Somusing

This summer the four Jensen brothers (Jon, Jeremiah, Caleb, Charlie) and our families had a reunion camping trip in Great Basin National Park, near Baker, Nevada. None of us had been there before, but it was roughly in the equally distant from all of us, had a campground for car camping, and the second-highest peak in Nevada, which some of us wanted to hike. The town of Baker had lots of fun homemade artwork outdoors in yards, on fences, etc. We didn't get any photos of that as we drove by on the highway, but this extra stop sign in the middle, behind the cross road, that says "Whoa", imparts the feel of it: The first night we weren't able to find campsites near each other, so the next morning some of us moved our tents and things to campsites closer to the others once some people had left: We had plenty of time to just hang out: And Caleb & Jenn's popup camping trailer, shelter, and cooking gear made it much nicer for everyone: There were so...

Last weekend Phin and I drove with friends down to the very southern edge of Utah east of Kanab, to hike a large slot canyon called Buckskin Gulch. We camped at White House the first night. The next day we backpacked through, starting at Wire Pass, hiking about 13 miles on the first day and camping near the Confluence which on the map appears to be within a few feet of the Arizona border. Then on the second day we hiked another 8 miles or so back out to White House. There were 7 people in our group, and having two vehicles allowed us to shuttle ourselves between the starting and ending point. It was a beautiful slot canyon with a huge variety of rock walls, and almost no way out, so we were glad no rain was forecast for days and the risk of flash flooding was very low. The temperature in the canyon varied quite a bit but was pleasant. Permits are required and a limited number of people are allowed in, so it was fairly quiet. We had to carry all our water, about 4-5 liters per day...

I was surprised the other day to come across an informative six-part series in the Huffington Post about police reform and the drug war focused on Salt Lake City. I had not heard about several of the cases mentioned. The articles are by Radley Balko, former editor of Reason magazine and analyst at the Cato Institute, among other things. I think it's good that these look above the level of a single "news story" and show the bigger picture. Here are links to each of the articles, and a note about the main person featured: How A Drug Raid Gone Wrong Sparked A Call For Change In The Unlikeliest State In The Nation (Matthew David Stewart) As The Drug War Escalates, SWAT Teams Become 'Bullies With Badges And Guns' (William "Dub" Lawrence) Meet The Activist Who's Bringing Conservatives On Board The Police Reform Movement (Connor Boyack) An Occupy Activist's New Cause: Drug Raids And Police Abuse (Jesse Fruhwirth) An Unexpected Reformer ...