specially engineered ultralight BASE rig as his backup system.

Dean currently bases out of Yosemite, where he can usually be found on a large piece of granite.

For videos, photos and more information on Dean, visit http://bit.ly/DeanPotterTags.



(This is from Just Northwest)

Sex is OK at the World Cup

We were worried for the sexual health of World Cup soccer players for a moment.

Argentina's World Cup doctor says the squad will be allowed to sleep with "regular partners...without champagne or other drinks" during the tournament since sex is "not a problem in itself." 

Oh and they'll have hella nice toilets. Got to get rid of the condoms somewhere.

Meanwhile, in case you haven't heard Casey is getting married meaning that sleeping with regular partners without champagne or other drinks is probably going to be frowned upon. No Illegal. Frowned upon. Like masturbating on an airplane.

Seattle Highlighter Markers FC

So the Sounders defeated the Boca Juniors 3-0 last night in an international friendly match at Qwest Field. However, the bigger news was their highlighter colored jerseys.

Anyone's eyeballs hurt yet?

Roger Clemens is still good to pitch right?

I mean, Yankees' starting pitching is struggling... might as well give it the ol' college try.

Epic Video: Strange RV commercial

I saw this video today. So very strange. But sure makes me want to go camping.

Wonderland Trail Permits

You might be wondering where in the world have the Northern Rangers been? Well, the truth is we've been hitting the gym and bicycling. But don't worry, we'll be hiking again soon.

Mainly to help get us prepared for the Wonderland Trail.


That's right, Jeff and I got our permits.

I am pretty excited as this is not the easiest permit to obtain. We planned our route and sent in the application on March 15. That is the first day you could send them in. The rangers started reviewing the applications and granting permits to hikers on April 1. The trail is red line in the picture above.

And I'm so happy that we got our permit.

Here's what our trip looks like:

July 22- Mowich Lake Camp
July 23- Carbon River Camp
July 24- Granite Creek Camp
July 25- White River Camp
July 26- Indian Bar Camp
July 27- Maple Creek Camp
July 28- Pyramid Creek Camp
July 29- So. Puyallup River Camp
July 30- Golden Lakes Camp
July 31- So. Mowich River Camp
Aug 1-Mowich Lake Trailhead and out of the wild.

Check out a profile map of the trial here.

The map shows all of the elevation gains along the trail. It certainly isn't flat. That's why we have been training.

Here's what Mount Rainier National Park says about the trail:

The Wonderland Trail is 93 miles (150kms) long and encircles Mt. Rainier. It is a strenuous hike with lots of elevation gain and loss, through lowland forests and valleys and into high alpine and sub-alpine areas.

Perhaps the biggest aspect in planning to hike the Wonderland Trail is you knowing your hiking skills, abilities and habits. Rangers cannot tell you that. Nobody knows your skill level better than you. This is important when laying the foundation for your trip... selecting the proper distance between campsites.

Do you live and hike primarily in mountainous terrain and climates, or lower elevation areas? Hiking on flat terrain for 93 miles is far easier than having to climb up three thousand feet with a full pack day, after day, after day. This sounds like something that should not have to be stated, but we often see hikers going beyond their skill level. This usually leads to injury, illness, misery and an early end to a long-planned trip.

Oh, and we'll be documenting our whole trip with videos. So keep watching for those.

Hopefully we'll have better weather than last year. Fingers crossed.

Bike Month

Sorry for the delay in posts as of late. Things have been crazy around here.

And in case you haven't noticed, we've been covering a lot of bicycling in honor of National Bike Month.

Actually on Friday was Bike to Work/School Day. Here's a photo my sister sent me of my niece's school. Looks like these kids really got into it! Nice work kids!


Hope all you readers are still out there biking! I know that weather here has been raining most afternoons, but it's still been warm.

Ozzie Guillen would like to weigh in on the Lebron situation

Here's what White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen had to say to Cleveland via autographed balls...

Hey as a fan, I would be ecstatic to get a ball signed like this. Except for what he wrote next...

Is this the first time a manager has used LOL?
Found this on Deadspin.

Casey is drunk again

As you can see, Casey likes to make signs.

Epic Video: Marble Man

Found this video today. Kind of a strange story.

Belgian Television News captures the ordinary and not so-ordinary stories of all kinds of people.This time they found a bizarre man with a marble addiction.

Track safety crew takes a nap while driver burns

What the heck is going on here?! Race car driver Giorgio Bartocci gets into a fiery wreck and the safety crew sits idly by while he burns in his car. This is ridiculous and the track should be held responsible for his injuries.

The least you could do is spray the driving compartment with the extinguishers... just a though.

Bartocci's Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 race car goes out of control and slams into the wall at the track in Brno, Czech Republic during the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo, which is the world's fastest one-make series. It's almost immediately engulfed and the driver struggles to escape the flaming wreckage. Instead of freeing the driver two track safety workers try to put the fire out — mostly by spraying the pavement with semi-functioning extinguishers.

No one seems to focus on actually removing the driver and a safety truck in the background nearly backs over someone. You also see another official trying to put out the fire from the grandstand before someone who knows what they're doing grabs it out of the guy's hands.

The driver's not freed until a minute later when one of his co-drivers and crewmembers eventually yank him from the melting car after running there from the pits. Numerous other track personal stand around as this happens, seemingly ambivalent to the fact there's a driver in there. Perhaps it's normal safety procedures at this track to have the two guys not in safety gear to rescue the driver, but it doesn't seem right.



Good job guys, you keep standing around in your fire-retardant suits while his unprotected buddies bail him out.

Game Photos: Spokane Shock vs. Utah Blaze

Shock play the game of the year next week against Jacksonville, but time to celebrate after the crushed the Utah Blaze last night. Here are some photos of the game.

Oh, and what the heck, I'm gonna shoot next week's game. Last one. Sorry to Brett Favre this, but gotta get one last game in.

SEE THE GAME PHOTOS HERE

Gameday for Spokane Shock

This is probably my last Spokane Shock game (at least on a regular week-to-week basis) since I'm moving to Montana, so this should have some extra special meaning. I've shot for the team since their inception in 2006 and while I've missed some games, I've been to most. They've been an absolute blast to shoot, and I haven't followed or shot a team quite as closely as the Shock.

The players and coaches have always been very welcoming and appreciative, the fans have been fanastic and really one of the main reasons I've shot the games. These people really do live and die with their team, and it goes to show you just how good of a sports town Spokane is. Every Saturday there is a home game, the arena is packed and rocking. Every team that comes in here gets affected by the noise, and if they tell you otherwise they're lying, there isn't a home venue in all of arena football that's quite like Spokane.

It's been fun, let's hope they'll come away with a victory tonight against Utah.

Griffey... not Mike Sweeney... will fight you

This looks like any normal D-bag Chicago fan fight, but if you look closely...is it... ITS A GRIFFEY jersey!!!

EWU to rename Woodward Field

Saw this on the KREM 2 website.

CHENEY -- Red turf isn't the only change planned for Eastern Washington University's football field. The school also plans the change the name of the field after graduate Michael Roos.

Known as Woodward Field for 73 years, EWU will change the name to Roos Field this fall. Roos played on the offensive line at Eastern from 2001-2005 and now stars for the NFL's Tennessee Titans.

Roos recently donated $500,000 to make the red turf possible at EWU. He also raises money for the school every year through the Michael Roos Foundation.

“We are thrilled to be able to acknowledge in this manner the incredible contributions Michael has made to Eastern Washington University,” said Eastern athletic director Bill Chaves. “We felt this was the most appropriate honor we could give him."

The date for the dedication of Roos Field is yet to be determined.

Awesome World Cup Commercial

If this doesn't get you excited for the World Cup... well it should get you excited for the World Cup.

Casey's new job

This is what Casey does now for employment... he throws out first pitches dressed like a T-Rex.

Try and make this shot, Lebron...

He'd probably refuse to get into the airplane and just hang out at the three-point line while his team lost by 20.

Griffey refuses to suck

We've been talking about how they should bench Junior for a more productive batter and then he goes and does this...

Griffey hits game-winning hit (and drives in Milton Bradley of all people)

I smell winning streak... okay I don't smell winning streak. Sadly this probably garuntees Griffey's spot in the lineup for at least two more months.

Thank god for Gus Johnson

Good God... is that Gus Johnson's music?! It is! The favorite March Madness commentator for CBS has just been signed as the play-by-play guy for Madden 11 - which if you have played the game recently you've noticed the commentary has sucked badly.

Now, get ready for "The runner... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Oh I can't wait.

Today, Johnson, the exciting and excitable CBS sportscaster, officially became the fourth play-by-play man to hold sports gaming's top booth job. Teased at the end of this video a month ago, Johnson's hiring is hardly a shocker, and neither are EA Sports' reasons for grabbing him. After nearly 20 years of often sedate, always straightforward calls by the likes of Pat Summerall and Al Michaels, Madden badly needed the kind of high-five-yourself enthusiasm Johnson imposes on a game.

"Coming out of Madden 10 one of the biggest criticisms was the audio presentation," said Ronnie Morales, an audio designer with EA Sports Tiburon, the studio behind the game. "We felt the game lacked the energy it deserved. Football is a dramatic sport."

The commentary was always something I thought was really cool as a kid but as I grew up I realized it was kind of lame. I mean how many times could you really enjoy John Madden talking about "Stick-em on the wide-recievers hands."

Gus Johnson will be a welcomed adition and hopefully the game comes with a "Gus Johnson head is exploding feature."

Lance Armstrong crash aftermath

Here's a video from versus.com showing Lance Armstrong right after the crash and then on his way to the hospital.

He's pretty beat up.

Armstrong crashes out of Tour of California

The picture above this posted by the AmgenTourofCali twitter page. It shows Lance Armstrong minutes after crashing. You can see his face is tore up and his jersey and bib too.

Armstrong's longtime coach Johan Bruyneel had this to say on his twitter:

Sorry to report there was a huge crash, with Chechu and Lance involved. Lance had to abandon and is going to the hospital for Xrays.

We now have to huge things to look for, A. the seriousness of Armstrong's injuries and B. how his exit of the Tour of California will affect the rest of Team Radioshack.

(This is from Just Northwest)

Armstrong responds to Landis

I wrote early today about how Floyd Landis finally came clean about doping in the past.

Well, Lance Armstrong had this to say on his twitter page:

Just spoke to the press here in Visalia. The transcription of my comments will be on www.teamradioshack.com soon. Thanks.

Here's video from before the Tour of California started today:



Look for more about this story to break as the weeks go by.

UPDATE May 20, 2010 2:36 PM: Here is the link to the Lance Armstrong press conference.

Landis finally admits to doping

The once praised American cyclist Floyd Landis finally admitted to ESPN's Bonnie Ford that he did in fact use performance enhancing drugs.

Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France victory, has been adamant about his innocence since the accusations occurred. His site, floydlandis.com used to even say "how they convicted an innocent man." (it has since been taken down)

I rooted for Landis in the 2006 Tour de France. And I watched as he overcame that huge deficit to take the lead after falling WAY behind the previous day. I watched as he "won" the Tour and was happy that America was still on top of the world's biggest cycling race. Oh, and I felt sad when it came out that he had cheated to win.

Therefore, when Landis comes out and says that other athletes he was working with, such as Lance Armstrong and Dave Zabriskie, were also doping I find that I must take his words with a grain of salt.

Landis has repeatedly lied. Even going so far as to write a book in 2007 titled, "Positively False: The Real Story of How I Won the Tour de France." (I see that book falling into bargin bins everywhere now)

The fact is the man has lied. Lied again. And lied one more time. In print and in interviews for almost four years now. Now do I know if Armstrong and Zabriskie doped? Of course not.

But I do know that Landis claimed his innocence for a very long time, only to come clean years later. His word vs. theirs. (Because Landis has no proof) You pick who you'd listen to. But for me, I'm listening to Armstrong and Zabriskie.

Check out the reaction from ESPN:

Good god, the Mariners stink

Just how bad is it for Seattle fans right now? Last night, trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth against the Toronto Blue Jays, who does manager Don Wakamatsu put in to pinch hit?

That's right, Ken Griffey Jr. The same player that has been drawing the criticism of Mariners fans everywhere for being completely worthless at the plate. Coming in to pinch hit. On the verge of five straight losses. Ken Griffey Jr. That photo above is of Griffey harmlessly popping out - he didn't even get it to the outfield grass.

Then after Ichiro pops out, Figgins and Gutierrez get on base which brings up - MIKE SWEENEY!

The same player that has been drawing the criticism of Mariners fans everywhere for being completely worthless at the plate. Sweeney gave a ball a ride... right into the glove of of a Blue Jays outfielder and the Mariners lost their fifth straight, and are now 8.5 games out of the AL West lead.

Now I would take this time to announce that David Ortiz is back! I mean he's really hitting well now, but it pains me to see such suffering from Mariners fans so I wont even try and rub it in. Back-to-back, these have got to be the most painful losses by Seattle this year.

Why? Doug Fister pitched well. Eight innings, five strike outs, only allowed three runs. David Aardsma sealed up the ninth with two strikeouts. Figgins looks like he's starting to come around. But the two players that have been the epicenter of the Mariners woes this season crapped the bed.

Seriously, time to start rioting. Or just throwing those Griffey bobbleheads off high rises.

What's next for today? Randy Johnson scaling down from the rafters and hitting Felix in the back with a steel chair?

Epic Video: Census Taker

I had a census taker stop by my place today. It went a little like this:

Your London Olympics mascot!

Further proof the English are a little weird, here are the mascots for the Olympics...

The one-eyed figures, called Wenlock and Mandeville, were unveiled at an east London school on Wednesday with organisers hoping they will inspire a generation of children and persuade their parents to contribute the £15 million the mascots are slated to raise in merchandising revenue.

Um....

How the Seattle Mariners are fixing their problems...

Why Seattle is better than Boston...

Let's compare this...

A vibrant east coast city with plenty of history (I mean didn't the Revolution start there) with classic sports teams that have championships and lore. A west coast city that is known for its grunge and coffee, not to mention a domed stadium that had a tendancy to drop concrete bricks onto unsuspecting seats.

Right now, the Boston Celtics are up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals in the NBA, after basically being written off for being old and past their prime. Seattle? Well...

Oh yeah, ouch...

Now let's move to baseball. The Red Sox have been having a down year so far - just 20-20 on the season which is good enough for fourth place in the AL East. The Mariners are also fourth... in a four team division. With Brandon League on the roster. Ugh.

Whoah! The most feared closer in baseball!

Shall we compare football because that would just be ridiculous. Tom Brady vs. Matt Hasselbeck? Are you kidding me?

Between all the people on the show and their sports allegiances, Seattle, Cleveland and Boston. Come on, Boston wins by a landslide.

Argyle Armada finishes with two 1st places

Today proved to be a good day for Team Garmin-Transitions. Two big races. Two big wins.

Let's start with the Giro d'Italia.

American Tyler Farrar sprinted to his second stage victory in this year's Giro d'Italia on Tuesday to thwart a rare Italian attempt for home glory.

Astana's Alexandre Vinokourov kept hold of the leader's pink jersey after the 10th stage, still one minute 12 seconds ahead of Australian world champion Cadel Evans on his BMC.

The win extends Farrar's lead in the red jersey points competition and is his second stage victory in this year's Giro. Not bad for a kid from Washington.

Now heading back to North America for the Tour of California.

Dave Zabriskie ended a long streak of almosts at the 2010 Tour of California with a breakthrough victory on Stage 3.

The Garmin-Transitions rider outsprinted his elite breakaway mates Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack) and Michael Rogers (HTC-Columbia) to take not only the stage win, but the leader's gold jersey as well.

That's right, Zabriskie is now the overall leader.

What a great day for Garmin-Transitions. Go Argyle!

(This is from Just Northwest)

Mount St. Helens 30 years later

Here's a great feature from KGW Portland on what Mount St. Helens is like 30 years after the May 18, 1980 eruption.



(This is from Just Northwest)

Original Mount St. Helens eruption coverage KGW

30 years ago today Mount St. Helens erupted. It was a massive national disaster. Here is the original news coverage the day of the eruption from KGW out of Portland. (It's funny to see how far the news has come in 30 years)



(This is from Just Northwest)

How far have you ridden?

As I've been talking about here on Just Northwest and Just South of North, May is National Bike Month. Which leads me to this question, how many miles have you ridden this month?

We're just about halfway through the month. I'm at 96 miles. Not as many as I'd like to be. But I didn't get my new bike till later in the month and truth be told, the weather hasn't been cooperating.

But look for many more miles added at the end of this month.

Where are you?

Tiger!

Certainly not a subpar photo...

Um... is this legal?

Oh Roger Clemens, how funny are you right now?

Stay James Stay!

For the love of the people in Cleveland, stay Lebron, otherwise they wont stop complaining...

Epic Video: Alpaca

I'm thinking about heading East to open an alpaca farm. I figure with Brandon now in Montana he could use some warm socks in the winter time. And nothing is better than alpaca socks.

And if my alpacas ever stain the carpet, I now know who too call.

Apparently I'm stuck in 1997

So one of my good friends today said that my jeans were from 1997, which may or may not have been an insult since I wasn't really paying attention - that happens when you're playing Bejeweled on your phone. However, upon further thought, it does raise a concern since 1997 wasn't the greatest of years. Exhibit 1, the fashion.

Are those sandals... why don't those jeans reach all the way down to the shoes? Oh god... I was wearing 1997 jeans. This is horrible. The 90s seemed like a swell time but let me show you what the front page of Yahoo.com looked like in 1997...

GAH! What is that, it's a just a bunch of links on a white page. Where are the YouTube Videos? Where are the links to Twitter and Facebook? Where are the Widgets for god's sake? It's just the... internet. 1997 was truely a savage age. I mean look at the computers they had back in that year:

Are those floppy disk drives?!?! Where are the flat screens? I can't breathe...

Is that a video game from 1997? I can't tell because all I'm looking at is random blobs on a computer screen. Ugh. How were movies back then?

Shoot me now.

The force is not strong with this one

Well this is more than a little depressing, and it might prevent me from ever going out on a golf course.

As a wildly irresponsible golf-cart driver, this brutal story hits slightly close to home.

Broncos offensive tackle Matt McChesney(notes) was knocking it around the links recently. He stopped and stepped out of his cart, and just as he did, another golf cart zoomed by and rolled over his ankle. The same ankle, unfortunately, that had to be surgically put back together after an injury last season.

There are reports that McChesney's going to retire. Mike Klis of the Denver Post says that while the Broncos want him back, McChesney "appears ready to enter the next phase of his life."

You never know what life's going to throw at you. This guy is 6 feet 4 inches and 307 pounds of gym-sculpted man-beast, and his career may have been ended playing a sport that encourages plaid pants and has only the word "fore" as a safety precaution. I'm sure I'll think of him the next time I have the urge to do something dumb in a golf cart.

Don't you think God could have been more kind and just struck him down dead with lightning?

Potty run at The Preakness

What's the best event to get drunk at?

Football game? Nah you don't want some Pop Warner football parent to get made at you for ruining their child's exposure to pro football. I mean a loud, drunk person is way different than a loud, angry parent right?

Baseball game? Nah, you might get sick when you have to do the Chicken Dance in the eighth inning.

Hockey game? You don't really want to die from a wayward puck right?

Soccer game? No I was drunk and I ended up trying to steal fries from an Iranian man and his kid, not my proudest moment.

The answer is The PREAKNESS! This horse race in the fine state of Maryland is awesome, mainly because the infield consists of drunk people from Baltimore and College Park. Sheer mayhem and hi-jinks ensues.

Moving on up

Things are in flux here at Just South of North since I'm actually moving Just South of North... to Montana. I'm sure some of you are shocked since you've no doubt heard about my prior comments about the state. I have long maintained that I've always been joking since how can a kid from Chewelah (about as rural as you can get) go after a rural state. It's always been window dressing.

An opportunity just dropped into my lap and I'll be the new sports editor for the Lake County Leader in Polson, Mont. a resort town of about 5,000 people on Flathead Lake. I've been there twice and it seems like a great town, much like Cheney or Lake Chelan (It's going to feel like I'm on vacation every summer). This is a chance for me to get back in to journalism after not really being in it since the closing of Home Team Sports.

It was a tough choice though, I really enjoyed working at Radio Spokane and with all the people there. The Polson job was probably the only place/job that would have got me to move from the Lilac City and the radio station.

I'll be moving at the end of the month and then Just South of North will cover all parts of the Northwest!

Tim Tebow is the next Big Papi

For all you Denver Broncos fans out there, if the Tebow thing doesn't work out - he could always just go play for the Rockies.

Tebow got in some whacks -- not at the critics who consider Josh McDaniels and the Denver Broncos cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs for trading up to take Tebow in the first round of the NFL Draft.

No, these whacks came at batting practice with the high school kids on the Memphis University School baseball team.

Tebow hit 12 homers on 15 pitches.

...

Tebow played high school baseball before giving his heart to Gator football — winning a national championship, along with a Heisman, in the process. I don't know if he could have gone the way of Broncos legend John Elway, who played minor league ball in the Yankees system, but it's a notable near-parallel.

And yet if he did play the grand old game, you have to wonder if we'd be criticizing Tebow's batting stance and swing like we do his throwing motion. 

Well now that you mention it... he could choke up on the bat a little.

Epic Video: Product name fail

Brandon recently took up fishing. And when he told me about the newest product he brought for his trips I had to do a double-take.

Wrong Continent Guys...

Whoops, I don't think that's South Africa.

Epic Video: Going from MLB to softball is kind of an easy transition

How did the Mariners ever let Eric Byrnes go?!?!

Jupiter is falling apart

What the hell is going on with Jupiter, it just lost one of its distinct bands. Oh wow, we're screwed, this is sure to mean the end of the world.

Jupiter has lost one of its iconic red stripes and scientists are baffled as to why.

The largest planet in our solar system is usually dominated by two dark bands in its atmosphere, with one in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern hemisphere.

However, the most recent images taken by amateur astronomers have revealed the lower stripe known as the Southern Equatorial Belt has disappeared leaving the southern half of the planet looking unusually bare.

The band was present in at the end of last year before Jupiter ducked behind the Sun on its orbit. However, when it emerged three months later the belt had disappeared.

I have one guess... global warming.

Washington State Bicycle Laws

Since May is National Bike Month I thought I'd take this time to go over some of the laws that pertain to bicycles in the state of Washington.

A bicycle, just like a car, is considered a legal road vehicle. That means that they have the same rights and responsibilities of automobile drivers.

These are from the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Here are some laws to be aware of whether you are biking or driving a motor vehicle:

• Bicycle Helmets - Currently, there is no state law requiring helmet use. However, some cities and counties do require helmets. See Localities Requiring Bicycle Helmets.
  
  
• Riding on the Road - When riding on a roadway, a cyclist has all the rights and responsibilities of a vehicle driver (RCW 46.61.755). Cyclists who violate traffic laws may be ticketed (RCW 46.61.750).
  
  
• Roads Closed to Bicycles - Some designated sections of the state's limited access highway system may be closed to bicycles for safety reasons. See State Highway Sections Closed to Bicycles for more information. In addition, local governments may adopt ordinances banning cycling on specific roads or on sidewalks within business districts. See City, County and Regional Contacts to get more information on a specific area.
  
  
• Children Bicycling - Parents or guardians may not knowingly permit bicycle traffic violations by their ward (RCW 46.61.700).
  
  
• Riding Side by Side - Cyclists may ride side by side, but not more than two abreast (RCW 46.61.770).
  
  
• Riding at Night - For night bicycle riding, a white front light (not a reflector) visible for 500 feet and a red rear reflector are required. A red rear light may be used in addition to the required reflector (RCW 46.61.780).
  
  
• Shoulder vs. Bike Lane - Cyclists may choose to ride on the path, bike lane, shoulder or travel lane as suits their safety needs (RCW 46.61.770).

(This is from Just Northwest)

Epic Video: Will It Blend?

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you put some golf balls into a blender? Or how about some glowsticks? Or better yet, how about an iPad?

Well wonder no more!

Introducing Will It Blend? presented by Blendtec:

America's Best Adventures

National Geography Adventure ran a post featuring the best adventures in America.

It was a great list. But guess what. Three of these adventures were located in Washington state.

Here's the top five of the list:

1. Biking the Continental Divide Trail: Multistate
2. Kayaking Lake Yellowstone: Wyoming
3. Rowing Down the Grand Canyon: Arizona
4. Climbing Mount Rainier: Washington
5. Canoeing the Adirondacks: New York

The other two Washington adventures to make the list were:

17. Transect the Olympic
30. Hike Glacier Peak

You can view the full list, as well as an interactive map, over at National Geographic Adventures.

(This is from Just Northwest)

This sounds like a bad Disney movie

We hear about people that can't really grow past high school, the peak of their life being prom night, but this is probably the most extreme case we've seen.

Montimere led his old high school hoops team to the state semifinal before giving college ball a brief shot (at Highland Community College in Illinois.) When that didn't pan out, he dropped out of college and life ... until emerging in Odessa under a new name. He claimed to be parent-less and living with a half-brother—who was actually an old high school teammate. When the "brother" moved away, Permian head coach Danny Wright became his legal guardian, moving Montimere into his home. Because he was an immigrant, no one questioned his lack of school records or foreign birth certificate. It was the perfect plan.

Or it was until Montimere's old AAU coaches from Florida noticed "Jerry Joesph" playing at a tournament in Arkansas and realized it was the same kid. They tipped off authorities in Texas, but even federal immigration investigators concluded that Joseph and Montimere were two different people. However, even though "Joseph" didn't really exist he was in danger of being deported, so when confronted with his deception, Montimere confessed. Now everyone in the district is left scratching their heads.

I'm actually surprised more people haven't tried to do this. I mean if you have a baby face and an ability to forge an identity, why not relive your high school years? Other than the utter creepiness that follows it, hey, it's a fun time!

(And don't you think the AAU coach is a dick for tipping off the authorities about one of his former players. What an ass!)

Nobody likes baseball (on cable)

The MLB Network, apparently has some viewership issues, as in nobody watches it. The numbers are out and less that 100,000 people watch the newly launched network in prime-time. Apparently they're too busy watching "Everybody Loves Raymond" reruns.

In its first month of being rated by Nielsen, MLB Network is averaging less than 100,000 viewers in prime time, making its viewership more comparable to channels like Logo and Military Channel than to ESPN or Versus.

When the network launched 16 months ago to about 50 million subscribers, it became the most successful channel launch in cable history. Plus, the quality of its programming has been widely praised, as it took home four statues from last month’s Sports Emmy Awards, a record haul for a first-year network.

But viewership has been slow to follow suit.

Dude, when you're getting compared to the Military Channel, you know you're in trouble.

Beer coming back to the Old Rainier Brewery

I was watching the local news tonight and a story about the Old Rainier Brewery came on. Brandon has been raving about the Washington Brewers Festival (June 18-20) for a long time.

The new brewery coming into the Old Rainier Brewery is called Emerald City Brewing Co. and their flagship beer is called Dottie's Seattle Lager. The batch will be ready for the Festival.

Glacier National Park turns 100

Today is the 100th birthday of Glacier National Park in Montana.

100 years is awesome. But will the park make it another 10? That's what an article in USA Today looked at.
The gorgeous million-acre park in northwestern Montana celebrated its 100th birthday on Tuesday. But many of its glaciers have melted, and scientists predict the rest may not last another decade.

The forests are drier and disease-ridden, leading to bigger wildfires. Climate change is forcing animals that feed off plants to adapt.

Many experts consider Glacier Park a harbinger of Earth's future, a laboratory where changes in the environment will likely show up first.

Average temperatures have risen in the park 1.8 times faster than the global average, said Dan Fagre, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist.

The change is visible to the naked eye, with the vast moraines left behind as the giant glaciers melt away. Climate change is blamed for the increasing size and frequency of wildfires, and lower stream flows as summer progresses.

You can view the rest of the article on the USA Today site.

(This is from Just Northwest)

I've noticed something about the Supreme Court nominee

Elena Kagan...

and Kevin James...

Hmmmm....

Epic Photo: What Captian Kirk is thinking

Worst zombies ever

I've decided that if the zombie apocolypse were to hit, I'd rather face these types of zombies than the normal kind of blood thirsty zombies.

Zombies in Scooters - You can usually hope for the scooters to run out of batteries, however, there is a chance that the zombies could get out of their scooters and run, but then you're dealing with the next kind of zombie...

Fat, Lazy Zombies - These zombies will usually chase you for like forty yards, get tired and go to Walmart for some jerky.

Stoner Zombies - Unless of course, you're a leafy substance.

Al Gore Zombie - Also known as Vice-President Gore. Usually harmless unless you mention global warming and man bear pig.

Game Show Host Zombie - Usually he'll give you three choices, your brains being eaten through your nose, your limbs getting eaten first or a brand new car! Do yourself a favor and take the car.

Hippie Zombies - Same as the stoner zombies except that you can smell them from miles around.

Canadian Zombies - You can spot them because they're the zombies with mullets and Molson Ice.

Squirrel Zombies - Run them over with cars, nuff said.

Cogdill sets new school record

Being a former pole vaulter I love it when that sport is featured.

Well this weekend, Ben Cogdill broke the school record in the pole vault for Eastern Washington University.

Cogdill cleared 16-8 1/4. The record was 16-7 1/4 set in 2005 by Mike Erickson.

Cogdill, a senior from Estacada (Ore.), will now compete at the Big Sky Conference Championships on May 12-15 in Ogden, Utah.

Congrats to Ben on this accomplishment.