My Cave Falls Hike

At the south end of Yellowstone National Park in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, just over the Idaho border into Wyoming, there lies a beautiful group of water falls on both the Bechler and Falls Rivers.  The hikes to these falls range from an easy 3 mile round trip to 20 miles and this area has some of the most gorgeous scenery I have come across in Southern Idaho. 

The drive to the trail head is on a fairly good dirt road off of Hwy 47 near Ashton, Idaho. There is plenty of good parking available and there is not the $25.00 fee to enter the park as there is at the main entrance.  Of course, you have no options other than to either hike from here or go on horseback but I was glad to keep the $25.00 in my pocket.

For most of the hike, the trail follows the Bechler River with the Falls River being the first river you encounter.  Surrounded by tall lodge pole pine trees and quaking aspens along with the river on your right side, I felt I was in Heaven for the entire duration of my adventure.  Although I did not encounter any wildlife other than a very friendly grouse, I have been told of hikers often seeing deer, elk, moose and an occasional wolf on this trail. 

After my hike, I realized how lucky I was to discover this beautiful area very close to my home in Idaho Falls.  If you are at all familiar with the southern part of Idaho, then you know that it is not anything like the northern part.  Idaho Falls lies in a high desert region (around 4800 feet above sea level) amongst 1000’s of acres of potato farming.  But on the plus side, with a little bit of driving you can get into some spectacular areas that rival any part of Northern Idaho’s beauty. 

If you live close by and have not taken the time to visit this wonderful area, then I would suggest you do so.  If you are planning a trip to Yellowstone Park in the near future, then I would definitely make this part of your trip.  Because of the trail’s location, you will find fewer hikers on the trail and much more seclusion than being in the main part of Yellowstone Park.

Below is link for the map of Yellowstone Park.  You can find the Cave Falls road and trail head if you look at the lower left hand corner of the map:  http://www.yellowstonepark.com/planyourtrip/pdfs/NPS_Official_Park_Map.pdf

If you would like directions on how to get to the Cave Falls trail head, please go to my contact page on my website, http://www.clearwatercabinliving.com and send me a message.  I will gladly send you the directions right away.

You can view the photos of the Cave Falls area here:  My Adventures

Mike Powers

P.S.  Thank you to Bill and Jeanne Steffener of Idaho Falls for suggesting this hike to me because I would not have found it without you!

She Was Not So Deer To Me

In the region of North Idaho between the cities of Coeur d’Alene and Kellogg, there lies a beautiful stretch of river known as the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.  Here is where an unusual event took place between me and a not so dear deer.

There are many wonderful campsites along the North Fork that offer spacious secluded spots with many of them sitting right on the banks of this crystal clear river.  Some of these sites have campground hosts and charge a small fee per night for your stay.  Many of the sites are free and this is where I chose to stay for my weekend adventure.  The site had great shade, a perfect swimming hole and was off the road enough so I thought I would not be disturbed by any humans so I could enjoy a nice quiet couple of days.  Well, it was not the humans I should have been concerned about after all.  I never thought a small female deer could be so much trouble.

 It all started on my first night while I was having a nice camp dinner of spaghetti, garlic bread and salad.  In the middle of my feast, I left the campsite for a minute to get some water from the river.  Down at the river, I heard a sound coming from my camp table.  I forgot about getting my water and hurried back to my table only to find my dinner on the ground with a beautiful doe munching on the spaghetti.  I was quiet and watched her eat the rest of my food and when she was done, she sniffed around the campsite for a while and slowly meandered down the river bank.

 This was fun and exciting for me to see and I was thankful for the experience until the next morning.  What a great feeling it is to wake up to the sound of a rushing river and the crisp mountain air, I thought, as I began cooking my breakfast of scrambled eggs, potatoes and bacon.  The coffee was perfect, the breakfast tasted better than any other and once again, I found myself in the presence of my dear deer friend.  With her nose up in the air sniffing the aroma of my cooking, she seemed to have little fear of me.  As beautiful as this deer was, I shooed her off so I could actually finish this meal but my shooing did little to keep her away from my table.  The doe would not come up to me but she did come within three or four feet with her mouth watering and her lips smacking.  I gave in to her hunger and threw her some eggs and potatoes.  She gobbled this food down quickly and wanted more.  “That’s all you get!” I told her and she eventually left but not before relieving herself of some of her pellets on my site.

 I love to hike more than just about anything in my life so after breakfast, I set off for a short five mile excursion along a trail that went to a gorgeous mountain meadow well above the river.  After two or three hours of some great scenery and rugged terrain, I was back at the campsite ready for a snack and a cool drink.  Normally when I camp, I am not too worried about putting my cooler away until I go to bed so I had left it out under my table.  Like I said, normally this is fine but not this weekend.  My cooler had been tipped completely over with food and ice scattered everywhere.  Plastic wrappings that held a variety of different food items had been chewed open and whatever was in them was gone.  The only thing left was my raw eggs and bacon.  I did not even think twice about who the burglar of my food was.  Can you guess?

 I was not really upset about this and it gave a great story to tell you.  Luckily, there was a small store and restaurant just down the road a few miles so In case you were worried if I starved that weekend, I did not.  I did learn a valuable lesson about putting away my food when leaving the campsite.  I also learned from a forest ranger that I was not the only person in the area that had been visited by this deer.  The doe had been going around to many of the campsites the entire summer and had actually had been given a name from a group of campers a few weeks prior to my visit.  The name they chose was Frita, for the deer’s insatiable love of Fritos.

If You Can’t Do The Time….Don‘t Do The Crime!

I heard this saying somewhere on a movie once: “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime”. This came from a dialogue between two long time criminals who made their living from stealing from rich millionaires. Their philosophy was that if you wanted to take the risk involved in committing a crime and getting caught, you had better be prepared for the possibility of time in prison. For these two criminals, the risk was worth it.

The above saying reminded me of what most network marketers go through as they are trying to start their online business. If you are not willing to put in the time it takes to become successful in network marketing, then don’t waste your time trying because success will not come to you magically. It takes a great deal of hard work, tedious daily repetition of certain tasks and an attitude of never giving up no matter what comes in your way. Maybe the network marketer’s motto should be, “If you can’t put in the time, then you might as well go wash dishes”. I know it doesn’t rhyme, but you get the point.


So what does it take to get your network marketing business going successfully online? This is what all the money makers started doing and are still doing and it does work:

*Surf the free traffic exchanges. It really does not matter which ones your surf but I would suggest picking around 5 to start with and try to get 100 credits a day from each. This takes time and is tedious work but it is a great free source for getting hits to your website.

*Write articles and submit them to a few article directories. I know it may be hard to come up with some content but just take some time and think about what interests you, write about it and give a link to your business opportunity in your resource box.

*Join Twitter, Facebook and any other social network that interests you. Post a link everyday about what you are up to in your business or your life and people will start noticing you. It can be either business related or just fun stuff, but doing this everyday is important.

*Be active on any forums you can find that are relative to network marketing. Ask questions and give your own advice if you have some. Just make sure you put your website link in your signature file when joining.

*Set up a blog and start posting your articles there. If you cannot afford a website right now, this is a great free source for you to start with. Just go to www.blogger.com and they will walk you through on how to get started.

*Join some free safelists and start sending your ads out. This is an easy process and like the traffic exchanges, this will bring a lot of traffic to your sites.

Now, the above list is just a few of the steps to make it on the Internet but starting with these is a great start and you will see some business come in if you are diligent everyday with these tasks. A bit overwhelming I must admit isn’t it? But, you need to look at your business as a real job that takes real work. Like any profession, learning and studying is a must to become successful. The ads about making millions in a few short months are absolutely a lie and wrong so please do not fall for these. Find a legitimate business that offers value and truth to what they offer and stick with it. It might take a year or two until you see some real results but do not give up and the money will start coming in.

If you are looking for a home based business that offers great tools and is affordable to start with, please look at this: http://onlinebusinessalliance.com/5dollar.php?id=mwpowers
or, if you would rather get a free report about making money on the Internet and sign up for our series of newsletters, go here: http://teprofits.com/report.php?id=mwpowers

Thank you,

Mike Powers

Online Business Alliance Review

Welcome,

Well, I did it.  After countless trials and errors and many many hours of searching for something to suppliment my window washing and lamp making businesses, I found a great company that I believe can teach me and others how to make money on the Internet.  The company is called "Online Business Alliance".  OBA offers a flood gate of tools and resources that, if followed correctly, can take any novice Internet marketing person and teach them the tricks of making money on the World Wide Web. 

This is by no means a get rich quick scheme, an undertaking that requires no work or an opportunity that promises you thousands in just a few weeks.  OBA requires commitment, dedication and persistance but the rewards are great if one has the desire to succeed.  Online Business Alliance offers no hype but tells it like it is.  My favorite quote from one of OBA's ads that I use in my advertising is "Let's Stop the Nonsense Now!"  Internet marketing is not easy and requires hard work but the rewards are tremendous if the right tools are applied correctly.

Now, the best part...To join OBA only costs $5.00...That is right...just $5.00!

Take a look for yourself and see all the wonderful tools OBA offers and decide for yourself by clicking on the link below:
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Or go here for some more information:
http://www.onlinebusinessalliance.biz/?id=mwpowers

Thanks for looking,
Mike Powers
TEProfits
http://www.clearwatercabinliving.com/
http://cabinliving.blogspot.com/
mwpowersnet@gmail.com

My Trip To Sheep Falls

Last weekend, I took a beautiful little hike to a place in the lower Targhee National Forest called Sheep Falls. The trail is right off of Highway 20 going towards West Yellowstone National Park (from Idaho Falls, Idaho) and really is a diamond in the rough for hiking and viewing purposes. I don't believe a lot of people know about this wonderful place and I was blessed to stumble upon it. Take a look at some of the photographs I took while enjoying the scenery.

If you would like directions to this magical place, please leave me a comment and I will gladly email you the specifics of how to get there. 

These Tough Times Require Better Measures

Times are not what they used to be are they? Of course, our parents said that, our grandparents said it and now we, in our 40’s and 50’s, are saying it. There will always be those times to remember when things were better. Heaven knows, many of us live day after day with regrets hoping for the old days and what they were and they what they gave us. I must admit I am one of those people and I am making my New Years Resolution to start making this beat up, tough to make it, impossible world a good place to remember when I get old.

So how am I going to change this coming year?

Here are a few thoughts I have about making this coming year and the years to come more productive and enjoyable for myself and maybe for those of you who read this article.

Give to others. I am not going to contemplate on what is wrong with my life but start taking the focus off of myself and start caring for others. It is a proven theory that the more you care and give to others, the more blessed you will be and the more at peace you will become. I will do my best to start giving financially to the charities of my choice and lend a helping hand to my neighbors when they seem to need it. No more looking away when someone is in need as I have done in the past. Giving of myself is a big priority to my new start this coming year.

Recycle, recycle recycle! How many times have we thrown away those plastic milk jugs, newspapers, steel cans and aluminum cans? All these products are recyclable and we all should take the time to make a special place in our garage to create a recycle bin so we can take this stuff to the recycling center and not throw it away in the trash. Besides, we all know that aluminum cans bring money when returned to the proper facility. So, if nothing else, there is some money in that garbage of yours!

I will not raise my business prices! If you own your own business, keep your prices reasonable. I have a window washing business and a couple internet businesses and I have seen so many of my competitors raise their prices year after year. I refuse to be a part of this I am making a promise to keep my prices the same and in some cases lower. There is no need to continue this greedy money grabbing way of life that so many of us have chosen.

Walk more and drive less. The gas prices are finally back down to where they were several years ago…Hurray! I guarantee you they will go back up if we all choose to start driving more and start using more gas. I plan to walk to the post office, the store, the park, or where ever I need to go where I can easily walk instead of driving. Not only will this save gas, it will keep my waist line in check.

I will keep on thinking over this wonderful Christmas season of more ways to find a better life in this mixed up, turmoil of a society we live in. Keep an eye on my articles and when I think of some more ideas, I will let you know.

http://www.clearwatercabinliving.com
http://www.solidbeginnings.com (offers tools and resources to help improve your credit)

Smoking Salmon…A Quick Guide

I received so many great responses from this recipe that I decided to post it again...enjoy!

Have you ever tried to smoke a fish? (I know, it is hard to get them lit!) Anyway, I have here a great recipe for smoking salmon and trout that is simple but very tasty. In a minute, I will give you the recipe but first a little story about how this recipe came about.

Years ago, my uncle Bob along with his 2 sons and his father-in-law decided they would like to start fishing for the small Kokanee salmon, (commonly called bluebacks), at a couple North Idaho lakes namely Lake Coeur d’Alene and Lake Pend Oreille. My uncle came up with this special bait he figured would catch those fish like crazy so they all decided to give it a try. Back in those days, maybe 30 or more years ago, both these lakes had commercial fishing available on them with limits from 125 to 250 fish a day per person for the small Kokanee salmon. On a good day, a group of four could really bring in the fish. My uncle and his crew all purchased commercial licenses and began fishing with his new discovered bait.

It took only a few hours on their first trip out to discover that my uncle’s bait was indeed amazing and that all of a sudden they had caught a whole slew of fish. When they returned to shore and counted their first bounty, they discovered that they had brought in a total of 650 fish! What were they going to do with all these slimy creatures? Well, they put their minds together and they decided that smoking them would be the best way to not only preserve them for a length of time but also maybe they could make some extra money selling them to the local stores.

So, to make this story readable and not bore you with all the details, they did start a little smoked fish business and began distributing their fish around the local town. Before I give you the recipe for this incredible smoked fish, there are some essentials you must have to get started.

A good quality smoker is needed to begin with. I don’t believe you have to pay $100’s of dollars for one either. I have a small little smoker I purchased from Home Depot for around $75.00 and it does very well. An electric smoker is preferred because you don’t have to tend the fire as often and it cooks much more evenly.

As far as the wood you need I would recommend apple, cherry or hickory wood chunks (not chips if possible). The wood chunks last much longer and burn slower. Slow, cool smoke is what you are after and the wood chips tend to burn too quickly. Before you start your smoking, soak the wood chunks overnight in water so they will burn slow and not catch fire so easily.

Now, here is what you have been waiting for, the recipe.

*1 Cup Non-Iodized Salt (it must be non-iodized).
*1 Cup Brown Sugar
*2 Gallons of Water
*1/8 Cup of Pepper if preferred.
*Soak your fish overnight (12 hours) in the above mixture and take out and leave at room temperature for an hour before putting the fish in the smoker.

That’s It!! I know it looks simple and it is. Many recipes ask for seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and other things but this recipe is simple and the very best.

Your fish should be filleted if possible but not completely necessary as the meat will pull away from the bone easily after smoking. It is important to leave the skin on the filets as it keeps the fish from sticking to the grill. Use good quality salmon or trout when smoking. Fish with white meats do not do well and tend to dry out, as they do not have the oil in the meat like the salmon family does.

Place your wood chips in your smoker and put your fish on the grates. Depending on the temperature outside, it could take a couple of hours to several to smoke your fish. Test the fish after an hour or so to see how the texture looks. You can taste test the salmon as it is getting done to get the required texture you desire. I like my salmon fairly moist but others may like it drier. The choice is up to you.
It may take a time or two until you get this smoking thing down but after you have perfected this recipe, you will be smoking fish on a regular basis.

Mike Powers is an internet marketer and craftsman. Mike's website, Clearwater Cabin Living, offers a variety of tools to equip you along the way in creating the cabin and outdoor lifestyle you desire. We offer articles on building and decorating your dream cabin, great trails to hike, camping tips, the best ways to hook a rainbow trout, outdoor cooking and much, much more. http://www.clearwatercabinliving.com/