SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, a look at the famed Beartooth Highway. (See the Region-Wide section.)

Region-Wide

A fun backcountry flying video: Hells Canyon-Backcountry Flying with all sorts of new friends. Look closely for the pilot dancing his wheels on the river at the 7:11 mark. Clearly, these gents have a lot of experience, so they make this tricky and quite demanding flying look easy.

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Video: Best Drive in the USA: Beartooth Highway – Montana/Wyoming Travel Documentary.

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Planning a Beartooth Highway Road Trip.

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Elk rut underway in Yellowstone calls for greater distances from park animals.

Idaho

University of Idaho murders: Judge to weigh change of venue decision.

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50 years after Evel Knievel’s attempt, a rare chance in Twin Falls to see the rocket he used to Jump the Snake.

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North Idaho College releases special report to accreditor.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Whatever else history may say about me when I’m gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty’s lamp guiding your steps and opportunity’s arm steadying your way.”  – Ronald Reagan, 1989

Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 2, 2024

On September 2, 1666, the Great Fire of London began at 2 A.M. on Pudding Lane. It is estimated that 80% of London was destroyed in the fire. Some 13,200 homes were destroyed, along with St. Paul’s Cathedral (which had stood for 500 years), and 84 out of London’s 109 parish churches. Thatched roofs had been formally banned since the Great Fire of Southwark in 1212, but that roofing method was still widely used in defiance of the ban up until the Great Fire of London.

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September 2, 1969 was the day that the first American automatic teller machine (ATM) made its first public debut, dispensing cash to customers at Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, New York. However, a cash machine was put into use by Barclays Bank, Enfield, north London in the United Kingdom, on June  27th, 1967, which is recognized as the world’s first ATM.”

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A reminder:  The Paratus gift-giving holiday is celebrated on the Third Friday in September, each year.  This year, that falls on September 20th.  Give the gift of preparedness to your family and friends!

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Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

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We are seeking  entries for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

1791 Gunleather Premium Rifle Sling, by Thomas Christianson

The 1791 Gunleather Premium Rifle Sling is a nicer-than-average, leather, two-point rifle sling. It is expertly handcrafted in the USA of American heavy native steerhide with a slip-resistant suede backing. The workmanship is excellent, with outstanding cutting, stitching, and finishing work.

Full Disclosure: 1791 Gunleather is an affiliate advertiser of SurvivalBlog. SurvivalBlog will receive a small commission if you use our link to order.

The sling cost $54.99 at the time of this writing from 1791gunleather.com. That is surprisingly affordable for a high-quality, handcrafted, American-made product. SurvivalBlog readers who use the discount code “survival10”, will receive an additional 10% off their order.

If you own a nicer-than-average rifle, and want a nicer-than-average two-point sling to go along with it, this one would be a good choice.Continue reading“1791 Gunleather Premium Rifle Sling, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week:  Roasted Yellow Summer Squash

The following simple recipe for Roasted Yellow Summer Squash is from SurvivalBlog reader Carol in Delaware
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Ingredients
  • Yellow Summer Squash  — either straight or crookneck type.
  • Olive Oil
  • Ground Black Pepper
  • Salt
  • Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Herbs (optional)
  • Chopped almonds (optional)
Directions
  1.  Slice squash into rounds (or quarter-rounds if the squash is huge.)
  2. Coat them in olive oil, by tossing.
  3. Add salt, to taste.
  4. Add pepper, to taste.
  5. Place the squash in a single layer on a lipped baking sheet.
  6. Top with Parmesan cheese.
  7. Roast in a preheated oven for 12-to-14 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
  8. Move the baking sheet to under your broiler for 1-2 additional minutes, or until the cheese on top is crisp and golden brown.
  9. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs and almonds, if that suits your taste.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic is a map that shows the 116 U.S. counties that are more populous than the entire state of Wyoming. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.)

The thumbnail below is click expandable.

 

 

 

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Please send your graphic ideas to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — September 1, 2024

On September 1, 1752, Pennsylvania’s new State House bell (known today as the Liberty Bell) arrived in Philadelphia from Whitechapel Foundry in London, England.

September 1, 1807: Aaron Burr was acquitted of the treason charge of plotting to set up an empire. His trial has been called The Trial of The Century.

September is National Preparedness Month.

And September is also Kilted to Kick Cancer Month.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Building a Versatile AR, by Bulldog

Living the prepper lifestyle for many decades has fas its perks…well, sort of! It typically means there are mounds of extra supplies, boxes of spare parts, jars of both home and commercially canned foods, dry-canned foods, buckets of grain and beans in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, and shelving anywhere it can possibly be built. Yeah, I’ve probably left out a few things, but you get the idea.

It also generally means you are often versed and proficient in tasks the average person has never even considered. This of course can be a hindrance when you and your wife are watching the action scene of a movie. You immediately recognize the scene just depicted is quite anachronistically impossible…or that the weapon just presented is a SIG 226, Benelli M4, or the now quite obscure Beretta 38/42 with its finned barrel. The latter, now all but lost to the tides of history. Recognizing these things is not what gets you into trouble. That occurs when you blurt such information out loud, resulting in an almost immediate scowl!Continue reading“Building a Versatile AR, by Bulldog”

August, 2024 in Precious Metals, by Everett Millman

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance and silver’s performance and examine the factors that affect the metal prices.

WHAT DID GOLD AND SILVER DO IN AUGUST?

The precious metals enjoyed another month of modest gains in August. The results would have been more impressive if not for a sharp sell-off on the last trading day of the month.

Spot gold began the month around $2,450 per troy ounce and finished at $2,502/oz. Silver prices opened August below $28.50/oz and closed out 40 cents higher at $28.82, a roughly 1.4% increase.

The week beginning August 5th was particularly unkind to the metals, even as markets for stocks, bonds, and currencies experienced heightened volatility. Silver slumped lower by $1.93 per ounce over the course of Monday, August 5th through Wednesday the 7th. That represented a 6.8% swoon and brought spot silver to its low for the month at $26.68/oz. Gold lost almost 2.5% over the same period.Continue reading“August, 2024 in Precious Metals, by Everett Millman”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

In My PC’s Calendar, I Tried Deleting The 2020s, To Start Over…
But It Didn’t Work!

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” –  Romans 12:1-15 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — August 31, 2024

On August 31, 1889, the Second International Electrical Congress adoped the Joule as a unit of energy (after James Prescott Joule), the Watt as a unit of power (after James Watt) and the Quadrant as a unit of electrical inductance. (The Quadrant was later renamed the Henry.)  Pictured is Scottish engineer, chemist, and inventor James Watt.

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On August 31, 1745 in the Jacobite Rising: Bonnie Prince Charlie reached Blair Castle, Scotland.

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August 31, 1422, Henry VI became King of England at the age of 9 months.

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August 31st, 1992 is the day that Randy Weaver surrendered to the Federal Authorities, ending the 10-day siege on Ruby Ridge.

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Today’s feature article is a guest piece by Brandon Smith, the Editor of Alt-Market.us and The Wild Buch Dispatch. Both are recommended by JWR.

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We are seeking entries for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Carry Trade Trap: Why The Fed Has Waited So Long To Cut Rates, by Brandon Smith

Editor’s Introductory Note: This article was written by Alt-Market.us Editor Brandon Smith and originally published by the Birch Gold Group. It is reposted with permission.

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In 2022 there was considerable debate among alternative economists what the Federal Reserve was likely to do in the face of rising stagflation. There were people who argued that the Fed would capitulate to stock market demands, stop raising interest rates and return to Quantitative Easing (QE). These analysts operated on the assumption that the central bank wants to save the US economy from substantial deflationary crisis and that they will happily print money forever in order to delay such an event.Continue reading“Carry Trade Trap: Why The Fed Has Waited So Long To Cut Rates, by Brandon Smith”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

We’ve just begun a big new project this week that is sucking up a lot of our time. So this column may be sparse for the next few weeks.  Some details will follow. Thanks for your patience.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”