Hip towns like Boulder, Jackson, Aspen, Burlington, and Hood River always top Outside Magazines Best Towns list. They are top priority for road trippers, RV travelers, and vacationing tourists. They are packed with attractive, healthy, interesting people.

Well, after reading a fairly recent blog post by an intern at Outside (who should grow eyes in the back of her/his head) about how Kansas was the worst state to visit in the nation, being asked during my study abroad semester if we had doorknobs in Kansas, and my personal favorite, that I am asked at least once a month, “How did you ever find Colgate University from Kansas?”, I have reached the end of my rope, as my mom would say. It is about time, that all of you mountain folk learn a little bit about a little place called the heartland, because if Kansas were gone, the U.S. would look like a donut.

First things first, lets get the other Frequently Asked Questions out of the way: No, we don’t have any mountains, yes, there are bodies of water, yes we have doorknobs. yes it has been scientifically proven that Kansas is flatter than a pancake, no, its not like Footloose… we ARE allowed to dance, and finally, no my dad is not a farmer.

Now for our Kansas Appreciation Lesson. A little bit of history for you to start with.
Kansas City as one of the original hotbeds of Jazz. For all you people who equate Kansas with BORING, here is an excerpt from Ken Burn’s History of Jazz- “If you want to see some sin, forget about Paris,” said an editorialist for the Omaha Herald, “go to Kansas City.” Prohibition simply never existed in Kansas City. Not a single felony conviction for violating the Volstead Act, the law prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, sale, and possession of alcohol, was ever imposed on any of its citizens. Maybe this explains why I love cocktails so much..hmm. I digress.
Kansas City and the famous 12th and Vine district also fostered some of Jazz’s greatest names like Charlie Parker.

Stick on your bib and lick your fingers because Kansas is also home to some of the country’s best barbecue. There is a reason why the Kansas City Strip is on the menu at most major steakhouses and KC Masterpeice BBQ Sauce is one of the nations best sellers. My favorite joint is a a little place called Arthur Bryant’s- started in the 1920’s, the spot is known nation wide and was even sited in Playboy- “…the single best restaurant in the world is Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque at 18th & Brooklyn in Kansas City.”

Thirdly, Kansas weather could kick your state’s weather every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Any Kansan knows that when the sky turns green, the wind stops, and things get eerily quiet, some of the best storms you’ve ever seen are on their way.

My state is also home to two of the greatest groupings of people the world has ever known. First, a little team called the Kansas Jayhawks, who are sitting on the title of NCAA Men’s Basketball Champs.

Second, a little band called KANSAS. Lest I remind you of their most famous tune, Dust in the Wind, reincarnated by Will Ferrell in Old School.
Here is the acoustic video- Try not to cry. And no, I don’t know why the guitarist is wearing an eye patch.

There are a few things I really love. Baked goods, mischievious-looking garden gnomes, kids who wear capes, tourists with fanny packs, and useful trivia. I couldn’t tell you the date of most historical events, but I can tell you what the 57 on the Heinz 57 bottle stands for. So, my new favorite website is HowStuffWorks.com. This site is like Christmas morning for anyone with an inquisitive mind.
Not only does the site have explanations of pretty much any question you could think up, but most of the queries have relevant videos, sometimes even with commentary from people with British accents (cause we all know they sound much smarter).

A few of my favorite queries:
The Hangover Contest- My hangover prevention usually involves trying to avoid our local bar on “Whiskey Wednesday”, but these guys have some better tricks.

How Going Over Niagara Falls Works- I used to be fascinated by the clowns who would go over the falls in barrels, now you can see what it’s like.

How to Survive a Plane Crash- I was once told that donkeys killed more people annually than plane crashes. I’ve never investigated this claim, but just in case someone was pulling my leg, I read this post.

How Nascar Race Cars Work- Yes, redneck jokes aside, my Kansas genes make me jealous of anyone behind the wheel of a racecar.

How Computer Clothing Works- I’ve always wanted to have a soundtrack of 80’s rock tunes playing out of my jean jacket. Now it may be possible.

Here in the mountains, we live a life that is really so fantastic that it makes every other existence seem like way more work than is necessary. For instance, this weekend, I spent my time sliding on slip and slides, playing wiffle ball, tubing the river, riding my mountain bike and drinking beer in the sun. And that’s typical. This coming weekend I plan on hiking in Grand Teton Park, waterskiing on Jackson lake, BBQing, and fly fishing the Snake River. Again…typical.

For those of you interested in taking on the life of leisure, I highly recommend it. For those thinking that it’s just not productive enough, think again. With some top of the line technology, it is actually now possible to do nothing and still be doing something. Check out these life of leisure essentials straight from the folks at Treehugger.

If James Bond were a Man of Leisure instead of a Man of Mystery, this would be his chair. As published on Treehugger.com This chaise lounge has a panel over the head made of solar panel fabric that acts as a sunshade and moves to protect you from the sun. At the same time it collects solar energy. This is converted into electricity that can be used to charge all those essential gadgets needed for the beach such as a dock to download your digital camera pictures and load up MP3 players and even a GPS in case you get lost. It has a sliding laptop table so that you can read TreeHugger at the same time. Of course there are speakers and long-range WiFi antennae.

Although this doesn’t quite have the same sex appeal as your typical string bikini, and doesn’t look to be really all that comfortable, the Solar Bikini works hard while you aren’t. Whilst lying in the sun and baking, you can charge up your cell phone, ipod and digital camera. It comes with a USB drinks cooler—once plugged in it will act as a chiller for your can of organic lemonade. The photovoltaic film panels allow a fashionable fit while supplying the 6.5 volts.

In a complete departure from the second-homeowner focused golf courses and trophy homes sprouting almost daily in picturesque Teton Valley, Idaho, photographer-turned-developer Gabe Rogel has initiated a true community-oriented development.

Red Barn is a new 70 lot neighborhood that prioritizes a sustainable, thoughtful approach and affordable pricing. Located on a lush 80 acres only five blocks from downtown Driggs, Red Barn sustainability elements include:
• An in-town location to reduce automobile dependence
• Restricting the building envelope to 50% of total acreage
• Recycling the building materials of the 10 existing structures on the property
• Passive solar lot layouts and home designs
• Green covenants that ensure very energy efficient homes as well as the use of sustainable building materials
• Donation 1% of revenues to environmental organizations through 1% for the Planet
Read More »

The heart of the summer is upon us. 85 degrees, scorching sun, dry dusty trails, and raging rivers have us completely fooled. We just got on our bikes and in our boats and pulled out our bbq grills. It can’t possibly be time to start thinking about winter again. CAN IT?

Brought to you by FREESKIER TV, here they are, the first two ski movie trailers of the season.
Here we go. For full bro bra movie enjoyment, put on your ski goggles, slam a Red Bull and watch them both…at the same time.

For full film details and more trailers, go to Freeskier.com

Matchstick Productions- CLAIM

CLAIM, The Greatest Ski Movie… EVER!

Poor Boyz Productions- REASONS

PBP’s SIA Teaser for “Reasons”

In the August issue of Shape magazine, out this week on stands, they document a weekend getaway to our little mountain home, highlighting the best hikes, restaurants, spas and attractions in Jackson Hole.

The “Get Fit” three-day Teton Tour includes hiking in Grand Teton Park, eating a ‘light’ lunch at Dornan’s Pizza and Pasta Company (Hey Shape readers, there’s no light lunch at a Pizza and Pasta Company!), mountain biking at Teton Village, horseback riding, Gondola ride, cocktails at the Four Seasons, designer shopping, yoga workouts, whitewater class, and a BBQ “splurge” to reward yourself at the end of your trip. Total cost of the SHAPE magazine Jackson Hole Vacation: $2 million dollars.

Have no fear budget-conscious travelers, Sarah’s version of this overpriced and overindulgent vacation is much cheaper, much cooler and much much more fun. The one point I do agree with them on is staying at Spring Creek Ranch. There’s no better view and accomodations for the cost and their pancakes are worth $200 a night.

To save money on park entry costs, head to Mt. Glory on Teton Pass, hike up and follow the Teton Crest Trail to Teton Village. It is a full day hike, and pretty strenuous, but FREE, and that’s the point afterall.

Pass on Dornan’s Pizza, even though the view is gorgeous, and call Dominos. I hear they have this 3 pizzas for $5 deal. Amount saved- $40 bucks. If you really need a drink to finish out the day, go to the Stagecoach Bar in Wilson. Their $4 pint-sized marg will get you buzzed on the cheap, and the Journey on the jukebox beats the elevator music at any 5-star restaurant in town.

Horseback riding isn’t really my style, but trust me after your first mountain biking experience, the last thing you are going to want to ride is a horse. Ouch! I recommend a river tube down Flat Creek. Buy some tractor innertubes at Big O Tires, south of town, and put in at the Dairy Queen. If you get an oreo Blizzard for lunch, you’ve already saved yourself $50.

Designer shopping is overrated, I’ll bet you a million bucks whatever location you are coming from has better shopping than Jackson, so skip it, take that money and go to Teton Thai for dinner. $12 will get you the best outdoor dining in Jackson. Go BYOB and you’ll save the $180 dollars you would have spent on 2 martinis at the Four Seasons. They don’t have a piano lounge, but I’ll play the kazoo for you if you pay me $5.

Yoga is great and all, but just touch your toes a few times in the morning and you’ll feel great, and touching your toes is FREE.

As for the BBQ dinner to “reward” yourself at the end of the trip, looks to me like anyone following the SHAPE tour has gone to about 3 BBQ joints and 3 Pizza restaurants, so if you want to reward yourself for gaining 5 LB, go ahead. If you’ve gone my route, you’ve tubed off a few pounds already so reward yourself with a $1.50 PBR and a bucket of fried chicken from Albertson’s. Its like 30 pieces for $3.00. Head east of town, down the Elk Refuge road and out to Curtis Canyon. Drive up the hill, park your car, and take a picture of your greasy fried chicken smile, because you’ll want to document the look on your face when you realize you have the best sunset view of the Tetons ever. Then send the picture to me.

Cost of Sarah’s Jackson vacation: $100 dollars. You’re welcome.

Long known as the Oscars of sports, the ESPY awards were first handed out in 1993 to recognize individual and team achievement. The awards have gone from a niche group of basketball, baseball, football stars, to a celebrity- studded red-carpet event that now includes the top names in the snow sports industry.

This year, the Best Female Athlete category includes nominee and World Cup skier, Lindsey Vonn. Aspen’s own Gretchen Bleiler is in the running for the Best Female Action Sports Athlete, along with snowboard superstar Lindsey Jacobellis. The Best Male Action Sports Athlete category includes snowboarder Kevin Pearce, who is not surprisingly accompanied by the Flying Tomato himself, Shaun White.

For the past four years, the majority of the ESPY awards, with the exception of Lifestyle Achievement awards, have been fan nominated by online vote. This year is no exception.

To vote for your favorites, CLICK HERE. Voting closes on July 12th.

The ESPY Awards, hosted by Justin Timberlake and including an all-star cast of presenters including Lance Armstrong, David Beckham, Zac Efron, Samuel L. Jackson, Steve Nash, Jet Li, Danika Patrick, Kate Walsh, and Luke Wilson, among many more, will air July 20th 9pm EST, on ESPN and ESPN HD.