Ernie's Great Outdoors

ERNIE COWAN  Outdoors YEAR FULL OF MEMORABLE, PICTURESQUE EXCURSIONS How could this year be anything but great when it began with a pilgrimage to Salvation Mountain and a side trip to East Jesus? As regular readers will know, I usually offer a yearend report card of sorts of the outdoor activities I have shared and enjoyed throughout the year. This year was a good one. The visit to Salvation Mountain wasn’t exactly a pilgrimage, but was actually a New Year’s Day trip to the Salton Sea and surrounding areas I often call “The Land of Odds.” Some have suggested I  might be the Wizard of Odds. Winter is peak time for migrating waterfowl and a great chance to see huge flocks of sandhill cranes, geese and ducks, along with views of resident hawks and burrowing owls in the wildlife preserves around the  area.  There are other attractions around Salton Sea that we wanted to share with friends, including the bubbling mud pots produced by deep underground geothermal wells. An...

SPIDER WASPS ARE MIGHTY FOES FOR TARANTULAS - The San Diego Union Tribune a

ERNIE COWAN  Outdoors LATEST HOBBY BRINGS TEARS TO ONE’S EYES “Are you crying?” “No, honey, it’s just all the smoke in my eyes from my new meat smoker,” I told my understanding bride. “There’s no crying in barbecue.” I had come to the pinnacle moment when I had assembled all of the paraphernalia necessary to produce mouth-watering creations through the economy and magic of a home  meat smoker.  It all began so innocently. I was sucked into the vortex of an irresistible Black Friday deal. My middle son has established a family reputation for his skill as a meat smoker, often providing chicken, turkey, ribs and fish or some of our harvested game for all to enjoy. Nothing is left behind when he  brings smoked meat.  His old smoker had sadly seen better days, so the idea of getting him a new one for Christmas was rolling around in my head. On Black Friday I visited one of our local home improvement outlets. There in stacked boxes were just a few remaining “deals” th...