Sawtooth National Recreation Area

Here are some pictures from my trip to Sawtooth NRA, July 11-13, 2011.

East side of Galena Summit. I think this is Silver Creek?

Highway 75 over Galena Summit:

Cheeky golden-mantled ground squirrels at the scenic overlook near the summit:

At work:

My guess is wolves. The bone was still pink:

Some scenic shots:

Redfish Creek:

Little Redfish Lake:

Sunrise from Stanley, Idaho:

The Salmon River is just a wee thing at the top of the valley:

Looking upstream towards Salmon River headwaters. I want to go exploring!

The Miracle of Mountain Goats

As I was driving back to Utah from the Sawtooth NRA, I happened to pass a sign just past Galena Summit on Highway 75 outside of Ketchum, ID. The sign said, "Billy's Bridge...Goat Viewing Area". I whipped past the sign, barely having time to read it. As what it said registered, I had a moment of hesitation. Should I turn around and go back and see what it was? Yes, I decided, yes, I should. I have never seen mountain goats in the wild.

It took about a mile for me to find a place to safely turn around, and my typical resistance to backtracking was tugging at me, but I was firm with myself. Who knows when I will make it back this way? I drove back, and pulled into the Billy's Bridge turnout.  I took a trail down the hill through the trees. It ended at a platform perched just out of the trees on a hill over a meadow. The platform had a bench, two spotting scopes, and a sign with information about mountain goats.

I looked up at the sheer sides of the mountains across the valley. There was still patches of snow clinging to the mountains. I pulled out my binoculars and started scanning the cliffs for mountain goats. I started out low, where the trees meet the cliffs, because that looked like a reasonable place for an animal to be grazing. There was nothing there, so I started looking up the cliffsides, to the impossible places. My binoculars slipped pass 4 small white dots. Are those mountain goats, or a little patch of snow? I re-focused and braced my arms on the platform railing to steady my binoculars. One of the little spots moved. Mountain goats are animals of impossible places.

I went to one of the spotting scopes on the platform and aimed it at the mountain goats. With the spotting scope, I was able to see that it was two mother goats with two babies, all four grazing midway down a sheer side of the mountain. On a cliff! Not on the edge of a cliff but half way down, in the middle of a cliff face. Grazing! What tiny little alpine plants grow at that altitude? How do the goats graze on a cliff? The babies can only be a few months old, and yet they are walking on an invisible ledge halfway down a cliff like I can walk across a meadow. How do they survive year-round in such a rocky, impossible place?

I came to the conclusion that mountain goats are miracles.

I have read about them, I have seen pictures of them, but where and how they live never really registered with me until I saw them myself. I watched for several minutes all four goats making their way around their impossible place, moving up and down the cliff face, stopping to graze on the tiny plants able to grow at that altitude. Seeing these miracles filled me with joy. I laughed out loud, and was answered with a snort from a deer in the meadow, who then bounded leisurely off into the trees at the edge of the meadow.

As I continued on my drive back home to Utah, I couldn't help but wonder how many more miracles are out there in our life every day, if we just stop long enough to observe them.

My new favorite snack: Spicy BBQ Sweet Potato Chips

While I was searching online for recipes to make kale chips, I stumbled upon several recipes for making sweet potato chips.  Since I had a few sweet potatoes in the pantry, I decided to try to make some chips in the dehydrator.  I took recipes from several sites online, and tweaked them to do my own thing. I was very surprised at how well they turned out. In fact, I had to send Greg back to the store for more sweet potatoes, because we were gobbling up the chips and I need them for snacking in the field next week.  In case anyone else wants to try them, I am including my recipe below. Just a word of warning, however. I generally don't measure, so my directions and measurements are not precise. This can drive engineer-types crazy (just ask Greg), but this is how my biologist mind works. As long as it falls within the range of natural variability, it is just fine to my way of thinking. The directions below are as precise as I could make them.

Spicy BBQ Sweet Potato Chips

• Sweet potatoes--I used both white and orange (I know these probably have official names, but I don't know what they are.
• Olive Oil--I used a good extra virgin from California, but I am sure you could use whatever you want
• Salt--hickory smoked if you can find it. 
• Honey
• BBQ powder (recipe below)

BBQ Powder

Ratio of:

• 1.5 Chipotle chili powder
• .5 Hot paprika or cayenne
• 1 Sweet paprika
• 1 Onion powder
• .5 Garlic powder
• 1 Cumin

I used a ratio which is why there are no measurements above. You can use however much you need (teaspoons, tablespoons, ounces, or cups) just keep the ratio about the same. For instance in my first small batch of potatoes, I used teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons chili powder, .5 teaspoon hot paprika, 1 tsp sweet paprika, etc).  My second batch of potatoes was much larger, so I used tablespoons (1.5 tablespoons chili powder, .5 tablespoon hot paprika, 1 tbsp sweet paprika, etc.).  How much you need for the sweet potato chips depends on how big a batch you are dehydrating and how spicy you like your chips.  Using teaspoons for measurement gave me enough bbq powder for 1 dehydrator's worth of potatoes (Nesco American Snackmaster Dehydrator with 7 trays, or 5 sweet potatoes about 6-8 inches in length and 2 inches in diameter).

Thoroughly mix the powders together. I found that a mortar and pestle worked well to get the lumps all out of the mixture, but a spoon and bowl will work too.

Back to the Spicy BBQ Sweet Potato Chips:

In my first batch, as mentioned above, I used 5 sweet potatoes, about 6-8 inches in length and 2 inches in diameter. This completely filled my dehydrator with 7 trays.  When looking for good chip potatoes, it makes it easier if you find potatoes that have a consistent diameter as much as possible.  

I sliced the potatoes thin using a mandoline. On my mandoline the thinnest slice is about 1/8 inch, which seemed to work well.

After slicing the potatoes, I worked in smaller batches to season them before putting them on the dehydrator trays. I first drizzle the potatoes with olive oil, enough to coat them. I gently toss the potatoes to evenly coat them. You have to be gentle or you will break the slices.  I use my hands to toss, because it makes it easier to make sure all the slices are getting coated. After the oil, I sprinkle with salt. Again, if you can find hickory smoked salt, it adds a lot of flavor to the chips.

Again, gently toss the slices to get the salt evenly distributed. I then drizzle the slices with honey, enough to coat (usually one or two teaspoons? I didn't measure and I used honey drizzler, so I honestly have no idea). I then toss the slices again to coat. Add the bbq powder, about a teaspoon or so, and toss some more to coat. You can always taste a chip to see if it is spicy enough. If not, add more powder. Just keep in mind that the flavor will intensify some while dehydrating. Then place the slices on the dehydrator trays.

Dehydrate the chips at about 125 degrees F until they are crispy. In Utah during thunderstorms with humidity in the air, with 7 trays in the dehydrator, it took about 6 hours.  Take the chips off the trays when they are done, and let them cool. They will crisp up more as they cool. Put in an airtight container and enjoy!

Getting ready to finally spend some work time in the woods

If you are a biologist, especially a field biologist, the problem with moving up in your career is that it often means you spend less time doing what you love (being in the field) and end up spending more time in the office.  I am lucky in that I love my job. I get to make a positive difference for aquatic resources, and I still get to go to the field. If it isn't as often as I like, I at least get to go to beautiful places.

Next week I am traveling to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, which I can't wait to see. I have not been out in the field for work since October.  It was a long, long winter in cubicle world. So getting out  to the Sawtooth NRA makes me positively giddy.  But I need to spend this weekend dusting off my field gear, getting food together, and finding everything I need.

When I worked temporary biologist jobs, I was in the field every day. There are lots of little things you can take with you when you work in the woods to make yourself safe and to make the day go smoother. Tick tweezers, for instance, as well as a knife, compass, radio, some way to make fire in case I get stuck out there, headlamp in case it takes longer to get back than expected. As a biologist, there are also pieces of equipment that you take that aren't necessarily part of the job for that day, but that you feel you have to have just in case. I used to carry a tub of plaster of Paris so I could take castings of animal tracks. I carry binoculars to watch birds, even though I am a fish biologist. I always carry a net, vials, and whirl paks, because I never know what I might find and want to collect.   It is always when I leave something at home or forget it that I wish I had it. It was easy to have everything ready to go when I was working in the field everyday. I just replaced whatever I had used that day, if anything, and set my field vest and backpack out by the door so it was ready to go at o'dark thirty the next day.  Now my stuff is scattered, and I am all out of practice.  Finding my stuff now will be like a scavenger hunt.

I also have to get some field food ready. Because I will be traveling over 6 hours to get to the Sawtooth NRA, my options for carry along food are more limited.  So I will also be breaking out the dehydrator this weekend to make some snacks. I am going to try making sweet potato chips and kale chips, which I haven't made before. If I had more time, I would make jerky. I am in Utah, and as dry as it is here, the dehydrating times may be shorter than I am used to, so maybe I can get some jerky made. I have a case of Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna Bars, which are my favorite energy bar. I just wish there was a Trader Joe's nearby so I could stock up on dried fruits and nuts.

So part of this weekend will be spent dedicated to getting ready for work next week, but that is okay because work next week will be out in the field, which is why I got into this career in the first place. I am looking forward to seeing the Sawtooth range in its spring glory, the Salmon River roaring with snowmelt, and all the unexpected treasures one can find in the great outdoors if one is paying attention.

To iPhone or not to iPhone? That is the question.

Lately, I have been considering whether to get an iPhone. To be perfectly honest, I already have an iPhone; it just isn't hooked into a phone system, so it is functionally an iPod Touch. I have 3 other iPods, and I love them. I know if I dive into the smartphone world, it will be with an iPhone. So I guess the real question is should I upgrade to a smartphone?

So far I have resisted for a number of reasons.

Reason #1: I am really, really hard on phones. My current cell phone has been accidentally submerged at least 6 times, twice in the toilet, once in a mug of coffee, and in multiple mud puddles. It has survived every submersion by my quickly ejecting the battery and completely drying the phone. Somehow, I don't think an  iPhone would fare so well.

Reason #2: I already pay a lot for my cell phone, and I don't want to pay for a data plan on top of that.

Reason #3: My current cell phone works great (except the camera is broken), and I am used to how it works. If I get a new phone, I have to relearn all the features and re-program all the phone numbers.

Reason #4: If I get an iPhone now, Apple will release a new version next month, and I will have wished I had waited.

Reason #5: I am a bit afraid of how much I might like having the internet at my fingertips most of the time. And that is probably the biggest reason of all.  What if I become one of those people who becomes so attached to technology and the internet, I have a tough time leaving my phone behind?

So I think I will resist upgrading for now. But who knows how long I will last?

An adventure in French macarons

While we were in Paris, Greg bought a wonderful sampler of French macarons (although I don't think he meant to...but that is another story).  These cookies, not to be confused with coconut macaroons, are these little, melt-in-your-mouth wonder cookies made of meringue.  I had never had or seen cookies like them, but they were oh so tasty. Last weekend, I decided that I was going to try making them myself.

I consulted the Fount of Knowledge (a.k.a The Internet), and found a recipe by David Lebovitz on his blog. I decided to use his recipe for chocolate macarons, and vary it to try a couple of other flavors (plain and matcha green tea). The recipe is very simple: powdered sugar, cocoa, almond meal, and meringue.  However, I discovered that while the ingredients are simple, the execution to ideal macaron is not.

My green tea and chocolate cookies waiting for the oven. You are supposed to let the cookies sit for a bit before they cook.

The first batch I baked was the chocolate cookies. I thought I had beaten the meringue too much, and I was worried that they wouldn't turn out.  Although the tops aren't as smooth as the cookies we had in Paris, the cookies rose like they were supposed to, and developed a foot.  Woohoo! Mostly success on the first try!

It was then time for the matcha green tea cookies.  I was trying to match the pictures on the different recipes I saw where the cookie dough was smoother than what I had for the chocolate cookies. So   I didn't beat the eggs nearly as hard as I did for the chocolate cookies.  Halfway through the baking, I knew something was wrong. These cookies did not rise and develop a foot. They just kinda flattened out. Drat! Maybe I really needed to beat the meringue a lot more, just like I did for the chocolate ones. These maca-wrongs still smelled delicious though.

While the last batch of plain macarons was baking, I prepared the ganache for the cookie filling.  I sure miss Trader Joe's! (Good thing I have several of these chocolate bars stashed away).

I checked on the last batch of cookies, and egads! Maca-very very wrongs! I don't know what the heck happened here.  I guess that is what happens when I get cocky with success. These cookies didn't rise, they just sorta oozed together (although I did get really nice smooth tops).

I took the ganache and sandwiched cookies together.  The chocolate cookies look like French macarons are supposed to look--like little cookie hamburgers, and they melted in my mouth like the Paris cookies did. The matcha maca-wrongs don't look right, but they tasted wonderful and also melted in my mouth.  The maca-very very wrongs tasted very very good and were broken into pieces to be enjoyed (and dipped in the still warm ganache).

I read on one of the recipe blogs that the filling in macarons is never supposed to spill out the sides, but I just couldn't resist putting in extra ganache, so I got spillage.

It was a lot of fun to try to make something in my kitchen that I first tasted half a world away, even if it wasn't a complete success. I guess I will just have to try it again. And again. And again, until I get it right. Somehow perfecting cookies doesn't seem like the chore perfecting other things can be.

The value of travel: reflections on the flight home

The flight home was ten hours.  I had the computer under the seat, ready for my grand plan of blogging during the flight, but I was exhausted and the words would just not come.

But at the end of the flight, as we descended towards Los Angeles, I saw the man in front of me pull out a guidebook to California.  I could see his excitement as he eagerly awaited the plane to touch down, so he could start his travel adventure. It reminded me of my excitement nearly three weeks earlier, as the plane descended towards Heathrow and the start of my first trip out of America. Seeing this man with his guidebook on my home state, which I love and know intimately, made me think.

The value of travel is that it allows you to see with new eyes the wonders of where you live every day.

I read yesterday how the State of California, for the first time, is shutting down 70 state parks. I have spent time at many of those parks. Two of them are ones I always meant to visit, but I never took the time to see even though I was living right next to them.  I just figured there would be plenty of time to see them later, but now I may never get to see them.  This serves as yet another reminder to take the time to see where I am now, because I never know if I will get another chance.

This is the real lesson of my trip--to take time enjoy and savor every moment wherever I am and see with new eyes those things I take for granted.

Last day in London, British Museum

April 16, 2011

We had one full day in London before we flew home, so I agonized on how to spend it, since there was so much left to see.  I decided that I really wanted to go to the British Museum.  Just a couple of tube stops past the stop for the British Museum is King's Cross Station.  Greg decided we should go see it, since I enjoyed the Harry Potter books and wanted to see Platform 9 3/4.

King's Cross is undergoing a massive restoration, including Platforms 9 and 10:

Try as I might, I couldn't make it to the Hogwart's Express:

I just loved this giant Underground sign at King's Cross.

After all our fooling around, we made it to the British Museum. The first thing I wanted to see was the Rosetta Stone.

After that, I wanted to see the Elgin Marbles.  The Elgin Marbles, the controversy surrounding them, and my reaction to the both the beauty of the sculptures and the context of their display could fill pages, so I think I will post my thoughts on them in another post.  

I was fascinated by the fact that even the marble steps in the museum are filled with fossils. Most people don't even notice they are there, and were no doubt wondering why I kept exclaiming in delight and pointing at the floor.

The Gayer-Anderson Cat:

Fly fishing in ancient times:

Mummified fish and other animals:

There was so much to see here. I wish we would have had days rather than hours.

If I ever become a millionaire, I am going to have a library that looks like this:

I wanted to pick up some more tea from Harrod's, but visiting Harrod's on a Saturday is like visiting a Walmart on the day after Thanksgiving.  Instead, we enjoyed this view of Harrod's from an outdoor cafe where we had dinner.

It was time to go back to the hotel and pack. Our flight was the next day and the trip was at an end. I was ready to go home, but there is so much more that I want to see and do. 

Street signs in Madrid

Street signs in old Madrid are made of tiles and the pictures depict what the street was for or what the street name means. For instance, the street below is "Street of Embroiders".

I never thought about street sign placement before I went to Europe.  I am used to how we do it here, and never thought about how it might be different elsewhere.  I had to get used to looking up at the buildings on the corners to find the street signs, rather than looking for a signpost on the corner.

I enjoyed looking at the street signs in Madrid and puzzling over what they meant. I hope you enjoy seeing the pictures of them as well.