There's a little more to starting a new career at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation than most people know. Sure, I'll no longer work a 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift for the first time since working an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. construction job in my early 20s, but I actually give up two current jobs. Everyone knows about my broadcast journalism career at KPAX-TV. However, I also spent the major part of the last eight summers working as a ranch hand at the Lolo Trail Ranch,or as it most people call it the O/Z.
The O/Z is an absolutely beautiful place. The approximately 4,000 acre, four-mile long cattle ranch sits beneath snow-capped Lolo Peak and includes a long stretch of Lolo Creek, my favorite stretch to fly fish. (Below is a video I shot on the O/Z during the fall of 2008 as brilliant autumn colors exploded to life.)
I have seen so many different forms of wildlife during my time on the O/Z. I was once just 15 yards from a cow moose eating green gunk on the bottom of a pond. I just sat there in my six-wheeler thinking "Hmmm, what would I do if it charged me?" I was thinking I could out maneuver it for at least a little bit. Fortunately, it was too busy eating to bother with me, although it did take a gander my way every time it came up with a new mouthful of goodies.
I was also up in the hills above the grazing pasture below one day when an entire herd of elk passed right in front of me a mere ten yards away. I didn't dare flinch as several of them stopped right in front of me with kind of a perplexed "What in the heck are you?" look on their faces. I also saw whitetail deer, mule deer, wolf, fox, wild turkey, black bear, golden eagles, bald eagles, all sorts of ground and tree squirrels, and song birds of every kind. One day, I was driving to the brush burn pile when I saw something large along the dirt road. I pulled up right next to an osprey. I rolled down my window and started talking to it. (Unfortunately, it didn't respond.) It didn't move at all. I was actually tempted to lean out my window and try to touch it. One look at its talons changed that. After about 45 seconds, it took off and flew away.
Why did I work there you may wonder? Well, a friend of mine who worked there asked me years ago if I knew any teenager who could help her out. I asked around without success. Then she said "Would you want to work here?" "Sure!" So that led to a schedule of working at the O/Z two mornings a week from April right up to opening day of hunting season in late October.
My main responsibility was lawn maintenance. Translation: a whole lot of mowing and a whole lot of weed eating. A typical day of pushing mowing lasted from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Yeah, a great way to stay in shape and get a great tan too.) And then it took the folks on the riding mowers two full days to do the rest. But my responsibilities covered much more than that. I also dug ditches, stained all of the houses and outbuildings, fed the fish in the ponds, hauled furniture, replaced storm windows, worked in the raised garden bed, pruned shrubbery, cut up and hauled tree limbs, used the chain saw to cut wood, and even helped herd the cows now and then. (By the way, you can eat O/Z beef, when available, at Lolo Creek Steakhouse.)
Oh beautiful O/Z, how I'll miss you. Good thing I can still fish there anytime I'd like.
After almost 24 years in television news, I am leaving the broadcast business to enter the "real world" as public relations director for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. To most people this is "old news," but many others asked me how this upcoming career/life change came about?
Let me begin with some background. It was never my intent to spend my entire adult working life in broadcast journalism. I wanted to enjoy my time in TV, meet new people, gain experience, build up my skill set and find a nice community to raise a family. Then, at the right time and with the right opportunity, I planned to make a lateral jump in the communications field to utilize my talents and abilities in a new endeavor. I have had many opportunities over the years to make such a transition. Among the organizations that interviewed me include the State of Kansas, Brigham Young University, and Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks. For different reasons, those opportunities either didn't work out for me or the employer.
Fast forward to February of this year. I was flipping through the newspaper when a small help wanted ad seemed to jump out at me. It included the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation logo that you see on my name tag above, and advertised for a new public relations director position. Professionally, having worked in Missoula the past nine and a half years, I reported on a variety of stories involving RMEF (four of which are included). I interviewed several of the organization's higher ranking officials. I was always impressed with their degree of professionalism and passion. I also watched years ago as RMEF moved from an older, cramped warehouse to its new, spacious home bordering on Grant Creek.
Personally, I love the great outdoors and try to spend as much time in it as I can. I love to fish, hike, hunt, pick huckleberries, play in the rivers and streams and camp. I always try to keep an eye out for wildlife of all shapes and sizes. RMEF is an organization that values the outdoors and works "to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife, and their habitat." To me, those are worthy goals to try to attain in this day and age of increasing human expansion.
After applying, time continued to pass and I didn't hear anything. I finally received an email that offered me a chance to interview. I was excited and grateful for the opportunity. I sat around the table with three high ranking members of the organization, and CEO David Allen was on speaker phone.
They each took turns asking me various questions about my background, my perceptions, my skills and responsibilities, what changes I would make, and my thoughts on the term "conservation hunter." I gave each of them a copy of my resume and copies of two recent blogs, "Why I Hunt" and "Access Denied," hoping that would offer them a more personal look into why I believe some of the things I do. It was a good 90 minute or so process. An hour later, I met up with two of the same interviewers for lunch. Again, we had a good chat about the same kinds of things. We also shared hunting and fishing stories. I thanked them for their time and they told me it would be another week and a half before they made a decision.
A day and a half later, my phone rang at work. It was Steve Decker, the man who will become my new boss. He said "Mark, I want you to know this is a good call." We talked and he eventually made an offer. I went home that night after the late newscast and discussed it with my wife and children. We all enthusiastically agreed. Done deal! I called Steve the next morning and we agreed on the terms of a contract.
I had a good feeling about the opportunity, the organization, and its people through my entire interview process. I made two brief visits to RMEF headquarters since my hire and felt the same positive feeling both times. That is important to me.
Contractually, I bought myself out of my KPAX deal in order to move forward. Now, I am in the waning days of my 60-day TV notice. While I look back on my television career with fond memories, I look ahead with much excitement to a new challenge. I know I have a lot to learn, but I can't wait to get after it and begin. My family and I are thrilled because this new opportunity does not require us to pull up stakes and move. We get to stay here in Montana, the place we love! This "life change" also allows me to work an 8 to 5 shift for the first time in my adult life. I will finally see my now high school aged kids much more than just on weekends. And hey, as a staffer at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, maybe I can learn how to better fill the freezer during hunting season. Got elk?
It is almost surreal. I have fewer days remaining on the air as a television broadcaster than years that I worked in the broadcast journalism business (23 years, 9 months).
Me, Craig Borgman & Stephen Spiegel
It began way back in 1988. Just a few weeks after graduating from Brigham Young University, I accepted a position as weekend sports anchor at ABC affiliate KTKA-TV in Topeka, Kansas. It was a small, struggling station that was waging an uphill battle for survival against CBS and NBC affiliates that had a much stronger tradition and viewership than we did. I eventually accepted an offer to become sports director. As a station, we went through waves of news directors, general managers, and on air talent. It took awhile but we finally got the right people in the right places. We later moved to a new broadcast facility where our general manager, Kent Cornish, actually allowed us to determine where our desks, edit bays, and even where the outlets in our office would be located. I assisted in the hiring of co-workers Craig Borgman, Stephen Spiegel, Chad Luce, and others who gave us the most creative, most accomplished, and most recognized sports staff in the market.
Marty Matthews, me, Lori Hutchinson & Ed Levy
I spent ten years in Topeka. Working there did not make me rich financially, but it left me rich with memories, friendships, and a feeling of satisfaction. As a sports department, we worked hard and played hard. We did not hesitate to try new things and create new ways to appeal to our viewers. Among them, we created The 49 Locker Room Show, an extended Friday night sportscast with in-depth coverage of high school sports. We also developed the Pepsi Sports Challenge, a weekly feature involving viewers who wrote us to challenge us to all kinds of sporting events--from sand volleyball and roller hockey to running the obstacle course at an Army base to water ski jumping. I look back on Channel 49 as my television "glory days."
But there comes a time when you just feel a need to move on and face new challenges. I felt it, so I left my friends and colleagues in Topeka to become sports director at CBS affiliate KREM-TV in Spokane, Washington. Unlike KTKA, KREM was in a two-way dog fight for ratings supremacy. I inherited a sports department that was short-handed in terms of full-time sports personnel and sought to stabilize its image and organization. A plan was put in place and I worked to accomplish it. We now had a larger news staff, more high tech toys, and managerial support to carry out the required duties. The on-air product improved and we became the outright number-one station in the market. We successfully pulled off live broadcasts outside our scheduled newscasts covering events like Bloomsday, Hoopfest, and NCAA Tournament selection shows at Gonzaga.
Me, Charles Rowe, Nadine Woodward, Randy Shaw, Tom Sherry
But things changed behind the scenes. We had a shift in newsroom management and a change in sports coverage philosophy. The news director that hired me, and set ambitious goals with me to improve the overall sports product, stepped down. We also made a personnel change on the air that nixed plans to add a third full-time sports reporter. The writing was on the wall. After just four years in Spokane, it was time to move on.
As a pondered where my future would take me, I also pondered a career shift, of sorts. Hmmm, what would it be like to be a news anchor? I took a fact-finding trip to Boise to check out a morning news anchor position. While it was a good visit, I was not offered the job. Looking back, I'm so glad. Who wants to get up every day at 2 a.m. anyway? Not me!
Me & co-anchor Jill Valley
One day I saw an advertisement for a news anchor opening at CBS affiliate KPAX-TV in Missoula, Montana. We drove through Missoula many times on our way to and from Spokane, but rarely stopped. I sent an email to the news director. "Would you be interested in a guy who did sports for 14 years but wants to go into news?" His response was short but telling, "You're a finalist!" He sent me a tape of the news product in the mail. To be honest, I was not overly impressed. However, my wife and I agreed to pay Missoula a visit. Once there, I saw what I missed in Spokane. KPAX had a "family" type of atmosphere in the newsroom. I could feel it. There was a talented staff with young, hard-working reporters and an experienced co-anchor. After the visit, the decision was clear. It was time to move to Missoula.
Me & country singer Chance McKinney
KPAX staff sees Whitney's ultrasound photos
Handing out candy at UM Homecoming parade
KPAX is a wonderful place to work. I have worked alongside many people who I consider among my best friends. Among them is my co-anchor, Jill Valley, who immediately accepted me and made it easy for a "sports guy" to become a respected news journalist. Others are too numerous to name, but they know who they are.
One of the things I really enjoy about KPAX is its involvement in the community--from the University of Montana homecoming parade to the participating in the annual Bike for Shelter fundraiser for the Watson Children's Shelter. There is also an annual KPAX bowling night for co-workers and their families, plus an outing to a Missoula Osprey game.
Over my almost ten years here, I also fell in love with Montana. The funny thing is, we almost moved to Montana when I was a teenager, but that was not meant to be. However, it is meant to be that I moved here several decades later. I love it here and so does my family. I have adopted the "Montana way of life" as my own. What's not to love about fly fishing and floating the river in the summer and hunting in the winter?
KPAX gang at frigid Homecoming (wind chill -15)
I have been overwhelmed with so many thoughtful comments from friends, co-workers, viewers, Facebook followers, and others since word got out that I'm leaving KPAX. Even Huey Lewis dropped me a nice email: "Well, good luck with the new gig...and congrats. Will keep the Lolo Creek trip in mind, and if I get some time, will give you a shout." (I still owe him a fishing outing.) One radio station, Zoo FM, even posted a flattering article about my big change.
Looking back, I took a career path most TV people do not take. I started in Topeka (market 136) and then jumped 63 markets to Spokane (market 73), but I finished by backtracking to tiny Missoula (market 165). That's okay. I was never in television to be the "biggest dog" in the largest market. I enjoyed everything I learned along the way.
Jill & I at a much warmer Homecoming parade
My son Jace & I riding 6-foot unicycles at Bike for shelter
And now I face a new career with a monumental life change. You see, not only do I shortly begin new duties as public relations director for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, but I will work an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule for the first time in my adult life. I have worked 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. (3 p.m. to midnight in Spokane) since the late1980s. I look forward to seeing my wife and kids more. I look forward to participating in evening activities I've only partially witnessed over the years (concerts, church activities, plays, ball games, etc.). I look forward to having every holiday off all year long. I look forward to being able to take vacation time whenever I would like to schedule it. (In television news, you cannot take time off during ratings periods each February, May, July and November.) I also look forward to applying the talents and abilities I honed over the years in a new light for RMEF, an organization whose mission I believe in and support.
Derek Buerkle, me, Jill & Erin Yost
So it is indeed the final countdown. Am I nostalgic? Yes. Am I apprehensive? No. Am I excited? You bet. Bring it!
You heard the old saying "You can never go home again," right? Well, I don't believe it. For example, I began my television career more than 23 years ago in Topeka, Kansas. After 14 years as a sportscaster, I left that world behind to "grow up" and become a newscaster. It's a change I enjoy. Four months ago, due to some personnel changes, we had a vacancy in the KPAX-TV sports department. Management approached me about adding sports anchoring duties to my newscaster responsibilities twice a week (Mondays and Tuesdays) on a "temporarily permanent" basis. "Sure," I said. I realize the need to pull together and get the job done, especially in a smaller television market newsroom.
The thing is, I love sports. I love being active. I love learning new skills. I love to compete. And I love watching those who do the same. Competition allowed me to learn so many personal, real life lessons: team work, perseverance, hard word, friendship, practice, discipline, sportsmanship, brotherhood and just plain having fun.
Following the University of Montana during its just-completed post-season run was my fifteenth year of covering a college basketball team in the NCAA Tournament. While I did not travel with the team to Albuquerque, I have been there before. I followed Gonzaga to the Pit a number of years ago. I also followed the Zags to Seattle, Phoenix, Atlanta, and other locations. I traveled with Kansas State years ago in the NCAA Tournament to North Carolina. I followed the University of Kansas to so many places that I can't remember them all, but that did include a Final Four trip to New Orleans, my birth place, way back in 1993.
I also have fond memories of football bowl trips such as the 2003 Rose Bowl with Washington State. It was a somewhat forgettable performance for the Cougs as Oklahoma steamrolled its way to a 34-14 victory, but it was fun to visit the historic Pasadena site. My 1997 Fiesta Bowl trip with Kansas State was a blast. The Wildcats rolled over Donovan McNabb and Syracuse 35 to 18. Perhaps my favorite football bowl trip was 1995 Holiday Bowl. K-State laid a 54-21 licking on Colorado State in a game where the entire top deck of Jack Murphy Stadium was purple. There must have been 25,000 Wildcat fanatics that made the trip west.
K-State celebrates a Fiesta Bowl victory
There are also many, many other events, circuits, leagues, and teams I covered over the years. Among them is the National Hot Rod Association. I'm not much of a racing guy, but I loved it when the drag racers came to Heartland Park Topeka. I traveled with the University of Kansas to the College Baseball World Series in Omaha one year. What a great experience that was. I went on two different road trips to Canada with the Spokane Chiefs hockey team. Talk about an eye-opening experience. Those kids are dedicated to reaching their goals and dreams. (Below is a "behind the scenes" three-part series about the Chiefs. I also took a similar trip with the Missoula Maulers.)
I had the opportunity to be in Seattle at opening night of Safeco Field. I left there with quite a souvenir. During batting practice the previous day, I leaned over a railing to look into the first base dugout. When I straightened up, my brand new shorts stayed stuck to the railing. Somebody had just painted it but there was no "fresh paint" sign posted. I had a nice green stripe that stretched across both pant legs. Funny stuff indeed. I also covered the Seattle Mariners in the playoffs and attended Kansas City Royals games too.
There are also memorable NFL experiences. My favorite was an annual trip to River Falls, Wisconsin to cover the Kansas City Chiefs training camp. Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer allowed the media to have good access to drills and the players. Marty was always very accessible too and remains my all-time favorite NFL coach. During those days, there was no sporting atmosphere better than Arrowhead Stadium on game day, except for maybe Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence when the Jayhawks hit the basketball court.
Covering the Zags in the NCAA Tournament
But the trips aren't what highlight my memories. It's the people, the things they experience and the stories they tell. From little league baseball players to old men playing handball, just to talk to people and feel their enthusiasm for competition is what always inspired me. And that's what I try to pass along when I sit in the sportscaster seat, especially if I can add a humorous slant to it. (Below is a video of the University of Montana football staff using super-soakers during a special teams drill.)
There are also public appearances, serving as emcee for various events, attending roasts, participating as a "celebrity" in golf scramble events, and playing on a station basketball team to help schools and organizations raise money. I remember playing in a 100-hole golf marathon in Liberty Lake, Washington. I shot 97 over par with my dad as my caddie/driver. Luckily, I finished my final hole just in time to do a live shot for the early evening newscast.
I touched the Stanley Cup and interviewed such sporting greats as Wilt Chamberlain, Joe Montana, George Brett, Derrick Thomas and countless others. I worked with many trusted co-workers who remain some of my greatest friends today.
As a sportscaster, I was given great freedom to create content and programming. I worked with the radio voice of the Kansas City Chiefs to create a one-minute insider report called "A Minute with Mitch," which is still in production today. I teamed with my a co-worker years ago to gather lockers, helmets, jerseys and other apparel to build a set for a Friday night high school sports show recognized by many as the best in Topeka. And perhaps my favorite was the infamous Pepsi Sports Challenged. Viewers, both in Topeka and in Spokane, wrote in to challenge us sportscasters to whatever sport they had in mind. Viewers loved it. Newspaper sports columnists hated it. We loved it. We did all kinds of crazy stuff from rock climbing and rappelling to water ski jumping to running a two mile obstacle course at the Fort Riley Army base in Kansas in front of hundreds of screaming members of the Big Red One, the oldest division in the U.S. Army. (Below is a sports challenge video I recently found on YouTube.)
I could go on and on but my bottom line is sports is real life. It's about competing. It's about enjoying. It's about living. And going back to the future to do it again is just fine with me.
"No Trespassing." "Closed." "Private Property." "Stay Out." Signs like these are popping up more and more every day across Montana and around the country. Don't get me wrong, landowners have every right to do what they want with their property. I just really appreciate those who open their land to those who enjoy the great outdoors.
Let me give you some examples. I know the manager of a cattle ranch close to my home. He allows me to access the land in order to reach a four-mile long stretch of my favorite creek, Lolo Creek, to fish. Montana law stipulates any angler can fish any stretch of water as long as they are below the high-water mark, but the biggest challenge is often finding a public access point to even get to the water. This small, often overlooked creek, is an excellent fishery loaded with three different kinds of trout. It is where I learned the art of fly fishing. It is also where I caught my largest fish ever a couple of years ago--a 21 inch monster of a brown trout.
Ironically enough, this same 4,000 acre cattle ranch is off-limits to hunters even though it is home to a resident elk herd. It wasn't always that way. Years ago, the owner allowed access but an unethical hunter fired again and again into the herd, wounding many elk and killing several others.
Property ownership really comes into play for hunters. Of the six deer I harvested, four were on private property. Of the four deer my son harvested, three were on private property. Each of us also took one elk, but both times the successful hunts were on private ranch land.
Hundreds of property owners across Montana take part in what's called the Block Management program. It is a cooperative effort between private landowners and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. It provides the public with free hunting access to private land, which oftentimes allows access to isolated public lands not otherwise accessible. While I have hunted on Block Management land several times, I have yet to harvest any game but that's okay. I have enjoyed walking ridge lines, seen new country, and made memories with my son and other friends.
The greatest disappointment to me is when land previously open to the public is suddenly closed and inaccessible. There is such a piece of land not even ten minutes from my home. It was formerly owned by Plum Creek, which allows public access for fishing, hunting, huckleberry picking and other recreational uses on all of its holdings. This particular parcel of land offers prime habitat for deer and elk with a source of water, stands of trees, sloping foothills and easy access to a valley bottom of lush grasses and a creek below. In fact, it is where both my son and I harvested our first deer (see Real Hunting magazine article below). I have friends whose land butts up to that area which allows me easy access to it. I hunted there every year for the past seven years. Last spring, a nearby resident purchased the land from Plum Creek and "No Trespassing" signs immediately went up. I actually ran into that man several years ago on that same piece of property immediately after he harvested a cow elk. At that time, he gave my son and I permission to hunt on his land. However, that changed since he added the Plum Creek parcel to his holdings. He notified neighbors the land was now off-limits. I tried on several occasions to contact him, but he never returned my repeated attempts. Again, I fully recognize that it is his right to deny access. I do not dispute that. However, that does not make it any easier to accept. A cherished piece of my hunting heritage is now behind locked gates. To me, it is "access denied."
Father & son high up the West Fork of the Bitterroot
The other day, someone semi-criticized me for being a hunter. That's fine. Everyone seems to have their own opinion of hunting and those who do it. I am not a "blood thirsty killer." To be honest, I don't like killing an animal, nor do I like gutting one after it's down. So why do I do it? There are several reasons. Hunting is one of the best ways to enjoy the great outdoors. There is something special about climbing a ridgeline, walking on freshly fallen snow through a thick stand of ponderosa pines, watching the sun rise above the mountains, and enjoying the fresh air and odors of being in the forest.
Hunting is a great way to bond and create memories. My grandpas both hunted as a means of support for their families. My father grew up with that traditional mentality too. He only ever took me big game hunting one time, but I still remember quite a bit about it. I remember the songs on the radio on the way there. I remember hiking over the Canadian hills for hours. I remember seeing a herd of deer far off in the valley below. I remember coming face to face with a moose that was so close I could've hit it with a football. I also remember going home empty-handed, but that didn't seem to matter. It was all about just me, the youngest of three boys, and my dad spending the entire day together.
I since had many opportunities to have similar experiences with my son. Sure, we had a number of outings that ended up with game in the back of the pickup, but hunting is about much more than that. I remember "hoofing it" up a steep ridge in deep snow on the trail of an elk herd we never caught. We were so tired and had sweat dripping down our faces that we eventually plopped down in the snow to catch our breath and busted out homemade jerky, which brought smiles to our faces. I remember being with my son and others when we saw a huge herd of elk. Jace picked one out fom 200 yards away and dropped it. That was the first elk taken in at least three Holyoak generations, if not more than that. It was a glorious day together. I also remember taking my youngest daughter with me--just once. She didn't mind the hike but did not like having to keep her voice down to a whisper for several hours. That still brings a smile to my face.
It is a thrill to see wildlife. Of course, the best thrill is to see the species of animal you seek, but it's much more than that. I recently spent more than two hours so close to an elk herd I could not only see them but I could hear them chirp, bark and call to each other. I watched the lead cow look in all directions to try to seek out any dangers for the rest of the herd, much like a mother hen would for her chicks. I once had an entire elk herd pass right in front of me only 10 to 15 yards away. Several of them stopped and got into lengthy staring contests with me. I guess they were trying to figure out what I was. I dared not flinch. They eventually just kept walking so I watched 60 of them, one by one, walk right in front of me. I watched coyotes frolic and play on hillsides, a fox carefully trot through the snow, and grouse suddenly pop up--seemingly right from under my feet. That was more than enough in the calm woods to give me a "heart attack." Once, another coyote ran at me and a friend from hundreds of yards away. It eventually veered off only 10 yards in front of us. During another outing in the high country, I almost stepped on a snow hare. I only noticed it because of a slight movement and the color of its eyes. During one outing in grizzly country, I saw something black move behind a stand of small pine trees. That certainly got my attention. I've always wanted to see a bear while hunting, but not necessarily a grizzly (if you know what I mean). Luckily, in this case, it turned out to be one of a group of six black mules that eventually gave me an escort, of sorts, as I headed down the mountain.
Hunting is great way to stay in shape. I am definitely not a fan of getting up well before the crack of dawn and driving to a favorite hunting spot, but many times you have to do so in order to be in the best position to find game. I often leave my truck 90 minutes before sunrise to start an ascent into the mountains. It's crazy to realize how far and how high you can climb in such a short time. Just look at a given mountain and imagine what it would be like to climb to the top of it. That's what hunters do--from bottom to top to bottom again. And for me, that's something I do all before going to work that afternoon.
The main reason I hunt is for the meat. A deer tag for a Montana resident costs $16. An elk tag costs $20. Of course, that doesn't include the cost of a hunting enhancement, a conservation license, bullets, gas, and other equpment and supplies. But still, in this day and age, that is a bargain--especially if you are successful. We have been blessed with a great deal of success over our eight years of hunting. My son and I combined to shoot two elk and ten deer. We also had a friend donate a whitetail doe he shot. The bottom line is we did not buy any beef, other than pre-made hamburger patties for the barbeque, over that time. And thanks to two harvested whitetail bucks and one cow elk this past season, the freezer is full of roasts, steaks, tenderloins, stew meat, jerky, and ground venison. On top of that, we really like the flavor!
I am the first to admit that I am not a racing fan, but my past is linked to many racing greats. Among them is Dale Earnhardt, or as many fondly referred to him, "the Intimidator." I only met him twice. Both happened way back in 1991 at Heartland Park Topeka (HPT). The new $20 million track was trying to get a footing in the racing business. It really wanted to draw Nascar to town with its sprawling road course so management booked an ARCA event--the Wendy's Big Classic 100. Fans flocked from around the Midwest to watch it because HTP signed Kenny Schrader, Darrell Waltrip and Earnhardt to race in the minor circuit event. (Earnhardt got a $50,000 appearance fee.)
I met Earnhardt earlier in the week as his crew set up shop on pit row. I found him to be very welcoming in a "good old boy" kind of way. He was friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. An interesting story people don't know about that week is since he had other mid-week commitments, Earnhardt could not stay with his team to qualify for the race. Instead, he left everything in the hands of his 15 year old son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and had Schrader look after him.
Heartland Park Topeka during a drag racing event
Heartland Park Topeka road course
When race day rolled around on Sunday, the Intimidator lived up to his nickname is more ways than one. Because he did not qualify, he started dead last in the pack of 35 drivers. Earnhardt needed only 13 laps to roar through the field from 35th place to third. While the throng of media was in the media tower monitoring the race, I was with my photographer on the infield documenting the sights and sounds. Then we got word that Earnhardt ran his car off the track on the back part of the course. Almost immediately, one of the HPT trucks dropped him off right by us. When I say he was angry, I mean he was really, really angry. As he walked across the infield in front of the jammed grandstand, I was about a half step behind him off to one side. After about 30 yards or so he turned to me and said something like "Well, do you have a question to ask, or what?!" I asked him what happened. From what I could hear over the roar of the engines, he said something about being too aggressive and losing control. I also asked him if the crash would bring him back to try to put the track "in its place." Again, he was pretty angry, said something like "You never know," and that was it. Then a car pulled up, he climbed in, and he drove out of the infield, past pit row, and straight to the airport where he flew out of town. By then the throng of media came running toward us from the media tower a couple of hundred yards away. "Where did he go?" they asked. "I guess he's gone," I said. "What did he say?" they asked. "You'll have to watch tonight at ten," I told them.
Schrader collides with Earnhardt at Daytona
Ten years later, Dale Earnhardt died after crashing hard into the wall at Daytona International Speedway. Ironically, Kenny Schrader was also involved in that crash and Darrell Waltrip was in the broadcast booth announcing it. The day was February 18, 2001--11 years ago today. I'd say "rest in peace" Dale Earnhardt, but something tells me the Intimidator would rather look for another competition to conquer.
I have seen so many different forms of wildlife during my time on the O/Z. I was once just 15 yards from a cow moose eating green gunk on the bottom of a pond. I just sat there in my six-wheeler thinking "Hmmm, what would I do if it charged me?" I was thinking I could out maneuver it for at least a little bit. Fortunately, it was too busy eating to bother with me, although it did take a gander my way every time it came up with a new mouthful of goodies.
Why did I work there you may wonder? Well, a friend of mine who worked there asked me years ago if I knew any teenager who could help her out. I asked around without success. Then she said "Would you want to work here?" "Sure!" So that led to a schedule of working at the O/Z two mornings a week from April right up to opening day of hunting season in late October. 
My main responsibility was lawn maintenance. Translation: a whole lot of mowing and a whole lot of weed eating. A typical day of pushing mowing lasted from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Yeah, a great way to stay in shape and get a great tan too.) And then it took the folks on the riding mowers two full days to do the rest. But my responsibilities covered much more than that. I also dug ditches, stained all of the houses and outbuildings, fed the fish in the ponds, hauled furniture, replaced storm windows, worked in the raised garden bed, pruned shrubbery, cut up and hauled tree limbs, used the chain saw to cut wood, and even helped herd the cows now and then. (By the way, you can eat O/Z beef, when available, at Lolo Creek Steakhouse.)
