Author Archives: Jill Adler

Common Ground

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The Wild and Scenic Film Festival isn’t happening until January 2016 but this beautiful selection from the 2015 event demonstrates what organizers aim to achieve by gathering top filmmakers, celebrities, leading activists, social innovators and well-known world adventurers to Green Valley, California each year.

 

With shorts like Common Ground- about the fight to preserve our iconic western landscapes for future generations – they strive to inform, inspire and explore solutions to heal the land and people who inhabit it.

The Path of Giants

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When you hit the northernmost part of California your drive becomes all about the redwood trees – nature’s true giants. They can be taller than the Statue of Liberty and larger around than a Greyhound bus. I guess outside of the random dinosaur, they are the largest living thing on earth. So we skipped Oceanworld in order to get to the Trees of Mystery just outside of Crescent City, before it closed. It just sounded too cool to miss- something Clark Griswold would be proud to visit. A jolly Paul Bunyan greeted and joked with visitors at the entrance and for $15/pp we strolled through a forest, road a “Sky Tram” to an incredible vista, hiked a steep trail back to the base and roamed around the Trail of Tall Tales where we heard the story of Paul Bunyan and his friends.

Paul Bunyan and the Trees of Mystery



It wasn’t at all cheesy if you do the hike and appreciate your scenery.

The mile decline through a moist dirt path, shaded over by those thousand-year-old redwoods was certainly more fun than walking the asphalt trail at Zion NP. It was also one of the few times we got some real exercise. At this point I would have given anything to get my ass out of the passenger seat.

Not for your average RVer, the hike was downright treacherous in spots. For the less adventurous you could opt to ride the Sky Tram back down but then, yeah, kinda cheesy.

Sage whined a bit and wanted us to carry her (no way) but the exercise tuckered the pup and her in a good way.

We finished by sundown, famished. Ryan was ready for a more substantial meal after our night of quesadillas so we stumbled into the Sea Grill in Eureka. Quite the find! The prices were reasonable, the plate large and the food, which comes with the salad bar, especially yummy. The only thing that wasn’t the bomb was the dessert. The bourbon pecan torte was like a plain brick of dark chocolate.

We thought about spending the night in Eureka but moved on to nearby Fortuna for fear of our lives. Eureka is not the cleanest or most livable city in Northern Cali. Not sure why but we felt like we were driving through a depressed inner city instead of this gateway to majestic redwoods.

In the morning we packed it up and made out for the Avenue of the Giants. More redwoods. It seems the Trees of Mystery were just a warm up. The scenic byway (SR 254) is the actual old route for US 101 until it was realigned. It runs through Humboldt Redwoods State Park for about 30 miles with numerous spots to pull out for minihikes (one to three miles). The place is so magical. It’s even included in the book, “1,000 Places To See Before You Die”. And George Lucas used it as the backdrop for the Endor scenes in Return of the Jedi. They shot from the back of a truck to get the side views of the speeder bikes racing through the trees.

There are visitor centers, kitschy shops selling Bigfoot “artifacts”, a couple of cafes and two chances to drive through your own tree. The Immortal Tree was a testament in fortitude. Lightening, floods and chopping have failed to bring it down. But, for the most part, you get miles and miles of nothing but massive mounds of bark and branches, and campers pulling to one side or other to take photos posing next to mossy tree roots the size of my house.



The locals recommended the Avenue Café for lunch and without breakfast we were ready for a stellar meal….after we drove through a redwood tree. Up until now we were driving through redwoods. Now, we were going to drive through a redwood tree. Even Ryan was getting into our summer vacation. We did two laps through the Shrine Tree! Talk about stretching our $6.


The Shrine Tree. The white mark above the opening is where the flood waters came up to in 1964. The flood basically wiped out anything that the flood of 1955 didn’t take care of. Today the Eel River was far from flooding. In fact, it looked like half of it had dried up.

Lunch hit the spot but the service was excruciatingly slow- especially when you’re anxious to get back on the road and out of the forest. Redwoods are definitely impressive but after hours of nothing but these towering towers of timber even a state treasure gets old. Next up, the California Coast!

Top Dog Myths Debunked

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round valley

Rumors and myths abound in the pet industry and I was surprised to find that I, the smart kid with the masters degree, never did due diligence in ‘demythifying’. I assumed like the rest of you.

Perhaps we put too much trust in hearsay from vets, pet stores and fellow doglovers. Well, here are five well-known myths to stop believing right now according to Dan J. Barton, CEO of Splash and Dash for Dogs, one of America’s Fastest Growing Companies for 2014.


Myth #1: Mixed Dog Breeds Are Healthier than Pure breeds

This is a myth perpetuated constantly in the pet industry, among dog grooming facilities, pet rescues, and sometimes even dog breeding circles. It probably started because shelters wanted to get pets adopted but really only proves to divide pet parents. I have a pure bred and the amount of distain I get from rescue owners is appalling. According to a 5-year study by UCDavis, pet health is individual. The study, published in the June 1, 2013 edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, stated the prevalence of 13 of the 24 genetic disorders (including hip dysplasia and cancers) was about the same for purebreds as mixed breeds.  Just like humans, some dogs are healthier than others, whether they’re mixed.

 

Myth #2: All Pit Bulls Lock Their Jaws


 

For such cute looking pusses, pit bulls have a seriously bad rap. But while their strong jaws will hold on for dear life in a fight but there is no evidence that a pit bull’s choppers are anatomically different from any other breed. That said, when the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia published a five-year review of dog-bite injuries in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal, they showed that nearly 51 percent of attacks came from pit bulls and another 15 percent came from Rottweilers or a pitbull/Rotty mix. So in essence those two breeds caused more than two thirds of all hospitalized bite injuries. Just because the jaws don’t lock doesn’t mean these stocky animals don’t do damage. When you’re adopting, know that these canines aren’t necessarily dogpark material.

 

Myth #3: Dogs Have Cleaner Mouths than Humans

This is definitely not something I bought into. A dog licks his butt and licks other dogs butts and sniff pee-sprayed bushes and lawns. Ewwww. But somehow a rumor started in the pet industry that a dog’s mouth is cleaner that yours and it’s just not true. Dogs’ mouths may have a different ecosystem but they still harbor germs. You won’t get sick from them licking your face but don’t think they’re cleaning it for you.

Myth #4: Dogs Don’t See In Colors

As I tossed a bright orange Skipping Stone from Kurgo I thought, “What a shame he can’t see it the way I do.” I too was a believer like so many pet parents that dogs are colorblind and can only see in black and white and shades of gray. It’s true that dogs don’t see in as a full a spectrum of color as humans do (dogs have only two types of color receptors (“cones”) in their eyes while we have three) but recent studies show
a dog sees combinations of the same two colors: yellow and blue. So grayish brown, dark yellow, light yellow, grayish yellow, light blue and dark blue are perceived.



Image via Wikimedia Commons

A team of Russian researchers tested a small group of mixed breed dogs over a 9-day period. After 10 days training them to associate a dark yellow piece of paper with an unlocked box of raw meat, they switched things up. The dog could go for a box behind either dark blue paper or light yellow paper. They were testing whether dogs just see brightness or actual color. After ten tests, all the dogs went for the yellow choice more than 70 percent of the time, and six out of the eight dogs went for it 90 or 100 percent of the time. They had memorized the color associated with the meat. It didn’t matter whether it was light or dark.

Myth #5: That’s 7 in human years

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There is no scientific correlation between human years and dog years. Yes, dogs do age faster than humans but it is not exactly 7:1. The difference depends on the individual breed. Small dogs generally live longer than large dogs and certain breeds of large dogs live longer than other large dogs. Lifespan is breed specific. Chihuahuas have an average lifespan of 15-20 while the average life expectancy of a bulldog is 7 years. Things like healthy eating habits, exercise and good grooming also contribute to lifespan but don’t expect to be adding 10 years to a 16-year-old dog.


In case you were curious, according to Wikipedia, the oldest dog in the world was a beagle/dachshund/terrier mix who lived 29 years 282 days.

My girl was the ripe old age of 16 when she passed.

New Contour Music Festival Kicks Off Jackson Hole’s Summer

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When you live in the mountains there seems to be no end to the summer festivals. These wide open spaces are idyllic and ideal for gathering the masses. Telluride has their Bluegrass Fest, Aspen has their Jazz Fest; the Snowmass Mammoth Fest, Big Sky’s Music in the Mountains, Bend’s Peak Music Festival, and the list rolls on. Now, Jackson Hole, Wyo., is getting a jump on the summer music season with the inaugural Contour Music Festival, June 11-14.

The cowboy town will roll out four nights and three days of nationally touring bands and artists for an innovative experience of music, culture, and arts in the Tetons. Unlike other fests, the more than 40 hand-selected and artists like Thievery Corporation, The Polish Ambassador,  and Sweater Beats will also play at venues around town.

The main stage will be at the base of Snow King Mountain in the ballpark but after the encores, “late night” acts will perform at classic local venues like the Pink Garter Theatre, Center for the Arts, the newly renovated Silver Dollar Bar, and the Town Square Tavern.

The Detes:

FRIDAY, JUNE 12
Main Stage:
The music starts at noon with Paranome followed by local electronic duo Head to Head. After this, you will not want to miss The Cave Singers. This high-energy indie rock band out of Seattle put on an amazing show to a small crowd at the Pink Garter Theatre in the summer of 2012. They are sure to get the party started outside at Snow King.

After the Cave Singers is a back-to-back tour de force of electronic music, including Emancipator and The Polish Ambassador, that carries the Festival into the evening.

Late Night Concerts:
Town Square Tavern –live DJ music from Tiger Fresh, Sweater Beats and Sango.
Pink Garter Theatre –more full-band electronic experience featuring Cure for the Common, Late Night Radio and Papadosio.

Center for the Arts –Quixote – “Composer Anthony Magliano, along with an award-winning band…create music with instrumental foundations and diversity that is meant to inspire movement within the group’s other half; dancers, multimedia designers, and aerialists.
Silver Dollar Bar – If you are looking to change things up and experience a local Honky Tonk dance floor, head on over to the Wort Hotel for the down home sounds of Country Hammer followed by One Ton Pig – the resident country/bluegrass band of the Silver Dollar Bar.

SATURDAY, JUNE 13
Main Stage:
The action heats up with local funk outfit Sneaky Pete and the Secret Weapons followed by Cure for the Common. DO NOT MISS The Congress. This group out of Denver will blow you away with their take on American rock and roll – great songwriting and amazing vocals from lead singer Jonathan Meadows paired with the incredible guitar talent that is Scott Lane. Up next, Roadkill Ghost Choir, Sage Francis, Autograf, and closing out the main stage for the second night of the festival is an amazing indie-progressive rock band out of Nashville you will want to see through until the end – Moon Taxi.


Late Night:
Town Square Tavern – get your Yacht rock on with “Home at Last: The Nth Power perform Steely Dan” followed by Orgone.
Pink Garter Theatre – DJ sets from PRSN, G Jones and Djemba Djemba
Silver Dollar Bar –Country Hammer followed by Spirit Family Reunion (also performing main stage on Sunday).

SUNDAY, JUNE 13
Main Stage:
Sunday does not slow in pace at all with two of the most anticipated acts (Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires and Thievery Corporation) closing out the night.
The day opens with a funky set from Fort Knox 5 followed by the acoustic foot-stomping sounds of Spirit Family Reunion.

Religious or not, everyone will be testifying to Robert Collier’s Gospel Brunch Set with the sweet and soulful sounds of the pedal steel. Reva Devito Band and The Nth Power warm up the stage for two acts that may be the highlight of the festival weekend.

From the Daptone Records/Brooklyn scene, the breathtaking Charles Bradley and his backing band bringing uptown funk and soul to the Tetons.

To close out the festival weekend on the mainstage is the internationally-acclaimed electronic duo Thievery Corporation. Their reputation and their records speak for themselves. Save some energy for this set.

Late Night:
Town Square Tavern – Head to TST for funk with McTuff and The New Mastersounds.
Pink Garter Theatre – Dance it up at the Pink Garter for an electronic throw down featuring Shaprece, Deltron 3030 and Mike Thunder.
Center for the Arts – DJ sets by El Papa Chango, Barisone and The Librarian.

Pack your car, book your flight, find a place to stay, whatever you have to do to get to Jackson next week. Be sure to get your tickets in advance and upgrade to the “All Night Long Pass” so you don’t miss a beat. Or you can enter here for a chance to win two Main Stage Weekend Tickets and Two Grand Adventure passes to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

For tickets, full schedule, area and lodging information visit: www.contourmusicfestival.com

FYI- There is no tent camping in town in Jackson. Contact Jackson Hole Reservation to find a place to stay or try couchsurfing.net. The closest campgrounds are 20 minutes away.

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