Looking back from the bow of "Vortex"

     As I've been building the "update plan" for this site, the news have been full of reports of our impending oil crisis, and currently local gas prices are hovering around $3.00 a gallon again.  On a long road trip a while back, I found myself spending a long time considering the impact that a change from a petroleum based world might have on some of the specific hobbies and recreational stuff I've directly targeted with this site.  Pretty much every activity that I've built this site around requires some use of fossil fuels in order to participate in it.  Of course a mountain biker could be said to be impacted much less than a four wheeling enthusiast for sure, but in most cases, the best mountain biking destinations are in many cases reached only after a trip down some highway in our car, truck or SUV.  So, if the doomsayers are right, and in the coming decades we'll be seeing a steady increase in fuel prices and ultimately a drop off in global oil production, it stands to reason that our hobbies and recreational are going to be impacted. 

     As I work the site over, I'll be trying to watch for ideas, thoughts and conjecture on what the future might hold in store for us, and for our children.  I don't want to get too mired down in doom and gloom, but I do think it's worth talking about and spending some time thinking about.

 - Latest Updates -

- If you're even mildly interested in sailing, you're probably aware of the fact that the America's Cup yacht race is approaching.  To determine who will face the Team New Zealand, the Louis Vuitton cup races are currently underway in New Zealand right now.  Be sure to check out our Sailing section for more information.

- HE MADE IT!  Steve Fossett has become the first man to complete a solo circumnavigation in a balloon.  Other than a few bumps along the way, this trip was relatively problem free.  All of us here at Redrock Outdoors want to salute a man who has proven that persistence pays off when you're chasing a dream!  Congratulations Steve!

- 6/27/02 Well, he's 50% of the way around the world!  Steve Fossett that is.  Check our Global Crossings section for the latest news.

- 4/1/02 We've added a new column under our Getting Started Sailing section.  We've found a beginning Sailor who just purchased his first sailboat.  We've talked him into keeping a Sailors Diary as he begins to learn the basics of sailing.

- 11/3/01 We've spent more time working on our Fitness section, including the addition of the Mental Fitness section, devoted to helping you live life with a positive mental perspective.

- Other Stuff Inside Here -

- The GPS Navigation section of our site is brand new.  We've been fooling around with various GPS navigation devices for some time now, but recent changes in the system combined with new features make this an exciting thing to follow.  If you're new to using GPS Navigation, or if you've been using it for a long time, we think you'll be able to find something useful in this section of the site.

- As it turned out, 2000 was an extremely difficult year for me personally, and I found myself turning inward for the strength to get me through an average day.  During this period, I found that getting myself back into shape physically helped me to get back into shape mentally as well.  Some of what I found to be useful has been gathered up and placed in the Fitness section of the site.  Hopefully, you'll find something helpful here as well.  We truly believe that life is a grand adventure and that you need to keep yourself in good condition to experience it to its fullest.  

- The battle continues in Southern Utah as environmentalists continue to wage their campaign for land closures.  Check out our Land Use section for the latest in this ongoing saga.  After all, they are your public lands, and we think you owe it to yourself and to your children to get involved in decided how they are used and protected.

- We've got a page that let's you automatically add your own link to our site, and once we've reviewed it to make sure it's appropriate for this site, we'll add it to this portion of our site, under the heading it belongs in.   If you'd like to automatically submit a link, or check out the unedited list, check out our Add Your Link page.  Remember, these links have NOT yet been reviewed by our editors.   Or, if you'd rather submit your site for immediate consideration and linking, go to our Submit a Link page where you can submit a link that gets directed right to our Editors.  This is by far the best way to get a significant link on our site.

- We moved our Camping section off the main navigation bar at the top, since we don't have a ton of stuff going on there, but the area still remains in hopes that we'll get the time to revive it.  As always, we're certainly not opposed to getting some input from those of you out there who may have something to contribute.  If you've got an itch to write an article or two, let us know.