Tag Archives: jack fm

Get your watermelon on!

You call it lazy; Jack calls it life efficiency.

We’re talking about his lifelong dedication to minimizing output. That means don’t get up when someone else can get it for you, don’t make plans unless a court order requires it, and stay away from competitive sports altogether.

That worked for most of Jack’s life – until Takeru Kobayashi upended the world of competitive eating with 50 hot dogs downed in the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2001.

That’s when Jack added an asterisk to his life mantra: Stay away from competitive sports altogether, except when massive amounts of eating is involved.

Hot dogs? Check. Pies? Yawn. Burgers, chicken wings, pizzas? Been there, done that.

But watermelon? Now THAT’s a food in which Jack would love to out-eat you.

Good news, Jackhead: You now have a chance to try your skills at competitive watermelon eating.

It’s going down this Saturday, September 2nd, at the Ravalli County Fair, and while Jack was ruled ineligible for performance enhancing drugs – the contest is wide-open for your participation.

This year’s winner will walk home with the following prizes:

-Ten FREE pint fills at Bitter Root Brewery
-Two BOGO soaks at Lolo Hot Springs
-Two FREE drink coupons at Lolo Hot Springs bar
-$25 cash from Bitterroot Community Federal Credit Union
-$25 gift certificate to Florence Coffee Company
-$75 gift certificate to The Steel Paintbrush tattoo and piercing studio
-Jack FM goodie bag with cooler, tshirt, coozies and stickers

That doesn’t even include all the watermelon you can eat PLUS bragging rights.

So if you’re at least 21 years old and take eating as seriously as Jack, this is the contest for you. Contest takes place at 4 pm – again, that’s at the Ravalli County Fair in Hamilton this Saturday, September 2nd.

Click HERE to sign up.

Good luck, and thanks for listening to Jack! And if you read this far, your reward is this excellent primer on how to prepare for – and win – a competitive eating contest.

Don’t get it wrong: Jack loves a good road trip as much as the next guy.

But when it comes to hitting the trails, let’s just say sometimes he gets a little more enthused when the sofa isn’t too far away.

It’s true: Whereas some children have security blankets; Jack has a security sofa.
So in honor of that – as well as the unpredictable nature of all the wildfires across western Montana – Jack’s going to share some of his favorite close-to-Missoula hikes.

Check ’em out, and don’t forget to CLICK HERE to register for a free auto detail courtesy of Lithia Ford of Missoula!

 

1. Rattlesnake Main Trail, #515

An easy stroll along Rattlesnake Creek that satisfies all ages and most abilities

The Rattlesnake Recreation Area and Wilderness are the closest wilderness areas to a major metropolitan area in the United States!  They are comprised of 61,000 acres – 33,000 of which are designated wilderness.  There are more than 73 miles of trails that are great for activities such as hiking, biking, skiing, horseback riding, fishing and more.

From the main Rattlesnake trailhead, head down the wide trail (a single-lane former logging road).  After a quarter mile you’ll see Rattlesnake Creek on your right.  At 0.4 miles there is a horse bridge that goes over the creek.  If you’re lucky you’ll see an American dipper hopping around on the rocks below.  This is a lovely spot for the kids to play in the water or to have a picnic.

At 0.6 miles, a small trail splits off to the right off of the main trail.  If you take this trail, you’ll hike closer to the creek for the next mile.  If you stay on the main trail, you can go another 15 miles!  Take the smaller trail on the right that follows the creek.  Here you’ll be hiking through Ponderosa pine/Douglas fir forest with an under-story of primarily nine-bark.  Look for lady slipper orchids, buttercups and even trillium.

At 1.7 miles this narrow river trail meets back with the main trail.  Stay on the main trail until you come to an outhouse (3 miles).  From this point on, you are officially in the wilderness and permitted to camp.  Turn around here or if you’ve got time for a deeper foray into the wilderness keep going!

How to get there: From Missoula, head north from Broadway onto Van Buren St. (near Eastgate Shopping Center). Cut under the freeway, and Van Buren will eventually turn into Rattlesnake Drive.

Continue about three miles until you reach the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area entrance.

2. Vista Point Loop

A pretty little loop in south Missoula with great views

Blue Mountain Recreation Area is in the Missoula Ranger District of the Lolo National Forest and is located only 2 miles south of town. This area was part of the Missoula Military Reservation until 1952.

There are 41 miles of trail here, including 9 miles of the Blue Mountain National Recreation Trail (NRT).  Dogs are allowed to be off-leash, making this a favorite hiking area for folks with dogs.

From the trailhead, take trail 3.04 through the big field. This is a one-lane former road. At 0.75 miles the trail curves to the right then heads north along the base of the mountain.

After about 1.25 miles on trail 3.04, go left on trail 3.06. At 100 yards you’ll see a strangely bent tree. After passing the tree, you switchback up the hill for approximately 0.75 mile to Vista Point where you’ll have great views of the Bitterroot River and the Missoula valley.

From the top of Vista Point go down the backside (southwest). At 0.25 mile there is a junction of trails 3.06 and 3.05. Go right on trail 3.05 and head downhill. Hike 200 yards and turn right at trail 3.03. You’ll pass a very large rock sitting by itself. After 0.5 mile from the top of Vista Point you’ll join the original road/trail 3.04 (point “D” on map). Go right and follow the old road back along the base of the mountain and through the field to the trailhead.

How to get there: From Missoula, head south on Brooks like you are headed towards Lolo and the Bitterroot Valley, but just after leaving Missoula proper you’ll hit a stoplight at Blue Mountain Road. Turn right here and then head another half-mile to its junction with Forest Hill Road.

Turn left here and you’ll be at the parking lot.

3. Pengelly Ridge Trail

A heart-pumping hike to the top of Mount Sentinel

This is a challenging but rewarding route to the top of the south side of Mount Sentinel that is sparsely used, as opposed to the more popular hike to the “M”. It is named after David Pengelly, a Missoula lawyer who died at the age of 52 in a climbing accident.

It starts on the edge of the residential Pattee Canyon neighborhood and follows the short “Mo Z” trail before climbing the single-track trail to the top of the mountain.

The first 50 yards of the trail is very steep. At the top, the trail splits. Take the trail on the right, between the 2 Ponderosa pines. You will wind your way up to a gravel road in about a third mile. Make a right and follow the road until you see a major junction and the wood sign for Crooked Trail (which you will not take). The trail that you want is the narrow dirt single-track that heads up.

From here, you will climb up and up and up on a single-track dirt trail. You will still be in a native prairie habitat composed of lots of native bunchgrasses and some spotted knapweed. You may see whitetail or mule deer, hear western meadowlarks and see large raptors such as red-tailed hawks or turkey vultures overhead.

After about a half-mile heart-pounder, you will enter a small patch of trees and see some rocks at the base of trees that are painted with pictures. Keep climbing uphill along the trees on the narrow trail another third mile until you get to the stone plaque on the ground dedicated to David Pengelly. At this point, you can turn around and go back down the way you came up, or continue on.

Shortly after you find the stone plaque and you turn around and head back down the mountain the trail will split. Take the LEFT trail. If you take the trail on the right, you will head steeply down across the mountain toward the “M” above the University of Montana campus.

How to get there: From downtown Missoula, head south down Higgins Avenue to where it begins to curve west. Turn left onto Pattee Canyon Drive here, and head up about .6 miles to the parking strip on the your left.

The parking area is at a natural gas utility substation with a chain link fence around it. Look for the trailhead sign at the green metal gate.

 

Hike close to home with Jack!
Demo derby to benefit firefighters

For most of our lives, August in Missoula meant one thing and one thing only: Fair season!

Today, however, we experience another less fortunate association when someone mentions the month of August: Fire season.

And while the fair gets better and better every year (free admission, anyone?) it seems like the fires get worse: Earlier breakouts, thicker smoke, more evacuations and, worst of all, increased firefighter injuries and fatalities.

20526030_10155694536400625_17888284464083652_nSince the fair dust and fire smoke are already intermingled in our heads and lungs, it only make since we formally lump them in our hearts as well.

With that, we’re excited to announce the annual Demolition Derby will be expanded into a two-event show benefiting the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, which assists families of firefighters injured or killed in the line of duty.

The Put Out the Peaks Motor Rally will still happen in the arena on the final day of fair week, but this year there will be derby’s at both 4 pm and 8:30 pm – and a portion of proceeds will go directly to the foundation.

“Firefighters are risking their lives so we can enjoy summer traditions like the fair,” said fairgrounds director Emily Bentley. “Honoring their sacrifice – and the sacrifice their families make – is the least we can do.”

Attendance will be $16 per show, with each scheduled to last about two hours. You can pick up your tickets in advance HERE.

Or … you can try your luck at a free pair through our Facebook page!

If it would encourage you to invite along a few paying friends – or at least make it easier to put money in the boot when it’s passed around – we’d be more than happy to get you to the show.

Thanks to you for listening, thanks to the firefighters – and their families – for their sacrifice – here’s to more fair dust, and less fire smoke, for all the Augusts to come!

Jack wants to send you to the biggest, baddest concert of the season – two rockin’ women sharing one big stage at a brand new venue along the beautiful Blackfoot River!

Logjam Presents and 105.9 Jack FM present Melissa Etheridge & Pat Benetar with Neil Giraldo, LIVE on Thursday, August 12th at the Kettlehouse Amphitheater!

Jack’s got big prize package to giveaway – including a pair of tickets to the show – but to win them you’ve gotta hit him with your best shot.

What does he mean by that? He means send him a picture that depicts what you love about Missoula, and if yours is his favorite you’ll get the tickets PLUS a $50 gift certificate to Frame of Mind!

And to top it all off, he’ll take your “shot” over to the gallery and framing shop himself and hook you up with a frame and matte for free!

Submit your picture via our online form HERE.

For more concert information and a link to purchase tickets directly, visit the events page at LogjamPresents.com.

Be sure to stay tuned to 105.9 Jack FM Missoula for more chances to win!

Now … FIRE AWAY!

Hit Jack, win concert tix and stuff!
Rock the rivers on Jack!

Montana’s favorite rockfest is back for another three-day weekend of good music and rowdy fun, and this year Jack wants to send you to the show!

Check out the line-up for Rockin’ the Rivers 2017: Slaughter, Blue Oyster Cult, Saliva, Enuff Z’Nuff, Saving Abel, Lit and almost two dozen more … Plus, camping, food and drink vendors and plenty of sunshine in beautiful Three Forks – a music lover’s dream come true!

This year’s festival runs Friday, August 11, through Sunday, August 13th, with a special pre-party on Thursday night.

We’ve got two VIP packages to give away – both which include camping. If you want ’em, all you gotta do is fill out this form with your name, phone and email address.

We’ll collect entries all month long and then choose two winners on Monday, July 31st.

Best of luck to ya, and whether you win or not – make sure you keep it rockin’ this summer!