Friday random video: Tribute to Evel Knievel.

How many of you thought Evel Knievel was already dead? I did. But Evel was one tough man.

Here's some Evel footage. Crashes like this made him famous -- I'm sure no one thought he'd live to be 69 years old.



Have a good weekend . . . I'm off to Snake River Canyon. ("Snake River Canyon" is what I call the couch in my living room.)

The Samoans have no word for "mercy rule."

Well, this is just sad. Check out the "highlights" from the worst beating in international soccer history: Australia 31, American Samoa 0.



Poor American Samoa. Losing 31-1 would've been a lot more fun -- you could dance around after your one goal and really piss those Australians off.

But when will they build a poser-proof fence?

This is a strange and twisted tale. A skate park in Redwood City, Calif., is also popular with BMX bikers. Apparently this is a big problem.

At park, no bikers allowed

Officials to build fence to keep skateboarders safe

They're gonna build a fence that skateboarders can pass through, but bikers cannot? That's quite the engineering triumph!

The fence, along with a specially designed entrance, will make it more difficult for bike-toting visitors to enter the park, Centeno said.

While she realizes the fence won't stop everyone -- rebellious bikers could throw their rides over the barrier, which will encircle the 13,000-square-foot park -- Centeno said it will be another tool to help officials enforce the rules and keep the park safe.

Aw, well, no worries there. Teenagers aren't really "into" rebelling, or climbing over fences, or sticking it to the morons who think skating is somehow safer than BMX. No, teenagers are all about attending city council meetings to find a compromise for their town's public safety agenda, and swigging chamomile tea. It's the new Mountain Dew!

Most California skate parks prohibit biking because it is not considered a "hazardous recreational activity" under state law.

So . . . they'll only allow activities that are OFFICIALLY HAZARDOUS? The more I read into this, the less I understand.

I guess the bikers who don't feel like hopping a fence will just ride around town, looking for jumps and pissing off pedestrians. Everybody wins!

Digging a Quidditch.

I can see why the Ivy League gets so much respect. These Vassar students are just a cut above -- they can fly around on brooms! Which means they can play Quidditch, Harry Potter's favorite sport.

Harry Potter is a pretend person, but it turns out that QUIDDITCH IS REAL! See for yourself:



Although there is no flying in this video, I assume they can do it. Otherwise, they'd just be running around with brooms, looking like a bunch of lame dorks who would even get picked on by the Frisbee team.

And we all know the Ivy League does not go in for that sort of thing.

Wait . . . is Vassar even in the Ivy League? Didn't it used to be the Harvard for Chicks? When did it become a Quidditch powerhouse?

They'd better hope Ohio State never fields a Quidditch team, that's all I know.

Sea scorpions: gross or terrifying?

Bugs used to be much larger. I know that. But give this a click:



That is one giant nightmare of a bug. I prefer the economical, modern version, thanks. Better mileage, easier maintenance, won't eat you in three bites.

Jackpot!

Have a good Thanksgiving? Good. Me too.

Now let's just ease back into the blogging with a nice, light story. Something silly, even.

Hey, what's this? The largest something-or-other in the history of something? Let's track this baby down!

SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) -- A find of dioxin at the bottom of the Saginaw River could be the highest level of such contamination ever discovered in the nation's rivers and lakes . . . about 20 times higher than any other find recorded in the EPA archives.

Um . . . yeah. So . . . um . . . how 'bout those lines at the airport, huh? Pretty crazy!

My food coma looms.

I will not be around for the next few days. I will be too busy eating, drinking, and maybe napping.

So here's a video of the world record for highest BMX jump.



Now: someone pass me the damn gravy. Where's my Thanksgiving gravy straw? I lose track of it every year.

Never confuse this sport with disc golf.

Here's a rundown of the top 10 plays from the men's Ultimate Frisbee National Championships. These guys sprint all over the field, make amazing throws, and play some serious defense.



A few of the best plays are made by members of Sockeye, an elite Ultimate team based right in here in Seattle. They ended up winning the title -- that's how we roll up here in the mighty Northwest.

However, I have a reliable source who reports that most of these guys are tools. There's always a risk of major toolage when you get this serious about Frisbee. Happens to the best of us.

"Mesa" is Spanish for "Water-Filled Playground"

Hey, remember when the Colorado River actually reached the ocean? Yeah, me neither.

The American West is dealing with its worst drought in 500 years, so naturally, the residents of that region have formed a plan.

Huge Water Park Planned for Ariz. Desert

Sweet! I guess there's LOTS of water down there after all! Can we get a description of this futuristic aquatorium?

A massive new water park that would offer surf-sized waves, snorkeling, scuba diving and kayaking - all in a bone-dry region that gets just 8 inches of rain a year.

If constructed, the park would use as much as 100 million gallons of groundwater a year.

Nice. Groundwater has always pissed me off. It just sits there in the GROUND, when it could be ENTERTAINING me on a hot summer day. It's the laziest form of water (except, maybe, for glacier ice. Pick up the pace, you alpine slowpokes!)

Can we get a quote from the far-sighted developer who's making this happen?

"I couldn't imagine raising my kids in an environment where they wouldn't have the opportunity to grow up being passionate about the same sports that I grew up being passionate about," he said.

Man, that's a relief. I figured he was just doing it for the money. But he's really doing it so his kids can go surfing without having to move away from America's burgeoning kid-topia: Mesa, Arizona.

Of course, it's not just one guy forcing this through.

Mesa voters overwhelmingly approved their proposal on Nov. 6, granting the Waveyard an estimated $35 million in tax incentives with more than 65 percent of the vote.

"We don't have a property tax in our city," said Eric Jackson, chairman of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce. "It requires us to be very heavily dependent on revenues from sales taxes."

Got that? If you live in Mesa and want your streets paved, fire trucks running, or schools open, you gotta build a huge-ass water park. It's the responsible thing to do.

Science is something you put in your belly.

I'm not familiar with many aspects of Japanese culture, but I wonder if they have a word for "redneck." Because the first humpback whale hunt since the '60s has just kicked off, and it appears to be run by some good ol' boys.

Families waved little flags emblazoned with smiling whales and the crew raised a toast with cans of beer, while a brass band played "Popeye the Sailor Man." Officials told the crowd that Japan should not give into militant activists and preserve its whale-eating culture.

Sounds like a twisted little party they're throwing. It's pretty revealing that these brave whale hunters aren't even trying to jibe with the "official" justification for this hunt:

Japan says it needs to kill the animals in order to conduct research on their reproductive and feeding patterns.

While scientific whale hunts are allowed by the International Whaling Commission, or IWC, critics say Japan is simply using science as a cover for commercial whaling.

Sure, critics are saying that. BUT SO ARE THE GUYS HUNTING THE WHALES. Grow a pair, Associated Press!

Officials told the crowd that Japan should not give into militant activists and preserve its whale-eating culture.

This kind of reminds me of the "experiments" children conduct on insects using a magnifying glass. The scientific gains made from this whale hunt will be roughly the same, I think.

Man, all this talk about science is making me hungry. Off to lunch!

Friday random video: helmet cam kayak!

You even go underwater at one point. I thought it'd be colder . . .



Happy Friday. Enjoy the start of gun season!

Reading Muskogee's newspaper finally pays off.

My favorite headline of the week:

GUN SEASON IS HERE.

Finally! I love when the first guns of the season flock over the horizon, landing gently near the ponds and streams their ancestors migrated to every November.

Ooh, and look! A few little baby guns bringing up the rear. Adorable!

Freedom can get ugly sometimes.

Whenever I hear anyone talking about how stupid Americans are, I sidle up real close. Then I say, "Oh yeah? Tell that to WHIPLASH THE RODEO MONKEY, you effete snob!"



Then I spit in their face.

Although the monkey gets all the glory here, it should be noted that the dog's really running the show. Whiplash is just hanging on for his dear little life.

But look at his hat! LOOK AT IT!

If Americans are so dumb, how come our MONKEYS are better at rodeo than any Frenchman alive? Yeah. That's what I thought.

Most exhausting phrase in the history of language?

It isn't even close: Everest Marathon.

Whew. Typing that out has left me weak and dehydrated.

Waxploitation!

It's chilly and wet here in Seattle, which means the mountains are getting snowed on. Which means I need to go skiing. Watching stuff like this just makes me drool.

(Not that I can do a backflip on skis or anything. Just seeing the snow is enough to get me antsy.)



Gotta love that music. If there was ever a film about a '70s private detective who skis around, shakes down lowlifes, and loves the ladies, it would have the same soundtrack.

Embrace the darkness.

This is pretty cool. Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution have been putting motion-activated cameras along the Appalachian Trail. They've been getting some great nighttime photos:


It beats their old methodology for sure.

Using that method leads to situations where "we're all staring down at some feces on the ground and everybody's giving their opinion" about which animal left it, he said.

Ah, the ol' feces stare. Much like s'mores around the campfire, no expedition is complete without it.

The slideshow is here. A couple of great bear photos, among others.

Viva Tijuana!

Via The Goat, here's a rundown of the top ten cities where Americans get arrested. Is getting arrested an outdoor sport? Depends whether it's spring break or not.


And yes, those numbers seem low to me. I would've guessed the #1 city would easily crack four digits. Hell, three Americans arrested per day will get you there.

Living to tell the tale.

Watch in awe as this sea kayaker somehow survives a visit from nature's killing machine: the mighty sea otter.



Chilling, I say!

Have a good weekend. Hopefully there will be fewer technical problems next week -- I have a few things I gotta get off my chest. Being able to upload pictures would help.

Yeah, well, I can hold my breath for the entire clip.

This wheelchair athlete is pretty impressive.



In other news, this blog is going back in time, as posts disappear one by one. I don't know why.

Taking a peak.

I love the fact that there are STILL mountains out there that have never been climbed all the way to the summit.

Now there's one fewer. That's kinda cool too. I'm sure it wasn't easy:

(IMAGINE A DRAMATIC PHOTO OF THE CLIMB HERE. BLOGGER'S HAVING A HARD TIME POSTING PHOTOS. NOT FRUSTRATING AT ALL.)

Now, imagine a clever last sentence.

Patience is for duck blinds and such.

I want this blog to be consistently updated, so I'm posting at least once a weekday.

Lately, though, my posts aren't appearing -- or they disappear after a few minutes.

This is frustrating.

So if it seems like it's been a while since you've seen anything new, don't worry. I have not been silenced by shadowy members of the outdoor community.

I wonder if this post will disappear too.

Someone bring this man a couch!

Back in April, this guy decided to go for a walk. Here's his route:


Over the weekend, he wrapped things up, completing his loop at the Grand Canyon.

Congratulations, sir. I have nothing else to add. Just looking at that map makes my feet hurt.

(Via The Adventure Blog.)

A record's a record, I guess.

I think snowmobiles are pretty obnoxious. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are great ways to explore the outdoors, and you're not alerting everyone within 15 miles of your presence.

That said, this jump is pretty impressive.



It set a new world record for longest snowmobile jump: 263 feet.

The world record for longest jump on snowshoes? I'm gonna guess about five feet.

Friday random video: King Lines!

Some pretty amazing moves in this teaser, featuring elite climber Chris Sharma.

You're welcome, ladies!



Speaking of climbing, have you checked out the 2007 Wack-Attackin' Climb-n-Rhyme Rockstravaganza? It's the wack-attackin'ist!

That should be enough beefcake to last you the weekend.

Ingrid Backstrom: still pretty good at skiing.

Check out the latest footage of big mountain skier Ingrid Backstrom. Like me, she lives in Seattle. Unlike me, she is crazy-good with a pair of skis, so she doesn't spend a lot of time around here.



She even has a blog. Showoff.

Hey, Backstrom! I sent my ever-growing nation of readers to your blog. Now you gotta send me a pair of skis. Fair's fair.

Ooh, also, some boots would be great. Maybe a nice jacket. One of those helicopters you're always riding in, if you have a few sitting around. A used helicopter's fine. I'm a reasonable man.

This looks like a job for . . . anyone else.

I wonder what Teddy "Corruption is Kool, Kids!" Mather thinks of this.

WASHINGTON -- The highest-ranking internal investigator for the National Park Service pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing from the agency charged with protecting the nation’s natural and cultural resources.

Wow. It's kinda like C.S.I., but outdoors. And, you know, interesting.

Buccello, 55, faces six months in prison, according to federal guidelines. On Friday, she retired after nearly 30 years’ service as a park ranger or criminal investigator.

Why didn't she pull rank, take over the investigation, and determine that she was innocent? This isolated case of competent governance is FREAKING ME OUT. Get with the program, National Park Service!

A year earlier Buccello also failed to fly to St. Louis and deliver a fatality report to the wife of an NPS officer who had died in the line of duty. Buccello called the widow and told her that she couldn’t make it to Missouri because the plane was stuck on the tarmac, but investigators learned that none of the flights that Buccello was scheduled to take was delayed that day.

Okay, here's a quick tip for whoever gets promoted to this job: NO FLAKING ON THE WIDOWS. It's not like park rangers are dying by the thousands in gruesome battles. Suck it up, make the trip, and say something like, "Your husband's a hero and everyone loved him. His beard was really cool."

Stick with that, and you can draw a paycheck from the NPS for 30 years, just like Ms. Buccello.