Page 57 - Flathead Beacon // 7.8.15

MOUNTAIN EXPOSURE
OUTDOORS IN BRIEF
NORMAN MACLEAN FESTIVAL COMES TO SEELEY LAKE
There’s magic to Montana, and that sense of magic was captured exquisitely on the written page by the state’s native son and prized author Norman Maclean.
Best known for his novella, “A River Runs Through It,” Maclean is also lauded for his short stories and his hard-nosed investigation into the Mann Gulch fire of 1949, “Young Men and Fire.”
And it is with pride that a host of sponsors acknowledge that Maclean’s premier works were handwritten on the deck of his log cabin on the shores of Seeley Lake.
To honor and celebrate this heritage of the written word, the inau- gural “In The Footsteps of Norman Maclean Festival” will be held in Seeley Lake, near the Blackfoot River over the weekend of July 10-13.
Highlights include remarks by Gov. Steve Bullock, a keynote address by National Book Award winner Pete Dexter and a presentation by John Maclean, Norman’s son.
For more information and a full schedule, visit http://www.maclean- footsteps.com/
“EVENTUALLY, ALL THINGS MERGE INTO ONE, AND A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT.”
NORMAN MACLEAN, “A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT”
Going on an adventure? If you would like to be featured in “Mountain Exposure,” email information to [email protected].
OUT OF BOUNDS ROB BREEDING
FIREWORKS BAN JUST
THE BEGINNING HE FOURTH OF JULY HAS COME
concoction “guacamole.” Guacamole is made from avocados, period. Onions, gar- lic and chilies are allowed as part of the sup- porting cast, but the creamy green founda- tion must be avocado.
It’s a bit like mixing vodka and ver- mouth. The result may be a fine cocktail, but if it isn’t gin it isn’t a martini.
The fireworks confiscation was a bit of a shocker. I have been driving through Cali- fornia interstate check stations for decades, and can’t remember a time when the fluo- rescent-vested inspectors did little more than ask where I was traveling from. Usu- ally, they can’t wave vehicles through fast enough.
On that last trip down south, however, traffic backed up for miles. And when we approached the station we could see drivers opening their trunks to be inspected by the phalanx of armed guards on hand. I knew better than to draw attention to myself by rolling down my window and asking what all the fuss was about, but I got my answer once we were waved through. Just beyond the station was a large box truck filled to the brim with confiscated fireworks.
Too dry for avocados is apparently too dry for fireworks as well.
There have been scary signs closer to home. Hoot owl restrictions were imposed on the Bitterroot, Clark Fork and Black- foot rivers on July 2, the earliest date on record. The restrictions ban fishing after 2 p.m., when river temperatures climb to levels warm enough to kill released trout.
and gone. This year’s version was
devoid of the usual sparkle and flash, considering bans on private use of fireworks were enacted across west- ern Montana in the week before the holi- day. If you were playing with fireworks in your backyard this year, you were either breaking the law or you were somewhere far away from the Flathead.
The Flathead fireworks ban may have served as a sign the apocalypse is upon us for some. For others it was just the most recent indicator, enacted as it was just two days before the holiday, that the drought that has slammed much of the western United States is deeper, and something far more significant than just a bump in the weather.
Signs from elsewhere include The New York Times publishing a recipe for guaca- mole that substituted peas for avocados, and the armed guards confiscating fire- works at the California border when I vis- ited last week.
Most of the nation’s avocados are grown in groves covering the steep hillsides north of San Diego. Avocados require plenty of water and since the tree’s feeder roots are mostly near the surface and the groves tend to be in areas with quick draining soils made up of decomposed granite, keeping things wet enough for the fruit to thrive is tricky business.
Irrigation is a major cost for growers and some have been trying to save money by not providing extra watering for the groves. The result is fruit drop, shortages and higher prices.
I suppose you can make a nice dip for tortilla chips out of mushed peas, garlic and chili, and if your household includes folks who can’t eat avocados for one reason or another, then by all means track down the recipe and whip up a batch the next time you invite folks over on game day.
Just don’t make the mistake the news- paper of record made and label your
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Open to traditional and non-traditional educators. Teachers earn 6 OPI/PRI credits. Everyone leaves with an activity guide.
Registration forms can be found on the Flathead Conservation District’s website at:
www.flatheadcd.org
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(406) 752-4220
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The restrictions kick in when rivers and streams hit 72 degrees. That’s well beyond
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the comfort zone of native cutthroat and bull trout, and where things get dicey for introduced rainbows and bro5 w4: n8s.,62 rebm
I suppose an epic fire season is up next. We’ve already got one blaze on the North Fork. More are sure to follow, fireworks ban not withstanding. The ban makes sense, though it’s silly to think it will fix the prob- lem. Only rain will do that.
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JULY 8, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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