Wildflower/Rocks/Nature All in One Hike!

Cowboy John again.

New friends. Joann and Steve, hiked in the Ruby Mountains with us this summer.

They stayed in JoeAnna Peak’s cozy Guest House in Lamoille (check “Links” on our web page for JoeAnna), and walked just down the street for dinner at the Pine Lodge and breakfast at O’Carrolls. Idyllic Lamoille: Tiffany windows in the vintage church, and deer in the meadow with a snow-capped Ruby Mountain backdrop.

See pictures! Read the story!

Help Redirect Hurricane Rita!

Dear Readers of Cowboy John's Blog,
Joe Vitale's newsletter seemed so timely so I'm
forwarding it in it's entirety.
It is a little long but worth reading enough
that I thought of you.
Instead of watching news, quaking in fear
here's an approach to counter the negativity.
Hope you enjoy.
Janice

Help Me Stop Rita

by Dr. Joe Vitale

As I type these words, people in Houston
are scrambling to leave the city.

The Mayor has urged many to evacuate.

The next hurricane, Rita, is bigger and badder
than Katrina, and it's headed this way.

Yes, our area is in the path of the hurricane,
too.

With luck, by the time it hits mainland Texas,
it will have dropped from a category 5 to a
category 1 hurricane. We're stocking up on
supplies, like everyone else.

While the world is still reeling from the effects
of Katrina, we're now bracing for something
that could be just as bad, or worse.

As I listen to the news, and watch people, the
key word that everyone says or seems to
breathe is "victim."

We're victims of storms.

We're victims of chance.

We're victims of a poorly run government.

We're victims of gas prices, gas shortages,
inflation, recession, taxes, wars, and now --
the worst of all -- Mother Nature.

I'm going to say something unusual. It may
upset some people. I'm hoping it will inspire
you. Here goes:

You have more power than you think.

While you may not want to stand in the path
of Rita, you don't have to cower under the bed.

As odd as it may sound, I believe that if enough
of us think positive, we can create a counter
storm of sorts. We can protect ourselves and
our loved ones with our thoughts.

I've described and proved this with the research
in the back of my book, "The Attractor Factor."
Nineteen studies *proved* that when a large
group of people hold positive intentions,
those intentions radiate out and become reality.

No, I'm not saying ignore the storm warnings. I'm
saying don't get caught up in the fear that the
warnings often trigger.

Look. If you think the storm will get you, then
it's already gotten you. You're living in fear.
Your life is dark, gloomy and in a cage. The
media is flawless at whipping us into fear.

So I suggest ignoring the media. It's not
information, it's propaganda. It gets large
groups of people to think negative, which
of course then becomes reality.

Why can't we do the opposite?

Why can't we get large groups of people
to think positive?

At this very moment, as I type this and you
read this, all is well.

Isn't it?

Aren't you ok?

Aren't you feeling fine right now?

Yes, be sure to have batteries and water
and supplies.

But also check the storehouse in your mind.

Are you living in fear, or living in trust?

Are you focused on the negative, or are
you doing something to create a positive?

We are all, always, at choice.

My plea is that the readers of my ezine --
you -- will stop, breathe, and focus; pray,
or in some positive way send out an energy
that will help dissolve the fear in and around us.

I'm asking you to do this on Saturday, the day
Rita is scheduled to visit Texas.

As I was finishing this article, UPS delivered
two books to me. Both are timely and worth
mentioning.

"Unconditional Bliss" says you can find
happiness in the face of hardship.

I think this is relevant. While the media is
making us shake in our boots, we can
choose to take care of ourselves and
others *while* remaining happy.

Happiness is a choice.

The other book looks just as fascinating.
It's "Megatrends 2010" by Pat Aburdene.

To my surpirse (and delight), the book
declares that the future will be more
focused on spirit.

Well, let's create the future right now.

Let's focus on spirit.

What I'm asking you to do is be happy,
right now. Smile. Send that loving energy
out, in the direction of Texas. Intend for
all to be well, for, in reality, all is well.

In fact, pretend you are the eye of the
hurricane. That's the center where all
is at peace. *Be* that peace and send
that peace from the eye to the hurricane
itself, imagining it dropping in intensity.

We can make a difference.

It begins with you.

What will you choose to think?

*********************************************************
Dr. Joe Vitale is the author of way too many books
to list here. His latest title is "The Attractor
Factor: 5 Easy Steps for Creating Wealth
(or anything else) From the Inside Out." It's in
all book stores and available from Amazon, too.
Register for Dr. Vitale's complimentary ezine
at http://www.mrfire.com See his Katrina drive
at http://www.OperationSuperHero.com

*********************************************************
Copyright © 2005 by Joe Vitale. All rights
reserved. You may forward this in its entirety
to anyone you wish.

**********************************************************
Hypnotic Marketing Inc.
121 Canyon Gap Rd
Wimberley TX 78676

Member BBB Online 2005

Einstein Was Right!

Hello again. More from Cowboy John Tours.

Einstein was right. Time is relative.
Every adult knows time moves more rapidly for grown-ups
than for kids.

Summer stretched forever when I was a kid. Biking to
the sandpit in Weiser with friends, sandwich in a bag,
crawling through sticky junipers in the hedge that ran
all the way around our house, running through the sprinkler
on hot Idaho days. Leaf houses in the fall under the Queen
Anne cherry tree.

We planned nothing ahead of time, just plunged into the day.
All we cared about was what we were doing right then, in that moment.

Today, my speed-bullet summer is used up before I get to it.
Mostly I live in the future, obsessing over grass-clogged
flowerbeds, neglected grapevines, the turbulent pile on my
desk, and a dusty living room.

I recall walks in the mountains, though, when time was
irrelevant because I was occupied with flowers, fluffy
clouds, twisted mahogany trees, and moss embracing a wet
rock—details in the present.

We hiked this summer a lot, just John and me and the dog,
but I remember a particular walk with Joann and Steve from Reno.

The goal was Lamoille Lake. Our feet kept pace with our
talking, and before any of us knew we had passed the lake
and were standing at Liberty Pass, 10,540 feet above sea
level.
We celebrated at the Wilderness sign with a photo before
walking to the edge of the granite ledge to see Liberty
Lake in the hollow below, and tiny Castle Lake above
Liberty. From above, the lakes are circular, turquoise-blue
jewels bordered in green. (In some years the stream which
flows through that greenery into Liberty Lake is a mass of
blinding pink wild onions.) The sharp granite ridge behind
Castle Lake forms the southern edge of the Ruby Mts dropping
into Ruby Valley.Here's Castle Lake. scroll down past the
little church to see it

More later this week!

Thanks, and See you later.
Janice

Bird Watching for the elusive Himalayan Partridge!

As I was saying last Blog....

When we last talked Cowboy John and I had hiked up Thomas Creek and were resting at the top, sitting on a large granite boulder no doubt left by ancient glaciers in the middle of a wide valley bounded by a granite ridge.

It’s been only the last few years that John and I have continued the hike past the waterfall through the canyon to the wide valley at the top. Tall rocky cliffs surround a valley at the top with Beaver ponds, Corn Lily and Potentilla, and scattered Whitebark Pine trees. Waterfalls tumble down sheer cliffs. This whole valley and canyon was carved out long ago by glaciers.

We hiked over the rock wall one year, hiked all day, nearly killed me, and ended up at the Lamoille Lake trail. A kind soul gave us a ride around to our car in the campground.

But this day we reached our resting rock in the top valley and settled down for a trail snack when we were startled out of our wits by a clamorous whirring explosion. A Ruffled Grouse erupted from the ground right at our feet and flew to a Whitebark. Talk about startled out of peaceful reverie. We were.

Ruffled Grouse are brownish birds of good size (normal chicken size, I guess). Bird hunters call them stupid because when they fly they don’t ever go far.

This bird didn’t either. Landed in the tree next to us. If we’d been hunting we could have gotten off an easy shot.

It’s always exciting to see wildlife, Mountain Goats, Rocky Mt. Sheep, Mule Deer, even turkeys. They're all here and pretty common.

There's one bird, though, that's here but is extremely difficult to spot. The Himalayan Partridge, or Snowcock.


Here’s a picture of this pretty bird!

You can see it only here or in the Himalayas in India-Tibet. They were planted here years ago and now are permanent happy residents.

These elusive, wary creatures perch on the tips of inaccessible peaks. From those inaccessible peaks they watch hikers struggling upward to catch a glimpse.

To check off "Himalayan Partridge" on your Audubon Bird List is the ultimate, but this little bird isn't about to give that pleasure easily.

For, just as soon as the exhausted hiker gets within reach, these clever birds fly from that peak to the next in the next valley.

I'm sure it's a game they play. So far they're winning, although a few hardy persistent souls have seen them up close and personal.

I didn't see a Snowcock that day, but the Ruffled Grouse landed so close John and I watched it in the tree for some time before hiking down the trail.

Adios,
Janice

You want to see a Snowcock? If you're serious, give us a call. We'll find someone to take you!