http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/DrReed Tue, 26 Jun 2007 04:29:27 GMT Reviews by DrReed http://www.viewpoints.com/Rubbermaid-1-2-Gallon-Victory-Jug-Blue-review-9913 When the heat clamped down, not being much of a soda pop drinker and not being a fan of water fountains or coolers, I began looking for an affordable way to take my own water or Gatorade to work.  I'd been using a 1 liter Nalgene bottle, but it hadn't been making it even to lunch time and I didn't want to pay $6 - $10 for a second one.  I then stumbled across the Rubbermaid, 1/2 Gallon "Victory" Jug at Wal-Mart for $3.29; in blue rather than the "classic" red.   Ignoring the old adage that "you get what you pay for," I popped for it.  It didn't take long to discover that it worked - sort of - and that old adages are there for a reason. — Keep in mind that this is not a "drinking bottle," but a "jug" that is meant to have the liquids poured therefrom into a cup or glass.  However, too much of my youth was spent stomping up and down the creek without a canteen and then drowning my dehydration directly from the 2 gallon jug Dad and I used to keep... Tue, 26 Jun 2007 04:29:27 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Rubbermaid-1-2-Gallon-Victory-Jug-Blue-review-9913 DrReed 2 http://www.viewpoints.com/Victorinox-Super-Tinker-Swiss-Army-Knife-review-ea49 Based on definitions for the words "Super" and "Tinker," I would identify the Victorinox Super Tinker in the following manner... — — "An excellent tool a person might use for minor (and sometimes major) or casual repair work around the household and in the field; i.e., repair work of any kind." — Which Version? — Victorinox offers three versions of their "Tinker" - the Tinker, the Super Tinker, and the Deluxe Tinker; though I've never seen all three versions in a single shop.  The Tinker is still on the shelf at the local Target, the Deluxe Tinker is in stock at the ACE Hardware just down the road, and the Super Tinker can be purchased at my local Wal-Mart for right at $20.  (This is actually quite a low price in that, generally, the average price is closer to $30 or slightly more.  It might explain why they currently only have two in stock.) — What's the difference?... Thu, 19 Apr 2007 05:08:23 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Victorinox-Super-Tinker-Swiss-Army-Knife-review-ea49 DrReed 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Fly-Fishing-The-Rocky-Mountain-Backcountry-Rich-Osthoff-review-a3790 Agree or disagree with the author's advice vis a vis a panoply of backcountry gear, there is little doubt that this book is an excellent primer or starting point for planning a backcountry trip into the Rockies. A quick skim of the 10 paged Index demonstrates the sheer number of specific waters mentioned in the roughly 145 page destination portion of this work. Just don't expect to find detailed information for any one, specific fishery. — Geographic Regions Covered - — The "major mountain ranges and wilderness areas" covered include: Wind River Range (by far the largest, single destination section and Osthoff's favorite destination, particularly for big, Golden Trout), Teton Wilderness, Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Bob Marshall Wilderness, Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, and the High Uintas Wilderness. Eleven smaller ranges/wilderness areas, such as the Flat Tops Wilderness and Bighorn Mountains, are covered with 2 or 3 pages... Fri, 13 Apr 2007 05:09:08 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Fly-Fishing-The-Rocky-Mountain-Backcountry-Rich-Osthoff-review-a3790 DrReed 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Umpqua-Feather-Merchants-Z-Wing-Caddis-Mercers-review-a0ed The Z-Wing Caddis is just about the only caddis pupa imitation I use on a regular basis (or, a minor variation thereof - you know us inveterate fly tyers can't help but "tinker"). It's just one of those relatively simple, fairly straightforward, "looks like what it's supposed to be imitating" designs that works.  You can't ask for much more than that in a fly pattern. — Why Caddis Patterns? — To put it succinctly, whether you fish in the eastern U.S., Canada, or the western U.S., a caddis pattern or, more likely, a selection of caddis patterns, rides in your fly boxes.  Caddis hatches can be an affair to remember and even "mark calendars" for some fly fishers; e.g., the Mother's Day Hatch is a famous caddis "event" in the Wyoming/Montana region which occurs, to one degree or another, like clockwork every year. At the other end of the season is the "October Caddis" hatch; which, interestingly enough, happens in October and is an emergence of rather large... Thu, 12 Apr 2007 06:09:52 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Umpqua-Feather-Merchants-Z-Wing-Caddis-Mercers-review-a0ed DrReed 5