Friday, August 10, 2012
Fishing to Find a Cure!
After my first husband died in 1994 at the young age of 56 from brain cancer leaving so many undone experiences, I sat down and made my list of have to do before I die – now known as a bucket list. One of those things was to run a marathon. And I did in the fall of 1995, the Royal Victoria Marathon. When I got back, some great clients, Arthur and Janice Ginsberg convinced me that I should join Leukemia Team in Training and run another. Arthur, who was a hospital administrator, said that in his opinion the cure for cancer will come through the great research that was being funded through the team system and the Leukemia Society. So, I agreed to join and on the first team meeting-workout, I met Alan. We ran the Anchorage Marathon, the CIM and I ran the San Diego Rock and Roll. All toll, we raised in excess of $12,000 all the while pounding the pavement over those couple of years.
I have since decided that item on my list was handled, but we continue to support the charity. We are always good for a $25.00 donation to any of our friends and business associates that join Team in Training. Earlier this year, Kris Vogt, President of Coldwell Banker threw his hat into the ring for Leukemia’s Man of the Year. We at Coldwell Banker had dozens of different fundraisers. One of Kris’s biggest was he ran for over 24 hours and over 100 miles. Alan and I donated a fishing trip on our boat “Too Much Fun” for up to 4 anglers including all the gear, lunch and hopefully a successful day with the fish of their choice. It was part of the silent auction at the banquet when Kris was named Man of the Year having raised $108,000. for our local chapter. It turned out Kris bought the trip and we took him and his lovely family out on the Feather River for King Salmon this past Monday.
The fishing had been spotty with a decent opener but then the action died down with some fish being caught here and there. So was I thrilled and very relieved when within 10 minutes of having the lures in the water Kris hooked into a fish. As is the case with the early season salmon bite the fish was not well hooked and released himself. But within a half hour, the Vogt’s oldest daughter Kaela had a fish on and this one stayed on and we boated a beautiful chrome Jack. Thank you, Lord! Now everyone was excited and we put those lures back to work more magic. Next it was Kelsey’s turn and she got to experience a brief battle with a King, but like her dad that fish soon found freedom.
Lures back in the water, it wasn’t too long before Kaela let out an excited “Oh!” meaning “Fish On!” Alan knew right away, this was a good fish! He coached her on handling her rod as this fish was “hot” and wasn’t coming in without a good fight. After about 5 minutes we got our first glimpse of the fish and it was a beauty! Hooked in the mouth Kael did a masterful job of keeping that line tight but at the same time not horsing it. The fish approached the stern of the boat and then dove and reversed direction. Again, Alan kept coaching her to remain calm and to raise the rod tip and then reel down. At one point the fish dove under the boat and Alan gave Kaela a hand by taking over the rod to get the fish back under control. Back out in front of the boat on the down stream side Kaela resumed the lift and reel pattern bringing the fish up side the boat and Alan netted her. A gorgeous 19 lb. hen. The biggest fish she ever caught. I was so impressed by the calm presence she maintained. She did an amazing job of bringing that fish in.


But we weren’t done. Lures back in the water, it was now Kyle’s turn to tie into a big fish. This was another good fish and really hot flying totally out of the water twice. After about 10 minutes, all of a sudden, Kyle’s reel came out of the reel seat. Not sure how, but as we struggled the get it back in, there developed slack in the line and again that fish re-found its freedom. So disappointing, but at the same time, what incredible action Kris and all his kids experienced with Kings on the Feather!
We have had such wonderful luck on these trips we donate for Charity. I maintain it is the working of the Lord to keep those trips selling to benefit great organizations like the Leukemia Society who are working so hard to find a cure to Leukemia and other blood cancers.
Driving home how important this fundraising is, the son of one of my oldest and dearest friends died last month after a hard battle with Leukemia. Mike Dickert was barely out of his 20’s when he became ill. After months of treatment he went into remission. Unfortunately the cancer mutated and came back with a roar. I am flying back to Pennsylvania next week to attend his memorial bon fire on the back pasture of their horse farm. I would ask all who read this to keep Pat, Sherry and their other sons Patrick and Thomas in your prayers and when asked to support someone riding or running for Team in Training to write that check, no matter how small. We will continue to donate our trips and writing our checks whenever asked. And we will keep fishing to find a cure!
# posted by Viki Benbow @ 3:27 PM
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
2012 Salmon Opener on the Feather River
Alan and I looked forward to the opener like a kids anticipates Christmas. We put a big red X through that day on the calendar to ensure neither of us scheduled any work. We listened to all the local outdoor radio shows the two Saturdays before and called experts like Rick Tietz, JD Richey and Kevin Brock to get their advice on where to focus our efforts. In the end, we settled on the Feather and the area around The Outlet!
We worked all day Sunday getting the boat, gear and food ready. Checked the weather report and got to bed early with my cell phone alarm set for 1:00 a.m. At 11:34 p.m., I received a text message from Kevin Brock who was up in Alaska confirming his reports indicated that the most fish seemed to be up on the Feather and to use K-15 or 16 Chartreuse and silver. He ended by sharing he had caught a 70 lb. King a few days earlier! Wow!
We were up and out of the house on schedule and arrived at the entrance to the unimproved boat ramp just north of Gridley near Larking and Lance Roads at 3:45 a.m to get stopped by some other fishermen who got there ahead of us who cautioned us we could not go into the wildlife are until 1 hour before Sunrise without risking a $400. ticket. We decided to heed their kind warning and took our place third in line. Not 5 minutes later a game warden came along and confirmed he was on his way in to start writing tickets for anyone who was already in. Whew!
At 4:52 we started the caravan in with now over 30 vehicles backed up behind us. The launch went amazingly smoothly despite the high water, anxious anglers and the dark. We headed up towards The Outlet and were able to anchor right where we hoped. Within 20 minutes Alan rang out “Fish On!” . It looked to be a good fish by the action on his rod and the line the fish started taking out….and then it was gone! We then saw about 4 or 5 fish brought in. I had one good grab, but missed it. We decided to check out a few other holes as the crowd was growing both on the banks and the number of boats. We tried back-trolling as we worked our way to Charlie’s hole and marked a lot of fish, but no biters. As we fished that stretch of water, more guides came through including Big John and Jim “The Patriot”. Charlie’s Hole had 3 boats working it, but we didn’t mark any fish in it. So we headed back to join the crowd. As we got there, Big John had a nice fish on (21lbs) and we saw a couple more hooked and then Alan rang out again, “Fish On”. This on stayed hooked and I managed to net it with the first stab! Just under 12 lbs. and bright chrome with scales. We headed over to the shore to take care of the fish and parked next to Big John. What a beauty that 21 pounder was. On board was Jim Jones of Western Outdoor News who Alan and I met year ago while fishing on the American. It was like old home week!
The action slowed down even further. We went back down stream again and tried the Eastern fork just above Charlie’s Hole. The fisherman who saved us the $400. ticket, Dave and his group hooked 4 fish and landed 3. We saw two other fish caught down there but we did not have a tap. Back up to The Outlet where we witnessed Big John’s group land their 3rd fish. We decided to go back down stream and back-troll the water where we marked the most fish. There was a steady stream coming up, but again no biters until the rod bent over. It was not like a strike, but a snag, that was until the yank, yank and then it was game on! I knew instantly this was a good fish. It didn’t add to my confidence when Alan cautioned not to horse it as there was only 15 lb leader on my rod. So, I took my time and was really happy to see what a beautiful fish was on the end of my line. It took 4 or 5 times of bringing her towards the boat before Alan was in position to net her. (on his first attempt as well).
What a perfect end to our opener! It was so nice to be back up on the Feather and to catch those beautiful fish. In summary, we counted around 75 boats, perhaps something north of 20 fish caught. All were caught on plugs. The roe anglers seemed only to attract Sacramento Pike and we did not see one fish caught on spoons. The bank fishermen brought in around another ½ dozen with their various methods. Maybe this would not go down as a great opener, but it certainly beat working!
# posted by Viki Benbow @ 3:54 PM
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The American Dream!
 Last Sunday evening, Alan and I attended the 18th Annual Hammy Awards for Habitat for Humanity. Habitat is one of Coldwell Banker’s signature charities helping build homes for qualified and motivated low income families. In the past, Ryan, Alan and I have all worked on “builds” and have also contributed financially to many of the Coldwell Banker sponsored fundraisers. Our Sierra Oaks office alone raised well over $5000. this past year and region-wise that number is in the 10’s of thousands of dollars.
Admittedly, Alan and I were invited to this prestigious event as I was to receive an award. But what we came away with that night was much more than the Golden Hammer Trophy I received.
During the ceremonies, they introduced notable guests and many devoted volunteers. And then they introduced two families that were recipients of homes this past year. Habitat actually built 8 homes in 2011. The applicants for these coveted homes are carefully screened and income qualified to be able to afford the payments and they must agree to and complete over a hundred hours of volunteer labor in the building of their new home. As testimony to the success of the organization, in the 18 years they have been placing applicants into these homes, they have not had one go into foreclosure. Huge accomplishment! Sitting at the table next to us was a single African American woman beaming proudly with her 4 children aging (am guessing) from about 5 to 15 or 16. During the 2 hour ceremony, they never made a peep sitting attentively all dressed up in their “Sunday best.” Across the room was another such family. A couple from East India who immigrated here a few years back. Life since arriving was less fruitful than they had hoped with safe housing being one of the biggest challenges. The husband gave a small speech of gratitude glowing as he described their new home and the yard which provided a safe place for his children to play. He was ever so grateful for their new home which was absolutely the answer to their prayers and their dreams; The American Dream!
After he sat down, Ken Cross, CEO of Habitat said, “now to the rest of the story”! That gentleman in his native land was an optometrist. However, he was not able to find work in his field since they migrated here. It just so happens that Rex Bennet, CEO of Vision Service Plan is on the Habitat Board of Directors. Ken made the introduction between the two and as of February 1, 2012, that man is now fully employed with VSP. The announcement brought everyone to their feet with a resounding round of applause.
I know it is all sort of corny, but I was so taken with the true love of home-ownership that filled the room that night. During the course of the years between 2002 and now, that dream has been tarnished. Where we lived went from being a home where all the important things in our lives take place and memories were made to being profit centers and piggy banks often used to pay for vacations and new cars and now to nooses around struggling families’ necks. Admittedly, many of the families who now find themselves in that upside situation, never bought a new car or vacation with the equity from their home, but were just victims of ill timing. But that night in that room, no one was focusing on foreclosures or short sales. They were celebrating the great work of a lot of people to help provide affordable safe housing to very deserving hard working families.
I, realized because I was there, I was part of that effort as well. Last summer, I received a call from Frayda Bruton who is a well-known estate and probate attorney here in town. Frayda and I have worked together for over 20 years. She asked me if I could help her liquidate a residential lot located down in the Meadowview Area. There was about $18,000 owing in back taxes and the estate needed to get rid of it. I suggested they let it go back to the City, but learned that was not an option as the beneficiary of the estate was a non-profit. So I drove down and took a look at the lot and then set about calling about half a dozen investors only to get the overwhelming response that none of them were interested; especially at that price. I conveyed that back to Frayda and she asked if they would be interested at $1.00. I went back to my investor pool to get the same response. Frayda urged me to come up with another idea. I suggested that maybe Habitat might want the lot to build on. I made more phone calls and finally connected with Ken Cross. Without hesitation, he wanted to pursue the lot. So I connected him with Frayda and that deal was put together. It turns out that the beneficiary of the lot and that estate was the Red Cross. Additionally they had two other similar properties, so all in all, it turned out to generate an donation of three properties to Habitat at no cost to the charity. This is especially significant as most the lots the charity obtains is at the cost of those back taxes. I was very happy to play a small role in helping make this happen and to establish a new partnership with Habitat and the Red Cross. I am often asked “After 43 years, you must really love what you do??!!” My response is it is more about my passion for what I do. Sunday night it really hit home that my passion is with helping people. During the past 4 years it has been mostly focused on helping those families with the nooses around their necks. But on Sunday night, I reclaimed my passion for helping people re-identify and obtain the American Dream of Home Ownership! We encourage you to visit the Habitat web site http://www.shfh.org/ and see if there is a way you can help. If nothing else keep in mind that Habitat has a store, called the ReStore. It is a retail outlet where you can purchase all sorts of donated building materials, fixtures and furniture. Several major companies like Lowes and Ikea donate new items on a regular basis. All the proceeds go to fund the building of these homes. For more information you can call (916) 440-1215 ext. 1116. If you are on the fence about buying a home, now is the time to dive back in. Prices are at rock bottom levels as are interest rates. It is time to reclaim that American Dream! Give us a call and we will show you the way!
# posted by Viki Benbow @ 3:18 PM
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Why Buy When You Can Rent?
I just read this article by Liz Davison which was run in Forbes Magazine. None of the content is to be mistaken as mine! All credit for this very potent article goes to the author. I am just sharing it with my clients and friends as I think it is very important information. VikiAs a financial education company, we often see financial crises coming because employees contact us when they have financial problems or concerns they need help resolving. With the recent mortgage crisis, we began to see a major spike in calls on debt in the year leading up to the meltdown. Debt calls in 2006 increased to an all time high—representing close to half of our total calls at the time. Even worse, many callers were frantic. They weren’t looking to simply reduce their debt load; they were struggling to make ends meet. They weren’t asking about putting together a plan to pay off high interest rate debts; they were beginning to consider drastic options like foreclosure and bankruptcy. It was rather like seeing a car crash in slow motion. You know it’s coming and you can tell the driver to slam on the brakes or swerve out of the way, but it’s too late to do much more. Today, there’s another mortgage crisis in the works—that is, NOT having one—choosing to rent when you can afford to buy; choosing to forgo building equity in a home as a major source of retirement security—something that may be more necessary now than ever before with a soft stock market and low interest rates. This emerging crisis is not yet at the car crash stage– more at the reckless driving without a seat belt stage. There is time for Americans to resolve this one, but they must change their perspective on home ownership before it’s too late. Why own a home when you can rent? We are hearing this question much more these days as people choose to “sit out” of the real estate market or disregard homeownership altogether after seeing many of their friends and family end up in short sales or foreclosures. Renting is the low-risk option for these callers. It’s the only way to ensure that nightmare will never happen to them. The problem is that it will; it’s just a different nightmare. Consider this: A homeowner with a $1,500 monthly payment would still be writing the same check fifteen years later while prices everywhere increase around them. In August 2011 the Consumer Price Index included a .4% increase in rents, the biggest increase since 2008, which represents an annualized increase of 4.8%. If rents didn’t even increase that much but simply kept up with inflation at a 3.2% annual increase, a $1,500 rent payment would cost that renter nearly $900,000 over the next 30 years. The same $1,500 payment made to their mortgage would be only $540,000 (because the payments don’t increase with inflation) and of course would end with a final payment. There might even be some real equity in the property, even with a dismal 1% growth rate over 30 years, a $300,000 property would appreciate well over $100,000 giving the homeowner an additional nest egg for retirement. The renter, by contrast has no equity in their home, so in addition to almost $900,000 in rent in the above example, the renter would also be giving up $400,000 in retirement assets (and that’s at a growth rate of just 1%– far lower than even the lowest growth rate over a 30 year time period). At a time when retirement is becoming much more challenging, an extra $400,000 (or likely more) can make a major difference, not to mention the impact of NOT having to pay a mortgage. How much less would you have to save for retirement if you didn’t pay the mortgage? And this doesn’t even include the tax benefits. The US government essentially subsidizes your house payment by allowing a mortgage interest and property tax deduction on Schedule A of the 1040. Any points you pay when you get the loan can also be deducted. Then an amazing thing happens: the IRS allows a tax exclusion on the sale of a primary residence. Owners who live in their property two out of the past five years, who have equity and sell their primary residence, receive a maximum capital gain exclusion of $250,000 (if married $500,000.) Where else can you get a tax break on an investment and then receive the proceeds tax free? I can’t think of another investment like it. So, deciding that “renting” is safer and there’s no need to take the risk of buying a home or even waiting in an effort to time what is an unpredictable real estate market, buying only when prices have been up for a while, can be very costly. It doesn’t bring with it the emotional trauma of a foreclosure or short sale. But it is a slow drain on your finances, that over time, could compromise your ability to retire or at the very least, to retire the way you want, when you want. All that said, I’m by no means advocating homeownership for everyone. For many, renting is the right option, at least for now. If you can’t afford to own a home, you shouldn’t even consider buying—one of the key lessons learned from the mortgage crisis. Your mortgage should be under 25-30% of your income not including bonuses or promotions and you should have an emergency fund of 3-6 months expenses in savings before you purchase a home. Also, if you don’t qualify for a reasonable interest rate on a mortgage due to credit problems, if your income is unstable, or if you crave mobility, renting is the better choice. Renting is cheaper than buying in the short term and has other advantages. Repairs: as a renter, when you turn on the shower and freezing cold water spurts out in your face, you simply make a phone call to the landlord and they have to install a new water heater instead of you footing the bill. Mobility: If you have a job opportunity or promotion in another state, you simply give notice and move. You don’t have to go through the arduous process of selling (or not being able to sell) your home. You are free from the obligations of homeownership. Property taxes: As a homeowner, even when your mortgage is paid off you still have to pay property taxes and insurance, and those costs will continue to rise. If you are one of those people and this article has struck a cord, please give us a call. Let's talk about how today's market is different than the one that got us into this mess and how it can be used to build your future wealth and a more comfortable retirement! Viki
# posted by Viki Benbow @ 12:10 PM
Monday, February 06, 2012
It's Not Really a Buyer's Market!
The news media in general continues to call our market a buyer’s market which sets buyers’ expectations of the market totally wrong. I have spoken with a lot of potential buyers who are in a position of investing in a rental property who are frustrated with the process. They have made offers on multiple properties only to lose out to all cash investors. I took a listing that was a probate sale last week and felt what transpired with that property tells the real story. The home is a 1500+ sf, 4 bedrooms, 2 bath home which needs some TLC plus a new roof. The market data indicated that with a roof, the property should command about $110,000 but with the current roof was not lendable and the price would have to be discounted to attract an all cash buyer. The estate did not want to mess with the roof and agreed to list it at an as-is all-cash price of $85,000. The property went on the market on Thursday. By Friday I had one full-priced all-cash offer which one of the parties agreed to accept. However, the court appointed administrator was not available until Monday to ratify the contract. Come Monday, there were multiple all-cash offers with the highest being $91,000 from an investor with money coming from Hong Kong. By Tuesday, we had a total of 15 all-cash offers ranging from $60,000 to a new high of $103,000. The bank accounts presented as proof of funds ranged from low six figure balances to the highest being $18,000,000.! We did not even entertain any offers that required financing. Needless to say, there were a lot of frustrated buyers and agents whose offers were not the chosen one. In order to get an offer accepted in this market, cash is definitely king, but even that does not guarantee you success as illustrated here. It takes writing an exceptional and relevant offer. I call the listing agent to get a handle on what the seller is looking for with regards to terms and intangibles. Do they need a few extra days to get out or a fast close of escrow. It helps to work with an agent who has a known name and good reputation. We have been very successful in helping our investor clients successfully negotiate for some outstanding opportunities. If you are thinking about investing, we would love to put our 43 years of experience to work for you and prove, “Experience is not expensive, it is priceless!
# posted by Viki Benbow @ 3:01 PM
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Staying Safe - Important Information!
In our office meeting this morning, we discussed agent safety. It is pretty common sense stuff, but it is good the remind ourselves that we are in one of the most potentially dangerous businesses because we meet people we do not know in sometimes less than safe environments on a regular basis. One of our agents stepped forward to reiterate how important those tips are and shared with us that she was very certain she came very close to being a victim this past week. In showing a listing she set multiple appointments to meet potential buyers at a vacant home. The first group was just leaving when the 2nd party showed up. He was a rather unsavory looking man, and the first group offered to hang around for her. They did for about 10 minutes out in the front yard but then left. The minute they drove off the man closed the front door and blocked the agent’s path to leave. Unfortunately her cell phone died just minutes before, but the man did not know that. The agent moved to open the door and he made a move to stop her. She then dialed 911 on her phone and faked the call. He stepped aside and she escaped. However, she was very rattled. Coincidentally the following came across my email today. I think it is important enough to post it for everyone’s benefit. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT INFO!! Please read and stay safe A MESSAGE FROM THE OFFICE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL STATE OF MICHIGAN : Warning # 1 While driving on a rural end of the roadway on Thursday morning, I saw an infant car seat on the side of the road with a blanket draped over it. For whatever reason, I did not stop, even though I had all kinds of thoughts running through my head. But when I got to my destination, I called the Canton PD and they were going to check it out. But, this is what the Police advised even before they went out there to check.... "There are several things to be aware of ... gangs and thieves are now plotting different ways to get a person (mostly women) to stop their vehicle and get out of the car. "There is a gang initiation reported by the local Police Department where gangs are placing a car seat by the road...with a fake baby in it....waiting for a woman, of course, to stop and check on the abandoned baby. "Note that the location of this car seat is usually beside a wooded or grassy (field) area and the person -- woman -- will be dragged into the woods, beaten and raped, and usually left for dead. If it's a man, they're usually beaten and robbed and maybe left for dead, too. DO NOT STOP FOR ANY REASON!!! DIAL 9-1-1 AND REPORT WHAT YOU SAW, BUT DON 'T EVEN SLOW DOWN. "IF YOU ARE DRIVING AT NIGHT AND EGGS ARE THROWN AT YOUR WINDSHIELD, DO NOT STOP TO CHECK THE CAR, DO NOT OPERATE THE WIPER AND DO NOT SPRAY ANY WATER BECAUSE EGGS MIXED WITH WATER BECOME MILKY AND BLOCK YOUR VISION UP TO 92.5%, AND YOU ARE THEN FORCED TO STOP BESIDE THE ROAD AND BECOME A VICTIM OF THESE CRIMINALS. THIS IS A NEW TECHNIQUE USED BY GANGS, SO PLEASE INFORM YOUR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES. THESE ARE DESPERATE TIMES AND THESE ARE UNSAVORY INDIVIDUALS WHO WILL TAKE DESPERATE MEASURES TO GET WHAT THEY WANT." Please talk to your loved ones about this. This is a new tactic used. Please be safe. WARNING # 2 Some knew about the red light on cars, but not the 112. It was about 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon, and Lauren was driving to visit a friend. An UNMARKED police car pulled up behind her and put his lights on. Lauren's parents have always told her never to pull over for an unmarked car on the side of the road, but rather to wait until they get to a gas station, etc. Lauren had actually listened to her parent’s advice, and promptly called 112 on her cell phone to tell the police dispatcher that she would not pull over right away. She proceeded to tell the dispatcher that there was an unmarked police car with a flashing red light on his rooftop behind her. The dispatcher checked to see if there were police cars where she was and there weren't, and he told her to keep driving, remain calm and that he had back up already on the way. Ten minutes later 4 cop cars surrounded her and the unmarked car behind her. One policeman went to her side and the others surrounded the car behind. They pulled the guy from the car and tackled him to the ground. The man was a convicted rapist and wanted for other crimes. I never knew about the 112 Cell Phone feature, but especially for a woman alone in a car, you should not pull over for an unmarked car. Apparently police have to respect your right to keep going to a safe place. *Speaking to a service representative at Bell Mobility confirmed that 112 was a direct link to State trooper info. So, now it's your turn to let your friends know about 112. You may want to send this to every woman (and man) you know; it may save a life. This applies to ALL 50 states PLEASE PASS ALONG TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY, IT CAN SAVE A LIFE....
# posted by Viki Benbow @ 12:02 PM
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Determined to Hunt II
    As somewhat a laudee-dah lady I am often asked, “How is it you love to hunt and fish so much?” The short answer is that I owe it to my two grandfathers; Reg Meaker, Sr. and Lin Blondin. My grandfather Meaker was known as the Nevada Desert Sheep Man and my grandfather Blondin was an avid fisherman. However, there is so much more to the story. But to keep this blog reasonably concise, it all started with me being 3, a very precocious 3 and my mother, Beverly and father Reg, Jr. celebrated the arrival of my brother Scott. Shortly thereafter, my mother discovered she was pregnant again with my brother, Mark. Overwhelmed with a new born and morning sickness, I was sent off to the sheep camps with my dad and grandfather. There I lived “in camp” out in the Virginia Mountains of Nevada and the Sierra Nevada’s near Bocha Dam where I learned to eat bacon and eggs out of a frying pan with heavy sheep-herder’s bread to dip in the bacon fat and wash it down with coffee-flavored canned milk. Ahh! I would laugh and play with the Basque sheep herders and the lambs during the day and we would feast on lamb chops at night. My parents claim I spoke fluent Basque which I don’t recall and when brought home to Reno, I could hardly wait to go back to camp. Many a trip to camp, my dad or grandfather Meaker would come back into camp with a buck strapped over the saddle of their horse. To this day I am not sure which is my favorite meat; lamb or venison. As soon as I could reasonably maneuver the streams in the Sierra’s, my grandfather Blondin would whisk me away to be his companion on daily fly fishing trips to the Truckee and Feather Rivers. When with him, my diet would include fresh caught trout; pan fried with scrambled eggs and milk (regular) or orange juice. I found I loved the thrill of catching a trout as much as my time at sheep camp. But both experiences left me with a deep respect for the animals and that we only harvested what we needed for food. Fast forward a few years, my parents divorced and we moved in with my Grandparents Blondin in Sacramento. There my love for fishing continued to grow as I would fish with my “Grandy” regularly. Sadly, I never returned to sheep camp. My mother married Bill Beale who would teach me to hunt upland game, but never with a gun. I went along to act as the bird dog while my two younger brothers, Scott and Mark were taught all the things having to do with actually hunting and guns. It was only when I married Jim Laining and he joined the group of happy hunters, that I made it a condition that it would only be if I could go along and this time as a full fledged hunter. The rest is history. Hunting has become a part of me as well as the fishing and after Jim died, I came to realize that my next partner in life had to have the same passion for the outdoors and hunting and fishing. I wrote an article which was published in the American Hunter titled “Determined to Hunt”. I was training for the Anchorage Marathon with Leukemia, Team in Training. One of my team mates was none other than Alan Benbow who read the article and offered to teach me how to hunt big game. Our first deer hunt sent me back to my childhood and my love for sheep camp. Deer camp was my grown up version of my favorite childhood memories. Add to that venison still remained one of my favorite meats and there was no turning back. Alan had to marry me out of self defense. Together Alan and I have carried on my wonderful heritage hunting upland game, deer and then we added wild boar and elk. Ask me which is my favorite meat and I would have to say the species on my plate that night! Alan and I added hunting of elk in 2004. Our first hunt was a disaster. We signed on with an outfitter to hunt Eagle Cap Wilderness out of LeGrand, Oregon. We took a small bush plane into the Minim Unit. We stayed the first night in the Minim Lodge which was next to the world famous Red’s Lodge known for famous guests the likes of John Wayne. From there we set out on horseback 10 miles up the North Fork of the Minim River to our camp. A putrid tent for 9 days of truly rugged living. Our cook was top notch, but our guide, while a very experienced elk hunter had never seen the country before. Needless to say it was a challenging experience. We overheard one of the other wranglers comment that they did not cater to laudee-dahs and that our guide was the only one that would take us on. We never harvested an elk; I was thrown very badly from my horse, but all was redeemed when Alan spotted an elk ivory on the forest floor and then looked for the rest of the animal. There it was what remained of a trophy bull elk. It was definitely that year’s kill. We heard stories of an archery hunter who arrowed a magnificent animal during archery season in that area only to never find him. We tagged the antlers and transported them home and the stately 340 class bull is the full focus as you enter our living room. Over the last 7 years we moved our hunting to Colorado with Don and Stacy Pinnt of Lodgepole Outfitters of Grand Junction, Colorado. The ranch we hunt is called the Desert Claim near Naturita, Co. Elk hunting is overall the most challenging of all hunting. Elk live at very high altitudes and not only do you have to contend with that challenge; but it is not uncommon to be hunting in blizzard conditions. The first two years, Alan took two respectable satellite bulls before we decided to book late season cow hunts. We found them to be as challenging; the meat was consistently better and a more affordable alternative. The ranch is also home to some magnificent mule deer bucks. I personally have seen bucks with a 30+” spread on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, the deer season ends before the late season cow hunts begin. But it is still a thrill to see those huge bucks! I am writing this as we are driving back home across the Nevada desert after our most recent hunt. Late season cow hunts run the month of December. The ranch is part of this area’s herd winter grounds. We have heard stories of hunters pulling through the green gate of the ranch to witness hundreds of elk grazing in its valley. Many of the 3 day hunts in late December are over in a matter of minutes. Colorado’s Department of Wildlife manages the herd (the largest in the United States) with these cow hunts. And by virtue of the flourishing numbers does it well. However, Alan and I love the hunt, pitting ourselves against the Wapiti (Ghost of the Forest), have chosen to schedule our hunts December 1, 2, & 3. We did not want to lose the purity of hunting. However, as we head home with empty ice chests and exhausted bodies from 3+ days of hunting in challenging conditions of first shirt sleeve weather, then heavy bone chilling winds with stinging ice crystals and then a full fledged, freezing blizzard without seeing an elk up close, tempt us to consider a later date. But then again, maybe not. While we love the meat, it is not about the killing. It is about preserving that heritage; about taking us back to our youth and times where hunting was truly about putting food on the table. It is to take us away from the computers, cell phones, text messages and to put us back into “us against nature.” I have to tell you, we had an incredible time, and Don worked very hard to put us in the elk. They just had not come down from the high country before our hunt was over. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your view, nature won this time. We need to be fair by clarifying that we have been successful 5 out of 7 years which by elk hunting standards is pretty good. So, as we are driving home, yes, we are very disappointed, but are already planning next year’s hunt! While this is what we do when we are not working, I like to think we put the same passion into our businesses. So if you are thinking about buying or selling real estate and want someone to put this kind of determination along with over 4 decades of experience to work for you, please give me a call. I would be honored to prove that in real estate as in hunting, experience is not expensive, it is priceless! Labels: Elk, Hunting, Real Estate
# posted by Viki Benbow @ 4:05 PM
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