Archive for September, 2009
OPP on the Water
by Garry on Sep.27, 2009, under Grab Bag
For the last week the OPP have been at Smith Camps just down from our cottage and seem to be conducting some training exercises for the marine unit. All weekend 5 or 6 boats like this one have been cruising around the bay and going in an out from Smiths on quite a regular basis. While we were out in the kayaks once, we didn’t get “pulled over”, but I’d be sure I had all the regulation gear on board because I think they are just itching to practice on somebody.
Talk like a Pirate Day – Arrr, shiver me timbers!
by garry.c.stewart on Sep.19, 2009, under Grab Bag
’tis be hilarious! I noticed speak Like A scurvy pirate Day a few years ago, but they have really taken it to a new level.
HOW TO: Celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day
Saturday, September 19th is the date of a rather unique holiday made possible largely by the internets. Pirate enthusiasts around the globe will be celebrating International Talk Like a Pirate Day in various ways, but the unifying theme is to shiver up your timbers and adopt some pirate language, me hearties!
On the Long X Trail
by Garry on Sep.16, 2009, under Cycling, Family and Travel
We’re about 1 1/2 hours into an almost 8 hour “character building” ordeal when we stopped for a photo op after a long muddy climb of about 500 vertical feet. It’s rained Friday night and we’re out on a spur trail off the Maah Daah Hey trail in North Dakota called the Long X Trail. We knew the trail would be difficult if not impossible when wet, but some how we just kept on thinking it would dry up and get better. It didn’t.
After we rode on far enough to start thinking things would never get better, we were too far gone to bother turning back, so we kept on ridding and it kept on getting muddier, slipperier, and then it started to rain. Parts of the trail were so rough that not only did you have to walk the trail, you needed to carry your bike. If you didn’t the tires just picked up so much mud that they refused to turn. Everyone spent a significant amount of time just scraping the clay muck off your bike so you could resume riding for what ever distance was possible before the bike was once again coated in mud. At one point we even resorted to washing the bikes in a cattle watering trough to get free from the mud.
Everyone made the full days ride of approximately 20km which I’m sure was actually longer because the cycling computer didn’t register the mileage while I was carrying the bike, and there was a lot of carrying going on. Once back at the CCC campground everyone washed up and changed before driving down to the Buffalo Gap Guest Ranch where we washed the bikes and enjoyed a BBQ pork & beans dinner.
The Sunday ride was much better. More on that later.
At the End of the Day
by Garry on Sep.08, 2009, under Life, Nature and The Lake
Return to Maah Daah Hey
by Garry on Sep.05, 2009, under Cycling, Family and Travel
In just under a week I’ll be heading off to ride the MDH trail in North Dakota with the boys. For many years we made an annual trip to ride this outstanding single track trail, but this will be the first time since 2005.
I’ve been taking with some of the guys and everybody is getting pretty excited about the trip. Its quite the action packed weekend with a 9 hour drive thru the night, breakfast at 4am, a brief nap in the vehicles until the sun comes up and then all day riding!
I think we’ll be riding the northern section and taking in some near by trails on Saturday. Sunday we’ll ride for half a day in the Buffalo Gap area. As some would say, it should be GTs. I’m looking forward to it.
