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I have been a lot of places, I’ve been around the world, but I was not prepared for the awesomeness of my last adventure. During the most recent full moon, I climbed an active volcano in Lassen National Park in California, Mount Lassen. The National Park website had advertised doing the five mile roundtrip hike under moonlight, so I timed my most recent sojourn to Santa Barbara County, in order to complete this hike under the recommended conditions. I left Cheney at 11:30 a.m. drove straight through to Northern California arr...
Tucked in neatly on the Cheney-Spokane Road next to a pond that seasonally hosts otters is the home of Dr. Keith Quincy. Nationally recognized for his university teaching, he is also a prolific author. His latest book, “Poking Lions,” published in England, is now available in the U.S. Fiction in name only, this book recounts the “real life” and career of Eddie Dooley. Born in New York to an abusive household, and brutalized at parochial school, Eddie finds a new home with an old German safecracker who treats him like a son....
We rely on the media to keep our leaders honest and accountable. Sadly the last debate showed that the moderators are either stupid or lazy. Here are a few examples of the lack of knowledge by the candidates and the hosts. Jeb Bush says we can’t disallow Muslims into America. “That would upset our Kurdish allies who are all Muslim.” Fact Kurds are not Arabs, and they practice 6-10 forms of religion. Some Kurds are Muslims. Grade: D- Rand Paul says “Mr. Trump you can’t take away the first amendment, you can’t change the...
(Editor’s note: Capitalization, phrasing and line breaks from Walt Whitman’s poem “An Artilleryman’s Vision” used in this column have been retained in keeping with the original meaning of the work.) When I did not receive my weekly email of his political rants, I was uneasy. When I emailed him to inquire and it got kicked back as “undeliverable” I felt worse. When I called his cell phone number and it was disconnected, I knew what had occurred. This Air Force veteran friend of mine lived on his family’s estate in Keene...
We all have credit cards that rack up points or miles. The other week my wife cashed in my Alaska airlines miles for a roundtrip ticket for me from Spokane to Tahoe, via the Sacramento airport for a family vacation. Twelve dollars for the ticket, minus 9/11 fees, real cost $6.50. I don’t ski or snowboard but I do know how to call (509) 235-5700 from the mountain pass where I was forced to purchase chains and an install. For the unlearned that is Les Schwab’s number in Cheney. Memorized forever not even listed in my cell phone...
Last week I did something I had never done in America other than as a commuter in the DC area. I took the train. San Luis Obisbo, Calif. to Spokane. Thirty-two hours on a train, the price was very affordable, with a hint of adventure. The process in California was a new experience. I consider myself a seasoned traveler, especially by air. I know how to get from “Terminal 5/International Arrivals” to “Terminal 1/Domestic Departure” in London. But polite service from the ticket agent, and being able to flash him my ticket...
The ranks of our nation's veterans ebb and flow like the tides. World War II vets die at an unstoppable rate. The current war on terror adds daily to the number of our nation's heroes. West Africa, Syria, Somalia, Iraq III and various other locations around the world even some unknown to the public. Missions only mentioned in diaries or over beers. In five years we will have young veterans who were born after 9/11. In a recent class I asked one of my students how much pain we...
“It was 4:30 a.m. January 30th 1968. We began taking fire, from all directions in Lai Khe, Vietnam. I was in my underwear and made it into a bunker just behind another soldier. As another rocket came in my friend Harvey was diving into the bunker. The rocket hit a tree and the shrapnel took Harvey’s leg off at the hip and put numerous holes in his back. He was fully conscious and telling me he couldn’t breathe and kept trying to sit up. I knew there wasn’t anything we could do for him. We had no medical supplies or bandage...
Last week my wife’s van had the door window smashed out at Fish Lake trailhead. To the persons responsible here’s the damage you caused: My five-year-old daughter is now concerned about bad guys, so you stole her innocence. This is what is most upsetting to me; my daughter didn’t make it to be six years old without being the victim of a crime. You broke the tinted window, which was the most expensive one on the vehicle. With no idea of what you would find inside, that just makes you a complete vandal to begin with. Our daught...
Last Saturday, Feb. 2, Gonzaga University hosted Washington resident and travel expert Rick Steves. He and his 80 employees work out of their office in Edmonds just north of Seattle running tours to Europe throughout the year. My wife, daughter and I are big fans of his television show. Thus we were excited for the opportunity to hear him speak in person He was very approachable, making arrangements with me so I could interview him after the presentation. I was impressed with...
