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Jul/100
Jul/100
Gas-Powered Motors on Wind Turbines?
Dear EarthTalk: I heard that some wind farms use fossil fuels to power their generators when the wind won’t. Doesn’t that defeat their whole renewable energy purpose? Why not let the wind power it or not? Also, I've heard that the low-frequency sounds generated by these turbines can harm people and animals. Is this true? -- Ryan Lewis, Plainwell, MI Indeed, one of the major drawbacks to wind power is the fact that, even in windy locations, the wind doesn’t always blow. So the ability of turbines to generate power is intermittent at best. Many turbines can generate power… [ Continue reading ]
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Jul/100
Jul/100
Tahoe Day Hike
Meeks Bay to Emerald Bay: 19 Miles of Forgivenes
By Robert Frohlich There are times in every person’s life that demand a modest act of penance – like when you’ve been ill tempered to your sweetie, or been busted pretending to know the difference between trout flies or climbing copperheads. When you’ve behaved badly a good remedy is to hike Meeks Bay to Emerald Bay in a day. If executed with rigor this 19-mile hike through Desolation Wilderness in summer offers an ennobling out-of-body experience that approximates a sadist session scolding for the true penitent. Forget camping, backpacks and a scrumptious lunch. If you’re… [ Continue reading ]8
Jul/102
Jul/102
Long May He Run
The Himalayan Quests of Dr. Bill Andrews
Reno geneticist/ultra-runner preps for 135-mile race in the Himalayas while he pursues lifetime goal to find a “cure for aging”
By Pete Gauvin Audacious. Improbable. Mind boggling. Ludicrous. These are words that come to mind when you first hear of Dr. Bill Andrews’ personal and professional goals. And certainly based on cursory impressions, they appear quite on target. In fact, without knowing more, you might well add insane, delusional and quack-headed to the list. Tread below the surface of implausibility, however, and the certitude of these impressions quickly erodes like 20th century limits… [ Continue reading ]8
Jul/101
Jul/101
The Big Ideas
11 Solutions That Could Actually Save the Planet
By Will Harlan and Graham Averill The editors of Blue Ridge Outdoors, our sister magazine in the Southeast, asked Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, CEOs, and leading environmental experts: What is the single most important change needed to protect the planet and its people? Here are their 11 insightful, innovative, and inspiring responses.1. Educate Women Worldwide
The most effective contraceptive is education for girls. When women are educated, they tend to marry later in life, to have children later in life, and to have fewer children. In effect, you have a form of population control that’s peaceful… [ Continue reading ]8
Jul/100
Jul/100
Sierra Adventure Rides
Three All-Day MTB Epics from Bishop to Tahoe
Story and photos by Seth Lightcap Though the dirt is decent and the rocks are wicked fun, one of the best things about mountain biking in the Sierra Nevada is the fact that there is a trail for any occasion. Whether you only have an hour to cruise or you have all day and are looking for an ass-whupping, there are countless ride options. Finding a Sierra destination for your average three-hour ride window is easy. Chances are you've already spent an afternoon or two on a few great ones. But what about those… [ Continue reading ]8
Jul/100
Jul/100
Tom Stienstra: Ambassador to the Outdoors
Iconic columnist and guidebook author has shared his adventures in California and the West for 30 years
By Pete Gauvin In 1978, as a young sportswriter for the Peninsula Times Tribune, Tom Stienstra was covering an Oakland Raiders’ game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, when a life-changing epiphany seemingly fell out of the Wisconsin sky. “In the third quarter, I realized I was sitting with 60,000 people in need of exercise, watching 22 guys in need of a rest. And I asked myself, “What am I doing with my life?” He realized that life as a spectator/sportswriter was no life for… [ Continue reading ]8
Jul/100
Jul/100
Growing Green on the Eastside
In the land of little rain and scrubby sagebrush, a climber morphs into gardener to find some roots
By Bruce Willey June, the finest month of all, the earth in full tilt soak of the sun. Late afternoon light spills over the Sierra Crest and under the lenticular clouds. I’m sitting under an unknown grape, a vine with a trunk the girth of a large man’s thigh. It might have been planted when this house was built in 1918 … or not. Then again, there are always a lot of surprises with this old house that my wife and I bought this… [ Continue reading ]5
May/101
May/101
Would building whitewater parks in California be a good investment? What do you think some of the benefits &/or drawbacks would be?
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May/100
May/100
