It’s not that I have not thought about the national holidays of the day, it’s just that I have been sooooo very busy with other things that I have not written about them.  Trust me, there is a national or international “something” for every day of the year.  Today is August 19 and it is National Potato Day!

I, for one love potatoes and so I will include at least one in my daily consumption of food today.  Perhaps I will have pototoes with breakfast, lunch and dinner!  That would suit me just fine!

A bit of history about potatoes is no doubt something you want to know.  Potatoes are the fourth largest crop grown in the world!  4th!  That should tell you about the importance of the potato in the world.  Everyone seems to be eating them.  I read about a diet of nothing but potatoes to be eaten for 60 straight days.  And the guy claims to have lost weight without suffering from any malnourishment of other daily essentials.  I question that one.

Potatoes have always been in my diet and I just love them.  Potatoes for breakfast in the form of hashbrowns or cubes, potatoes for lunch in the form of potato chips or french fries, potatoes for supper cooked either boiled or baked.  I am not going to have any trouble celebrating todays national holiday at all.  There is still some potato salad in the fridge from yesterdays lunch.

I cannot imagine a world without potatoes.  Spuds!  Grow them, weed them, water them, dig them and eat them!  Heck, some people even shoot them out of home made guns!  And when I was much younger we could buy little guns that you poked the end of the barrel into the potato and then shoot that little bit that stuck in it.  There was even (and probably still is) plastic inserts that made a potato look like a character “Mr. Potato Head”.  There are hundreds of uses for potatoes besides just eating them, but it seems like such a waste of a good thing.

Growing up in the 60’s my friend and I would make beer from his grandpas famous recipe and it contained cut up potatoes.  To this day I do not know the purpose of the potatoes in that recipe, but it called for them and so we put them in it.  By the way, the beer never did turn out tasting anything like beer and we had more bottleS blow up than we ever had stay in tact.

In Ireland once there was a “great potato famine”, where the potato crops all got a disease that yielded them inedible and so the entire crop for a few years had to be destroyed!  A terrible thing.  Can you imagine your St. Patricks day celebration without potatoes?  Green beer, Corned beef, Onions and Carrots.  The thought of no potatoes in that pot of goods just isn’t right.  I think I need another beer to wash down that thought.

I also read where there was a movement of a bunch of short sighted folks who banned together to try and keep potatoes from being imported and grown in Britain.  They called themselves “The Society for the Prevention of an Unwholesome Diet” (TSFTPOAUD).  With an acronym like that it’s no wonder they failed.  And it’s obvious by the popularity of the spud and all of the nutritional value we know is in a potato today that they did not do their homework before making up their signs and marching around.  In actuality the acronym was shortened to “SPUD” based on this groups name.

If I was to form a group it would carry the same acronym but the groups name would be “Society for Potatoes Used Daily”.  Sort of makes more sense to me.

Well, there you have it.  National Potato Day, I reckon I’ll go stir up a batch of hashbrowns, bacon and eggs.  Maybe even burn some toast!  You enjoy your day and have a baked spud on me!

Bears Butt

August 19, 2012

It looks like the hummingbird migration is over for this year, 3 weeks early.  Does that mean we can expect an early winter?  Three weeks ago we were getting ready to go on a camping trip for a few days so Sherry made up a special batch of hummingbird food and added another feeder to the two she already had out.  When we got back they were nearly full still.

The birds came through in a flurry and now are out of here.

This video was one I took at the peak of the migration.  We had over 50 birds feeding on the feeder and they could drain it in one day.

Migration

Bears Butt

August 18, 2012

Thank you one and all.

Bears Butt

August 17, 2012

Sherry and I had a wonderful invitation to join the VIP group consisting of, local Western Shoshone Indians, descendents of George Washington Hill and the creators and artists who created the painting of the Native Americans being confirmed that hangs on the West wall of the baptismal room in the Brigham City LDS Temple.

The picture shows George Washington Hill and his companion, laying their hands upon the head of a recently baptized Shoshone Indian to confirm him a member of the LDS church while a small band of additional Shoshone stand by watching and witnessing the event.

A beautiful rendition of what was done in the 1860’s as over 1,000 members of the Western Shoshone tribe became baptized into the LDS church.

The tour was a wonderful event to be a part of and to get to travel through with members of the local tribe who are also part of the painting made it even more special to us.  Later we were very pleased to be able to sit at the same table with them and have lunch.  Patty Madson, her sister, daughter and grandchildren were gracious enough to allow us to sit with them.  What wonderful people they are.  Thank you.

And so for all of you who have tickets to go through this beautiful building but may not be of the LDS faith, or haven’t been following the preaching of the religion so faithfully, let me re-assure you that I put myself on the line for you.  I entered into the building as a test to the architectural integrity of that construction and I walked completely through it without it even so much as shaking or creaking.  It is safe and I give it my 5 star rating as a sound and strong building that nothing except God Himself could bring down.

Bears Butt

August 17, 2012

Today is a pretty special day for sportsmen in Utah.  The Wildlife Board is having their August meeting to decide on quite a few hunting related issues and the United Wildlife Cooperative has a proposal on the agenda.

It seems that back in about 2005 (don’t hold me to that year) several non-profit organizations convinced the wildlife board to give up 200 tags that would otherwise have been included in the drawing pool for big game and turkey hunting.  The thought was to help these organizations draw a big crowd to their outdoor expo in Salt Lake City.  The tags are offered at $5 p/chance and a person could apply for as many as they wanted to apply for.  Of course the odds are pretty slim that you will draw any of the tags, but still as chance is a chance.

As it turned out, the expos have drawn a LOT of money not only for the tags being offered, but with vendor sales, hotel and motel accommodations, restaurants, gas stations, bars etc.  I have no clue as to the total amount of money that these expos have drawn but it has to be in excess of several million dollars.

So, in a nutshell, the expo is a good thing for boosting the economy locally and giving people a chance at drawing a tag for what might otherwise not happen in their lifetime.  As slim as that chance is.

But, and this is the big BUT, the wildlife board did not put any restrictions on the non-profit organizations as to what they could or could not do with the $5 charges they sold the chances for.  Each year thousands of people put in their $5 for chances, many put up several $5 bills for chances at the coveted tags of choice and collectively millions of dollars were raised and divided among the two or three organizations that pulled the expo off.

One can only imagine that there are other special privileges offered to these same organizations as well, which makes them smile all the more and keep their interest in pulling off the expos in future years.  What those special things are is anyones guess.

So, without any accountability for the millions of dollars reaped by the sale of chances for tags that actually belong to you and me, Utah sportsmen and hunters, these organizations grin big old grins and pocket the money that should actually be poured back into making things better for Utah big game animals.

Well, the UWC as I mentioned has drafted a very good proposal with all the references back to Utah rules and regulations and a whole lot of dotted “i’s” and crossed “t’s” and presented it to the wildlife board for consideration.  The bottom line of this proposal is to make these organizations accountable to put the monies they receive for the sale of chances of these tags back into programs that will benefit our wildlife.  Some call this being transparent and it will be that if the organizations follow the guidelines of this proposal.

The proposal calls for:  For every dollar received from the sale, 30% will go directly back to the DWR, 10% will be retained by the organizations and 60% has to be earmarked for approved programs directly related to the species of animal for which the tag was given.

It only makes sense and why didn’t that be addressed on day one?  Well if it was it got shuffled under the rug and we sportsmen have been shafted big time.  Can you feel the pain in your rear end?

Wapiti, Edjukateer and I are going to be in attendance at this meeting today to show our support for this proposal and hopefully we will be given a chance to voice it if they open it up for public comment.  My hand is up and I want to speak!

Bears Butt

August 16, 2012

Post Meeting notes:

As far as meetings go, this has to be placed in among the top 10 in my lifetime.  The attendance was very good with close to 100 people in attendance, maybe even more.  People were civil and respectful and there was a lot of public comments, not just about the proposal but about the topics in general.

I got a text message about 10 a.m. saying it looked like the proposal might hit the table before the lunch break.  That put Wapiti, Edjukateer and I in rush mode.  We made it there about 11:15 or so.  When we walked in we were met by one of the UWC guys who handed us each a comment card which we promptly filled out and offered our 3 minute time limit to an attorney named Jason who really worked a lot on the proposal.  Later in the day we found out we could not allocate our time to anyone and either we were going to speak or not.  I chose to speak, while Wapiti and Edjukateer said they were in support of the UWC proposal but did not want to speak.  That was at least two more people on the side of the UWC and it was noted by the wildlife board as such.

The oddity of the meeting was when they began agenda item 10, accounting for moneys received from the expo, they made a comment in their presentation stating that they wanted the conservations groups (Mule Deer Federation and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife) to give them annual accounting information on monies received from the expo.  Something that was not written into the contract from several years ago that would have to be worked out.

An attorney from the Attorney General’s Office later (during agenda item 12, the UWC proposal item) cautioned them about altering a binding contract in the manner in which they were proposing.

I won’t go into all the details of the meeting partially because I can’t remember all of it, but in general, the UWC proposal woke the Wildlife Board and the DWR head into realizing some accountability was needed on the part of the conservation groups in charge of the expo.  A no brainer to me from the start.  One of the public speakers commented that in the beginning the accountability factor was discussed back in 2005(?), voted on and passed by the Wildlife Board but then later dropped because the people in charge of this from the DWR was confused as to what was meant and so it was not followed up on.  HMMMM.

Ok, so back to the topic at hand.  It seems that from now on the conservation organizations are going to voluntarily present an accounting of monies taken in through the tag sales and present that to the DWR after the expo’s through 2015, which is the time line for the current contract.

The DWR is going to meet with the conservation groups Mule Deer Foundation, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife and the United Wildlife Cooperative to make sure everyone is on the same page as to definitions of key words in the UWC proposal, such as “transparency”, “accountability” and “the use of money received through the sale of chances of big game tags that actually belong to the sportsmen of Utah”.  After that, or those, sessions, the UWC will be excused from future meetings discussing the contract between the DWR and Mule Deer Foundation.

It’s not hard to understand that UWC has no business between contract agencies.

When a new contract is issued after the 2015 date, it will have specific details as to accountability, transparency and disposition of funds received from the sale of chances at big game tags.

On behalf of the Mule Deer Foundation and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife I must say they have done a tremendous amount of work in favor of Utah’s wildlife, access to otherwise un-accessable places for handicapped people, work with the children to make them realize the importance of hunting, fishing and the out of doors and a bunch of programs I am not aware of.  Millions of donated hours and dollars have been spent by these organizations over many, many years.

It’s time that everyone realize no ONE organization has all the answers even if they are the largest in the group of organizations.  No ONE organization can do all it takes to help our wildlife.  And conservation is a bigger picture than just planting food sources for deer or elk.  I see the UWC playing a much bigger role in the future and I see them joining ranks with the other conservation organizations that exist and future ones that will come along in helping our wildlife.  More hands make for less work overall.

I have said it before, I encourage everyone reading this to join the United Wildlife Cooperative organization. The people in charge of this relatively small organization have their hearts and souls in the right place and are conducting business right down the ally for the good of the outdoors people of Utah and for Utah’s wildlife.  A great group of guys dedicated to the max.  I know you will like them when you meet them.

http://www.unitedwildlifecooperative.org/_MEMBERSHIP.html

Bears Butt

August 17, 2012

This was sent to me by a friend and I want to share it with all of you!

http://www.billcook.net/puttin-up-the-flag.html

Bears Butt

August 15, 2012

When someone says Tony Grove Lake to me, I immediately think about fishing.  It’s always pretty good fishing for planted trout and a breakfast of trout and fresh fried potatoes just hits the spot for me.  Let’s do it!

So, our second day of camping at Tony Grove lake finds us with a whole afternoon of nothing to do but go fishing with the kids.  Brandon, Mitch and I can handle six kids can’t we?  Sure.  Let’s gather up our gear and get going.

All the poles were rigged while we were in camp and I’m not going to hold any secrets back.  The main line is rigged with a clear plastic bubble and held on that line with a swivel.  Then about 18 inches of leader and a number 10 hook.  We are going to be using powerbait as our bait as these fish usually like that stuff.

Once we are ready to go we head on down the trail.

No wasting time, Let’s Go Fishing

Upon arrival at the lake we have to cram all of us on a small piece of shoreline, but that will be alright.  The adults will do the casting and should keep the lines far enough apart to allow for everyone to fish.

Not a lot of shoreline for us

I had been fishing earlier in the day with little Chase and we found that Garlic flavored powerbait was pretty good.  At least the two of us had had three bites in less than 15 minutes using it.  So I loaded up anyone who wanted to try it with some.  Brandon in the meantime was loading up the other end of the fishing crew with his Chartreuse colored powerbait.  It will be a good test as 4 of us had mine on and  4 had Brandons on.

First Bite!  Addie with a nice big trout, caught on none other than Garlic flavored bait!

Addie’s First Fish Ever

The next bite came off Chartreuse bait as Sydnie lands a trout.  I say that because it wasn’t very big, but we had to keep it because of the fish swallowed the bait.  I didn’t get a picture of Sydnie with any fish!  What is wrong with me?  I do remember that the action was fast and furious and she was the first to catch her limit of 4 fish and had to stop fishing.

Her sister Addie was the first with 3 fish and was trying to catch her 4th before anyone else.  But it just didn’t work out that way did it Addie?

Then it’s Addie again!  No wait, Cody has one on!  Hey!  It looks like Addie has the fish, but no, maybe it’s Cody that has it.  WHAT!  They BOTH have one on!

Double Catch! Cody and Addie!

By now it looks like all the kids are switching over to Chartreuse colored bait!  Brandon’s bait is out doing mine.

Brandon told me he studied real hard as to what color bait to bring and had decided on “Lime Green” but the store he was in didn’t have any, and so he bought the Chartreuse.

All the kids were using it and catching fish after fish with it.  McKenzie said to her dad, “Dad.  Lime Green is so ‘yesterday'”!  HAHAHAHA!  I laughed like crazy at that one!

The order at which the fish were caught by now is so out of whack.  I will just post up pictures and let it be.  Sorry again Syd, I just never did get a picture of you with a fish, even though you caught 4 of them!

Conner with his first fish of the day!

Cody with another!

Addie is seen here fighting a big one in!

Kenzie is trying to land a fish

So, as Chase is opening one of the last packages of Skittles, his cousin McKenzie is battling her first fish toward shore.  Dang!  It spit the hook.  But her spirits did not stay down long!

KenzieFightsFish

Kenzie with her fish!

And when all of the water quit splashing around us, the kids had caught 16 fish and were ready to go back to camp and get them cleaned up for tomorrows breakfast!

Good job kids!  Us three adults had to keep tending to taking fish off , baiting up and casting out and so our catch rate was pretty much zero.  Oh, Brandon caught a itty bitty one, but I don’t want to elaborate on it here.

Nice catch guys!

And while back at camp, Conner decided he would clean them all if he was shown how to do it.  And then Sydnie joined in with an “I want to clean some”!  And so, the two of them took care of all the knife work and all the kids cleaned at least one, while Conner and Sydnie did the rest.  Excellent job everyone!

I’m not sure who had the most fun.  I missed a video of McKenzie with her first fish on and the crowd was going crazy yelling for her to win the battle with the fish.  Even other fishermen down the shore line were yelling and people passing by on the trail above us were yelling for her.  The fish got off before I could get my video camera going.  It was a great audience!

Thanks for the memories!

Bears Butt

August 12, 2012

My body is still trying to catch up with the past few days of camping.

Tony Grove was our destination camp area and we reserved our three camp spots way back in early February.  That campground fills up very fast and if you want to have a place to camp you will have to do as we did early.  The campground sits at nearly 9,000 feet above sea level, is located on a hill at the south east side of the lake.  The campsites are very clean, level and quiet.  Even with hundreds of other campers around you it is still a nice place just to sit in the shade and take a nap.

View from West Side looking North

The kids really loved the camping this year as we tried to mix things up from what we have done in previous visits to the lake.  Mom (Sherry) and I decided we would like to hike over to another small lake nearby.  White Pine Lake.   The trail is very well defined and it just didn’t seem like it would be a long hike.  4.25 miles.  That is only eight trips around the blocks at home and if we stop often we should be alright with the hike.  I’ll bet even little 3 year old Chase can make that hike.

Having never been there it has always been on my list of things I would like to do someday.  Yes, we are getting older, but it will never be any easier than right now.  So let’s do it!  We hear the lake is quite pretty.  And the hike can’t be all that bad, heck even one of Sherry’s co-workers hiked it just a few weeks after having knee surgery.

So, on the first full day of our camping trip we all decided to make the hike.  We loaded up all the hydration packs we had in camp (5), stuffed a few extra bottles of water here and there, loaded up pockets and packs with candy, licorice,  trail mix and headed off.  All 12 of us plus two dogs on leashes.

As we proceeded we realized that perhaps we should have left earlier in the day as it was 11 a.m. and already quite warm.  But our spirits were high and we trudged along merrily.  Suddenly after only going about a mile we ran into a sign that showed a split in the trail.  One goes to Mount Naomi, the tallest peak in the area, the other to White Pine Lake.  The sign says 3.8 miles to White Pine lake.  Are we there yet?

Two of the kids decide they have had enough and so Angela has to go back with them.  Now there are just 9 of us and the two dogs.  Off we go!

It didn’t take too long for this old man to realize that perhaps we have bitten off a bit much to chew.  But still we go on.  The dogs are huffing and puffing and need water every now and again, just like we do.  The kids with their individual hydration packs are not feeling any of the pains us old folks are and they are sipping and talking and hiking along quite well.  Our string of hikers is beginning to stretch out along the trail.

It is a very pretty hike with lots of scenery to be seen.  We managed to see a few deer and I think I caught a glimpse of an elk, but not real sure, (it could have been Sasquatch, only reddish brown).

As we rested in the shade, Mitch (who has been there many times) assures us we are just about to reach the summit and that it is all downhill from there to the lake.  Just another mile to the lake.  Just think, that is just one trip around the blocks back home.  We can do this.

We did in fact reach a summit and started a winding decent down into the valley on the other side of the mountain from Tony Grove Lake.  I was conserving my water in my hydration pack because I knew we were going to be needing it for the kids.  They were already beginning to make statements about almost being out of water in their packs.  Sherry only had about 1/2 bottle of water left in her pocket and I had no idea about the rest of the adults and their water situations.

It took us just over 2 1/2 hours to finally make it to the lake.

In this picture Sherry is physically dragging.  Totally exhausted and ready for a helicopter to come and pick her up.  Earlier in the hike she made a comment to April about the Biggest Loser show and how those big people hike up to the top of a mountain and are all grinny faced to have made it.  She said, she knows dang good and well they don’t make them hike back down that mountain.

And so, we took a well deserved break from our hike.  The kids waded in the cold water.  The dogs did the same, lapping nearly the entire lake dry as they went along.  And us adults sat mostly silent contemplating the long hike back to camp.

We ate up almost all of the snacks and trail mixes we brought and then surveyed our water situation.  Each adult has “some” water left and we would share with the kids on the hike back.  Everyone, including the kids were informed to take small sips when it came time for drinks because it was all the water we had between us all.

Back on the lake shore we made the best of our situation and took a few pictures.

Ma, Pa and MaPas

Dad is making sure Addies feet are dry before putting her shoes back on.  We don’t want anyone getting blisters because of wet feet.  Sydnie looks like she could take a nap about right now.  But, we need to get moving.  It’s just after 2 p.m. and if we hurry (ya right), we should be able to be back at camp by 6.

Sherry decided it would be a good idea if she held onto MaPas leash for the trip back up the switchbacks from the lake to the summit.  He pulls like a little trooper as long as his attention span is on the trail and it would help her get up the hill.  One step at a time!

All of us out of shape old people are hurting.  Especially in the hips.  Every step is painful especially the down hill ones and wouldn’t you know it, the bulk of the trip back is down hill.

Right from the get go, Mitch and the two youngest kids are far out distancing the rest of us.  And we last see them as they hike along when we are just beginning the ascent up the switchbacks.  Brandon and April along with the two older kids are also getting on up the trail a good distance from Mom and me.  I tell Sherry to just take her time and stop as often as she wants, we are in no hurry, we just need to get back sometime before 2 p.m. on Saturday when we have to check out of our campsite.  Today is Thursday.

We meet several groups of people as they are hiking toward the lake,  we take notice and comment to each other on the fact that none of them are carrying any water with them.  How do they do it?  It must be 90 degrees outside and only scattered shade.  And with those thoughts we come back to our own situation of nearly being out of water and what water there is in the hydration pack is hot.  Oh well, it’s all we got.

Brandon, April and the two kids wait patiently for us to reach a shady spot and are ready to get going when we finally arrive.  Sherry is very red faced and says she is seeing bright lights.  Oh oh!  Heat stroke.  We stay longer in this shady spot than we normally would have.

We noticed an elderly man sitting on a rock just as we approached this shady place.  Casually I made a comment about older out of shape people coming on this hike and he nodded and made a comment about our “guard dog”.

I said to the group that I remembered a small stream of water just down the trail a couple hundred yards and when we get to it I will use my shirt to wet Sherry’s head to cool her down some.  It wasn’t too long and she was ready to try to make it to that spot.  We got there and she wouldn’t let  me take off my shirt for that and so I used my hat and she felt fine after just a couple of minutes.  In the mean time our elderly man friend came down the trail, stopped briefly and then went on.

Brandon filled a couple of empty water bottles with water from this seep in order to water the dogs on the way down, so the drinking water we had could be used by us instead of sharing with them.  We also said it was a good time for them to not worry about mom and me, and to get on down to camp at their own pace, we would take our time and eventually get there.  They took off down the trail.

We followed, keeping them in sight for about two minutes, but our very slow gait was nothing compared to their slow gait and pretty soon they were out of sight and gone.  Standing in a shady place just off the trail stood our elderly man friend and he waved a slight wave as we passed him.  We took a shade break about 5 minutes later and our man friend went on passed us and on down the trail.

We trudged on.  Pain in every step.  Over the rocks, down and down the trail we went.  Often times it was less painful to step sideways over some of the larger rocks rather than take the step straight on.  And we just kept going,  one step at a time.  Suddenly, up ahead we could see the bright green shirt of Mitch coming our way.  Our Savior!  And he is carrying water!  Yes!  Water!  We are so joyful at this moment!  He hands us each “our very own bottle of water” and says he does not want to see us with any left when we get back to the parking lot.  That would be easy for us to do.

He tells us the sign at the split in the trail is just ahead over this next slight rise and at that place we will be able to see Tony Grove lake.  So we are almost there!

Tony Grove Lake in the background

It was still a struggle to go that last mile, but we made it, thanks to Mitch with the refreshing water.  He and the two little kids made it to camp and he knew he had to bring the rest of us some much needed water.  He passed Brandon and April and kids and gave them some and then continued up until he found us.  We are so grateful he did too.  Thank you very much Mitch.  That was quite a job for you as we know you were tired too.

As we approached the bottom of the trail, I looked down and right and there sat our elderly man on a picnic table resting and looking up the trail towards us.  Could he have been some sort of guardian angel sent up there to look after us?  Maybe.  I can tell you this, he did not have any water and never asked us for any as he went on passed us.  We should have offered, but didn’t think about it.

When we did finally make it back to camp, we were totally beat!  I could hardly wait to have a cold can of beer and Brandon offered it up right away!  Mom just sat in a lounge chair and soaked up the cool breeze and shade while sipping a cold bottle of water.  I am so proud of her for making the trip and very thankful as well that no harm came of her while we hiked in and back out.

I am also proud of the kids.  Conner and Sydney are the oldest and I had no doubt about them being able to make the hike, but Cody and Addie are much younger.  All of them hung in there for the duration and did not complain.  In fact Cody kept saying he was going to make it because if he could do this hike then he would be able to go to Polygamy Cave the next day with Mitch and Angela.  And they did and he did go with them and got to experience what total darkness looks like!

Hikers to Polygamy Cave

Mom has now sworn off any more hikes and I have crossed one off my bucket list.

Bears Butt

August 12, 2012

Eight eight two thousand and twelve!  That is what today is..8/8/12!  A perfect day for a camping trip, and not only that but a three day camping trip!  All of us kids are going to be there, all 12 of us!  And we are going to have a great time being nearly 9,000 feet above sea level!

The highs at that elevation are expected to be in the upper 70’s and the lows in the lower 40’s.  I can handle both of those temperatures right now.  It has been so blasted hot in the valley, my blood is thinner than ever right now and so these cooler temps are actually going to feel cold!  I can hardly wait.  Maybe we will even have to put coats on in the evenings while we sit around the campfire.

Fun times will be had by all!

Hiking in the day, fishing in the mornings and evenings and a lot of B.S. around the fire at night!  Who will tell the tallest tale?  I’m betting on one of the kids, they seem to have imaginations that run wild.  I wonder where they get that?

For sure my little 262 lumen flashlight will become a part of a story as I search the nearby woods for Sasquatch and tell my tale about…..sorry, you will have to be there to know what the story is.

Gotta Go!  It’s time!

Bears Butt

August 8, 2012

I guess I’m just plain getting old.  Yesterday I celebrated a great birthday with as full a day of fishing as I wanted and then came home to begin packing for a long awaited camping trip with the boys and their families.  That begins tomorrow so for right now I must tell you about what great gift I received.

A side pocket mini mag light that emits 226 Lumens of bright light!

Let me just say, when I turned that little bad boy on I could almost feel the light intensity leaving the front of the flashlight handle.  Nearly like shooting a gun, the barrel of the flashlight sort of came back into my hand a little bit.

Man is that little flashlight a bright one!

I asked around the patio if anyone knew how many candle powers makes up one lumen and of course nobody knew.  So, with that I knew exactly what I had to do for todays posting on bears butt dot com.

I looked up lumen v.s. candlepower and found abruptly that one can not measure such as that.  WHAT?  It seems scientifically not possible.  But I asked myself why not?  So many candles emit so much light.  This flashlight emits so much light.  Emitted light equals Emitted light.

So, what I found was that : “The lumen can be thought of casually as a measure of the total “amount” of visible light in some defined beam or angle, or emitted from some source. The number of candelas or lumens from a source also depends on its spectrum, via the nominal response of the human eye as represented in the luminosity function”.

This was quoted directly from Wikipedia of which I am become indebted.

Now let me dissect what this statement says.  In the body of it there is the word “candelas”…AH HA!  Candelas = Candles….at least to me they do.  And I will run with that.  It also says “or lumens”, which means that Candelas and Lumens are the same, but we know ( or should know) that it takes a whole lot more Candelas to make up one Lumen and based on what it continues to say is that “depends on its spectrum, via the nominal response of the human eye”….

Close your minds eye for a moment and picture one candle burning in a totally dark room.  Notice it flickers some, but notice more the color of the flame…a bit yellowish/orange…is yours the same as mine?

Now light another and place it in very close proximity to the first.  Two candlepower…twice the light of one.  Light a third…three candlepower…three times brighter than one.  Light a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, a seventh, an eighth….keep going until you can see enough to read in the darkened room without squinting.  You might have to open a door or window because it is going to be quite warm in the room.  There you have what I would call “One Lumen” of light.  So, how many candles did it take to make it so bright.  You count them as I don’t have the time to do it right now.  But, whatever number of candles you lit to produce that much light is how many it takes to emit one lumen of light.  Multiply that number of candles by 226 and that is how much light this little flashlight of mine produces.  Almost enough to light up a whole city with enough light that everyone could read a book if it was pitch dark all around them.

With science so very much on the edge today, they took this Lumen thing one step farther.  They built this little “luminous emitter”, I’ll call it a bulb, so that it extracts any and all of the yellowish/orange color as seen in a candle flame which only lets pure white light emit.  Have you ever seen pure white light?  My eye can see detail like none other as this pure white light bounces off whatever I point it at in a darkened room.  And not only that, but clear across to the other side of this darkened room, through the far wall and into the next room.  Well, not quite, but I can visualize it.  I can hardly wait until we go camping tomorrow to try it out in a dark forest.  I’ll probably see Sasquatch and he will be putting his arm up over his eyes to block the light.

I’ll tell you science it something else these days.  New technology, new words to be made up, new definitions of these words and it goes on and on.  But I’ll tell you they are wrong about not being able to compare Lumens to Candle Power.  In fact I found a “factoid” where just a few short years ago (when I was much younger) flashlight makers have turned to several standards by which they rate their flashlights and one of the criteria is to show how their little emitter has to compare to candelas and right there it refers to candelas as candle power!  Check it out for yourself.  http://flashlightwiki.com/ANSI-NEMA_FL-1

Bears Butt

August 7, 2012