FISHING – Little Goose Lock and Dam at Snake River Mile 70.3 near Starbuck, Wash., will be closed to public vehicle traffic across the top of the dam May 15 -July 13, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced.

Bad news for some anglers.

Construction will force the temporary traffic-crossing closure.

Travelers can call 1-888-DAM-INFO (1-888-326-4636) for current dam-crossing information at all three of Walla Walla District’s dams that allow public traffic to cross the Snake River: Lower Monumental, near Kahlotus, Wash.; Little Goose, near Starbuck, Wash.; and Lower Granite, near Pomeroy, Wash.

Info: Walla Walla District’s recreation website.

OUTDOOR TRAVEL — Two premier outdoor recreation areas within a day’s access from Spokane are listed among the Lonely Planet's Top 10 U.S. Destinations for 2013.

The San Juan Islands are No. 3 on the list and dubbed “The Gourmet Archipelago.” The writer notes the three main islands – San Juan, Orcas and Lopez – support two vineyards, a lavender farm, an alpaca ranch and weekend farmers’ markets that ply everything from artichokes to marionberries.”

From the outdoor recreation angle, the islands are standouts for bicycling, sailing and sea kayaking. “Hop on a bike, explore the beaches and enjoy the scenery, but be sure to eat!” the author says, noting several fine restaurants.

Glacier National Park is ranked No. 10 — perhaps a little low from a outdoor enthusiast's point of view, but that’s just as well, considering the Lonely Planet’s top 10 list is viewed by 12 million people a year.

“A relatively new shuttle system offers an eco-friendly alternative. But go soon,” the author warns. “The park’s 25 glaciers are melting – and could be gone altogether by 2030 if current climate changes continue!”

Here's full list of Lonely Planet's Top 10 U.S. Destinations for 2013:

1. Louisville, KY
2. Fairbanks, AK
3. San Juan Islands, WA
4. Philadelphia, PA
5. American Samoa
6. Eastern Sierras, CA
7. Northern Maine, ME
8. Twin Cities, MN (Minneapolis and St. Paul)
9. Verde Valley, AZ
10. Glacier National Park, MT

ADVENTURE TRAVEL – A program on kayaking rivers in France will be featured Monday (Feb 25) at 7 p.m. at Mountain Gear Corporate Office at 6021 E. Mansfield, Spokane.

The program is sponsored by the Spokane Canoe & Kayak Club.

Club members Jim Nelson and Charlene Longworth will discuss their river adventures on Corsica, a small island in the Mediterranean Sea.

TRAVEL — The Washington Transportation Department closed the North Cascades Highway at noon today because of heavy snow and avalanche danger.

Three slides occurred and more than 4 inches of snow fell within 90 minutes, according to a department media release.

At this point, the closure is temporary, but the section of Highway 20 over the North Cascades typically closes for the winter this time of year.

WINTER TRAVEL — Slippery roads this week are a reminder that drivers should be prepared for mishaps that might catch stuck, stranded or off the road in winter conditions.

A bag of items stashed in your vehicle could spell the difference between comfort and misery if not — in the worst case scenario — life and death. 

Carry a survival kit in your vehicle.

• First-aid kit
• Blankets or sleeping bags
• Cellular phone and charger
• Windshield scraper with snow brush
• Flashlight with extra batteries
• Extra winter clothes including shoes, hats and gloves
• Compact shovel
• Traction aids (bag of sand or  cat litter) and tow strap
• Emergency flares
• Jumper cables
• Non-perishable food and bottled water
• Road map
• Candles, matches, non-liquid firestarter.
• Special-needs items vehicle passengers may require.

NATURE – Howard Ferguson, a Washington Fish and Wildlife Department wildlife biologist, will present a free program on his experiences with birds and culture in East Asia at 7 p.m. Wednesday may 9 at the Riverview Retirement Community, Village Community Building, 2117 E. North Crescent Ave.

On sabbatical, Ferguson traveled for several months working and exploring Saipan, Japan, Bali, Borneo, Thailand and Vietnam.

The program is sponsored by the Spokane Audubon Society.

See a map for directions.

ADVENTURING — Spokane adventurers Debbie and Bill Pierce will present a free program about their 15-week, 12,000-mile summer trip of kayaking, fishing and wildlife photography in Alaska tonight (April 23), 7 p.m., at the Corbin Community Center, 827 W. Cleveland Ave.

“Carrying kayaks and mountain bikes on our conversion van,  we explored as many roads, trails and waterways as possible,” Debbie Pierce said. “With no real plan or time commitment,  we used  the fireweed as our only timekeeper-our summer's clock.

“Traveling from mid-June to late September, we watched  the blossoms climb up the stem of the  tall plant, knowing that (according to Alaska folklore), summer was over when the petals  hit the top.”

She said their photos include some of Alaska's amazing scenery, “including the beautiful  mountains and wild rivers, the rugged coastlines and magnificent wildlife.”

The program is sponsored by the Spokane Canoe & Kayak Club.

TRAVEL — Meri Murphy of the Spokane Mountaineers will detail her the post retiremed trip she made — for eight months! — in the Middle East and Africa during a free program tonight, 7 p.m. at Mountain Gear Headquarters, 6011 E. Mansfield.

 Murphy departed Spokane one week after retiring for a low-cost adventure in Middle East (2 months) — Turkey, Syria (whew!), Lebanon, Dubai, Oman.

Then Africa: (6 months): South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania/Zanzibar, Rwanda.

She'll show her slides and talk about the good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly.

Her one word summary of her journey: “Fabulous.”

SNOWMOBILING — The last leg of their adventure following the Iditarod Sled Dog Race started smoothly as Bob Jones of Kettle Falls and Josh Rindal of Spokane left Nome, Alaska, to run back 250 miles to return a borrowed snowmobile at Unalakleet.

Septuagenarian Bob Jones of Kettle Falls has chiseled into the frozen culture of arctic Alaska as he's snowmobiled 1,000 miles along the Iditarod Trail.  His diary and photos have been a highlight of my blog for two weeks.

Here's one of Jones's many observations from icy remote villages as he pushed through bitter temperatures:

“Cold weather is never a conversation topic among Alaska villagers. When it drops to 30 below, they just put on another layer of clothing and go about their business.”

Of course, it might be different if Alaska villagers had to come up with something quick to say on an  elevator lift to their office.

See Bob Jones's Diary and photos, days 1-6.

See Diary and photos for days 7-10.

See Diary and photos for days 11-12.

See Diary and photos for days 13-14.

See Nome Sweet Nome: Diary and photos for Day 15.

See Diary and photos for days 16-17.

SNOWMOBILING — “I'm too tired to even look at pictures,” snowmobiler Bob Jones said in an email from the tiny village of Golovin on the Iditarod Trail. (Additional photos will come later and be posted here.)   He'd just put in an 11-hour  day that extended well into the night to reach a place where he and Josh Rindal could get out of the cold for a few hours of sleep before continuing their 1,000-mile journey to Nome following the Iditarod Trail.

Despite a fierce cold and a major breakdown that forced them to find a snowmobile to borrow, Jones, from Kettle Falls, and Rindal, from Spokane, have an outside chance of making the Mushers Banquet in Nome tonight (March 18) — if they can make the last 90 brutal miles in one day.

“It will be a cold ride, just like today's was,” Jones reported. “It's -9º and breeze outside as I write this from the library at the Golovin school.  It's about +70º in here and my sleeping bag is only about 5 feet away on a pad on the floor.”

Then he crashed and slept like a bear in winter… until early the next morning when he filed his diary for two days (click continued reading below) and offered these additional updates:

Mileage: Nearly 1,000 miles so far out of a total trip that will reach about 1,300 miles if they return to Unalakleet as planned.

He had one final thought about his cozy quarters on the library floor before heading out in the bitter cold for another long day: “This is a beautiful school. Probably costs more on a cost-of-heat-per-kid basis than anywhere in the Lower 48!”

I replied to Jones noting that he was an ironman model for people older than 70. “I wonder what all the other septuagenarians in Kettle Falls are doing today?” I poked.

“Being more intelligent!” he replied.

Click “continue reading” to see Jone's Iditarod diary and photos.

Also: click here to see a continuously updated photo gallery of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

SNOWMOBILING — Chilled but not chilled out, Bob Jones of Kettle Falls and Josh Rindal of Spokane contginued their snowmobile trek along the Iditarod Trail even though the Iditarod sled dog race is is over and the winners have packed up for home.

“Zero degrees here last night with nary a cloud in the sky.  The most perfect day for traveling imaginable,” Jones said, indicating he was happy to still be on the trail.

“The sun is getting some power and sometimes we can feel the heat through our thick clothing.

“Machines are running fine and things are going great!”

On days 11 and 12  they continued to enjoy hospitality from natives with only a few stressful encounters with deep snow in the arctic cold.

Read on for more of Jones's diary and photos.

Also: click here to see a continuously updated photo gallery of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

SNOWMOBILING — As fate would have it, the real adventure began 70 miles from any assistance behind the racers in the Iditarod sled dog race. As the temperature plunged to minus 32 degrees — nearly 60 degrees colder than the day they started out following the Iditarod Trail — snowmobilers Bob Jones of Kettle Falls and Josh Rindal of Spokane faced some arctic cruelness:

• The starter on Bob's snowmobile was falling apart.
• A clunking noise was developing in Josh's snowmobile.
• A friend died in McGrath and the town had to unite to dig a grave in the frozen ground.
• Fuel was $7.15 a gallon in McGrath.
• Bob and Josh had to drive over a dead moose in the trail.
• And then Josh's snowmobile developed problems that threatened to end the 1,000-mile expedition.

Click “continue reading” to see how the two ingenious adventurers saved their butts by hooking on to something a fisherman left behind in a remote BLM cabin.

Also: click here to see a continuously updated photo gallery of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

SNOWMOBILING — Snowmobiler Bob Jones, 72, of Kettle Falls was in Alaska this winter, once again following the annual Iditarod sled dog race with his son-in-law, Josh Rindal, who works at Fairchild Air Force Base.

We followed Jones's diary of ups and downs from the arduous trip on the Iditarod Trail as he reached several personal milestones:

• — His 100th Alaska visit.
• — A total of more than 20,000 miles following the 950- to 1,100-mile race from Anchorage to Nome.

Here's a wrapup story about Jones and his love-hate relationship with snowmobiles, but read on to follow his journey day by day.

Jones, a colorful guy with a gift for gab, is a familiar face in the remote villages along the race’s two routes since he began following the event by snowmobile in 1995.

“The first year, eight snowmobiles followed the route, and my Washington group had four,” he said. “One year, I was the only one doing the whole thing.”

He tows a trailer with gear for camping in bitter cold. Sometimes he stays in roadhouses.

“The villagers all know me and like me because I only stay a day, have a good time and leave,” he said.

Live the arctic life with with Jones by clicking “continue reading” for the first six days of diary posts from the Iditarod Trail, followed by links for Bob's take on the rest of the trip.

Also, click here to see a photo gallery of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

OUTDOOR TRAVEL — A world-wide online pole has named a new list of seven wonders of the world.  Check it out and see if you agree. 

I'm thinking the people who voted on this have not been to the Grand Canyon.

OUTDOOR TRAVEL — REI Adventures has a good reputation for leading outdoor vacations to exceptional outdoor destinations in many countries.

But the Seattle-based group also offers a long list of Weekend Getaways, shorter adventures within an easy drive of Spokane. For example:

• North Cascades Climbing (3 days) - Known for its dramatic jagged peaks, towering waterfalls and deep river valleys, North Cascades National Park is adorned by more glaciers than any other park outside of Alaska.  Climbing adventurers will learn and practice basic climbing techniques before attempting the group’s remote summit ascent. 
• Whistler Backpacking (4 days) – Whistler Mountain in western British Columbia offers a scenic venue for adventure trekking along the alpine trails that overlook the valley below.  Backpackers will cross the rolling Musical Bumps and alpine ridgelines en route to Russet Lake where they will be immersed in the area’s cultural history and learn about the natural forces that shaped the landscape.      

REI Weekend Getaways allow travelers to experience the great outdoors, polish their skills (or learn some new ones) and meet other fun outdoor enthusiasts — all without taking a lot of time off or breaking the bank account.  visit:

OUTDOOR TRAVEL — It struck a personal chord this morning to read the news that members of the American Motorcyclist Association have voted the Beartooth Highway as their favorite stretch of road in the U.S.

The winding, mountain highway climbs nearly 6,000 feet between Red Lodge, Mont., and Cooke City, Mont. Part of the route dips into Wyoming just east of Yellowstone National Park.

Riders who wrote to the association magazine said they enjoyed the route’s curves and mountain scenery.

The Powell Tribune reports that members voted for their favorite roads through the association’s website. The Beartooth beat out nearly 100 other roadways.

The personal note is that my father, born in Bear Creek, Mont., near Red Lodge in 1910, worked on the Beartooth Highway construction crews.  On his days off, he would hike into the Beartooth lakes and catch trout.

Also, I've pedaled the Beartooth on my bicycle.  It's easier on your lungs going down.

NATURE/TRAVEL — Wildlife photographer and Public TV “Travels to the Edge” host Art Wolfe will give a lecture and slide show Tuesday, 7 p.m., at Whitworth University’s Weyerhaeuser Hall Robinson Teaching Theatre.

Wolfe, 59, is one of the best globetrotting nature imagers in the world. Don’t miss this opportunity.

SEA KAYAKING — It's time to quit thinking about a sea-kayaking adventure in the Sea of Cortez and Mexico's Baja California.  It's bargain time to the safe part of Mexico.

I'm just back from a nine-day trip of paddling and camping — The gray whales were parading their newborn calves for us. 

But here's why I'm mentioning this before I run my feature story in the paper:  Air fares have just been slashed.

Alaska Airlines is running a web special that will get you from Spokane to Loreto for about $350 round trip through April 30!

Check out the outfitted trip offerings from Sea Kayak Adventures based in Coeur d'Alene. 

 OUTDOOR TRAVEL — Outdoorswoman and world traveler Jane Schelly of Spokane will present a program tonight on her lengthy visits to Turkey. The free program starts at 7 p.m. at Mountain Gear Corporate Headquarters, 6021 E Mansfield.

Expect to hear about hiking options as well as “Blue Cruises,” kayaking on the Mediterranean coast and much more.

Mountain Gear Headquarters is near Felts Field. Go north on Fancher Road from Trent and turn right on Mansfield just before the tracks.