US is Dominating The 2010 Winter Olympics !

Thu 25 Feb 2010 4:26:04 AM GMT

I don't know why, but for some reason, I have really been interested in the Winter Olympics this year. It may be that I have finally reached thatt age where these kind of events are actually meaningful to me, or maybe it's because the United States is doing so well. Either way, I have really enjoyed watching as much of them as I can make time for. Especially this past week end when I watched the Curling events. Who would have thought that such a sport could be so captivating. I mean once I started paying attention to it, I couldn't get enough!

The medal count so far is US 28 overall with 7 Golds, 9 Silvers, and 12 Bronze. Germany is hot on our heels with 7 Golds, 10 Silvers, and 7 Bronze. We have seen some fantastic competition, and overall I believe this year's Olympics has been one for the record books. Considering they barely had enough snow to begin the event, I say that's pretty cool!

Well, I just want to wish all the atheletes the best of luck, and I hope that eveyone has enjoyed the Olympics this year!

Open Beaches & Trails

Sun 21 Feb 2010 3:51:59 PM GMT

In the past several years, we have seen a dramatic increase in the amount of "Public Lands" being closed to recreational uses in the name of "Environmental Protection" by "Extremist Environmental Groups" whose only real goal is to "Lock Up" our public lands, and exclude all but the most basic of recreational activities.

Here in Northern California, outdoor recreationalists are being methodically "erradicated" from our own back yards. The beaches and other public lands that have traditionally been available to us for recreational activities such as Horseback Riding and Off Road Vehicle Riding and Driving are being closed to these activities, because the "Voice Of The General Public" is mistakenly being misrepresented by groups of individuals and organizations whose careers are focused on these issues, and as such, are in attendance at all of the supposed "Public Meetings" to let their voices be heard. And we all know that "the squeaky wheel always gets the grease". So, while the "real majority" of the public is busy with "real life issues" like holding down a job, raising a family and basically making the world go 'round, these "career environmentalists" are working diligently at being heard at these public meetings.

And the situation is getting worse by the day! Because if these extremist groups continue to be allowed to "dictate" what "they believe" to be "acceptable" activities, before we know it, we will all be LEFT WITH NOWHERE TO RECREATE!

We have a right, a means and a downright responsibillity to be heard! And it doesn't take a lot of effort to let your local Supervisors and other governing officials know where you stand. With the ease of clicking a link on a website, signing a pettition, or sending an email, we can make a difference, and doing so can at least assure that your opinions are documented and considered by those whose responsibillity is to act on behalf of the "General Public".

Currently, Humboldt County is facing further restrictions being placed on activities at Clam Beach and Samoa Dunes Recration Areas. Right now would be a great time for all of us concerned with these issues to present our two cents worth! Below is a list of District Supervisors who would love to hear your opinions. Send them an email, a letter, or a voicemail. Here is a link to where you can electronically sign the "OPEN BEACHES AND TRAILS" Pettition to show your support in keeping our "PUBLIC LANDS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC".

Contact Your District Supervisors:

Jimmy Smith District 1
- email: jrsmith@co.humboldt.ca.us
- Phone: (707) 476-2391

Cliff Clendenin District 2
- Email: cclendenin@co.humboldt.ca.us
- Phone: (707) 476-2392

Mark Lovelace District 3
- Email: mlovelace@co.humboldt.ca.us
- Phone: (707) 476-2393

Bonnie Neely District 4
- Email: bonnie.neely@co.humboldt.ca.us
- phone: (707) 476-2394

Jill Duffy District 5
- Email: jduffy@co.humboldt.ca.us
- Phone: (707) 476-2395

Admin

Thu 11 Feb 2010 5:42:06 PM GMT

Okay, a couple of things on my mind today: First, I am happy to announce that I have arranged to offer Horse Tack & Supplies on Nor Cal Outdoor. I have added a banner on the home page for now that will get you to the website where you'll find some great deals on all your horse tack and supply needs.

Second, I mentioned to someone (majoring in Environental Studies) who was looking for a subject for their college thesis the other day that they should pursue a process of eliminating the paper waste generated from those really long receipts we get at stores like Safeway, K-Mart, Wal-Mart and others. At first, it was kind of as a joke, but the more I think about it, the more I feel that something should be done to at least reduce the waste of our natural resources for such things, because frankly, they are sometimes 2 feet long with a bunch of coupons(which are rarely used) and other printed material (wasted ink) on them and to be honest, I don't think a lot of people even read those receipts anyway!

I mean with online banking so easy to do these days, and technology available to easily verify and track your purchases, there's really no reason for them unless you request it. So I am proposing that we spread the word about this and see if we can get something started that will put these stores on notice that with all the opportunity to go "Green" these days, reducing a huge waste at the register is a great idea and would save a lot of trees as well as reduce the amount of paper that is thrown in the garbage can. It would also be a good thing in the consumers mind too to know that these stores are concerned enough about the environment to make the changes.

If you read this, and have a comment or suggestion, I'd love to hear it! Have A Great Day!!!

Administrator

Mon 8 Feb 2010 4:15:14 PM GMT

Well, the Saints won yesterday, and I am happy for them. We all had a great time watching the game and enjoyed some of the new commercials. All in all, a good Superbowl Sunday

Thu 4 Feb 2010 8:15:30 PM GMT

Tell Us About Your Experiences Backpacking & Camping In Humboldt County

I was doing some research on some of the backpacking & camping opportunities in Humboldt County, and I thought it might be cool if visitors could have an easy way to share experiences with us. So here it is! A blog spot where anyone can post their two (or three) cents worth. Feel free to add a post about some of the places you really like to go camping or backpacking in Humboldt County.

Six More Weeks of WInter

Thu 4 Feb 2010 3:00:46 PM GMT

We Need More Snow In Them Thar Hills!

The Gopher came out and saw his shadow this past week, and now we're looking at another six weeks of winter. A lot of people might not be too thrilled about that, but I think that it's got some positive aspects to it myself. It means we could get more storms to dump more snow in the mountains, which we all know is a good thing (think snowboarding 'til april or early may), and it means more run-off into our water storage resevoirs, rivers, lakes and streams (which makes for better spring time fishing and fish spawning conditions too!).

So as much as everyone might be ready for the sun to come out, another six weeks of winter could have many benefits that will make all of our lives better in the long run. The key is to get through it with a positive outlook and know that when it is all over, we'll all appreciate it even more when it does finally decide to warm up! I say: Get out there and make the best of it, and look forward to having great adventures come Snow or High Water!

Fishing For Some Feedback From My Visitors

Sat 30 Jan 2010 5:14:09 PM GMT

I would like to ask a HUUUGE little favor of all my Wonderful, Friendly and Generous visitors. It's nothing too difficult, requires only a few a moments of your time and will be of great help to me in my effort to continue improving the usefulness of the Nor Cal Outdoor Website for all my Wonderful, Friendly, -and did I mention Generous?, visitors.

So here it is... If you're reading this post, and have a few moments to help me out, I'd like you to visit a few pages within this site, then come back here tell me something you liked, tell me something you didn't like, and if you feel the need, tell me something you'd like to see here. Tell me something about yourself (like what's your favorite outdoor activity for instance), and then last, but not least, I'd like you to go to the "Contact Us" page and fill out the "short" reply form just to let me know you were here.

Now, I promise you that your email is completely safe with me and your address won't be given out to anyone else, I won't start sending you a bunch of emails trying to get you to buy anything, and I won't spam you. If you don't want to ever receive any other contact from me, just say so in your email and I wont ever send you anything you don't ask for.

I appreciate your valuable input and maybe some day I can return the favor to you, But for now, all I can offer is a sincere THANK YOU for having an interest and taking the time in helping me make Nor Cal Outdoor A Better Place to Visit!

Some People Get To Have All The Fun!

Thu 28 Jan 2010 10:32:06 PM GMT

So it's Thursday. A day when "most" people would be at work, going to school, or if you're like me, slaving away trying to get something accomplished that might make a difference in your life. But "some people" are out having a great time doing something really fun like "SNOWBOARDING!

I just got off the phone with my oldest son Bert, who is "One of Those People" who is up at Mount shasta Board & Ski Park enjoying some of the best conditions they've ever had. He sent me these pictures to put up on my website.

Mt. Shasta Board & Ski Park Re-opens After Almost A Week Without Power

Tue 26 Jan 2010 1:47:20 PM GMT

Mount Shasta Is Back In Business After Getting Hammered!

Snowboard Parks rely upon winter storms to bring the white stuff to their mountains. And they all got exactly what they wanted this past week. In fact, Mount Shasta may have gotten a little "too much too fast". The storms that came through hit the area so hard it dumped around 8 to 10 feet of fresh white powder, & knocked out power for severeal days. PG&E Crews have been working their tails off to get everyone back on line, and Mount Shasta is up and running.

It's a bummer that with the power being knocked out, a lot of peple were denied the opportunity to experience the thrill of thrashishing up the mountain on some of the best snow we've had in years, but it looks like they will have plenty of snow to go around!

The weather forecast looks promising for a great week-end, so grab your Board and head on up for some of the best conditions we have seen in years! Have a great time, and keep an eye on my kids for me because they will more than likely be up there slashin' it up while I am stuck here in Humboldt keeping the home fires burning.

You could do me a favor though... Since I wont be able to, and you will probably will, take some cool pictures while you are there, and maybe when you get back you could drop a few in an email and let me post them here at Nor Cal Outdoor.

Click This Link To Send Me Pictures Of Your Snowboarding & Skiing Adventures

Here's the weather forecast for the next 7 days taken from the NOAA Website

Today: Snow showers, mainly before 10am. Temperature rising to near 33 by noon, then falling to around 23 during the remainder of the day. South wind between 5 and 8 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
Tonight: A 20 percent chance of snow showers before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21. North northeast wind between 6 and 9 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. Northeast wind around 6 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 25. Light east northeast wind.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 43. Southeast wind between 3 and 6 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 36. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
Friday Night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24.
Saturday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37.
Saturday Night: A slight chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25.
Sunday: A slight chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35.

Following Up On New Year Resolutions - An Update

Sat 23 Jan 2010 6:48:07 PM GMT

I made a public statement about commiting to some new year resolutions this week, and I wanted to give you a quick update. So far I am making progress towards accomplishing at least a couple of my goals.

One of them is posting on this blog at least twice a week. This is my third post this week!

Another is committing to working harder at getting things done on this website. Check out the Humboldt County Adventures page, where I have started adding a bunch of links for you to connect with local resources for Outdoor Activities in Northern California. This is just a start and I have a lot more to do, but it will get there. I ultimately plan on making these pages THE PLACE TO GET ALL YOU NEED FOR YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES!

I am not really interested in blogging too much on the products I make available on my website, because to me that would seem to be too much of a sales pitch strategy that everyone is doing these days. Don't get me wrong, if I find something I really think will benefit my visitors, I'll definitely share that knowledge with you, but that is not going to be my focus.

What I really want to focus on is providing you, my special guest and hopefully frequent visitor, with some insight as to who I am, what I am all about and general topics that I think you might find interesting. Like the fact that most people don't follow through on promises they make to themselves and that by not doing so, they are missing out on all the benefits they could receive if they just stuck to it. It's hard to make yourself do something that takes effort, but it's not that hard. It just takes some effort to be concious about what you want out of life. If you want something, you have to go after it. It is not going to magically just appear for you (well, maybe sometimes it does, but not very often)!

So I have been trying to make concious efforts to achieve some of my goals this past week, and I believe I am getting more accomplished because of my efforts. It really hasn't been that hard. I have managed to actually post more to this blog this week than I have in the past six months, I have started allocating specific blocks of time to work on specific tasks that I have been neglecting, and believe it or not, I have found myself using my time more effectively. This may not seem too important to some people, but I think it is important to procrastinators like myself, because it is really too easy to put things off for another day, and that's not going to work well for me anymore.

So what does all this rambling have to do with anything pertaining to this website, or what benefit are you going to get from reading this?

Well, for one it is my intention to use this strategy to get a lot more useful information placed on this website so that my visitors can get the benefits that they are looking for when they come here.

Another is that it might inspire some people to try a little harder to fulfill their own promises to themselves. Which could lead to a much better life experience for them.

And last, but not least, talking publicly about working harder at making "my" life better may result in actually doing more to make it happen for myself, and possibly you too!

So if you have managed to read through this, do yourself a favor and give some thought to working harder at fulfilling your promises to yourself, and see what happens next. I'd love to hear about some of your accomplishments.

As always, feel free to comment on my post if you want. Just do me a favor and keep the spam for someone else, because I will be checking here regularly and will delete messages that are not appropriate for this site.

How Ironic Is That?!!

Thu 21 Jan 2010 1:50:11 PM GMT

Yesterday I talked about how great it was to finally see some serious winter weather and all the new snow piling up on the slopes of every Snowboard Park & Ski Resort in Northern California. Well wouldn't you know it, Mt. Shasta Board & Ski Park had to close down because....... wait for it......... They are getting TOO MUCH SNOW (6 feet of it since Monday)!! Now that is really funny. They are going to be closed again today, but they assured us they were planning to open back up by Friday, so the weekend should be the best of the season so far. It's gonna be GREAT UP THERE!

Finally Getting Some Much Needed Snow On The Slopes!!

Wed 20 Jan 2010 2:27:46 PM GMT

Well it's about time!! We are experiencing a series of winter storms here in Northern California that are dumping a ton of snow on the slopes that will make for a great weekend to head up on the hill for some Awesome Snowboarding Adventure! Mount Shasta Board & Ski Park got over two feet of the white stuff in the past couple of days and promises to get even more by the weekend. If you're planning to head up there, drive safe and have a great time!

Come back and let us know all about it. In fact, you could send us some pictures of your trip if you want to (just go here to find out how). We could use some fresh pictures!

Need some new Snowboarding Gear? We can hook you up with everything you need Just click right here for Snowboards, Boots, Bindings, a great selection of Snowboarding Jackets and Accessories.

A New Years' Challenge to Myself and Anyone Who Wants To Make 2010 A Better Year Than 2009!

Sun 17 Jan 2010 7:59:00 PM GMT

So here we are, halfway through the first month of 2010, and I have yet to commit to any of my "New Years' Resolutions". It's sad, but true, that most people (about 90% or greater) never realize the benefits that they could have experienced if they had actually fulfilled the promises they made to themselves to do something different this year. Be it dieting to lose some of those extra holiday season pounds, eating healthier, quitting a bad habit or what ever. New year resolutions, if followed can change your life! But rarely do they ever become a reality, or the beginning of a new you, or a new habit meant to improve your life.

Even if the odds are against me to actually accomplish all of my new year resolutions, I think it is better to at least consider some things I would like to change about myself, and at least make an attempt to see them through than to just sit back & resolve to not do anything different at all!

So, I am going to publicly announce my new years resolutions here as motivation to try harder this year to change a few things in my life that will improve my health, enjoyment, and possibly even open a few new doors for me to enter. Here they are:

I resolve to eating healthy meals more often, and to try and eliminate some of the "Junk Food" habits I have formed over the past few years.
I resolve to get outdoors more often this year and enjoy my love for Abalone Diving, Fishing, Hunting, Camping, and Four Wheeling in my Jeep, as well as many other outdoor activities.
I resolve to get more exercise so that I can do alll of those things without killing myself from exhaustion!
I resolve to work harder at accomplishing the goals I have set for developing the Nor Cal Outdoor Website into a true value resource for outdoor enthusiasts.
I resolve to add at least two new posts to the Nor Cal Outdoor Blog each week (even if it is just to let everyone know I am still around).

If I can follow through on 3 out of 5 of the above, I am convinced that 2010 will be a great year! I invite your comments, and challenge you to publicly announce some of your own resolutions here. Gear Up For Adventure!!

YOU GOTTA TRY THIS GAME!

Sun 3 Jan 2010 11:44:34 PM GMT

I got the best fishing game I've ever played for Christmas & I thought I'd share my enthusiasm about it with you. It's called "The Strike" from Bass Pro Shops, and I tell you what, once I started playing it, it was hard to put down!

It has really good graphics, fairly easy to figure out and best of all, it has a Rod & Reel that add a reallity that makes you feel just like you are out on the lake. You cast it like you would a real rod, you reel just like you would a real reel, and when a fish hits the lure you set the hook just like you would in reallity! The technology in this set up even makes it feel like you have a fish on!

I'm not ranting about this game because I happen to promote Bass pro Shops stuff either. In fact I had no idea it existed until I saw it at Target and told my wife that that's the only thing I wanted for Christmas and she got it for me (at Target). But once I played the game and realized how great it was, I figured I'd go ahead and start promoting it here on Nor Cal Outdoor Supply. So heres a link to the page it's on - Go check it out, and if you happen to purchase it through my website, you'll be helping me earn a little for my promotional efforts. Thanks!

The Strike Fishing Game

Gearing Up For Adventure

Fri 17 Jul 2009 8:31:59 PM GMT

I am getting myself back in shape so that I can get out and do some of the stuff I like to do more often. Started an exercise routine and already feeling better about myself.

Give Me Something To Talk About

Mon 15 Jun 2009 1:39:32 AM GMT

You can leave comments, start a discussion, or ask a question here. Been out having fun in the outdoors lately? Tried out some new gear? Let's discuss it.

Greeting from Starwel Group, LLC

Wed 28 Dec 2005 7:00:00 AM GMT