Writing Reviews For "Free Reads"

I was very pleased to see how many people downloaded my"Free Kindle e-book" Alaskan Adventure: Stories of Our Bush Teaching Experience.

I am also very pleased to see all of the folks who are downloading the four "Free Kindle e-Books" that I have available currently:
A Christmas Tale: The Precious Gift
The Storybook Bear: The Awakening
The Storybook Bear: My Keeper of Dreams
My Little Bear

I would like to ask that you do a small favor for me--If you read the book please submit a "Star" evaluation and write a short review.
This helps me, the author, do a better job of writing for you; the reader. It also gives my books a ranking in the e-book world.

Thank You for doing this small task for me and Happy Reading!!


Steven R. McCain
www.mccainadventures.com

Last "FREE READ" of 2012

I am offering four of my e-books on Kindle as a "FREE READ" on Dec. 8th-----Dec.10th.
The first of these books is a Christmas tale that we all will love and take to heart. It is:
1. A Christmas Tale: The Precious Gift

The next three e-books that are being offered are a series that the young and the young at heart will enjoy. Parents can read these to their young ones or your early readers can possibly read these books to you. They are about a young girl and her very large teddy bear.
1. The Storybook Bear: The Awakening
2. The Storybook Bear: My Keeper of Dreams
3. My Little Bear

Remember these four e-books will only be available for "FREE" on Dec. 8th--Dec.10th

Happy Reading to All. If you would like to learn more about these books or the author please go to my website, www.mccainadventures.com

Another Opportunity for "Free" Kindle E-Books

First of all, Thank You to all of my loyal readers. During the Dec. 1st and 2nd Free Reading Opportunity of my e-book "Alaska Adventure: Stories of Our Bush Teaching Experience",  350 of you took advantage.

To reward you and give others an opportunity to read some of my stories, I will again be offering a "Free Reading" opportunity on Dec 8th-Dec 10th.

Available during this period will be:
1. A Christmas Tale: A Precious Gift
and the three book series:
1.The Storybook Bear: The Awakening
2.The Storybook Bear: My Keeper of Dreams
3. My Little Bear

For those of you who would like to own or give as gifts all or any of  my books you may find them available through my website www.mccainadventures.com

Again I wish you all a happy free reading experience.

Steve McCain

REMINDER --"FREE" BOOKS ON KINDLE

"Free" Reading Days on Kindle(s)

Friends that I know or who might know me through my writings

 on CreateSpace, or Ezine Articles:
I will be offering two of my books for free reading on Kindle or

 Kindle Fire. The"Alaskan Adventure: Stories of Our Bush

 Teaching Experience" will be offered Nov. 30th and Dec. 1st.
The book "A Christmas Tale: The Precious Gift" will be

offered on Dec. 8th, 9th, and 10th. ****Please enjoy!*****

If you do enjoy these books you may wish to visit my website at www.mccainadventures.com

Articles that are available to read at www.Ezine Articles.com are:

#6270632 "It's Only A Small Whitehead"
#6165572 "Losing To A Grizzly Bear"
#6785228 "Trying To Find The Zone At 62"
#6153228 "My Retirement Trip"
#6202470 "Excursion Out Into Mother Nature"
#7046295 "The Robie Creek Half Marathon-The Toughest Half

Marathon In The NorthWest"

Please Enjoy All of My Writings

"Free" Reading Days on Kindle(s)

Friends that I know or who might know me through my writings on CreateSpace, or Ezine Articles:
I will be offering two of my books for free reading on Kindle or Kindle Fire. The"Alaskan Adventure: Stories of Our Bush Teaching Experience" will be offered Nov. 30th and Dec. 1st. 
The book "A Christmas Tale: The Precious Gift" will be offered on Dec. 8th, 9th, and 10th. Please enjoy!

If you do enjoy these books you may wish to visit my website at www.mccainadventures.com

Articles that are available to read at www.Ezine Articles.com are:

#6270632 "It's Only A Small Whitehead"
#6165572 "Losing To A Grizzly Bear"
#6785228 "Trying To Find The Zone At 62"
#6153228 "My Retirement Trip"
#6202470 "Excursion Out Into Mother Nature"
#7046295 "The Robie Crteek Hal Marathon-The Toughest Half Marathon In The NorthWest"

Please Enjoy All of My Writings.

The Robie Creek Half Marathon-The Toughest Half Marathon in the NorthWest

The Robie Creek Half Marathon-The Toughest Half Marathon in the North West

By Steven R. McCain

Our running group, Boise Run Walk, have been working on this training session for 14 weeks.  We have run up hills and we have run down.  We have crawled up hills and crawled down some.  We have sweated, we have frozen, we have bled, some have cried, but some have just disappeared.

This weekend it all came due at the bottom of the Robie Creek Half Marathon Hill with over 2400 other people.  Everyone had trained at 35 to 60 degree weather in wind, rain, and snow.  No one was ready for what was to happen when the Rocky Mountain Sail Toads said “Go”

At the start of the race, standing at 2756 feet above sea level, there were 2461 runners ready to become friends with the mountain.  Mother Nature was ready with an unrelenting blast furnace to keep those Samurai true to their word.  The temperature at race time was 76 degrees and not a whiff of wind.

The first two miles climbed the asphalt very sharply as it passed through well to do subdivisions and twisting curves.  The home owners were out with their hoses to spray and to cool, salute their favorite runners, and to others make fools.  The neighborhood “Cujo” gave us his favorite loud woof to greet us I’m sure.

Once over “Potty Hill” It was a straight and long downhill to the first cattle crossing.  I was pleasantly surprised to see plywood covering the wide open grill.  When you passed the cattle crossing you had a mile + to the end of the pavement at 3.5 miles.  From this point on you will have a gravel, hard packed dirt road under your feet.(Not really, the road gods just graded the road and there are good sized rocks everywhere)

The road will pass through a tight rock canyon that reflects heat like a mirror.  Then onto a flat that is just a slight tease as the road heads upwards again.  Onward and Upward are key words for this side of the mountain.

Mile three and four will finish winding through Rocky Canyon and open up onto a flatter area that sports no shade and no whisp of air today.  Then the road begins to really steepen.  At mile five, runners will cross over the second cattle guard; again covered by plywood.  Thank the road gods for this.

  From the cattle guard, the climb intensifies in its steep ascent.  There may be patches of flat road but they are there to lure you into a sense of relief.

As you do take that deep breath, mile six approaches quickly and a hill that steepens the intensity of your convictions or the depths of your faults appears.  A good adage here is to run what you can on the hills but run all of the flatlands.  It is your only side of relief.  But the heat from the sun is unrelenting this day.  You may just have to settle for the run when you feel better theme.

You have hit the mile seven, only one and one half miles to the top of Aldape Summit.  These last miles to the summit turn runners into pure walkers, with their hands on their thighs pushing out every bit of energy.  With every strand of skeletal muscle, and what strength you have left you push on to the summit.  Some have stopped here and now can’t move.  The mountain has won.  For others the struggle between the mental and physical continues.  A roadside sign says it all “Don’t stop, Just keep moving”.

When you finally reach the summit, which is at 4791 feet above sea level, you are full of emotional jubilee until it dawns on you that you have three and one half mile of sharp turns, steep downhill, slick mud areas, and contoured embankments to go down 1000 feet; and then still have a 1.1 mile of flat ground to cover after that to the finish line.

As the runners crest the summit and start down the backside of the mountain they are met with a cooling shade that lasts from one and one half to two miles.  This temporarily will cool the runner’s heat a few degrees while they manage the hairpin corners of the challenging route.

At mile 10 you come out of the god’s gift of shade and hit the wall of heat set up by the sun.  From here to the finish line the hot 84 degrees will be your running partner.  Your calf muscles are screaming at you and the muscles on the front of your leg would like to run away from home.  Every high step you take your hamstring muscles on the back of your legs threaten to double up in knots to bring you to the ground.

Most runners have very little energy left in the energy tanks at this level.  I myself had to plead and grovel to get my body to react on empty to finish the last five minutes of the race strong so that I may break the three hour mark on my first try at the infamous Robie Creek Half Marathon, the “Toughest Half Marathon in the North West”.

Have you hydrated enough?  Does your body tell you it is salt encrusted from the work you have done?

As you reel in the last mile, you can hear the loud cheers of the crowds of well- wishers.  You are hoping you have enough left in your tank to cross the finish line in good form and show that you were ready for this race and that you kicked it’s mighty sail toad tail.

It is a super exhilarating feeling to cross that finish line and hear those words, “Well Done”.  But then shortly after that come the words “Are you okay”?

Runners from the past years know to go get their water, get their t-shirt, and go sit down in the ice cold creek.  After a while in the creek your body has recovered enough to be able to get some food and a beverage and recuperate before you have to go stand in the super long bus line back to your car.

“Newbies” don’t know these rules and will learn by mistake, learn by asking a veteran or a well- informed race official, or by just following the crowd.

This year especially Mother Nature has thrown her handy work into the “Toughest Half Marathon in The North West” by adding temperature and no wind.  The temperature at the starting line was 75 degrees.  Climbing up the mountain was supposed to help but the temperature at the summit was 77 degrees with a mouthful of breeze.  The sun was blazing down on all of the runners for the full 8.5 miles on the front side and 2.6 miles on the back side.

Many runners dehydrated, some had to be hydrated medically.  Many runners were treated for blisters, twisted ankles, dehydration, road rash, torn Achilles tendons.  Mother Nature had worked her magic withering heat and no wind to a science.

All I can say is I am glad we ran this race on Saturday and not on Sunday this year.  The temperature difference was 10-12 degrees.

As a personal note from a first time Robie Creek participant, I trained well, I hydrated at every water station, I even used the liquid I carried on my belt and I still came down with severe dehydration and on the edge of Heat Stroke.  One must be able to read your own body and be prepared for anything.  That is where good preparation is invaluable.  Thanks Boise Run Walk Coaches for our preparations for this race!

Next time I will be even more prepared to Honor the Mountain.

Great Job Robie Creek Rocky Canyon Sail Toads-Super, Super, Super Job!!

Ask The Lorax

Democrats OR Republicans
 Does It Really Matter Who Gets Elected
                 President?

By Steven R. McCain




Does it really matter in this day and age if Mr. Romney, Mr. Obama, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Paul, or Mr. Gingrich gets elected by the legal citizens of this United States of America??? These candidates have spent enough money on this campaign already to feed, to clothe, and to pay for medical care for entire communities for an entire year; if not longer.
Does it matter if "The Lorax" gets elected as a write in candidate?

The House of Representatives will argue affiliation against affiliation and not do anything constructive because they are looking out for all the little extras they can get for their states or themselves. This will result in a stalemate, and effectively send a constructive bill back to committee.......again, meaning a death warrant for that legislation.

The Senators are yet to be beaten as the biggest elephant and donkey gluteus maximus's in this whole country; next to a certain radio host who is the biggest one.
Their egos seem to reflect the size of the dome on the capital building. No wonder they use umbrellas instead of hats.

I haven't seen this much arguing, bitching and moaning, out and out lying, backstabbing, and blindsiding since I was in junior high. And believe me the only thing that got accomplished there was the beginning of puberty.

Whatever happened to Ethics and Honesty?

The American people, the legal citizens of these United States, will elect whom they wish, and whom they are led to believe will do a great job BUT in all reality......Nothing Will Be Accomplished Because of The Unwillingness Of Our Elected Officials To COOPERATE!!!!!!!!!

For the betterment and prosperity of the American People, Congress men and Senators either WORK TOGETHER or resign and go home. You all have enough money and Health insurance to retire and live very well anyways.

Our great country is in big trouble. Our economy is stagnate, gas prices are sky high and still rising because of speculators on wall street, we can't get life-saving medicines that will save children's lives, children go to bed(if they have one)  hungry every night, the drug cartels are taking over and we seem powerless to stop them. The good citizens of our country can't get descent medical care at a "fair" price because of all ripoffs in the medical and insurance professions.
Those people who are in our country illegally are draining our own citizens resources.
And while all of the above is happening our government wants to "play doctor" and argue about reproduction issues. Where they have NO BUSINESS anyways.

It is time for our government to help OUR citizens. We have had tornado's, floods, earthquakes, blizzards, droughts, hurricanes, oil spills, and fires in this country also. Why can't our citizens get aid like we give the people of other countries? The state of Illinois was turned down by FEMA today for aid to help them rebuild after the destructive tornados. To bad no one is hurt, sick, homeless, or dead their in the USA.

We need jobs in this country. So why did we have to cut all of those jobs at NASA, and in the military? Why can't we establish an apprentice system so workers can be skilled at a trade?
Why can't people who are receiving food stamp assistance be drug tested and made to work for the community they live in to earn the stamps? There are numerous jobs in cities that will allow a food stamp recipient to earn what they need.
Why can't we have a united DNA database so criminals can be captured sooner? This would help our police force immensely. If you are arrested you must give a DNA sample that goes into a national database.

Why do we give pardons to murderers that are supposed to stay in prison for life? Why do we "bargain down" the penalties for criminals? Judge Roy Bean where are you???

The citizens of these United States of America are tired of the government and those that work in Washington, D.C. but will it get better?

Ask the Lorax.

Tired of repeat DUI'ers,Texters, and Politicians

So far this week we have had six repeat DUI'ers arrested again. For what....DUI!

How many people, young and old, do these people have to kill before we as citizens and our politicians say enough is enough.

I can see where the first offense, as long as nobody is hurt or killed, can be punished with a huge fine and community service. The first offense is a mistake in judgement.

All other DUI offenses are not mistakes. The state needs to confiscate the defendants automobile and sell it. The same way they do for drug offenses. The money raised from this sale should go to treatment facilities, alcohol education programs, and training for police officers.

There also needs to be a graduated jail time scale. The first offense could be community service, the second raises to days in jail with work details, etc.
If someone dies in an alcohol related crash, the defendant needs to be charged and tried as a felon. Jail time period, no reduced sentences, no bargains.

Enough of our judges reducing sentences and these repeaters are out driving drunk and are arrested for DUI for the 18th time.

When will our politicians look at the materials presented to them on texting and driving?  Why do they have to set up another committee to study this??
Outlaw ALL cellphone use in moving vehicles!!!
If teens get caught using a cellphone in a car they should lose their license until they are 18! To many kids are dying or killing others.

We had a distinguished student die the other night. She was texting her friend just before she ran into the backend of a semitruck. She was joking with her friend about texting was not a good idea while driving.

I know NO POLITICIANS will read this, or even if they do, nothing will happen.
I just hope no more people in our communities will die because of DUI'ers, TEXTers, and politicians who only want to argue with each other.

Idaho Weather and Boise Run/Walk

It is January 15th and we have had 1/8th of an inch of snow. Real cold in the mornings, bright sunshine, and thirty something degrees.
The local ski area (Bogus Basin) has yet to open, the boarders have put wheels back on their boards, and the runners are still enjoying the trails in the foothills.

New weather forecast for the week: Snow in the higher elevations-Rain in the valley-We shall see???

The local running group, Boise Run/Walk, started the 14 week winter training program a week ago. We had 250 people show up for the new season. We split into the marathon, the Robie Creek half marathon, the Robie Creek half marathon finishers, and the Great Potato marathon,half marathon, and 10K groups.
What a super organization to belong to. All ages, shapes, sizes, and abilities all getting together to improve our health.
Oh yea- We have a great time also.

I personally have some high goals this early season-the Robie Creek half marathon in April(8 miles uphill-5 miles down hill to the finish), the Great Potato half marathon in May, and the Mayor's half marathon in Anchorage, Alaska in June .

Be looking for "new" pictures to come in the picture galleries on http://www.mccainadventures/ soon. Check out the website and the prices. Also "Alaskan Adventure: Stories of Our Bush Teaching Experience" is also a Kindle ebook and is very reasonable: $2.99 for 300+ pages.