Well, the training rides were done, the RV was packed, the Lil Egg was hitched, and the bikes were on the racks: it was time to go up to the Pedaler's Jamboree Iowa. Daughter Savannah, Nephew Racin and I headed out at midmorning and got lunch at a Casey's in some small town. We stopped at Bicycle World in West Des Moines to check in and get our registration packets. Savannah got a nice pair of bike shorts, though the padding is so thick she says it's like wearing a diaper. The GPS took us right to the Greene County Fairgrounds, and a man in a golf cart directed us to our campsite. We had to park it parallel rather than backing in to get the RV level. We played frisbee for awhile, and Savannah cooked up some spaghetti for dinner.
We got up the next morning, I brewed the coffee and Savannah cooked up some eggs. We donned our team jerseys, which I had designed well in advance. The pocket has the Coelho family cattle brand, and the back has an image of a running rabbit with the brand on its flank. That image I copied from Savannah's tattoo. We packed everything we would need into the Lil Egg (pet name for my Toyota Echo) and drove an hour to Waukee. The parking lot by Mickey's Irish Pub was packed with bike-laden cars. We got the bikes off the racks, took a selfie for the road, and off we went. This section of the Raccoon River Trail was smooth, flat and recently paved. We hadn't gone far when I saw a red fox run into a bean field. We had gotten a bit of a late start, so we cruised through the first stop, Dallas Center, and pedaled on to Minburn. Both Racin and Savannah had seat problems, but I had brought a set of allen wrenches for just such an occasion. We got their seats adjusted properly and there were no further complaints. We heard a bit of music at Minburn, had a beer and ate all the dried apples I had brought. The area in front of the stage was paved and they were renting out roller skates. One lady skating around was really good. Savannah noticed a guy with a little white schnauzer that resembled our Gretchen. He was named Max, and he was plenty friendly.
There were lots of tandems and a few trailers. I liked the trailer that was home-made from a radio flyer wagon. A lot of people had amplified music on their bikes. The most impressive was a big tube speaker one guy had mounted under his rear rack. It was loud, distortion free, and blasting classic rock. We didn't have any music, so we made our own. Well, Racin and I came up with three verses of a song about the Ped Jam. It's still a work in progress. There were a few people in costume, including a guy in an old motorcycle helmet with horns on the front.
We had lunch in Perry, where the pulled pork sandwiches were delicious. We ran into Mike Denehy, who is the creator of this bike tour. He remembered me from my work on the Big Bam. I think this tour was going a lot better. He thought they had about 1200 registered riders.
It had been relatively cool in the morning, but it got hot in the afternoon. We skipped Dawson and went right on to Cooper after a brief rest. Molly Gene One Whoaman Band was playing. She created a lot of sound with just an electric guitar and a foot pedal drum kit. Very passionate. We watched the Decadent Nation show. They were pretty good, except their lead singer could not hit the high notes. We noticed some other groups that had made their own jerseys. One was "Team Bad Decision Pants". There was an image of a guy peeing, as seen from behind. Then at the bottom of the jersey was a butt crack. Another was "Team Chemical Dependency", with a 3D image of a molecule on the back. I thought it was ethanol at first glance, but the guy said it was lactic acid. I said, "Well, they're both anaerobic end products." Our own Team Coelho jerseys got a few favorable comments.
The last leg of the ride had some interesting bridges, where Racin insisted on doing wheelies on the lips of them. I saw a few monarchs, but not as many as I expected for this time of year. There were lots of flowers in bloom, like morning glories, various sunflowers and black-eyed susans. There were some slight grades, but after a final northward turn, we had some lengthy downhills, in the shade with the wind at our backs. That was a nice break for our fatigued legs.
We got in to Jefferson at about 5. I got into the RV, cranked up the air conditioning, and downed a gatorade. We had time to check out the venue and get some dinner. I had Jamaican jerked chicken sandwich, and it was quite good. Racin had some nachos that looked really good. I took a nap while Savannah took a shower, then we walked over to the concert. I had brought some bag chairs in the RV, and a big lounger for myself. We set them on the green where we were close enough for a good view but far enough away that it was not too loud.
The first band was Dirtfoot, a Louisiana band. They were basically a rock band, except they had one guy on electric banjo, another on stand-up bass, and a trombone player. Most of their songs were upbeat and really catchy, so I bought their CD.
The second artist was That1guy. He's hard to describe, but absolutely unforgettable. He has an instrument of his own creation, the Magic Pipe, which has two necks and sets of strings. He could bow it, pluck it, slap it, or hit it with a drumstick. There were also some pedals built into it. He had some other drum pedals that he could hit with his feet to create the beat. His songs were weird, but very enjoyable. The crowd was eating it up. His CDs sold out during his first song. He did some magic tricks with cards, played with sock puppets, and did an entire song on an electrified boot. His chit chat between, and sometimes during, songs was entertaining as well. If you ever get a chance to see him, don't miss it.
The last band was Euforquestra, which was essentially a vintage soul-funk group, and they were damned good. They had a horn section, a percussionist on timbales and congas, a regular drummer, a keyboardist, a bass and a dynamite electric guitar player. I knew I liked them with their first tune, an upbeat instrumental. We enjoyed their show, but by the time they were done, we were very tired. We heard their encore as we walked back to the RV. I took a shower and slept well.
We got up kind of late. Racin and Savannah were sunburnt. All of us had sore legs and aching behinds. We decided the better part of valor was discretion, so rather than ride the second day of the tour, we would go home. We got a hearty pancake breakfast from the veterans at the fairgrounds. Then we packed up and headed out. We had to put all the bikes inside the RV. We drove the hour back to Waukee. We saw a pheasant fly across the road, which kind of made my day. We picked up the Lil Egg. Savannah helped me hook it up again, and we were headed for home. Racin slept through all of that. It's just as well we didn't ride, as we would have had about a 20-knot headwind the whole way. We had lunch in Oskaloosa. Apparently, farmers in the area are up in arms about the possibility of a new airport, which would take farm land by eminent domain. There are hand-painted signs all along the highway. We got into Canton at about 3, unloaded and parted company.
For Racin and Savannah, the 46 miles we biked was a personal best. For me, it was the fulfillment of a plan I had been cooking up since the Missouri Ped Jam back in May. There were many contingencies to prepare for, and I think I covered them all. Mission accomplished. We're already looking forward to next May and the Missouri Pedaler's Jamboree.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
August 2015
We started the month out with a quick camping trip to Wakonda State Park. We couldn't get our favorite site, and had to settle for one that wasn't very level, and too close to the mosquito-producing swamp. Nonetheless, we had a good time. The dogs were constantly entertaining, and enjoyed many walks through the park. I took one good bike ride, though the best part of the trail was closed. I suspect the heavy rains had made the road too swampy in places. I got 15 miles in, which was pretty much my goal. I saw lots of wildlife--butterflies and birds, in particular. I always see a cuckoo there, for some reason. I took the skateboard out and had the sisters pull me around, as well as taking some rides by myself.
The next weekend we went for a longer trip to Keosauqua, Iowa, where we had camped last year. I took two good bike rides, 20 and 22 miles. A tremendous diversity of butterflies appeared on the latter ride, mostly puddling on the gravel roads: monarch, viceroy, black and giant swallowtails, cabbage white, various sulfurs, pearl crescent, many red-spotted purples and uncountable hackberry emperors. I found a 2-mile bicycle trail in town, part of which was a rail-to-trail. We also found that they had recently constructed a small (and exceedingly cute) band shell in a park on their riverfront, something we'd like to do in Canton. I figured out that Isabel and Gretchen are the best pullers, and had them draft me on the skateboard. It worked out well. Stacey bought a blackberry pie at the Dutchmen's Store in Cantril. Every night I drove down to Misty's to get some soft serve ice cream. The combination gave us a heavenly dessert.
Aug 15 Kayaking the Salt
I jumped at the chance to kayak the Salt River, as it had been on my list for a long time (part of my quest to kayak all of northeast Missouri's streams). I was asked by my fellow photographers Jim & Marcia Lewellen. Jim grew up in the area, knew its history and lore, and I knew that would make the trip special. We shuttled our kayaks using Jim's Jeep with a trailer and my pick-up truck. We dropped my truck at the take-out, an obscure site known as the Cincinnati Road Access, and drove to the put-in, the Spillway Recreation Area.
This site is just below the Clarence Cannon Dam which forms Mark Twain Reservoir. The flow on the Salt depends on how much water the Army Corps of Engineers is letting out of the dam. This day the flow was strong, which would make for some good current. Most of the streams in this area have slow current, at least when they're safe to float. It was a nice change to be carried along. Fish were jumping in the foamy water downstream from the dam, and Double-crested Cormorants were taking full advantage of them. Fishermen in bass boats were patrolling the shores as well. I tried fishing myself a bit on the way down, but had no luck.
Other birds we saw included Bald eagle, Great Blue Heron, Belted Kingfisher, Pileated Woodpecker, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Butterflies were abundant, especially Giant Swallowtail, Monarch, Red-spotted Purple, Eastern Comma, Common Buckeye, Pearl Crescent, Eastern Tailed Blue, and the rare American Snout. Wildflowers were in bloom, including various sunflowers, cup plants, morning glories, swamp milkweed and the bright red cardinal flowers. The real bonus wildlife we saw were three river otters that crossed in front of us at some distance. I took some photographs, but as I was digging out my long lens, for greater magnification, they dove under the surface and we never saw them again.
The water level was a bit too high. There were no exposed gravel bars, which would have provided a break for our legs and rear ends. It would have been nice to take a swim as well, since it was a sunny, blazing hot day. A greater disappointment was that Jim knew where some Indian pictographs were located up on the bluffs, but we had no place to safely land and hike up to look at them. The stream is very scenic, having very few signs of human use. Power lines cross in one spot, and there are a couple of cabins on the bank. Otherwise, it is heavily tree-covered, green and beautiful. We completed the 7 mile stretch in 2.5 hours, averaging 3 mph.
When we were done we went to the little dam at Bluffs Recreation Area. The Reregulation Dam is there, and the water was pouring out of it in a torrent. There was only one guy fishing. There was a little eddy on each side of the strong current coming out of the gates, and the silver carp were jumping there. I tried to get some shots of them flying, but it was harder than I thought, at least to get a good one. You could even see them swimming through the shallows at times. We had an interesting time driving home, as Jim's kayak racks kept falling off of his trailer.
Back to work
After a summer that was filled with work and play, it was time to go back to the office. The semester is shaping up to be a good one. I'm teaching Marine Biology for only the second time, and it feels fresh. I get to teach Tropical Ecology later in the semester. My classes are relatively small, and the students are mostly familiar ones.
Savannah had bought us tickets to the Alice Cooper concert for my birthday, and we drove out to Indianapolis to cross that off our bucket list. Alice gave a killer show. Though he's 67, he could have been 27 with the way he sounded and moved. He had the guillotine, the giant Frankenstein monster and a few other show tricks. Motley Crue gave a good show too. I'm not a huge fan of Tommy Lee, but he brought his A game for this concert. We stayed at Jarrod and Becky's and enjoyed the hospitality. The next day I picked up a Yakima bike rack from a Craigslist ad for the Lil Egg while I was in the big city. Jarrod treated us to an excellent lunch at Squealer's, a barbecue place.
Bike ride on 8/23
I took a training ride in Lewis County via 16, F, E and 81 (locals will understand). I saw a nice little buck on the 7-hill road. He was still in his red summer coat. I saw an eagle much later. The only traffic consisted of Amish buggies as they went to church. I stopped on the bridge over the Wyaconda to photograph the river and waited for a buggy to pass. As the horse trotted onto the bridge, it began to bounce up and down. This was not an imaginary oscillation, it was like inches of displacement. I got off of it before the next buggy came. Bridges can fail due to resonant vibration. Scary! I stopped at Savannah's house just as she arrived, and got to play with her dogs, Max and Roman. When I got back to Canton I only had about 25 miles done and I wanted 30. Even though my legs were already burning, I rode downtown and added a few more miles. I had to ride up the big hill on the way home and my legs were shot by the time I was done. At least I made the 30 mile goal.
Bridge lighting
The Canton Camera Club met on 8/22 for dinner and to photograph the long-awaited lighting of the Bayview Bridge in Quincy. The fireworks were pretty good, and even the lighting on the bridge was better than I expected.
Bike ride on 8/30
Racin and I took a training ride to Wakonda State Park. We saw a red fox on the way. There were many butterflies on the way, and we had a good opportunity to examine the difference between monarchs and viceroys. The dirt track trail at the park was dry and smooth, unlike the last time I was there. I caught a glimpse of a snake, but it got away before I could identify it. It was a nice cool day, overcast at first, with no wind. On the way back, Racin hit some gravel and took a header. He emerged unscathed, but his front derailleur had turned. By luck, I had just the right tool to fix it. When we got back to Canton, we didn't have enough miles in. We puttered around the riverfront for awhile, and ended up with the above-goal 32 miles total.
We've been nursing Indigo through a case of pancreatitis. It has not been fun, as digestive products come out of both ends. For one stretch she did not hold down food for 24 hours. We think we have it beaten now, but it was very stressful and challenging.
Here's an animated GIF of Savannah getting some attention from Indigo.
Photos should appear in a slide show below.
The next weekend we went for a longer trip to Keosauqua, Iowa, where we had camped last year. I took two good bike rides, 20 and 22 miles. A tremendous diversity of butterflies appeared on the latter ride, mostly puddling on the gravel roads: monarch, viceroy, black and giant swallowtails, cabbage white, various sulfurs, pearl crescent, many red-spotted purples and uncountable hackberry emperors. I found a 2-mile bicycle trail in town, part of which was a rail-to-trail. We also found that they had recently constructed a small (and exceedingly cute) band shell in a park on their riverfront, something we'd like to do in Canton. I figured out that Isabel and Gretchen are the best pullers, and had them draft me on the skateboard. It worked out well. Stacey bought a blackberry pie at the Dutchmen's Store in Cantril. Every night I drove down to Misty's to get some soft serve ice cream. The combination gave us a heavenly dessert.
Aug 15 Kayaking the Salt
I jumped at the chance to kayak the Salt River, as it had been on my list for a long time (part of my quest to kayak all of northeast Missouri's streams). I was asked by my fellow photographers Jim & Marcia Lewellen. Jim grew up in the area, knew its history and lore, and I knew that would make the trip special. We shuttled our kayaks using Jim's Jeep with a trailer and my pick-up truck. We dropped my truck at the take-out, an obscure site known as the Cincinnati Road Access, and drove to the put-in, the Spillway Recreation Area.
This site is just below the Clarence Cannon Dam which forms Mark Twain Reservoir. The flow on the Salt depends on how much water the Army Corps of Engineers is letting out of the dam. This day the flow was strong, which would make for some good current. Most of the streams in this area have slow current, at least when they're safe to float. It was a nice change to be carried along. Fish were jumping in the foamy water downstream from the dam, and Double-crested Cormorants were taking full advantage of them. Fishermen in bass boats were patrolling the shores as well. I tried fishing myself a bit on the way down, but had no luck.
Other birds we saw included Bald eagle, Great Blue Heron, Belted Kingfisher, Pileated Woodpecker, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Butterflies were abundant, especially Giant Swallowtail, Monarch, Red-spotted Purple, Eastern Comma, Common Buckeye, Pearl Crescent, Eastern Tailed Blue, and the rare American Snout. Wildflowers were in bloom, including various sunflowers, cup plants, morning glories, swamp milkweed and the bright red cardinal flowers. The real bonus wildlife we saw were three river otters that crossed in front of us at some distance. I took some photographs, but as I was digging out my long lens, for greater magnification, they dove under the surface and we never saw them again.
The water level was a bit too high. There were no exposed gravel bars, which would have provided a break for our legs and rear ends. It would have been nice to take a swim as well, since it was a sunny, blazing hot day. A greater disappointment was that Jim knew where some Indian pictographs were located up on the bluffs, but we had no place to safely land and hike up to look at them. The stream is very scenic, having very few signs of human use. Power lines cross in one spot, and there are a couple of cabins on the bank. Otherwise, it is heavily tree-covered, green and beautiful. We completed the 7 mile stretch in 2.5 hours, averaging 3 mph.
When we were done we went to the little dam at Bluffs Recreation Area. The Reregulation Dam is there, and the water was pouring out of it in a torrent. There was only one guy fishing. There was a little eddy on each side of the strong current coming out of the gates, and the silver carp were jumping there. I tried to get some shots of them flying, but it was harder than I thought, at least to get a good one. You could even see them swimming through the shallows at times. We had an interesting time driving home, as Jim's kayak racks kept falling off of his trailer.
Back to work
After a summer that was filled with work and play, it was time to go back to the office. The semester is shaping up to be a good one. I'm teaching Marine Biology for only the second time, and it feels fresh. I get to teach Tropical Ecology later in the semester. My classes are relatively small, and the students are mostly familiar ones.
Savannah had bought us tickets to the Alice Cooper concert for my birthday, and we drove out to Indianapolis to cross that off our bucket list. Alice gave a killer show. Though he's 67, he could have been 27 with the way he sounded and moved. He had the guillotine, the giant Frankenstein monster and a few other show tricks. Motley Crue gave a good show too. I'm not a huge fan of Tommy Lee, but he brought his A game for this concert. We stayed at Jarrod and Becky's and enjoyed the hospitality. The next day I picked up a Yakima bike rack from a Craigslist ad for the Lil Egg while I was in the big city. Jarrod treated us to an excellent lunch at Squealer's, a barbecue place.
Bike ride on 8/23
I took a training ride in Lewis County via 16, F, E and 81 (locals will understand). I saw a nice little buck on the 7-hill road. He was still in his red summer coat. I saw an eagle much later. The only traffic consisted of Amish buggies as they went to church. I stopped on the bridge over the Wyaconda to photograph the river and waited for a buggy to pass. As the horse trotted onto the bridge, it began to bounce up and down. This was not an imaginary oscillation, it was like inches of displacement. I got off of it before the next buggy came. Bridges can fail due to resonant vibration. Scary! I stopped at Savannah's house just as she arrived, and got to play with her dogs, Max and Roman. When I got back to Canton I only had about 25 miles done and I wanted 30. Even though my legs were already burning, I rode downtown and added a few more miles. I had to ride up the big hill on the way home and my legs were shot by the time I was done. At least I made the 30 mile goal.
Bridge lighting
The Canton Camera Club met on 8/22 for dinner and to photograph the long-awaited lighting of the Bayview Bridge in Quincy. The fireworks were pretty good, and even the lighting on the bridge was better than I expected.
Bike ride on 8/30
Racin and I took a training ride to Wakonda State Park. We saw a red fox on the way. There were many butterflies on the way, and we had a good opportunity to examine the difference between monarchs and viceroys. The dirt track trail at the park was dry and smooth, unlike the last time I was there. I caught a glimpse of a snake, but it got away before I could identify it. It was a nice cool day, overcast at first, with no wind. On the way back, Racin hit some gravel and took a header. He emerged unscathed, but his front derailleur had turned. By luck, I had just the right tool to fix it. When we got back to Canton, we didn't have enough miles in. We puttered around the riverfront for awhile, and ended up with the above-goal 32 miles total.
We've been nursing Indigo through a case of pancreatitis. It has not been fun, as digestive products come out of both ends. For one stretch she did not hold down food for 24 hours. We think we have it beaten now, but it was very stressful and challenging.
Here's an animated GIF of Savannah getting some attention from Indigo.
 |
| From August 2015 |
Photos should appear in a slide show below.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
July 2015
July 2
Took a bike ride all around Canton. Found a big patch of purple milkweed. Saw a woodchuck. Ran some errands.
July 3
Went to Lowell's. Fished two rounds and caught several bass, first three were large. Replaced mulch in the goose nest, throwing out three unhatched eggs. One exploded in the water. Moved the next to the middle of the lake.
Cut down some trees at the home site, hauled brush and sprayed a lot of poison ivy. Returned home very tired.
July 6
I went down to the levee because it hadn't rained in several days. The fields had dried out and I was able to recover all of my lost arrows from the recent bowfishing outings. Unexpectedly, I saw quite a few fish in the diverted Dead Dog Creek. An idea began to develop: I had kayaked that creek before, and I really wanted to shoot a fish from my kayak. I went home and began preparing. Put all the bowfishing stuff in my kayak crate and added a few other things I thought I might need, like a gaff and a fish whacker (small baseball bat). I packed some food, gatorade and water, loaded the kayak in my truck and went down to the river. The alternative launch site was blocked so I had to launch at the proper launch ramp. That meant a longer paddle on the river before I got into the creek, but I suppose the workout was good for me. Plus, on the way I found a boat cushion hung up on some driftwood. I paddled slowly into the creek, but didn't see anything for awhile. I saw then that I was spooking some fish. I was stalking a common carp in the weeds when a gar suddenly appeared right next to the boat, so I drilled him. Success! I continued along the creek, spooking a lot of fish. I learned that I needed to stay on the right side of the waterway because, as a right-hander, it is natural to shoot to the left. I let the wind push me along when possible, or paddled a bit and coasted slowly as long as I could. Finally, I figured out that if I turned around with my knees in the seat, facing backward, I could sit up on my knees, and get a better view and and easier draw of the bow. I could put the bow on the crate, paddle the kayak backwards, and lay the paddle down when a shot presented.
Suddenly, a couple of Asian carp drifted by on my left. I shot one right through the head. I used the fishwhacker to make sure he didn't recover. I knew there were a lot of fish around a culvert that drains the refuge, so I waited there a bit. I shot a common carp (I think) but it got off before I could pull the arrow back in. I paddled all the way down to Route B, but before I got there I spotted a common carp rooting around the bank. I set up the perfect drift, drew my bow and took the shot when I reached the right distance. I drilled him through the side and, man, he fought hard. When I got him to the side of the boat I gaffed him, which was fortunate because the arrow pulled out at the same time. He measured 23 inches, which is a decent size. I had been having trouble with common carp, as their thick scales were preventing my arrow from penetrating very far and I hadn't been able to land one. I had modified the current arrow by cutting down the barbs. I think it did help. The best part was that I had turned on my video camera (mounted to the bow) before the shot, and this was the first time I was able to capture the entire sequence.
I shot no more on the way back down the creek, presumably because the fish were fairly spooked. I could have shot a lot more gar, but they are among few natives in this group. I turned up the Fenway canal and paddled down it awhile, but didn't see much. I turned around at the fence indicating the end of the Army Corps property. I hadn't gone far when I spotted a big-scaled fish rooting around the bank. By this time my knees were killing me, so I was sitting in the kayak in the conventional fashion. I hit the fish and it exploded out of the water. I think it was a buffalo, but it got off the arrow so I was unable to examine it. I'll check the video for confirmation. At one point, a frog jumped off the bank next to me. That reminded me that bullfrogs were in season, and archery is a legal means to take them. Not much later I spotted a frog on the bank. It didn't look that big, but I was very close so I decided to shoot. It was sitting on rocks and I didn't want to break my arrow so I shortened my draw a bit. I hit it dead center, and when it jumped, it looked much bigger. i got him in the boat and whacked his head. I put him in the hull to make sure he didn't jump out. I saw a couple more, but one was too small, and the other got away while I was positioning the kayak.
I took one more trip up the creek but got no more fish. They were very spooky and I didn't get even a decent look at one, except when the silver carp spooked and jumped out of the water. One did that right next to me and scared me thoroughly. I paddled back to the launch ramp and went home. I got the frog cleaned, unpacked, got the kayak put away and showered before Savannah came over to visit. I sauteed the frog legs the next day for lunch. They were delicious.
July 10
I went out to Lowell's again, but rather than work, we fished. Things started out a bit slow, then the fish started biting--at least for me. I ended up catching twenty-something largemouth bass and five crappies. 5 of the bass were lunkers, not the common foot-longers. The biggest was 17 inches, which makes it about three pounds. We put the smallest of the bass into the catfish pond to knock down the bluegill population. I filleted the foot-longers, the crappies and the two bluegill that Lowell had caught. The lunkers went back into the lake so we can catch them again after they grow bigger. This was the perfect preliminary to my birthday when...
July 11
We went to St. Louis with the NCCC team. Our first stop was the Zoo, which hadn't changed much since I was there last, except that the insectarium and the penguin exhibit are now free. They remodeled the entrance as well, and landscaped it with native plants. From there we spit into two groups. Stacey took a couple of them to the art museum, while I took the larger group to the City Museum. The place defies description, so I suggest you click on the link to learn about it. It's a dream come true for children, with lots of places to climb around in. It's all made of recycled stuff and built in an old warehouse. I didn't expect it to be so neat looking. There are lots of tile mosaics, carvings and other elements that give it a fantastical look. I crawled through lots of caves, tubes and cages with people thirty years younger than me. We met up with the other group at an Imo's pizza (which did not impress me much) then went on to the Gateway Arch. Stacey and I had been in it recently so we waited outside and swatted mosquitos. The drive home was uneventful until we got to Hannibal, when it began to rain. It really got interesting between Palmyra and Taylor, when it poured down so hard that I had to slow down to a crawl just to see the road. We had three inches in the rain gauge from that one day.
July 13
We were having a going-away dinner with the NCCC team at the Christian Church. A big storm moved in and we watched it for awhile. When the wind came up, we went indoors. Then the rain hit and the electricity went out. We ate pizza by candle light. By the time Stacey and I got home, we had power. Quincy was hit really hard, with trees down all over and a lot of houses and cars squished. QU was closed for a few days and lots of people had no electricity for a long time. It was a mess. I spent the next several days cutting firewood from downed trees. It was a good workout. I got Racin to help me one day. Geez, we almost died from the heat.
July 23 Bowfishing
I took the kayak out for a bowfishing experiment. The fields were dry, but the canals were full, so I headed up the Fenway canal. I shot a bullfrog right away, and was happy with that, but I didn't see a shootable fish for quite a way. After that they became abundant, however. The common carp were lolling in the shallows. The Asian carp were suspended in the center of the canal. Though the water was murky, their white lips and eyes made pale, ghostly faces as they hung near the surface, constantly pumping water into their mouths and out their gills. These made easy targets, as I was able to glide in very close to them. I ended up with 14 Asian carp, 3 common carp and two bullfrogs. At the end a bunch of silver carp were jumping near the bridge. I tried to shoot them, but it's really hard. There is so little time to draw and aim before they disappear below the surface. I got some good video though, as they jumped over and even into my boat. I had to wash the kayak thoroughly to get all the blood and slime off.
July 24 Friday
I met Racin at the Quincy airport that night to pick up his Mom and Dad, my brother Mike and sister-in-law Cindy. So began the week of adventure.
July 25 Saturday
We went to Hannibal for a Luau to benefit Stacey's agency. Savannah and Racin came with us. There was a whole, roasted pig, and it did taste good. There was live music, and we danced to the classic rock. Savannah won hula hoop contest by a large margin and won a pencil. I entered the limbo contest but didn't make it far. It was a fun night.
July 26 Sunday
Mike, Cindy and Racin went to see his room and stuff.
July 27 Monday
We went to Nauvoo to see all the tourist attractions, which I'd never done. We liked the blacksmith best. We all got a ring made from a horseshoe nail. We also saw the tinsmith shop and the Browning Museum.
July 28 Tuesday
Quincy, Went to see the Kroc Center with Racin.
July 29 Wed
Mike did S10 maintenance, then we worked on the Honda CT-70.
July 30 Thursday
We went to Hannibal, saw the lighthouse, Molly Brown and Mark Twain museums, and Lover's Leap. Went BBQ dinner.
July 31 Friday
We had breakfast for lunch at the 18 Wheeler, then to the airport to send them off.
Photos below.
Took a bike ride all around Canton. Found a big patch of purple milkweed. Saw a woodchuck. Ran some errands.
July 3
Went to Lowell's. Fished two rounds and caught several bass, first three were large. Replaced mulch in the goose nest, throwing out three unhatched eggs. One exploded in the water. Moved the next to the middle of the lake.
Cut down some trees at the home site, hauled brush and sprayed a lot of poison ivy. Returned home very tired.
July 6
I went down to the levee because it hadn't rained in several days. The fields had dried out and I was able to recover all of my lost arrows from the recent bowfishing outings. Unexpectedly, I saw quite a few fish in the diverted Dead Dog Creek. An idea began to develop: I had kayaked that creek before, and I really wanted to shoot a fish from my kayak. I went home and began preparing. Put all the bowfishing stuff in my kayak crate and added a few other things I thought I might need, like a gaff and a fish whacker (small baseball bat). I packed some food, gatorade and water, loaded the kayak in my truck and went down to the river. The alternative launch site was blocked so I had to launch at the proper launch ramp. That meant a longer paddle on the river before I got into the creek, but I suppose the workout was good for me. Plus, on the way I found a boat cushion hung up on some driftwood. I paddled slowly into the creek, but didn't see anything for awhile. I saw then that I was spooking some fish. I was stalking a common carp in the weeds when a gar suddenly appeared right next to the boat, so I drilled him. Success! I continued along the creek, spooking a lot of fish. I learned that I needed to stay on the right side of the waterway because, as a right-hander, it is natural to shoot to the left. I let the wind push me along when possible, or paddled a bit and coasted slowly as long as I could. Finally, I figured out that if I turned around with my knees in the seat, facing backward, I could sit up on my knees, and get a better view and and easier draw of the bow. I could put the bow on the crate, paddle the kayak backwards, and lay the paddle down when a shot presented.
Suddenly, a couple of Asian carp drifted by on my left. I shot one right through the head. I used the fishwhacker to make sure he didn't recover. I knew there were a lot of fish around a culvert that drains the refuge, so I waited there a bit. I shot a common carp (I think) but it got off before I could pull the arrow back in. I paddled all the way down to Route B, but before I got there I spotted a common carp rooting around the bank. I set up the perfect drift, drew my bow and took the shot when I reached the right distance. I drilled him through the side and, man, he fought hard. When I got him to the side of the boat I gaffed him, which was fortunate because the arrow pulled out at the same time. He measured 23 inches, which is a decent size. I had been having trouble with common carp, as their thick scales were preventing my arrow from penetrating very far and I hadn't been able to land one. I had modified the current arrow by cutting down the barbs. I think it did help. The best part was that I had turned on my video camera (mounted to the bow) before the shot, and this was the first time I was able to capture the entire sequence.
I shot no more on the way back down the creek, presumably because the fish were fairly spooked. I could have shot a lot more gar, but they are among few natives in this group. I turned up the Fenway canal and paddled down it awhile, but didn't see much. I turned around at the fence indicating the end of the Army Corps property. I hadn't gone far when I spotted a big-scaled fish rooting around the bank. By this time my knees were killing me, so I was sitting in the kayak in the conventional fashion. I hit the fish and it exploded out of the water. I think it was a buffalo, but it got off the arrow so I was unable to examine it. I'll check the video for confirmation. At one point, a frog jumped off the bank next to me. That reminded me that bullfrogs were in season, and archery is a legal means to take them. Not much later I spotted a frog on the bank. It didn't look that big, but I was very close so I decided to shoot. It was sitting on rocks and I didn't want to break my arrow so I shortened my draw a bit. I hit it dead center, and when it jumped, it looked much bigger. i got him in the boat and whacked his head. I put him in the hull to make sure he didn't jump out. I saw a couple more, but one was too small, and the other got away while I was positioning the kayak.
I took one more trip up the creek but got no more fish. They were very spooky and I didn't get even a decent look at one, except when the silver carp spooked and jumped out of the water. One did that right next to me and scared me thoroughly. I paddled back to the launch ramp and went home. I got the frog cleaned, unpacked, got the kayak put away and showered before Savannah came over to visit. I sauteed the frog legs the next day for lunch. They were delicious.
July 10
I went out to Lowell's again, but rather than work, we fished. Things started out a bit slow, then the fish started biting--at least for me. I ended up catching twenty-something largemouth bass and five crappies. 5 of the bass were lunkers, not the common foot-longers. The biggest was 17 inches, which makes it about three pounds. We put the smallest of the bass into the catfish pond to knock down the bluegill population. I filleted the foot-longers, the crappies and the two bluegill that Lowell had caught. The lunkers went back into the lake so we can catch them again after they grow bigger. This was the perfect preliminary to my birthday when...
July 11
We went to St. Louis with the NCCC team. Our first stop was the Zoo, which hadn't changed much since I was there last, except that the insectarium and the penguin exhibit are now free. They remodeled the entrance as well, and landscaped it with native plants. From there we spit into two groups. Stacey took a couple of them to the art museum, while I took the larger group to the City Museum. The place defies description, so I suggest you click on the link to learn about it. It's a dream come true for children, with lots of places to climb around in. It's all made of recycled stuff and built in an old warehouse. I didn't expect it to be so neat looking. There are lots of tile mosaics, carvings and other elements that give it a fantastical look. I crawled through lots of caves, tubes and cages with people thirty years younger than me. We met up with the other group at an Imo's pizza (which did not impress me much) then went on to the Gateway Arch. Stacey and I had been in it recently so we waited outside and swatted mosquitos. The drive home was uneventful until we got to Hannibal, when it began to rain. It really got interesting between Palmyra and Taylor, when it poured down so hard that I had to slow down to a crawl just to see the road. We had three inches in the rain gauge from that one day.
July 13
We were having a going-away dinner with the NCCC team at the Christian Church. A big storm moved in and we watched it for awhile. When the wind came up, we went indoors. Then the rain hit and the electricity went out. We ate pizza by candle light. By the time Stacey and I got home, we had power. Quincy was hit really hard, with trees down all over and a lot of houses and cars squished. QU was closed for a few days and lots of people had no electricity for a long time. It was a mess. I spent the next several days cutting firewood from downed trees. It was a good workout. I got Racin to help me one day. Geez, we almost died from the heat.
July 23 Bowfishing
I took the kayak out for a bowfishing experiment. The fields were dry, but the canals were full, so I headed up the Fenway canal. I shot a bullfrog right away, and was happy with that, but I didn't see a shootable fish for quite a way. After that they became abundant, however. The common carp were lolling in the shallows. The Asian carp were suspended in the center of the canal. Though the water was murky, their white lips and eyes made pale, ghostly faces as they hung near the surface, constantly pumping water into their mouths and out their gills. These made easy targets, as I was able to glide in very close to them. I ended up with 14 Asian carp, 3 common carp and two bullfrogs. At the end a bunch of silver carp were jumping near the bridge. I tried to shoot them, but it's really hard. There is so little time to draw and aim before they disappear below the surface. I got some good video though, as they jumped over and even into my boat. I had to wash the kayak thoroughly to get all the blood and slime off.
July 24 Friday
I met Racin at the Quincy airport that night to pick up his Mom and Dad, my brother Mike and sister-in-law Cindy. So began the week of adventure.
July 25 Saturday
We went to Hannibal for a Luau to benefit Stacey's agency. Savannah and Racin came with us. There was a whole, roasted pig, and it did taste good. There was live music, and we danced to the classic rock. Savannah won hula hoop contest by a large margin and won a pencil. I entered the limbo contest but didn't make it far. It was a fun night.
July 26 Sunday
Mike, Cindy and Racin went to see his room and stuff.
July 27 Monday
We went to Nauvoo to see all the tourist attractions, which I'd never done. We liked the blacksmith best. We all got a ring made from a horseshoe nail. We also saw the tinsmith shop and the Browning Museum.
July 28 Tuesday
Quincy, Went to see the Kroc Center with Racin.
July 29 Wed
Mike did S10 maintenance, then we worked on the Honda CT-70.
July 30 Thursday
We went to Hannibal, saw the lighthouse, Molly Brown and Mark Twain museums, and Lover's Leap. Went BBQ dinner.
July 31 Friday
We had breakfast for lunch at the 18 Wheeler, then to the airport to send them off.
Photos below.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
June 2015
It has been a most eventful, and drenching, month.
One highlight was kayaking the Wyaconda River again, this time with my nephew Racin. This was his first float of a stream in a kayak. At 10 miles, it is a good introduction to the sport. There was relatively high water, and so none of the usual pulling through shallows. Instead, there were some fun rapids. It happened to be a cool, overcast day as well. We saw eagles and their nest, swallows, turkeys, wood ducks, deer, and a cuckoo. On a gravel bar I found a nice coral fossil, while Racin picked up a cool geode. Some flowers were in bloom and the gnarled trees on the banks were interesting. When we rounded the corner into the Mississippi River, it was into the teeth of the wind. Said wind was in opposition to the current, resulting in whitecaps on the water. Some jumping Asian carp added to the excitement. We had lunch at the Riverfront diner. At this writing, the rainfall has caused the Wyaconda River to come up so much that it is not safe to float it.
One Saturday Stacey and I took the dogs down to the dog park in Hannibal. Though there were wet spots on the greens, the dogs had fun. There's a partial agility course there, and I was able to get Isabel to run through the tube, jump through the hoop, and jump over the bar. Gretchen layed down in a big mud puddle.
I've had some good days of insect photography. There was a huge bloom of Great Spangled Fritillaries this year. Though I'm not sure I have the definitive photo yet, I am at least inching closer. The dragonflies have been really abundant, and I got a great sequence for the Spangled Skimmer: male, female, both mating, and female ovipositing.
I spent a day at Henry Sever Conservation Area with the LaGrange Garden Club. It was the first time I'd been there without fishing the lake. We got a tour by our member and conservation biologist John Pinkowski. I learned some new plants and some new quail habitat strategies.
One evening I was invited by my friend John to fish a lake that holds some big bass. I get this opportunity a couple times a summer. It's my best chance of landing a 5-lb bass all year. I didn't catch one that big, but it was great just hanging out with John and Steve. The bonus was at sunset when Steve set some corn on his squirrel feeders and the flying squirrels came sailing in. I got some decent photos of them, using flash, of course.
I've been out to Lowell's a couple of times to begin cutting firewood and do some fishing. The fishing has been good, and the average size of bass seems to be going up. I loaded the trailer with firewood and my truck got stuck in the mud, in spite of 4-wheel drive. Lowell pulled me out with his tractor. Things got more interesting on the way home. I saw smoke in the rear view mirror and pulled over. The trailer was overloaded and the tires were rubbing the fenders. I drove to the nearby Baptist Church's big parking lot, and a tire blew on the way. I got it changed, but the spare was low on air, and I didn't think I'd make it home. I called Lowell, who I knew was out mowing, and Bob, who came pretty quickly. I put as much wood as I could in the bed of the truck, drove back to Lowell's, dropped the trailer there and went home.
The next time out was when we took the NCCC team fishing. These are Americorps volunteers in their early 20s. I had replaced the bad tire. We put more of the wood in the bed of the truck and hauled the trailer home without mishap. I did some work on it after that. The NCCC kids had a good time fishing. The fish were really biting, and I think everyone caught at least one. We grilled hot dogs and had a nice bonfire. As Racin and I were driving home a huge thunderstorm was moving in. We had great views of the storm front and lightning on the way home, but were spared any difficulty.
Big BAM finally came to town. The first bicycle across Missouri tour was held, and Canton was to be the last stop. I am not only on the Canton Tourism Commission, I was the Project Leader for local arrangements for BAM. We have been planning this since last fall. I had designed a really cool finish line at the riverfront, where people could dip their wheel in the Mississippi, see their friends cross, then walk over our levee walk to the venue with the beer garden, vendor area and bandstand. Nothing happened the way we planned. Heavy rains had flooded many of the area roads. The cyclists would have had to ride 160 miles (instead of 80) to make it to Canton, so the tour organizers bused them all in. Of course, those who were able just went home from the previous stop (Kirksville). Most of the people who had vehicles parked in Canton just went home. That left us with the handful that had to stay in Canton until the bus left the next morning. Rain was forecast for pretty much all day, so we canceled all the vendors. The bandstand that had been ordered didn't have a roof, so we couldn't have the concert in the planned lot. Stacey saved the day by agreeing to have the bands play in the Lewis Street Playhouse. I was kept busy running errands (fetching allen wrenches, storing people's bikes in my garage, etc.) Some bicyclists did come, and locals as well. We didn't exactly fill the playhouse, but it was a good show. Racin and I particularly liked this group called Clockwork from St. Louis. The next day, we went around and picked up trash. There wasn't much. There had been a lot more when we cleaned up the lot earlier in the week. The conservation area, where the finish line was supposed to be, was under water by then.
The only upside to all the rainfall has been that the flooded fields have produced excellent bowfishing, as big fish from the Mississippi River (Asian, common and grass carp, gar, buffalo) swim out into the shallows for food and spawning grounds. One of my students had set a personal best, shooting 41 in a single day. He's hardcore. I shot a few Asian carp on my first few outings, but I had some technical difficulties. I stopped at Butch's in Palmyra to get a new bowstring and arrow. I still use my old Bear Grizzly recurve. I bought it for $35 when I was about 17. It turns out they still make it. It sells for $339 at Cabela's. I took Racin out for a little while. I don't think he'd seen bowfishing before. I shot one pretty quickly, which was exciting. We watched a gar swim to the shore right in front of us. It was slurping beetle larvae off the surface. There were also lots of baby gar in the water. They're so damned cute. I went out a few more times, had more technical difficulties, but still pulled out an 11-fish day. I rigged up my action cam on my bow, but I never landed a fish while it was running. The batteries were dead while I had my best run of luck. So my "greatest hits" video can be no better than two fish that were hit but not hauled in.
We've had a photo show on display at the Keokuk library all month. This was our third year of this event. It's fun and we all eat dinner together on the opening night. We took our photos down on the 30th and had dinner again.
.
Once the school year was done I started getting things fixed, one of which was my boat. It wasn't cheap, but now it runs and I can sell it more easily. It is on consignment at J&J Marine in Quincy. I also got the Honda 70 fixed. I was going to use it to run around town during Big BAM, but that didn't work out. I haven't had much opportunity to ride my big motorcycle either. Too much rain. The dogs get filthy almost immediately after each bath, and every time we let them out we have to wipe 16 feet when we let them in. Still, it's a challenge to keep the house, especially the floors, clean.
Please FOLLOW my blog by clicking on the appropriate button (should be up and to the right). Just noticed today I had NO followers, and that's depressing. Most people read it when I publish it on Facebook.
One highlight was kayaking the Wyaconda River again, this time with my nephew Racin. This was his first float of a stream in a kayak. At 10 miles, it is a good introduction to the sport. There was relatively high water, and so none of the usual pulling through shallows. Instead, there were some fun rapids. It happened to be a cool, overcast day as well. We saw eagles and their nest, swallows, turkeys, wood ducks, deer, and a cuckoo. On a gravel bar I found a nice coral fossil, while Racin picked up a cool geode. Some flowers were in bloom and the gnarled trees on the banks were interesting. When we rounded the corner into the Mississippi River, it was into the teeth of the wind. Said wind was in opposition to the current, resulting in whitecaps on the water. Some jumping Asian carp added to the excitement. We had lunch at the Riverfront diner. At this writing, the rainfall has caused the Wyaconda River to come up so much that it is not safe to float it.
One Saturday Stacey and I took the dogs down to the dog park in Hannibal. Though there were wet spots on the greens, the dogs had fun. There's a partial agility course there, and I was able to get Isabel to run through the tube, jump through the hoop, and jump over the bar. Gretchen layed down in a big mud puddle.
I've had some good days of insect photography. There was a huge bloom of Great Spangled Fritillaries this year. Though I'm not sure I have the definitive photo yet, I am at least inching closer. The dragonflies have been really abundant, and I got a great sequence for the Spangled Skimmer: male, female, both mating, and female ovipositing.
I spent a day at Henry Sever Conservation Area with the LaGrange Garden Club. It was the first time I'd been there without fishing the lake. We got a tour by our member and conservation biologist John Pinkowski. I learned some new plants and some new quail habitat strategies.
One evening I was invited by my friend John to fish a lake that holds some big bass. I get this opportunity a couple times a summer. It's my best chance of landing a 5-lb bass all year. I didn't catch one that big, but it was great just hanging out with John and Steve. The bonus was at sunset when Steve set some corn on his squirrel feeders and the flying squirrels came sailing in. I got some decent photos of them, using flash, of course.
I've been out to Lowell's a couple of times to begin cutting firewood and do some fishing. The fishing has been good, and the average size of bass seems to be going up. I loaded the trailer with firewood and my truck got stuck in the mud, in spite of 4-wheel drive. Lowell pulled me out with his tractor. Things got more interesting on the way home. I saw smoke in the rear view mirror and pulled over. The trailer was overloaded and the tires were rubbing the fenders. I drove to the nearby Baptist Church's big parking lot, and a tire blew on the way. I got it changed, but the spare was low on air, and I didn't think I'd make it home. I called Lowell, who I knew was out mowing, and Bob, who came pretty quickly. I put as much wood as I could in the bed of the truck, drove back to Lowell's, dropped the trailer there and went home.
The next time out was when we took the NCCC team fishing. These are Americorps volunteers in their early 20s. I had replaced the bad tire. We put more of the wood in the bed of the truck and hauled the trailer home without mishap. I did some work on it after that. The NCCC kids had a good time fishing. The fish were really biting, and I think everyone caught at least one. We grilled hot dogs and had a nice bonfire. As Racin and I were driving home a huge thunderstorm was moving in. We had great views of the storm front and lightning on the way home, but were spared any difficulty.
Big BAM finally came to town. The first bicycle across Missouri tour was held, and Canton was to be the last stop. I am not only on the Canton Tourism Commission, I was the Project Leader for local arrangements for BAM. We have been planning this since last fall. I had designed a really cool finish line at the riverfront, where people could dip their wheel in the Mississippi, see their friends cross, then walk over our levee walk to the venue with the beer garden, vendor area and bandstand. Nothing happened the way we planned. Heavy rains had flooded many of the area roads. The cyclists would have had to ride 160 miles (instead of 80) to make it to Canton, so the tour organizers bused them all in. Of course, those who were able just went home from the previous stop (Kirksville). Most of the people who had vehicles parked in Canton just went home. That left us with the handful that had to stay in Canton until the bus left the next morning. Rain was forecast for pretty much all day, so we canceled all the vendors. The bandstand that had been ordered didn't have a roof, so we couldn't have the concert in the planned lot. Stacey saved the day by agreeing to have the bands play in the Lewis Street Playhouse. I was kept busy running errands (fetching allen wrenches, storing people's bikes in my garage, etc.) Some bicyclists did come, and locals as well. We didn't exactly fill the playhouse, but it was a good show. Racin and I particularly liked this group called Clockwork from St. Louis. The next day, we went around and picked up trash. There wasn't much. There had been a lot more when we cleaned up the lot earlier in the week. The conservation area, where the finish line was supposed to be, was under water by then.
The only upside to all the rainfall has been that the flooded fields have produced excellent bowfishing, as big fish from the Mississippi River (Asian, common and grass carp, gar, buffalo) swim out into the shallows for food and spawning grounds. One of my students had set a personal best, shooting 41 in a single day. He's hardcore. I shot a few Asian carp on my first few outings, but I had some technical difficulties. I stopped at Butch's in Palmyra to get a new bowstring and arrow. I still use my old Bear Grizzly recurve. I bought it for $35 when I was about 17. It turns out they still make it. It sells for $339 at Cabela's. I took Racin out for a little while. I don't think he'd seen bowfishing before. I shot one pretty quickly, which was exciting. We watched a gar swim to the shore right in front of us. It was slurping beetle larvae off the surface. There were also lots of baby gar in the water. They're so damned cute. I went out a few more times, had more technical difficulties, but still pulled out an 11-fish day. I rigged up my action cam on my bow, but I never landed a fish while it was running. The batteries were dead while I had my best run of luck. So my "greatest hits" video can be no better than two fish that were hit but not hauled in.
We've had a photo show on display at the Keokuk library all month. This was our third year of this event. It's fun and we all eat dinner together on the opening night. We took our photos down on the 30th and had dinner again.
.
Once the school year was done I started getting things fixed, one of which was my boat. It wasn't cheap, but now it runs and I can sell it more easily. It is on consignment at J&J Marine in Quincy. I also got the Honda 70 fixed. I was going to use it to run around town during Big BAM, but that didn't work out. I haven't had much opportunity to ride my big motorcycle either. Too much rain. The dogs get filthy almost immediately after each bath, and every time we let them out we have to wipe 16 feet when we let them in. Still, it's a challenge to keep the house, especially the floors, clean.
Please FOLLOW my blog by clicking on the appropriate button (should be up and to the right). Just noticed today I had NO followers, and that's depressing. Most people read it when I publish it on Facebook.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
May 2015
May went by like a whirlwind. The semester wound down and I kept taking my class out for birding. We saw a lot of nice species, like Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting and Scarlet Tanager. It was one of the best years ever for Vertebrate Field Biology. Finals week was hairy, with numbers of students taking exams early or late for various reasons. Graduation day came and the year was finally over.
Racin and I took time between exams for salvage operations. We scavenged materials from campus dumpsters thrown out by students in a hurry to move out. He got a lot of stuff to outfit his new dorm room.
It seems like I should have endless days with nothing scheduled, but things just keep taking up my time. Stacey had to go to Columbia one day for a training, so I went along for the ride. I spent the time in Bass Pro Shop. I had crazy number of points on my credit card, which allowed me a small shopping spree. I got a nice reel and a fishfinder for my kayak.
Stacey, Savannah and I went back to Columbia for the Pedaler's Jamboree on Memorial Day weekend. We parked the RV at a campground in Boonville and spent Friday night there. Saturday morning Savannah and I took the Egg with our bikes to Columbia and parked in a parking garage. We reassembled our bikes and began the Pedaler's Jamboree. There were a lot of people at the start. We're not used to riding in crowds! The MKT trail was beautiful, following a small stream through town and covered by a tunnel of overarching trees. At the turn onto the Katy Trail was the first band, an acoustic trio. We listened for a while, then went on our way.
We were already seeing some interesting people. I hardly know where to start. There was team NumbNutz, with their green jersey's featuring a drunken Mr. Peanut and their fright wigs. There were people in party hats, one pulling a trailer that was blasting music from an amp. Actually, lots of people were playing music, but one guy, apparently an engineer, had a microphone set up so he could sing karaoke while biking. Team turtle had matching jerseys and a turtle plush toy attached to the top of each helmet. Silly hats and costumes abounded.One guy was in full hipster mode, with a tweed jacket, pants and matching fedora.
I had worn a biking jersey that I've had for years, made by Primal Ware. It features an insect with a moustache and wings coming out of its head. I got a lot of compliments on it. Then I hear a guy coming up behind me and he starts saying, "Bzzzzz." I thought he was just commenting on my shirt, then I looked over and he was riding a bee bicycle. It was an old near-junker and they had made a big bee head to mount on the handlebars and an abdomen on the rear. It was pretty cool. His partner had a similar affair in the form of a tiger.
Katfish Katy's was the first place we could actually buy beer. We got our first taste of Bur Oak,a local craft brew. Savannah had the wheat and I had the IPA. Delicious. We watched a one-man-band namned AJ Gaither, and he was really good. He had a home-made, 4-string electric cigar box guitar. A little farther down the trail I overheard some people talking about a "big tree." We could see it a short way down a side road so we went down and took some photos. Later we learned that not only is it the State Champion Bur Oak, but it is the one featured on the beer can!
We made other stops at Rocheport and New Franklin. Some of the bands were really good, like Tyrannosaurus Chicken. The only dull part was the second-to-last leg of the trip, a long, flat straight path through the corn fields that never seemed to end. The whole trail was rather flat, except for a few levees we had to cross. That is, until the end, when we crossed the Missouri River at Boonville over a big bridge. We came to the end of the ride and there were food vendors and more strange people. We at burgers and hung around until the first band started. They weren't that great and we did not bring seats so it was rather uncomfortable on the grass. We decided to head out after the band finished. Sadly, it was almost all uphill to the campground and it was killing us. We both had really sore butts by the end. I think 32 miles might have been a personal best for Savannah. When we got back to the RV we just crashed.
The next day we stopped at the grocery store to pick up some more Augie's Barbecue Sauce, which features a lovely German Shepherd on the label. It's made in Boonville and probably available nowhere else. Sadly, we could not find Bur Oak Beer.
I found out that they're having another Pedaler's Jamboree in Iowa. It's a similar type of event, but the mileage is longer. We have begun training.
Link to Pedaler's Jamboree photos and videos:
https://goo.gl/photos/4Ei2qXPgSXRPnWCE8
May wildlife photos:
Racin and I took time between exams for salvage operations. We scavenged materials from campus dumpsters thrown out by students in a hurry to move out. He got a lot of stuff to outfit his new dorm room.
It seems like I should have endless days with nothing scheduled, but things just keep taking up my time. Stacey had to go to Columbia one day for a training, so I went along for the ride. I spent the time in Bass Pro Shop. I had crazy number of points on my credit card, which allowed me a small shopping spree. I got a nice reel and a fishfinder for my kayak.
Stacey, Savannah and I went back to Columbia for the Pedaler's Jamboree on Memorial Day weekend. We parked the RV at a campground in Boonville and spent Friday night there. Saturday morning Savannah and I took the Egg with our bikes to Columbia and parked in a parking garage. We reassembled our bikes and began the Pedaler's Jamboree. There were a lot of people at the start. We're not used to riding in crowds! The MKT trail was beautiful, following a small stream through town and covered by a tunnel of overarching trees. At the turn onto the Katy Trail was the first band, an acoustic trio. We listened for a while, then went on our way.
We were already seeing some interesting people. I hardly know where to start. There was team NumbNutz, with their green jersey's featuring a drunken Mr. Peanut and their fright wigs. There were people in party hats, one pulling a trailer that was blasting music from an amp. Actually, lots of people were playing music, but one guy, apparently an engineer, had a microphone set up so he could sing karaoke while biking. Team turtle had matching jerseys and a turtle plush toy attached to the top of each helmet. Silly hats and costumes abounded.One guy was in full hipster mode, with a tweed jacket, pants and matching fedora.
I had worn a biking jersey that I've had for years, made by Primal Ware. It features an insect with a moustache and wings coming out of its head. I got a lot of compliments on it. Then I hear a guy coming up behind me and he starts saying, "Bzzzzz." I thought he was just commenting on my shirt, then I looked over and he was riding a bee bicycle. It was an old near-junker and they had made a big bee head to mount on the handlebars and an abdomen on the rear. It was pretty cool. His partner had a similar affair in the form of a tiger.
Katfish Katy's was the first place we could actually buy beer. We got our first taste of Bur Oak,a local craft brew. Savannah had the wheat and I had the IPA. Delicious. We watched a one-man-band namned AJ Gaither, and he was really good. He had a home-made, 4-string electric cigar box guitar. A little farther down the trail I overheard some people talking about a "big tree." We could see it a short way down a side road so we went down and took some photos. Later we learned that not only is it the State Champion Bur Oak, but it is the one featured on the beer can!
We made other stops at Rocheport and New Franklin. Some of the bands were really good, like Tyrannosaurus Chicken. The only dull part was the second-to-last leg of the trip, a long, flat straight path through the corn fields that never seemed to end. The whole trail was rather flat, except for a few levees we had to cross. That is, until the end, when we crossed the Missouri River at Boonville over a big bridge. We came to the end of the ride and there were food vendors and more strange people. We at burgers and hung around until the first band started. They weren't that great and we did not bring seats so it was rather uncomfortable on the grass. We decided to head out after the band finished. Sadly, it was almost all uphill to the campground and it was killing us. We both had really sore butts by the end. I think 32 miles might have been a personal best for Savannah. When we got back to the RV we just crashed.
The next day we stopped at the grocery store to pick up some more Augie's Barbecue Sauce, which features a lovely German Shepherd on the label. It's made in Boonville and probably available nowhere else. Sadly, we could not find Bur Oak Beer.
I found out that they're having another Pedaler's Jamboree in Iowa. It's a similar type of event, but the mileage is longer. We have begun training.
Link to Pedaler's Jamboree photos and videos:
https://goo.gl/photos/4Ei2qXPgSXRPnWCE8
May wildlife photos:
Thursday, April 30, 2015
April 2015
Easter gave us a 4-day weekend. Racin came over and we spent some time on photography and getting my old boat out of mothballs. The weather was nice and the dogs stayed outside a lot. Savannah came over for Easter lunch and brought her German Shepherd puppy Max. Isabel played with him very nicely after a brief re-acquaintance period.
We'd been having problems with the oven. It would not turn off unless we unplugged it, so Stacey took the Easter food down to the at-that-time vacant Jamison apartment to cook. She needed the stovetop at home so I plugged in the range before Racin and I went out for a photo expedition. She called as we were returning. Apparently, the oven had turned on as soon as I'd plugged it in, filling the house with smoke. We ventilated the house and unplugged it again. Replacing the circuit board later fixed it.
We had a nice weekend camping at Wakonda State Park for our anniversary. We got into the upper campground this time, which has big camp sites right on the water. The fishing wasn't that great, but all the dogs got swimming lessons. The Sisters of Chaos did very well, swimming out into the shallows for treats. Gretchen did her usual act of attacking the lake, and Miss Kitty refused to get in. All but Kitty also got kayak rides, which they apparently enjoyed.
I went fishing out at Lowell's mostly to collect enough fish to stock my future pond. The bite was red hot, with the crappie and bluegill hitting hard on plastic grubs. I called Racin to come out and join us. We put about 20 bluegills and 10 bass in my pond, while Lowell kept the crappie for a future fish fry. We returned two days later and the bite was still good. We were using live bait, and some of the bluegills were deeply hooked and had to be filleted. Lowell feeds the fish in this pond, mostly for the catfish, but the bluegills also benefit, and have grown quite large.
I went morel hunting three or four times out at Lowell's, and visited the spots that had produced really well in the past. I came up empty every time, except for one false morel that I left right there. I want to train one of the dogs to hunt mushrooms, but I needed a mushroom to train her with. Fortunately, one of my students obtained several and gave me one. Lessons have commenced. I've never trained a dog to scent before, so this should be an adventure. Too bad I have to wait a year to try her out. I have been training Isabel to jump for awhile. I had Racin shoot some photos as I had her jumping outside. She sure is nimble.
We had a Dog Day at QU, with area law enforcement agencies bringing their K9 units to demonstrate drug sniffing, article search, and bitework. I love that word: bitework. The guy in the bite suit was a big dude, but the dogs still got to him, even through the suit. He had bruises and broken skin on his upper arm. It was a fun event. I learned a lot and got some good photographs.
I've had a glorious time in Vertebrate Field Biology. We've seen a lot of species this semester, and there's been a surprise 'bonus bird' at almost every location. We've seen more warblers than probably any previous class, including the Northern Parula, a life bird for me. I took a couple of my students to do stream team. It was warm, but we found a lot of bugs in the stream. It was a good afternoon out.
In other news: Savannah and Josh have gotten a second dog, another German Shepherd Puppy. There are only two weeks left in the semester.
We'd been having problems with the oven. It would not turn off unless we unplugged it, so Stacey took the Easter food down to the at-that-time vacant Jamison apartment to cook. She needed the stovetop at home so I plugged in the range before Racin and I went out for a photo expedition. She called as we were returning. Apparently, the oven had turned on as soon as I'd plugged it in, filling the house with smoke. We ventilated the house and unplugged it again. Replacing the circuit board later fixed it.
We had a nice weekend camping at Wakonda State Park for our anniversary. We got into the upper campground this time, which has big camp sites right on the water. The fishing wasn't that great, but all the dogs got swimming lessons. The Sisters of Chaos did very well, swimming out into the shallows for treats. Gretchen did her usual act of attacking the lake, and Miss Kitty refused to get in. All but Kitty also got kayak rides, which they apparently enjoyed.
I went fishing out at Lowell's mostly to collect enough fish to stock my future pond. The bite was red hot, with the crappie and bluegill hitting hard on plastic grubs. I called Racin to come out and join us. We put about 20 bluegills and 10 bass in my pond, while Lowell kept the crappie for a future fish fry. We returned two days later and the bite was still good. We were using live bait, and some of the bluegills were deeply hooked and had to be filleted. Lowell feeds the fish in this pond, mostly for the catfish, but the bluegills also benefit, and have grown quite large.
I went morel hunting three or four times out at Lowell's, and visited the spots that had produced really well in the past. I came up empty every time, except for one false morel that I left right there. I want to train one of the dogs to hunt mushrooms, but I needed a mushroom to train her with. Fortunately, one of my students obtained several and gave me one. Lessons have commenced. I've never trained a dog to scent before, so this should be an adventure. Too bad I have to wait a year to try her out. I have been training Isabel to jump for awhile. I had Racin shoot some photos as I had her jumping outside. She sure is nimble.
We had a Dog Day at QU, with area law enforcement agencies bringing their K9 units to demonstrate drug sniffing, article search, and bitework. I love that word: bitework. The guy in the bite suit was a big dude, but the dogs still got to him, even through the suit. He had bruises and broken skin on his upper arm. It was a fun event. I learned a lot and got some good photographs.
I've had a glorious time in Vertebrate Field Biology. We've seen a lot of species this semester, and there's been a surprise 'bonus bird' at almost every location. We've seen more warblers than probably any previous class, including the Northern Parula, a life bird for me. I took a couple of my students to do stream team. It was warm, but we found a lot of bugs in the stream. It was a good afternoon out.
In other news: Savannah and Josh have gotten a second dog, another German Shepherd Puppy. There are only two weeks left in the semester.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
March 2015
My buddy Chuck once said something like, "Whenever I get a chance to load up on sweet water, I take it." I should have remembered that on Thursday of Spring Break. We went out to Wakonda State Park. The water at the camp sites was still turned off for the winter, so I took the Minnie Winnie back to the ranger station to fill up. Upon my return (and hooking everything back up), Stacey started dinner. The water came out of the faucet orange with rust. We must have been the first to use the water spigot this year. I went back in the morning to see if it was perhaps running clear (after 30 gallons that were now in the RV), but it was still rusty. I dumped the water and we went home. At least it was a successful experiment in taking all the dogs camping for one night. I flushed the system with clean water from home. Lesson learned!
With the addition of dogs to our pack, especially the very active Sisters of Chaos, the back yard has taken a beating. The changing of the seasons and the action of many dog feet have created massive bare spaces, which become mud when it rains. Any grass seeds I plant would also be trampled, hence, I fenced the back yard temporarily in half. I'm keeping them off of the north side, which I have cleared and seeded. Once it recovers, I'll switch them and try to get the south side recovered as well. We call this strategy rotational trampling. They still have plenty of room to run, and I've gotten some good photos of them frolicking.
Racin and I took a day out of our spring break to go out and shoot clays. Lowell graciously provided the venue. I hadn't done this in many years. My shotgun technique was rusty, but I climbed up my learning curve quickly. Racin got to work out his 12 gauge. We also did a short bike ride around Canton, which was a nice, gentle break-in to our legs for the season.
I've been taking my class around to different places. South Park has provided the best photography of birds. At one point there were over 50 mallards there, plus some bonus ducks like a pair of canvasbacks. Winter has broken, and we are enjoying the sight of more migrant birds coming through.
One up side to the time change is that sometimes I leave for work before sunrise, and I can take a few minutes to photograph it. The River and the waterfowl can make for some interesting results. I had some success with this last year, and got a couple of more good ones recently.
The apricot wine that Savannah and I started last fall was finally ready, so I bottled it one day. It turned out to be fairly tasty.
I gave two talks this month, one for the Gardener's Palette, a new venue for me. My talk was well received (Landscaping for birds), and I learned a lot from other talks. The other was for POLIS, the educational series for seniors, where I talked about wildlife a Costa Rica. It was very light, mostly showing photos of animals.
We went to Indiana to celebrate Stacey's Mom's birthday. I won't give away her age, but it was a significant multiple of 10. We took the RV, pulling the Lil Egg. Savannah and the 4 dogs came along. The drive out was not too difficult. We parked the RV in Krystal's spacious yard, and had water and electricity hooked up shortly. The night turned out really cold, and the water hose froze. The expanding ice broke the nice water filter that I had gotten from our friend Aaron when he sold his 5th wheel. I had a 5-gallon water carrier that I used to partly fill the tank. Later we found out Krystal's well water has a lot of iron in it, making it undrinkable and blocking the aerators with iron filings. So it was another adventure in water problems.
I stayed with the dogs while the ladies got haircuts and manicures. I hung out with the dogs in the RV, reading and playing charango. We went out to dinner at a nice place in Brownsburg, Boulder Creek. I sat next to Jule, the exchange student from Germany, who was interesting to talk to. I shot the sunrise on Sunday morning, and we went to have breakfast with Stacey's Dad and stepmom. The dogs got to run in their back yard, which they thoroughly enjoyed, having been kept on leads or in the RV for the previous 2 days. The drive back was painful, as it was windy the whole way, and rainy part of the way.
We were also disappointed to learn that a mining company has just built a huge apparatus directly across the lake from the campground. It's ugly and will almost certainly be noisy when in operation. What a sad turn of events for an otherwise lovely park.
With the addition of dogs to our pack, especially the very active Sisters of Chaos, the back yard has taken a beating. The changing of the seasons and the action of many dog feet have created massive bare spaces, which become mud when it rains. Any grass seeds I plant would also be trampled, hence, I fenced the back yard temporarily in half. I'm keeping them off of the north side, which I have cleared and seeded. Once it recovers, I'll switch them and try to get the south side recovered as well. We call this strategy rotational trampling. They still have plenty of room to run, and I've gotten some good photos of them frolicking.
Racin and I took a day out of our spring break to go out and shoot clays. Lowell graciously provided the venue. I hadn't done this in many years. My shotgun technique was rusty, but I climbed up my learning curve quickly. Racin got to work out his 12 gauge. We also did a short bike ride around Canton, which was a nice, gentle break-in to our legs for the season.
I've been taking my class around to different places. South Park has provided the best photography of birds. At one point there were over 50 mallards there, plus some bonus ducks like a pair of canvasbacks. Winter has broken, and we are enjoying the sight of more migrant birds coming through.
One up side to the time change is that sometimes I leave for work before sunrise, and I can take a few minutes to photograph it. The River and the waterfowl can make for some interesting results. I had some success with this last year, and got a couple of more good ones recently.
The apricot wine that Savannah and I started last fall was finally ready, so I bottled it one day. It turned out to be fairly tasty.
I gave two talks this month, one for the Gardener's Palette, a new venue for me. My talk was well received (Landscaping for birds), and I learned a lot from other talks. The other was for POLIS, the educational series for seniors, where I talked about wildlife a Costa Rica. It was very light, mostly showing photos of animals.
We went to Indiana to celebrate Stacey's Mom's birthday. I won't give away her age, but it was a significant multiple of 10. We took the RV, pulling the Lil Egg. Savannah and the 4 dogs came along. The drive out was not too difficult. We parked the RV in Krystal's spacious yard, and had water and electricity hooked up shortly. The night turned out really cold, and the water hose froze. The expanding ice broke the nice water filter that I had gotten from our friend Aaron when he sold his 5th wheel. I had a 5-gallon water carrier that I used to partly fill the tank. Later we found out Krystal's well water has a lot of iron in it, making it undrinkable and blocking the aerators with iron filings. So it was another adventure in water problems.
I stayed with the dogs while the ladies got haircuts and manicures. I hung out with the dogs in the RV, reading and playing charango. We went out to dinner at a nice place in Brownsburg, Boulder Creek. I sat next to Jule, the exchange student from Germany, who was interesting to talk to. I shot the sunrise on Sunday morning, and we went to have breakfast with Stacey's Dad and stepmom. The dogs got to run in their back yard, which they thoroughly enjoyed, having been kept on leads or in the RV for the previous 2 days. The drive back was painful, as it was windy the whole way, and rainy part of the way.
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