Sometimes they close roads for a reason. Usually they don't. All of my life I've read the "Road Closed" sign as "No Traffic Adventure Course." Never had I stumbled upon a closed road that was impassible.
There's a first time for everything.
Friday after work, I checked the weather and saw that it was 79 degrees in Ontonagon, Michigan. I swiftly jumped in my car and headed north -- surely this heat wave would get the Steelhead running.
Saturday, my dad and I awoke to temperatures in the mid 30's and mist. We decided to wait for evening and warmer temperatures to head to the Presque Isle River to fish.
In the late afternoon we headed out planning to take South Boundary Road through the Porcupine Mountains to get to the river. This road acts as a snowmobile trail in the winter, but is a paved road when the snow melts, running the interior boundary of Michigan's largest wilderness area.
When we entered the park, a large barrier read "Road Closed to Thru Traffic." The road looked dry as a bone, so we decided to slip around the barrier and head into the hills. To our surprise 3 miles up we began to encounter a bit of snow on the roadside.
"How did that snow survive the 80 degree temperatures?" we pondered.
Five miles in it began to get a bit deeper.
"Are you sure we're not going to get stuck up here?" I asked
"Yeah, this is nothing for this car to take," Dad responded.
Thirty seconds later all four tires began to spin.
Dad and I both got out and stared at the car perplexed. We jammed pine boughs under the tires hoping these would get sucked under and give us traction. They did not. We dug out the tires and threw everything we had under them -- cardboard, rocks, newspaper, dirt dug up in the woods -- but all to no avail.
After about 40 minutes, four college-aged kids in a Subaru pulled up behind us -- they too had disregarded the road closed sign and the barrier. They stopped before the deep snow and helped us rock the car until we were pushed out of the ruts that had been dug -- sometimes you just get lucky.
We caught no fish, but had a terrific weekend nonetheless. On Earth Day I must admit that I feel a bit of guilt for having my second 700 mile weekend in two weeks, but it is my passion for the outdoors that drives me to try so hard to protect it.
It is Earth Day, so do me a favor and after you read this do one thing to make your home more energy efficient or reduce your carbon footprint. Change one light bulb from an old-school one to a compact fluorescent, bike or walk to work one day this week, or put your computer on a surge protector and turn it off at night. Want more ideas to save some money and the environment, check out this press release written by your's truly.
All right, enough infomercial. Tomorrow will find me back in the clinic for some methotrexate, vincristine and a spinal tap with chemo, the precise doses of which will be determined by my blood counts. Then we get a ten day break followed by another round of methotrexate and vincristine which will complete the treatment of round 3. Round 4, an intensified stage will then begin in Mid-May (after the opening of fishing season which is something I am eternally grateful for.)
Comment Question of the Day:
Tell me about a sticky situation you once found yourself in on a road trip -or- post one thing you did to make your home/office/life more energy efficient. Winners of both categories will recieve a shout out.
Happy Earth Day,
Sam
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9 comments:
I began keeping my computer and cell phone charger plugged in to surge suppressors which I turn off at night last year. I learned the utility of this from a little old lady who I gardened for last summer who interestingly enough lived in Rhinelander during the 1950s.
My most ridiculous road trip (and I kind of use 'road' in a loose sense) took place when I visited Peru in July of 2007. My friend and I left Santiago, Chile at 3am and arrived in Lima (a very very ugly and polluted city) at about 6am. After finding the bus district we learned that our 14 hour-long bus ride didn't leave for several hours, so we fell asleep in a public park near an elementary school and thankfully weren't arrested. Once we got on the bus I realized that Peruvian buses were made for Peruvian size people, not nearly 6ft tall people. And I was stuck near a window with a larger gentleman next to me. In addition to mild claustrophobia (which I didn't realize I had) I developed a cold and my feet swelled into balloons from the altitude (sea level to thousands of feet above it). Then, I ended up puking sometime later because I had a drink at 10,000 ft (friggin altitude), hit my head on tiny Peruvian sized monastery door frames, walked into some bushes and cutting my face while farmer blowing, and picking up fleas from a bus which expensive creams did not help. We were stuck in the crummy city of Arequipa for 4 days because of a nation wide strike and barely made it out by plane to get to Macchu Picchu the day before stikers burned the airport. Macchu Pichu was absolutely breathtaking (high point!) but then we had to wait for some 14 hours in Lima to return to Chile. When I bought some cold medicine they sell it by the pill and ask how many hours worth you want! Needless to say, this was a highly memorable road trip.
When we took our western road trip the summer I got out of grade school, we were driving through the on the Needles Highway. We got to one place where we managed to barely squeeze the car through the rocks. We had a few inches between losing and not losing the side mirrors. Needless to say, we all were thankful for that one. I will start turning off the power strip my dad and I use for our computers at night.
Take care, my friend.
Scott F.
Oh, and Sam, I'm sure you can't help but recall our wondrous trip to the Florida Keys freshman year. A recent bought of indigestion reminded me of Paul's infamous Slim Jim fiasco, and Paul's Britney Spears impersonation and Col-Gate (get it ;). I guess Paul managed to be at the center of most of that drama, but what it was one hell of a trip. A bunch of sinners appreciating creation.
Sam-
Great story. Hope you are able to enjoy your 10-day break. Breaks are great.
Candace and I had a whole-house water filtration system put in, including a reverse osmosis sytem for all our drinking water. No more bottled water! We have an endless supply of clean, great-tasting water and generate no waste in the process.
Also turning lights off whenever we are not absolutely needing them, recycling like crazy (we generate more recycling material than we do trash), and try to moderate the thermostat levels (Candace doesn't like this!)
Need to think about the other question... it's throught-provoking!
-Stu
I had to forward this to my husband when I saw it - we did the exact same thing on the 18th. I wanted to hike into Mirror Lake. We made it up pretty far as we had a 4 wheel drive truck and just figured it would get better - but it didn't. We finally realize we better stop, but with an F350 crew cab with an 8 foot bed, we could find anywhere to trun around. We ended up backing up about a mile sliding down the ice flow around the hairpin corners - NOT one of our finest moments! We've driven back roads in Arkansas and the rain forest on the cotinental divide in Costa Rica, but I think this was worse.
LOL :-))
As to the Earth Day challenge we just bought a composter and two rain barrels and are setting them up.
PJ
We love the Porcupine Mountains--except for the trip when my husband (who reads road signs just like you) headed off on logging roads with a near empty gas tank to find a "short cut" home. I kept my mind busy memorizing our route--right, right, left, straight, left... When he agreed to turn around I nearly had to fight him to follow the map I'd drawn in my head. Ten people saved from certain death--OK, maybe not death.
I compost, recycle, shop thrift stores, drive the speed limit, turn off everything at night, garden organically, buy in bulk to save on packaging, use reusable bags at the store, and raise up the next generation to do the same.
hi sam,
here in Washington, D.C., i walk, bike, or take public transportation everywhere, everyday.
my carbon footprint is probably one of the smallest in the U.S.
when i move to Milwaukee this summer, i will need to buy a car. however, i'm looking forward to shopping at the public market and joining a CSA.
talk soon.
I just have to give credit where credit is due. If you check my previous response to your question you will notice that I did not have "use energy efficient bulbs" in my list. I've used them, I didn't like them, they didn't fit in my light fixtures.
The day after I read your post I had to shop for light bulbs. I felt guilty approaching the incandescents, so I stopped to just look at those coils bulbs and appease my conscience while I just reconfirmed that they wouldn't fit my life. I learned something. They've changed. They will fit. I bought them. They worked!
Shout out to you for gently encouraging and not needling.
Sam- great to hear from you! I am impressed that you've been rebuilding your strength in the 'off season'. That insprires me.
I am also amazed at how we are being given the exact same drugs, even though our cancers are not the same. I think you and I can share countless "I know EXACTLY how you feel" statements... and mean it!
You're doing great... hang in there!
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