I have a beef with Walt Disney. His Disneyland and Disney World theme resorts proudly proclaim themselves as the "happiest place on earth." I took my family to both places in the past. Don't get me wrong, they're great, but in my opinion, they do not compare to my "happiest place on earth."
Mine is called Spring Hollow, but in my family we simply call it "the crevice." It's a narrow opening cut out of sandstone cliffs in the Virgin River Valley of southern Utah. It's located on private land just south of the small town of Glendale on Highway 89. We took family vacations to that area every year of my childhood and it seems we always headed up the crevice. We returned there again this summer, but this time as a big group including three generations of Holyoaks.
Hiking in to Spring Hollow
The trailhead begins at 5,700 feet. The trail meanders along the bottom of a wash, also known as Spring Hollow Creek, although there's rarely any water in it during the summer. The farther you go, the closer the two sides of the canyon press in on you. The hike ends in a box canyon of sorts about a quarter mile later after a total elevation gain of only 300 feet. The sizzling southern Utah sun no longer beats down on you as you enter the suddenly cooler and shaded chamber. When the season is right, or after a recent rainfall, you see water trickling over a natural waterfall down a wall of horizontal, thin-layered strata into a deep pool. And what's really neat is when you look around, you see carvings in the sandstone that not only date back decades, but some of them date back to the 1800s.
The Holyoak gang arrives at the Crevice
Then the real fun starts.
Aubrey, Kenny & Lacey start the climb
It's time to head up the crevice.
Lacey & Aubrey on the left...my nieces Lindsey, Zoe & Emily on the right
Simply put, you put your back on one wall and your feet on the other and you shimmy straight up about 15 to 20 yards.
Mark nearing the top...Emily, Kathrine & Kerry near the bottom
Once on top, you'll find the Holyoak Wall. It's a slab of rock where we carved our names over the years. If your name is already there, then you carve the date you returned. Dates on the Holyoak Wall go back decades.
Holyoak Wall
I took my wife up the crevice just weeks after we got married so she could chisel her name into the wall. Each of my four kids also hiked the crevice to carve their names. My youngest and my son-in-law just added their names on this most recent trip (so now they're "officially" Holyoaks).
Looking down from on high...Jace already up there
Once on top, you can then drop back down 10 feet or so into another wash that leads to another natural waterfall about 40 yards away. On this particular day, we came across something I'd never seen on the hike--a small rattlesnake. (We actually saw two rattlers that day.)
"Don't tread on me"
There aren't as many carvings up top, but there are many more places to climb, pose and take photos. (Is this a great playground or what?)
"Working out" 15 feet above the floor below (far waterfall in background)
There are no crowds, no lines, no Matterhorn, no Star Tours, no Jungle Cruise, no Pirates of the Caribbean, and (thank goodness) no Small, Small World.
It's a long way up
Every time I hike in Spring Hollow, I always hate to eventually leave because I just don't know when I'll return.
Updating the wall
I do know it's a place that will live on forever in Holyoak lore.
During this visit, my son carved out his own Holyoak Wall in a different place. He said years from now, it will be there for his wife and kids. If that didn't put a smile on my face, I don't what will. The tradition continues.
Every father wants to see his son bypass his own accomplishments, and that's exactly what I'm witnessing. My son Jace is already taller than me, better looking than me (just barely), and now he reached the pinnacle of scouting--something I never got close to achieving.
I began as a cub scout in Wichita, Kansas. Shortly after that, we moved to Calgary, Alberta where I turned 11 and became a boy scout. With the help of my scout leader mother, I gathered enough merit badges to earn a bronze chain. (In Canadian scouting, there are three levels--bronze chain, silver chain, and gold chain, and then you become what's called a Queen Scout.) When we later moved back to the Wichita, I looked to continue my scouting career but the Boy Scouts of America did not accept any of the work I did in Canada--not First Aid, not Citizenship, none of it. Plus, the local boy scout office lost my sash with all my Canadian boy scout badges on it. Rather than accept what happened, learn from it, persevere, and move forward, I threw in the towel.
Contrast that "defeated" attitude with Jace. He, too, had a scout leader mother who helped him along his early path. As a boy scout, he busted out of the gate under the direction and motivation of his 11 year old scout leader, Larry Seipert. Jace already achieved the rank of First Class by the time he turned 12. He attended several scout camps--Melita Island in Montana and Camp Grizzly in north Idaho. While at Camp Grizzly, he noticed the work put in by the youth staffers and how they successfully mentored the younger boys. "Dad," he said, "I'd like to become a staffer too." That winter, he applied to become a merit badge counselor at Melita Island (see video below).
He was thrilled when he received word of his acceptance. That summer, I drove him to Flathead Lake where, now as a Life scout, he boarded one of the historic Melita Arks (see video below) for his six week stay on Melita Island.
He went to Melita, his first extended trip away from home, without knowing a single person. But soon, he had many friends. They gave him the nickname "Lolo" based on the small town south of Missoula where he grew up. As a staffer, he taught and supervised other young scouts from Montana, Idaho, Washington, Wisconsin and other states who visited Melita Island with their scout troops for a week at a time. While he also assisted with the daily morning and evening flag ceremonies, took part in the Sunday evening skits in the amphitheater, and helped in the kitchen and Trading Post, his main duty was to help scouts earn merit badges in the Nature division of camp. Even though he was a staffer, he used some of his spare time to earn other merit badges that interested him. He also asked the senior staffers to help him earn the few required merit badges he still lacked to qualify for the rank of Eagle. (At least one member of Jace's troop and Jace's cousin from Idaho followed in his footsteps to work as staffers at Melita Island.)
Lori pins the Eagle medal on Jace
(Camp administration encourages parents and families to visit the island and spend the night to see how it operates. As a family, we surprised Jace one afternoon and spent the night there. I spent two other nights there--once with my wife and the other by myself after dropping him off for his second summer there. During my first visit, I took a camera with me to do a series of stories on Melita Island for KPAX-TV.)
Melita Island Camp Director Erik Isaacson & Scoutmaster and
long-time family friend Cameron Criddle
We brainstormed as a family and came up what seemed to be a worthy Eagle project--the final requirement that would allow Jace to become an Eagle scout. He wanted to erect a "Welcome to Lolo" sign on the north edge of town. He received an enthusiastic "thumbs up" from both the Lolo Community Council and the Missoula County Commission, so he started to make the sign become a reality. Jace began fundraising at various businesses all around Lolo. He also received the donation of three logs from Plum Creek. Jace came up with a design and initially consulted with a sign builder in Frenchtown before that became a dead end. At that point, he encountered a bureaucratic nightmare of legal red tape. He was disappointed, then rejuvenated, then disappointed, then rejuvenated. It was a long, long process (see video at the very bottom) involving Missoula County, the State of Montana, and other entities. In the end, it took almost two years for Jace to get final approval on a small piece of land where he could erect the sign. Then he turned to Sentinel High School shop teacher Kevin Schooler, who volunteered on his own time to help Jace finalize a design and then eventually build the sign. Jace received great support from his fellow 1986 troop members and several of the boys' fathers.
Troop 1986 flag ceremony
Jace & his American flag cupcakes
The public nature of the project led to a lot of attention once the sign was finally up. That included positive email and phone messages, letters to the editor, and a nice article in the Missoulian newspaper. Read it here.
Jace awards Mother's Pin to his mom, Mentor Pin to Larry Seipert & Father's Pin to his dad
The court of honor was a special evening. Those who attended included family, friends, scout troop members, LDS church members, Melita Island leaders, civic leaders, and other community members. Jace also received letters of commendation from Senator Max Baucus, Senator Jon Tester, Congressman Denny Rehberg, Governor Brian Schweitzer, and Missoula Mayor John Engen. (Here is the video we showed that evening of Jace growing up in scouting, a closer look at Melita Island Scout Camp, and Jace himself describing the challenges he faced erecting the "Welcome to Lolo" sign:)
From a proud father to his Eagle scout son. Jace, congratulations on your patience and perseverance. I salute you for a job and a scouting career extremely well done!
Remember getting on that playground carousel as a kid and spinning until you thought you'd throw up? Remember feeling like your brain would explode when you hovered over that first Geometry test? Okay, follow my lead. Grab a firm hold of the chair you're sitting in and click on this link: National Debt Clock. Did you do it? Okay, breathe in, breathe out. Now focus. Just look at all the red--total debt, personal debt, interest debt, mortgage debt, credit card debt, Social Security liability, prescription drub liability, Medicare liability, bankruptcies, foreclosures, etc. The red just goes on and on and on. It's mind blowing, isn't it?
Let's have a little history lesson in National Debt 101. America has always been in debt. It racked up approximately $75 million in unpaid expenses by winning its freedom from England in the Revolutionary War. From there, the U.S.started cutting into its debt until the Civil War rolled around when it ballooned from $65 million to almost $3 billion. Again, the post-war nation rebounded with an extended period of prosperity until we entered World War I. When it ended, the debt reached more than $25 billion. After World War II, America's gross public debt shot up to $260 billion. (Do you see a pattern here?)
The national debt continued to rise over the years, but it really took off in the last two decades. Thanks, in part, to his "Bush Tax Cuts" program, and starting new wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the debt under President George W. Bush exploded from $5.7 trillion to $10.7 trillion by the end of 2008. The spending continued when President Barack Obama took office thanks, in part, to his economic stimulus package and bailouts of the banking and auto industries. After his first 28 months in office, the national debt increased by 25 percent.
Here's the problem. America just maxed out its credit card. On May 16, the national deficit hit $14.3 trillion, the same amount as the $14.3 trillion national debt ceiling. In other words, the United States reached its legal borrowing limit. That did receive a mention in the national media and the Treasury Department put a temporary hold on spending until it shuffled several funds around to keep the country financially afloat. According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. would only suffer a default after all emergency measures are exhausted and it runs out of cash of pay its bills. Treasury officials say that will happen on August 2 unless Congress does not raise the debt ceiling (again) before then. If that does not happen, they say an economic catastrophe will follow.
My question is when in the heck is America going to wake up and deal with its financial overspending habit? The only president over the last 30 years to live within a budget was President Bill Clinton, and he did so by working with a Republican-controlled Congress. Unfortunately, it looks like America's lack of financial sense will only continue. Last week, President Obama announced during a major speech on Middle East policy that he will relieve Egypt from paying the one billion dollars it owes the United States. Shortly after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, government officials there ripped the U.S. for its action and scores of protesters took to the streets vowing vengeance. It turns out America paid Pakistan approximately $20 billion in "counter-terrorism" aid over the last decade and plans on paying Pakistan another $2.3 billion next year alone.
I understand the United States is the world's "do gooder," but when do we pull back the reigns and focus on us? If we don't experience a sudden change of heart and chart a new course, getting sick on the financial carousel will be the least of our problems.
We love taking our munis (mountain unicycles) into the back country--especially up the many trailheads in the Bitterroot Mountains. This time around, my kids and I tried out Bass Creek Trail between Florence and Stevensville. Good times indeed.
I love my country. And I truly appreciate all those who ever served or continue to serve in the military. Those are just a few reasons why I love the Fourth of July. Every time I see the American flag and hear the Star Spangled Banner, which happened hundreds of times over the course of my television career --especially during my first 14 years as a sportscaster-- I feel my throat start to tighten up.
While I never served, I am the grandson of a World War II veteran and the son-in-law of a Vietnam veteran. I have had personal glimpses of what life is like in the service. My most memorable experience was a big-time eye opener in July of 2003. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds were on a nationwide tour celebrating their 50th year of existence. They brought their squadron of $30 million General Dynamics F-16 Flying Falcons to Missoula to headline an air show. (By the way, my father-in-law worked at General Dynamics.)
Before we continue, how about a little Thunderbirds 101 tutorial. The Air Force designated its first demonstration team in 1953. The unit soon adopted the name Thunderbirds thanks, in part, to the Indian culture and forklore. Indian legend speaks of the thunderbird with great fear and respect. The types of planes flown by the Thunderbirds changed numerous times over the years as they performed all across the United States and around the world before millions of people. This year, the Thunderbirds will perform 58 times across the United States and Europe.
Back to my flight. My news director said there was an opportunity to fly with one of the pilots and asked if I was interested. I jumped at the chance. The photos above and the video below pretty much tell the rest of the story. What a thrill! Would I do it again? You bet I would. Thanks to the Thunderbirds, all our Armed Forces, our veterans and their families. Happy 4th of July.
Politics can be dicey. For former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, his way of "politics" is criminal. After spending more than two years professing his innocence, a federal jury found him guilty on 17 charges of corruption, including trying to sell or trade President Obama's old Senate seat. Now Blagojevich faces up to 300 years in prison, although experts think he'll serve significantly less time than that.
Can a Senate seat ever really be for sale? What about the president's seat in the Oval Office? Can it ever be for sale? Political seats may not be sold or traded, which is illegal, but they can be bought. More than ever, today's races are all about money.
Sen. Jon Tester
There may be no Senate race more pricey than Montana's. Congressman Denny Rehberg, a six term member of the U.S. House, wants to take Senator Jon Tester's Senate Seat in a race Newsweek Magazine calls one of the most important in the country and one that may determine which party controls Congress after the 2012 elections.
Rep. Denny Rehberg
You don't think politics is about money? You don't think Montana's Senate seat is "for sale?" Here's a recent tweet by Tester: "We need to raise $100K by 6/30 to plant the seeds for a winning grassroots campaign. Help us grow w/$5 now." Rehberg wrote this on Facebook: "A contribution of $25, 50, or $100 will allow us to combat the special interest groups who want to keep Democrats in control of the U.S. Senate and Barack Obama in the White House."
(For what it's worth, as much as I don't like watching political ads, I'm glad they'll be coming like a tidal wave because in the current economic climate, they provide great financial revenue for small television station like ours.)
Those political dollars are merely "small potatoes" compared to the presidential race. Check out these eye-popping fundraising numbers from the last two presidential campaigns.
2004:
George W. Bush raised $367 million
Sen. John Kerry raised $328 million
2008:
Sen. Barack Obama raised $745 million
Sen. John McCain raised $368 million
Political insiders at the Washington Post report President Obama, thanks to his online and "in person" prowess, will likely top the one billion dollar mark in fundraising. Numerically, that's nine zeros or $1,000,000,000. You still want to tell me political races are not "for sale?"
I love hockey! It’s a sport unlike any other. And I played so many of them on so many different levels–baseball, basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, racquetball, golf, etc. Hockey is the only sport I know that, once you enter the field of play, it’s a 100 percent release of energy 100 percent of the time. In football, you have huddles. In baseball or softball you standaround more than hustle. Even in basketball, there are times when you can somewhat ease up on the floor. Once you go over the boards in hockey, it’s all-out, all-hustle, all-the-time. Emotions are high, hitting is fierce, tempers may flair and celebrations are explosive. The mere amount of effort put into each shift leaves you gasping for air as you return to the bench. But only moments later, you’re ready to jump over the boards and do it again.
With that in mind, here are my Top 10 hockey memories:
10) My Failed Ownership Venture:
Back in the late 1990s, I was part of an ownership group that tried to land a Central Hockey League franchise in Topeka, Kansas. We received league approval to form an expansion team, but the only problem was the 7,800 seat Kansas Expocentre did not have ice-making equipment built into the floor of the main arena. We could not find adequate funding so we turned to the voters. Despite a public campaign, the $1.1 million proposal failed, and so did our ownership hopes. (Bottom line: we did the dirty work for the Topeka RoadRunners which had the best regular season record in the North American Hockey League this past season.)
9) Learning & Re-learning the Game:
My family moved to Calgary, Alberta in Canada for grades 5 through 7. I never really learned to skate very well because all the kids my age were already skating circles around me by the time I was introduced to hockey. But once the snow fell, this former baseball little leaguer hit the pavement on our cull-de-sac to play street hockey with friends just about every day. We played countless hours in all temperatures and weather conditions. As a family, we also joined our Canadian neighbors by watching “Hockey Night in Canada” where my love for the game was kindled.
Years later, I was a sportscaster in Topeka, Kansas and discovered two of my co-workers had hockey roots. We all purchased roller blades, rented out a school gym on Saturday mornings and recruited players. Soon enough, we enough people to play full games, and even played the Kansas State University hockey club in a most spirited game.
8) The BIG Hit:
The Glacier Hockey League (GHL) in Missoula, Montana is a “no check” league. Granted, body contact happens, but if you intentionally body check an opponent, you get sent to the penalty box to think about it. A couple of years ago, we were playing in a rather chippy game. I’m not very big (5′ 10,” 160 lbs) but I was in front of the net trying to screen the goalie and generally cause havoc. That’s when a much larger defenseman on the other team fully laid into me. I flew straight backwards, my stick catapulting out of my hands. Amazingly, there was no whistle! He headed the other way with his teammates on an offensive rush. I was so charged up that I popped back up on my skates, scooped up my stick on the fly and set my sights on him. As they broke in, our goalie turned away the shot. The d-man started circling around the back of our net so he could hustle back to his defensive position. I cut across the front of our goalie crease and lowered my shoulder. He never saw it coming. I solidly hit him shoulder to shoulder. This time, he went flying and slid across the ice into the boards. Amazingly again–still no whistle! I returned to the bench, vindicated, satisfied, and with a BIG grin under my caged face mask.
7) Spring League GHL Championship:
I was invited to play with several former teammates and friends in the highest GHLleague in the Spring of 2009. When I showed up, I found out some of them opted to play down a level. I also discovered four of my new teammates were Missoula Maulers (Tier III junior hockey team) who were about a third my age and at least 10 times more talented than me. Yikes! It was a challenge skating, passing and playing defense with such gifted players. Still, I found my place and even had a game where I scored a goal and had a pair of assists. We eventually won the championship in a game that was the most hectic, high spirited and fast-paced I’ve ever been a part of.
6) Family Outings/Maulers Videographer:
My family has fond memories of attending many Spokane Chiefs games together, especially when they played the Tri-Cities Americans in front of 10,000+ fans on Saturday nights. The Maulers may have a smaller venue, but fans are right on top of the action and they know how to rock the Glacier Ice Rink. Whilemy TV duties cover those of a “news anchor,” I gladly volunteer my photography skills to shoot Maulers games on week nights. It continues to be one of my favorite things to do. Check out video I shot below of a hockey puck that landed in a fan's beer.)
5) My Time with the Cup:
The Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2001. As part of his time with the cup, forward Scott Parker brought it to Spokane where he played a year of junior hockey. I was a sportscaster with KREM-TV at the time. I took my young son Jace where we had the chance to meet Scott and see the cup up close. It was an absolute thrill to see and touch the world's greatest trophy. It was also a thrill to read the names of so many players on it that I followed decades earlier when I lived in Canada.
4) Road Trips with the Spokane Chiefs:
As a sportscaster, I traveled with the Chiefs to Cranbrook, British Columbia in 2000 where they eventually lost to the Kootenai Ice in the Western Hockey League Finals. At the time, Kootenai’s old rink was so small that the officials actually had to stop play once after the puck hit the ceiling. One year earlier, I accompanied then Head Coach Mike Babcock (now of the Detroit Red Wings) and his team on a bus trip to Kamloops, BC. Accompanied by a cameraman, I put together a series of reports that showed Chiefs fans what it was really like to be young Spokane Chief hockey player. (See video link below.) One other fond Spokane memory was when Coach Babcock plastered me into the boards during a sports challenge shoot.
3) Hockey With & Against Jace:
There’s nothing like coaching your own kid. In my second year of playing hockey, I helped behind the bench as my son played his first season. It was a total blast spending time on the ice twice a week teaching youngsters the joy of the game. Even though that was many years ago, I still run into many of those same kids at the rink and they still say “Hi” or stop and talk with me. There’s always a special bond between hockey coach and player. Fast forward to my son’s freshman year of high school. He played in a house league with against other teams. Part way through the season, the league scraped together a team of adults of similar talent level so the teenagers could play a different squad. I talked my way onto the team and found myself playing against my son for the first time ever. It was a memorable game. We playfully chopped at the back of each others legs and intentionally bumped several times throughout the game. My first shot of the game found the back of the net, as did my second. I later had a potential hat trick goal waved off when I deflected a slap shot into the net, but the goal mount came loose and the officials waived it off. However, the damage was done. Final score: GHL 4, Sentinel High 0. Bragging rights: Father 1, Son 0.
2) Miracle on Ice:
Every hockey fan knows about the “Miracle on Ice.” I was fortunate enough to have a bit of a personal connection to it. The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team went on an extensive pre-Olympic tour before going to Lake Placid, New York for the Olympics. Just a month before the Games began, the team played an exhibition game in Wichita, Kansas, against the Tulsa Oilers, winning 7-4. My family was fortunate enough to attend that game and cheer Team USA on to victory. What happened on February 22, 1980 turned out to be one of the greatest moments in American sports history as the group of college kids beat the most dominant hockey force in the world.
1) My First Season, My First Championship:
I moved to Montana in January of 2003. That summer, I hooked up with a group of guys that played roller hockey. One of them, Dave Fraser, suggested I play ice hockey in the novice division of the Glacier Hockey League that winter. So I went online and purchased a set of gear off eBay. I also bought a new pair of skates. Then I hit public skating sessions to try to improve my skating. Since I couldn’t stop, I recruited my co-anchor Jill Valley, a figure skater, to teach me how to stop. (Thanks Jill!) Big Sky Specialized picked me up in the GHL draft and I started my first season of competitive ice hockey. It turned out to be a five-month stretch that none of us will ever forget. We had a unique group of guys who got along great and learned to play together as a team. We finished the season in a dicey best-of-3 championship series against our main rivals. In the end, I was named Rookie of the Year and my teammates also won MVP and other individual honors. ClickHERE to watch a video of the championship-clinching game.
Big Sky Specialized 2003-2004 Glacier Hockey League Champions
