Hikers' Close Encounter With A Bison In Yellowstone National Park

While visiting Yellowstone National Park two hikers were mere feet away from a very large but care-free bison.  Although bison are one of the largest and wildest animals in America, they are relatively calm as long as you don't move a muscle, like what these hikers did.  Judging by their facial expressions, they had mixed feelings of excitement, humor, and sheer terror.

The 7 Falls of Death

During long Arizona summers I like to go with a few friends up to a sequence of waterfalls that always flow heavily when the monsoon season arrives. The area can be overly touristy at times, but without a doubt, it’s a nice hike and a breath of fresh air. One of my friends had done some scouting on Google Maps the day before and noticed what looked like a trail following a little path up the canyon where water would probably be flowing. To me, it seemed like a good way to get around the crowds and cut a few miles off of the hike. So naturally, I said it looked awesome. We eventually did reach the falls, but not exactly gracefully.

To start with my minimalist trail shoes completely ripped, leaving me barefoot for close to the entire hike. The Cody Lundin in me welcomed the changes happily, but I didn't even reach the halfway point before my punished feet deeply missed my flimsy shoes. Shortly after that we reached a small cliff diving spot, and after a bit of coaxing from my friends, I reluctantly tiptoes myself to the edge of the cliff, and very gently threw myself off. The day continued fairly smoothly until a naturally crafted slip-n-slide swept me away with the backpack holding not only our lunch, but our phones as well. Needless to say the phones didn't survive and we ate soggy sandwiches for lunch. Regardless of the way we turned a 4 hour hike into a 7 hour hike, the falls were great. There were lots of good people, lots of energy, and some nice cliff jumping.

P.S. We ended up taking the trail back.

By: Jonathan Terry

New Springfield, Missouri Office

Our Springfield, Missouri sales and web development arm is temporarily moving into a coworking office in downtown Springfield.  We will be working out of here as we develop a brand new web store that is slated to launch late this year.  The location is very convenient, sitting right next door to a coffee shop and across the street from countless restaurants.

Boating at Payette Lake

One of my favorite memories of Payette Lake in McCall, Idaho was when one of my uncles took me out on his boat. Nevertheless, the trip demonstrates just how fast the weather in Idaho can change in the summer. It started out as a beautiful, sunny day, but when the afternoon rolled around, it turned into a storm so intense we wondered whether we would make it back to shore.

My uncle took us out in his legendary pontoon boat which had enough room to hold all of us and has been part of our family memories for many years. We loaded up, and after getting ready, we set out onto gorgeous Payette Lake, one of the main attractions in McCall. The lake is an incredible blue set against the background of pristine mountains and delicious green pine trees. We took our time exploring the lake, and some of us tried our hand at fishing.

In the late afternoon, I took a look up at the sky and noticed something peculiar. White, puffy clouds were gathering in the sky. Thankfully, my uncle noticed it as well, and we decided that we needed to head to shore. As we headed back, great gusts of wind came up and huge waves formed on the lake. It took everything we could to get the boat back to the dock and onto the trailer. Thankfully, we had help as others around pitched in. It was a good reminder to never underestimate the power of Mother Nature.

By: Rebecca M.