Big Red Car here. Bit foggy here in the ATX, unusual but it’s going to be in the low 80’s later today. The Boss is still in Idaho but he’s driving down through Windy Wyoming to Steamboat Springs. Once he gets up there, it can be a fight to get him to come home. This remote working is empowering.
It’s a bit of light snow in Ketchum this morning.
The Boss has been a Steamboat Springs devotee for over 30 years and his fling with Ketchum has been a great thing. He might even like it more than the Boat. [Boss, Boss — tell me it ain’t true, please! Sayeth the Big Red Car.]
There is a ski mountain at Ketchum, Sun Valley (no it isn’t “Snow” Valley and the Boat gets tons more snow than Sun Valley, but still) and it is a nice mountain with very good grooming. The grooming is much better than the Boat.
The Boat has a ton more snow but Sun Valley does a much better job of grooming.
The town of Ketchum is just delightful and the real estate prices are much more reasonable than Steamboat even the Boat in the bust.
Here is the view from The Boss’s joint at Les Saisons. Delightful top floor 3-bedroom luxury joint. [Click on it to see it bigger.]
At night the clouds come right down to the town from the top of the mountain.
Summers in Ketchum are supposedly more interesting than the skiing, There is lots of hiking, fishing, rafting, biking and enjoying the cooooooool mountain air. A local restaurant, the Kneadery, has an interesting array of wildlife.
Here is a nice big brown bear. Oh, yeah, this is brown bear country. Watch out, this rascal might have you on his menu. How would you like to meet this fellow while hiking?
How about this atypical deer? Ever seen this many points? You deer hunters will enjoy this one. Click on it and see a larger version. Count the points, ya’ll.
The Boss will definitely be coming back to Ketchum in the summer. If it was good enough for Hemingway, well it’s OK for The Boss.
Take care of your sweet selves and do some good today.
But, hey, what the Hell do I really know anyway? I’m just a Big Red Car. 
The National Park Rangers are advising skiers to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.
They advise visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.
Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear’s sensitive nose and it will run away.
It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.
Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.
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The Boss had a memorable encounter with a huge black bear Momma Bear in the mountains — Smokies — around Gatlinburg a few years ago.
Memorable in that The Boss and the bear had apparently had the same training.
The Boss rose to full height, put his walking stick above his head to make himself even bigger and then yelled at the bear.
The bear got down off the trail and watched from about 15′ away as The Boss skirted the bear.
Training is often the solution in times of difficulty. Luckily the bear had apparently been listening when the Rangers told her what to do if she encountered a stupid human yelling at her.
BRC
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Tell the Boss he needs to get off the groomers. Best snow is in the trees. And Ketchum is even better in the summers. Get up to Stanley to raft the Sawtooth. Good you found The Kneadery. Next time stop by Java on 4th for a Bowl of Soul.
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The Boss takes a nice espresso — frowns on corporate coffee — in the afternoons.at Java but what is a Bowl of Soul?
BRC
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One of the most beautiful places on earth. Hemingway always picked the best spots.
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Funny because The Boss feels like his destiny is somehow tied to Cuba and Key West?
BRC
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