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.

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)

Miles Daisher skyaking

Today I came across a new sport and it looks awesome. Skyaking.

Now what is skyaking? Well, it's a combination of skydiving and kayaking. Interested? So was I.

The article talks about how Miles Daisher has changed the sport of skydiving after he decided to jump out of an airplane in a whitewater kayak. Thus, "skyaking" was born.

Daisher, who is 40 and from Twin Falls, Idaho, has been perfecting the sport of skyaking for about eight years now.

The article was pretty interesting, if you get a chance you should check it out. Or, you could just watch a video:



Want even more of Miles Daisher and some of the awesome stuff he's done? Well then here you go:



(This is from Just Northwest)

Video Bites: Ringtone

The January 15th edition of the JustSON Video Bites. That's right, bite sized videos!!!

Video Bites: Carroll to Seahawks

The January 6th edition of the JustSON Video Bites. That's right, bite sized videos!

New kayaks, Pete Carroll to the Seattle Seahawks, WSU sucks and much more!

View my new kayaks over at Just Northwest.

Outdoor goals for 2010

My blogging friend Paul, over at Washington Adventures, had a great post the other day called adventure goals, dreams, plans for 2010.

In this post Paul listed a few of his goals for the year.

And that got me thinking, what are my outdoor goals for this year?

My big goal is to complete the Wonderland Trail this summer. But besides that, here's some of my list broken into groups:

Backpacking

• Complete the entire Wonderland Trail
• Complete 3 weekend trips prior to the Wonderland Trail

Hiking

• Go on a longer hike at least once a month
• Hike one day each week after work

Bicycling

• Mountain bike more
• Mountain bike at Galbraith Mountain
• Commute to work at least 3 days a week, each week

Kayaking

• Buy a kayak (I've always just used one of my dads)
• Make one trip a month even if it's just a day trip

Other (I'm going to Hawaii in September)

• Learn to surf
• Hike to lava flows
• Snorkel
• Kayak in Hawaii
• Take in a University of Hawaii football game (Hey, it's outside)

Oh, and of course film all of this for more Northern Ranger adventures!

Alright, well there is some of my list of things to do. I have many more, but don't want to ramble on. What's your goals for this new year? Hope you have your list made and can start checking items off.

(This is from Just Northwest)

Epic Video: It's the WEEKEND

Heck yeah! Time to get wild and crazy. Like these guys.

Epic Video: White Water Kayaking

There is nothing I like more than a good shower in the morning. Well, how about this water to wake you up?

Perhaps a future Northern Rangers video in the works. Includes Sunset Falls in Washington.

The Risen Sun, a HuckinHuge film.

Presented by: Kayak Session Magazine. Featuring: Arizona, Japan Expedition, California, British Columbia, 108.2ft World Record Waterfall descent, 105 ft. Sunset Falls, WA. The Grand Canyon of The Stikine, The Devil's Postpile...and much much more!

Epic Video: Snow Kayaking

So the rivers are frozen, and you're sad that you can't whitewater kayak right now? Well, look at this guy. He doesn't let a little snow stop him.