Eelgrass rocks...

Narragansett Bay is a good time.

Beach, surf, swim, boat, fish. All good things.

Little Rhody isn't the "Ocean State" for nothing. Of course- years of people stacked along the shores dumping semi-treated waste, power plants belching superheated water , dredging and commercial fishing has placed a bit of a strain on the underwater environment.

I am a big fan of marine life and try to volunteer time for Save the Bay here in RI. This year will be my 5th year participating in the Save the Bay swim across the East channel of the bay. Here is a shot from the year before:

And no- I never wear a wetsuit. I am plenty bouyant. Trust me. I'll of course shoot out an email later on- but if anyone wants to support my swim, you can Donate!

Anyway... Another endeavor I try and allocate time for is the Eeelgrass Transplant Project. The aforementioned problems combined with other events has reduced the native eelgrass population in the bay to low levels. Why would we want this plant stuff covering the sea floor when sandy beaches are what everyone craves? Because nearly every species in the bay uses eelgrass at some point in it's life cycle. Flounder, crabs, shellfish- you name it. Some years back I was harvesting female seed plants (for URI's aquaculture effort to produce seeds and reduce the need to pull plants from healthy beds) off Ocean Drive in Newport and a homeowner was so happy that we were 'destroying' (he obviously did not pay attention to our description of the project) the eelgrass as he related a story of how difficult it was for him to remove around his coastline... I guess when one pays mid-seven figures for one's beach house one is entitled to ignorance? Well- I guess I would not want it in between my toes, but that is besides the point...

A typical cycle of eelgrass transplant involves:

1) Harvest



2) Sorting (not pictured- done on shore by other volunteers)


3) Playing with little sea creatures


(I call him Pinchy)


(There is a flounder here somewhere- honest)

4)Transplanting.

Hopefully due to the efforts of the Save the Bay staff we can have more areas of the bay that are marine nurseries again. Eelgrass is Rhizomic, so grow on, little guys...



If I had a better underwater camera and if we were not unsettling the sea floor these would have undoubtedly come out a little better...

Fokker..... OUT!

River Trip and Riding

Bald Boy Wonder drove down to RI for a river trip and for RI NEMBA's Fun Ride in Arcadia. Saturday BBW, Mrs 40, and I took off from 165 in Arcadia for an afternoon float down the river. Here is BBW and his kayak:



The river was very high from all the rain we've been having... at least 2-3' higher than it was for last year's FARTAB. We glided over the rocks we usually scrape the boats on and got caught on trees we usually can pass under. Mrs. 40 and I worked on our coordination but gave up through the twisty sections... we just smashed into the trees then tried to pull ourselves though. Here are Mrs. 40 and BBW as we paddled through Arcadia:



The paddle to the Barberville dam was pretty smooth. The river south of the dam was running pretty quick. Here is BBW pushing off into the river:



The trip was over pretty quick. We had planned on having to paddle much longer but with the river so high we flew along. The trip from 165 in Exeter to 138 in Hope Valley took about two hours.


Today was the Fun Ride in Arcadia. I've already switched my bike over to singlespeed for the summer, but haven't had a chance to switch my cardio system over from "Sitting Around All Winter Drinking Beer" mode. I suckered Crayons Taste Like Purple into riding his SS even though he had a mostly functional and very sweet GT he could ride. BBW rode his vintage Iron Horse. He had the same bike in high school and still rides it like a champ! I had a pretty rough time on the SS...probably would have managed better if the loop didn't start going the wrong way... UP the 95 trail. Lots of prolonged climbing. Ick. I was out of the saddle for a good.... 40 minutes or so. My knees ache just thinking about it.

Check out my new saddle, a Brooks B17. It took about 200 miles of riding to get it comfortable.



Anyhow.. it was a pretty good weekend in terms of boats and bikes. The plan is to spend next weekend on a long kayak trip.

FARTAB Vol 2 June 2005

I finally got the chance to find a working scanner and the time to get these rare pictures of FARTAB Vol 2 digitized and available for your enjoyment. These were taken on a $12 waterproof camera so some are a bit crappy... could be my eyesight was a bit grainy too at the time... go figure. *shrug*

Most of the Pandapas gang was there, Myself, Baldboy Wonder, Crayons Taste Like Purple, Greased Up Deaf Guy, and making a guest appearance, CobraKai.

2005 was the second year for this adventure, the first was in 2004 when BBW and I took a 2 man kayak and packed very light. I have those pictures somewhere too, but the chance of finding them is pretty slim.

So... Onto Vol 2:



This is the crew loading up boats in Arcadia off 165. We didn't get any pictures of mtbiking Thursday night, or from the Owl's House, or from breakfast that morning. But, here we are ready to push out into the river.


Soon after we started down the Wood River, CTLP and GUDG unveiled their secret weapons: Wife-Beater Ts and Speedos. Just imagine if you had taken a day off work to paddle the very peaceful river and catch some fish... when you saw this:



One poor fisherman burned his retinas by accidentally scanning CTLPs banana-hammock. Ick. BBW and I let these guys get ahead so we wouldn't have to see too much of this.

We thought we packed pretty well, until we got about 7 miles into the trip in Hope Valley and realized we were getting dangerously low on beverages. We pulled off the river at the Wyoming Dam to consider our options:



We sprung into action. I asked a very nice old lady where the nearest package store was... and she offered to drive me there! I couldn't refuse. A quick collection was held and we scraped together enough cash for a replacement 30 rack of PBR and Beast Ice. Whoo Hooo! Back on the river! Now, all the people we talked to recommended against trying to paddle the next 150 yard section of river, but BBW and I had better plans. We scouted this during the inagural event in 04, so we knew it was better to walk a semi floating boat down a shallow stream than it is to portage the freaking thing. We didn't tell the rest of the guys that though. Here we are just after we put back in, right before the massive 3' waterfall.



The rest of the day was a blur. We realized we had to pick up the pace if we wanted to make it to the campsite by dark. In our haste, we forgot the minor rapids by Burdickville rd, and all boats but one capsized with all our camping gear. GUDG was the hero for the night, he was super quick picking it all up and no one's gear got too wet. Moral of the story: pack you stuff in drybags or trashbags.

We made it to the campsite as it was getting pretty dark and scrambled up the steep slope to the site:.



We quickly setup TentCity. We had pre-made packets for dinner, and wisely brought ligher-fluid soaked coal to get the fire going. We had dinner ready w/in an hour and most of us crashed immediately after.



Saturday morning was pretty uneventful. We had to paddle the "mile" out to the road. My definition of Mile seems to be a little... off. After checking the map much later, turns out my Mile is actually five miles. Oops. Don't trust my estimates for distance, time, or effort. I'm usually wrong.

Anyhow.. that was FARTAB Vol 2. Don't forget, FARTAB Vol 3 is scheduled for June 16th and 17th.. it should be great time!

BBW is on his way down to RI now and Mrs 40, BBW, and I are going to Arcadia for a trip down the Wood River today. Cya! -40.

This would be sensible:

"We cannot build a unified country by inciting people to anger, or playing on anyone’s fears, or exploiting the issue of immigration for political gain."

Were it not coming from Chimpy McFlightsuit.

That quote is from W's immigration speech on May 15th. My guess is he is not trying to build a unified country, then. If he is, I have another quote to go express my opinion on his policies. It is from the movie Tombstone:

"It appears my hypocrisy knows no bounds"...

The Epic Battle Betwixt Man and Beast Rages On...

I have found that living in the sticks often pits your will against nature. Lucky for me, a peaceful coexistance regularly wins the day. I figure I am the invader to the wildlife in the area, so I normally take the deer eating the hostas, the fisher cats screaming at night or the bunnies decapitating my blueberry bushes with a grain of salt. I do not have to struggle with bears and bobcats as my parents do- or anything worse. Or so I thought...

That is right. For the past few days I have fought a harrowing war of attrition with the scourge of mankind. The only animal to prey on Homo Sapiens. The one beast that strikes terror into the hearts of mere mortals: The Red Squirrel.

This communist rodent decided to rip out a screen in my attic and take up residence. That does not fly with me. Drove me nuts to hear that thing chewing God knows what- especially in the middle of the night waking up my dog whose sensitivities do not allow her to ignore it so we can sleep.

On Saturday while I traveled to CT for a friend's birthday party, Mrs. CTLP picked up a roll of hardware screen for me to repair the breach and eliminate the pestilence. As an aside- the party was a good time. My friend's brother requested I bring a gift to "break his balls" so thinking this was not a 'G' rated event stopped by the booze vending store and the wonder that is Tractor Supply Co. for gift ideas. What I ended up with was a home made 'animal intrusion kit':

(Not pictured: shoulder length rubber gloves)

This gift turned out to be even more horrible when he had to open it in front of his grand parents. It was a 'G' rated event... Okay- so that sidebar was off topic...

Anyway- back to live action-

Sunday I awoke with the battle plan in order. I sealed off one attic vent to make sure it did not find another way in and we waited to see the furry terror emerge so I could finish the job. In the afternoon it happened- the 5 oz dynamo bounded off the deck in search of a tree to eat. I scurried up into the attic space (which for those who have been to Casa de CTLP you know that the living room has vaulted ceilings, leaving VERY little room to maneuver) busting my knees open on metal joists and scraping my head, back and shoulders on nails to get to the other vent. But I worked through the pain, the heat and the legs falling asleep to put the new screen in place and re-insulated the area molested by the Red Scare.

By the time I exited the attic space I was a broken man. Elated though- that I had protected my domain and finally managed to place the beast at bay. After several armed patrols of the deck and house, only once hearing the piercing cry of the savage fluffy tailed rat, I retreated to bed. After all- they are not nocturnal...

Or so I thought...


HULK SMASH!!


Oh, the carnage...

I awoke to an upset Mrs. CTLP telling me that our puppy had treed the beast, and the stage for the final battle was set. Well, okay- having destroyed the vanes on my vent it had tried to gain access to the attic through the downspout and had managed to wedge itself there. I said the beast was fierce, not smart...

The next bit happened so fast, the adrenaline is probably all that pushed me through. I removed the bottom of the drain spout and positioned one of my (otherwise useless) hav-a-hart traps under the end, and taunted my foe mercilessly until it gave up and dropped into the trap. For future use, the Monty Python French Taunter scenes did not work for me. I found that a montage of Bill Murry in Caddy Shack (the only good varmit *blank* is a dead varmit *blank*) into Otter's response to Bluto at the end of Animal House (We could fight with conventional weapons, but that would take years and cost a lot of lives...) finally sapped it's will to fight on. Careful maneuvering by the wife and I allowed me to remove the drain spout from the trap while keeping the raging furball inside. I will not place a picture of the captured animal on this or any blog for fear of potentially scaring any child who wanders onto the site. Yes, that is right- lubricants stating "for animal use only" is okay, squirrel pictures are bad. All I have to say is- you did not stare into that things eyes, its cruel gaze pierces your soul!

But stare at it I did, and it blinked first. Well, okay, I don't even know if squirrels have eyelids, but it did run off to the corner of the cage to try and knaw through it. Either way it was a harrowing experience. After debating the pros and cons of releasing the squirrel vs. fitting it with cement shoes, I took it for a long ride and released it. I swear, if it has some kind of Disney-esque 'Incredible Journey' kind of thing and finds it's way back, I am going to flip out... Further surprises awaited my return, however.

Stay tuned for part two, the reason why the Non-Free Market Loving Glorified Rat wanted back in the attic so badly: PART DEUX- REVENGE OF THE RED!!!!

By the way- the Wood River is slightly more than swollen- it looks like a raging good time!

FARTAB Vol 3

FARTAB Vol 3: Floating Along the River Tipping Alotta
Beers. This is the 3rd annual summer kickoff event of
bikes, boating, and beer.

The date has been set for Thursday night June 15th,
Friday June 16th and Saturday June 17th.

We start on Thursday night with a mountain bike ride
in Big River, followed by a healthy dinner of wings
and beer at Hooters in Warwick. (We find this
adequately sets the flavor and tone for the manass
for the weekend). After that, we load up the coolers
with Black Label, PBR, and I'm sure this year:
Narragansett Pounders.

After a special breakfast Friday morning (L&E), we head to the River for
floating/paddling/and many...many.......many ......
beverages. The last two years we put-in off 165 in
Arcadia and paddled to the campsite in Burlingame.
This is approximately a 4-5-or-8 hour paddle and 5 or
6(feels like 600) portages. We stashed our camping
gear at the last portage which worked well for not
having to carry very much stuff at every portage. We
don't pack light.

Improvements for this year:

Last year we got a pretty late start on the river and
had to take a long break in Hope Valley to hitchhike
to the package store to restock the coolers. At the
end of the paddle things got ugly....we ended up
setting up camp in the dark.. no fun.

This year we are considering cutting down on the
paddling...changing the put-in from way up in Exeter
on the Wood River to further south, or changing the
route from the Wood River to the Pawcatuck River (put
in down in Charlestown/South Kingstown) and
reorganizing the boat setups. We could also consider
*gulp* skipping the special breakfast friday morning instead.

Saturday we had been done by noon at the Bradford
river landing in Charlestown. This year some of us
are considering continuing down the Pawcatuck to
Westerly.

We will be checking out possible river routes over the
next couple weekends and over memorial day weekend if
anyone wants to go... also pictures from the last two
years will be posted to the blog as soon as i get off
my lazy @ss and scan them in. Keep checking
back here for pictures and updates.

Travel... work and vacation

Whew! It's been a busy busy week. The beginning of last week I was in Texas for work, quick down and back trip. I had to fly out Sunday morning to be in Dallas Monday at 5am. Ouch. Headed home Tuesday morning. Spent two days on airplanes and in airports to spend one day with a customer. Very stressful week. Ugg.

Wednesday night Mrs 40 and I headed to Florida for a few days of vacation. We visited her inlaws and extended family who are semi-retired in and around Sebastian. Spent most of the time floating around the intracoastal waterway.



We got back yesterday to a wicked nice spring day. I changed out the 9spd stuff on my bike to go back to a single-speed and took a ride out to the pond. (I couldn't stand the skipping and grinding gears anymore...The chain and cassette were only a couple months old and were already worn out.)

100 Bucks of Stupidity

So Congress is proposing $100 gas rebates to help offset the "high" cost of gas. Let me get this straight.... They want to PAY people to drive cars when we're running out of oil? WTF?!?!?

I don't get it.

I just got back from Texas, where riding a bike to get around would be a joke. No bike lanes on any streets, everything was super spread out with millions of SUVs and morons all over the place.

Eh.

Good to be back home.

MMM....Margaritas

I christened my kayak this weekend....in the water. I took the kayak out of the living room and put it on the Farmington River. An eleven mile stretch, all flat water. My ex, GW came with me ( I grabbed her boob once on the trip.) I saw 4 people on the river on the whole trip. Left my bike at her house on the river, drove up with the kayaks, paddled down, a leisurely 3 hour jaunt. Got on our bikes and rode 15 miles back to the car on the bike path. Margaritas were waiting for us in my car, lots of good margaritas that I made the night before. On the bike ride, I sprinted ahead of her a couple times which was a little painful due to the fact that I rode my bike to work on Saturday, 17 miles with large hills (not like the ones in RI). It was a good day.
Very nice kayak....thanks 40