Cromwell Island in Flathead Lake

I don't remember when I took this picture from Wild Horse Island looking west to Cromwell Island. I gave my sister a ride around Cromwell Island the last time I was at Flathead Lake. She told me that one time the water was really low when we were young and there was hardly any water between Wild Horse and Cromwell. I find that hard to believe but I know it's really shallow to the south end of Cromwell.

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UPDATE 6-17-11

Well well well.. The Missoulian reported that the codger (sportsman as the Missoulian called him) who owns Cromwell Island has groped one of his nurses.. According to the report when she told him not to do it again he reportedly said he could do anything he wanted because it was on his airplane.. Good Grief..

This is what I was getting at in the post below. Gone are the days of modesty and decency. I liked what one Missoulian commenter said:

This man is not in a nursing home and not senile. His comments make it pretty clear that his mind is working just fine. He's a rich pr##k with a major entitlement problem. I'd sue his #### to.

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UPDATE: 1-12-12

The codger was sentenced to 180 days of probation, 30 days of home confinement, 60 hours of community service at the humane society, received a $5000 fine and had to pay $431.25 in restitution and issue a letter of apology.

His republican Nevada state senator friend among others issued letters of support... (one of them describing him as a "stately gentel man"..)

After all, care givers are pretty much just servants right..

Hey, I wonder if he knows Haley Barbour..?

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Family of trees

I was taking pictures at an overlook in North Idaho of these trees, and this other guy who was out taking pictures too came over and asked me what I saw.. "just these trees.." I responded. He looked at me kind of puzzled.

I could have said, "I see a family of trees,. the grandfather tree in the front, the mother tree on the right, the father tree on the left and the children trees in the middle, and the community of trees that they live in, off in the distance."

Olive Lake BC

Olive lake in BC is more like a pond but it's a pretty little thing. It has mountains that rise up around it and it's hard to get a picture of it.

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Kootenay National Park photos

I went into Kootenay National Park for the first time since I was small. I don't remember much of it from back then so it was all new to me. There were large forest fires here in 2003.

There was a chill and a still in the air that burned the the experience into my memory. It was as if we were the only people for miles and miles and years and years. The quiet made it feel like time stood still in this valley, and only the running water of the Simpson River betrayed its magic. It was really beautiful and surreal.

Columbia Lake BC

Here's a picture of Columbia Lake in British Columbia just south of Fairmont Hot Springs. This valley really reminds me of western Montana. Well I guess it really isn't that far away.

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Quiet Paths

I'm going to add the Quiet Paths blog to my side bar as they are fellow Montanans who really know how to live. (that is if I can still figre out how to make a link.. :)

Quiet Paths

Check them out for cool adventures and great photos.

Last boat trip to Wild Horse Island

I made my last boat trip to Wild Horse Island for the year. It was as if I was boating out of the color of summer and into the grey of winter.

Clenbuterol and plasticisers

Wouldn't you know, another Tour de France winner Alberto Contador tested postitive for clenbuterol and also plasticisers associated with blood transfusions.

In an article by Daneil Benson at cyclingnews.com, David Walsh, author of From Lance to Landis and LA Confidential talks about the situation. Two things struck me. One about fan support and the other about marketing.

"All those that were going to turn away have long since done so because there's just been so many doping cases in these post Armstrong years. There was obviously loads of suspicion about Armstrong, and then there were the likes of Rasmussen and Vino."

also;

"People have been turning away for a long time and the people that support this sport have made a decision that they don't care how many positive test there are they're going to continue to support it because they love it."

And about Saxo Bank pulling support from team director Bjarne Riis because of Contador;

"Don't expect big business to take a moral stance on cycling. We all know what happened to Festina watches when it was found out that the team was systematically doping - sales jumped up."

(I'll never forget Richard Virenque sitting there crying on camera when the whole Festina team got busted for doping. He did his suspension and came back to the sport a better guy...like so many..)

I think Walsh has some pretty interesting observations. Remember it was Riis who was stripped of his 1996 tour title because he admitted to doping, and it was watching him de-throne Indurain in the '96 tour that got me interested in bike racing. I admired Riis. And now here he is stripped of his TDF win and yet he's this respected figure in bike racing? WTH? (what the heck?) I do admire that he came "clean" That had to take some courage, but I still feel like he ripped me off.

And then there's Lance. When everyone else around him was doping, his rivals and his team mates, what does that say about his wins even if he never doped? Bike racing being a team sport..(he would remind us) There is a whole website for fans devoted to support Lance as he faces Landis allegations.

Good grief... What really gets me is that back during the Festina scandal, the TV commentators were really down on the "cheats" and now you don't hear much about it. Franky Andreu, who worked to help Lance win admitted doping to his credit, but is now working as a commentator. I guess they've come to the realization that if they have too much of a problem with it now they cut their own throats...

Moyie Lake B.C.

I went to Canada for the first time in years over the weekend. I've always thought that going north of the U.S. boarder was like going to the north pole, maybe because when I was younger it seemed like a very long way to go, but I found that B.C. is a lot like Western Montana. I really ejoyed my time in Canada. I don't think it could have been any better that it was.

This lake is screaming for my canoe..

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