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Posted on August 4, 2010 - by Blackhawk Staff Writer

TREK 2010

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.

This past weekend, a group of amazing teenagers participated in a once-in-a-lifetime experience. “Trek,” as this adventure is called, is a three day adventure where youths from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints re-enact the struggles and triumphs of their pioneer ancestors who crossed the country pulling handcarts. For Trek 2010, RedRidge at Blackhawk provided an ideal location to host this event that only happens every 4 years.

This year’s event included close to 400 kids arranged into 40 “families.” Each family consists of 10 kids and 2 adults (known as their “ma” and “pa”) arranged so that no one knows anyone else in their new family. Throughout the entire 3 day experience, each family is responsible for pulling their handcart with all of their possessions through meadows, forests, across rivers, and up hills. By the end of Trek, new friendships and bonds are forged through the teamwork each family must rely on.

Each day, the families encounter different obstacles that their ancestors struggled to overcome. And the fun doesn’t stop there! The first night out, organizers arranged for the group to experience the discrimination their forefathers endured in Missouri when the governor issued and extermination order on the Mormons. Close to 30 adults dressed up, painted their faces and came running over the hill to “capture” the group leaders just as everyone was settling down to go to bed. The leaders where then tarred and feathered and the kids were ordered “off the property.” After another 2.5 mile hike in the dark pulling handcarts, the group finally reached their destination for the evening.

Despite the late hour and the initial “scare,” everyone I spoke with considered the first night’s events to be a great experience that opened their eyes to the hardships many have endured…and left the wondering what other surprises were in store for them!

We are so glad that this amazing group could share their Trek 2010 with us here at Blackhawk. Thank you for letting us visit the festivities! We look forward to seeing more of the great pictures and hearing about the memories you all made during this adventure!

Posted on July 17, 2010 - by Blackhawk Staff Writer

Paint the Pony Extravaganza

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.

The summer’s first Paint the Pony Ice Cream Social was a celebration of all things summer! Yummy treats including a special huckleberry peach cobbler, brownies, and, of course, ice cream with all of the toppings helped refuel event-goers after an afternoon of pony rides. Scooby Doo, Blackhawk’s trusty white horse, provided a living canvas for the event’s signature activity…painting the pony! In honor of the Forth of July, Scooby was even decorated with an American flag amongst red, blue, yellow and green handprints. And because the event was so close to Independence Day, we couldn’t let the day end without lighting a few sparklers!

Our next Paint the Pony event will be held on August 8th at 1pm. We hope you can join us at the River Lodge for this special event! Please RSVP to Jil at @ (208) 630-4348.

Posted on July 17, 2010 - by Blackhawk Staff Writer

Summer Trailrides at Blackhawk

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.

This summer, Blackhawk added three new horses to our equestrian center and they are excited to get out on the trail! Homeowners and guests have been keeping Sunny, Cowboy and Gunner busy touring the natural beauty of the Payette River Mountains. We hope you will stop by the Ranch House to meet our new team members!

Posted on June 29, 2010 - by Blackhawk Staff Writer

Congratulations to Kristin and Trent!

After a week of wild, rainy weather, the sun came out for Kristin and Trent’s beautiful riverfront wedding at Blackhawk. We love how the bride and groom left the ceremony site (held at Blackhawk’s Fishing Grotto)…in a raft! Yep, that’s right! Kristin and Trent braved the Payette River in their wedding day best and floated down to their reception at the River Lodge. And the most amazing part? Kristin did in heels!

Congratulations to you both! We are honored to have been a part of your special day!

If you are planning a wedding in McCall and are interested in learning more about Blackhawk’s wedding packages, please contact McKenzie at 208.630.5070 or by email at mckenzie@blackhawkontheriver.com.

Posted on June 29, 2010 - by Blackhawk Staff Writer

Community Potluck and Thistle Education!

This past Saturday homeowners and staff from Blackhawk gathered at the Ranch House to enjoy some amazing food and amazing sunshine! A big thank you to the Johnsons, DeSchryvers, Blooms, and Hobsons for bringing all that delicious food and another thank you to Kyle Nixon for being our BBQ guru!

In between catching up, telling jokes and enjoying cocktails in the sun, we also endeavored to learn how to distinguish between several types of noxious weeds. One of the plants we see most often (and are always trying to eradicate) are thistles. As a reminder to everyone who attended this event (and as an education for those who couldn’t join us), below are photos of each type of thistle typically found at Blackhawk and how to treat each species.

Scotch Thistle: You can easily kill this by using a shovel.
Canada Thistle: This thistle is a bit more stubborn and should be eradicated using a spray.
Idaho Native Thistle: This is actually a “friendly thistle” and SHOULD NOT be killed if possible. The Idaho Native Thistle is non-spreading and non-invasive and plays a major role in animal and insect eco-systems.

Posted on June 29, 2010 - by Blackhawk Staff Writer

Eco-Culinary Plant Walk

On June 12th Jil Wickander, Blackhawk’s Director of Outdoor Pursuits, led an eco-culinary plant hike throughout the Blackhawk Meadow where participants learned about new, yummy uses for plants we see everyday including dandelions and stinging nettles. Jil also shared her recipe for a great herbal insect repellent you can make with plants right outside your door. If you missed out on this event, you can still get a great recipe for herbal insect repellent to keep you comfy this summer below. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for our next Summer Plant Walk scheduled for July 24th! If you would like to RSVP to this event, please call Jil at 208.630.4348.

HERBAL INSECT REPELLENT

2 Cups fresh American Pennyroyal leaves and flowers
1/2 Cup fresh Yarrow leaves and flowers
1/2 Cup fresh Tall Sagebush leaves
2 Cups rubbing alcohol
1/2 Cup distilled water
1 tsp jojoba oil

Combine all ingredients except jojoba oil and distilled water in a quart jar and let stand for three weeks. Strain the liquid through a coffee filter, discarding solids. Add distilled water and jojoba oil to the strained liquid. Pour into a glass sprayer bottle. Shake well before using. Apply as needed.

Posted on May 14, 2010 - by Blackhawk Staff Writer

Keep those pesky mosquitoes away!

Mosquito Abatement Tips and Hints

Have you already started hearing that annoying little buzz in your ear? Mosquito season is upon us and to help you have a more pleasant outdoor season, we wanted to provide a few hints and ideas to keep these unwanted pests to a minimum.

Mosquito Dunks: These simple dunks are a natural, organic way to eliminate mosquitoes in standing water. One dunk typically treats 100 square feet of water for up to 30 days. You can purchase these dunks in several places and they typically sell for about $20 for 20 dunks. We found some great products on E-Bay and Amazon (just search “mosquito dunks”).

Bat Houses: One of the best mosquito abatement options comes at night! One adult bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes per hour. The best method of attracting these mosquito-eating machines is to install bat houses. Visit www.BatConservation.com to view plans for building your own bat house. You can also purchase DIY kits or ready-made structures.

Posted on March 18, 2010 - by Blackhawk Staff Writer

Cabin Fever Trail Ride

The skiing may still be fun, but at this time of year, “Cabin Fever” hits. One can’t help but crave green scenery. And with that in mind, we loaded up some hairy horses and spent the day down in Slate Creek trail riding. Another small wonder to living in McCall, just a short hour’s drive away is the Salmon River Canyon, with its own micro-climate. We started out with gloves and coats, which soon gave way to the wish for sun screen. And the lunch stop ended with horses needing some sweaty itchy spots rubbed, resulting in horse hair in our coffee. Ah, living in McCall!

Created with flickr slideshow.

Riders in photos:
Lisa Wilde Bend homeowner
Dan Brown local log home contractor
Harvey Meyer local home contractor

Posted on February 26, 2010 - by Blackhawk Staff Writer

Payette Lakes Nordic Marathon a Huge Success

The Payette Lakes Nordic Marathon to benefit the Little Ski Hill in McCall proved to be another huge success! This is the second year athletes have skied the 33 km point-to-point course beginning at the Little Ski Hill and ending at Blackhawk on the River. A big thank you to Edible Arts, Salmon River Brewery, Osprey Creek Music and all of the hard-working volunteers who helped to make this year’s event the best yet!

We hope you enjoy the pictures!

Created with flickr slideshow.

Posted on February 16, 2010 - by Blackhawk Staff Writer

Dog Sled Demonstration

With the 2010 Iditarod Race scheduled to begin on March 6th, Blackhawk wanted to bring a piece of this exciting sport to McCall, Idaho. Local musher Carol Riehle and her dogs Mambo, Giggles, TJ, Hadrian, and Avalanche put on an exciting show for Blackhawk homeowners and guests this past Saturday at our dog sledding demonstration.

Carol shared her insight and wisdom on equipment, technique and types of dogs that can be used for dog sledding and skijoring, in addition to providing ample entertainment with stories of dog piles and crazy Frenchmen (if you attended, you know what we mean!).

For more information on dog sledding and to learn how to start a team of your own, a great resource is the book by Bella Levorsen, Mush: A Beginner’s Manual of Sled Dog Training.

Created with flickr slideshow.