This is Major Drop reporting. I have returned from a lovely voyage on the Elkhorn and Platte Rivers and a possible unconfirmed side excursion into Xenoica! I went with my friend Todd and his son and one of Ben’s sons: 3 single-person kayaks and our 2-person and gear inflatable kayak. The trip we initially planned was West Center Road down to Linoma Beach, as outlined here. Unfortunately, there is no longer any public access at West Center (don’t worry, I intend to inform paddling.com about this situation so others can hopefully have an easier time planning their trips). So, we had to improvise. Although I am not at liberty to disclose the exact locations, we enlisted the aid of some professional/personal contacts and were able to get a last-minute route, pretty similar to the one we read about, dialed in.
Although I was initially hoping for a Sunday trip, I am so glad that it turned out that Saturday was better for others in our group - I needed a day to unpack, clean and stow gear, and recover! The forecast for Saturday wasn’t great on Friday, but we figured what the hell. Here are a few things we experienced:
The weather turned out to be fantastic!
The rivers were a bit higher than I’d experienced previously.This was nice because it is kind of a pain to get out of our inflatable kayak when it got stuck on a sand bar and pull it along and then climb back in and repeat, as needed.Also, Snot Jr. isn’t getting any lighter and sometimes I’d be trying to pull with him in the kayak because he got pretty tired in the latter part of the journey.But anyway, as I was saying, the water was higher than what I was used to.Snot Jr. didn’t really want to be in the boat, so he floated along, sometimes being towed by the kayak and other times floating freely in the current.Initially he offered to be a tug boat and pull each of the kayaks into the river.However, once our kayak was out there, we just grabbed onto the back of our kayak, Floaty, and kind of floated/walked/ran along behind.During the parts where it was shallow enough to walk he would sometimes provide commentary about the depth of the water, which was sometimes kind of handy.He’d say things like, “Major drop” or “Oooo, look out!Getting pretty shallow!”At one time he decided he’d only provide updates when requested.Although he didn’t go along with my request when I asked for auto-updates every 2 minutes or so, he eventually agreed to provide updates if depth changed by more than 6-inches.For a while I was calling myself “Major Drop” and Snot Jr. “Corporal Current.”
We went through some faster parts of the river that we dubbed “Nebraska rapids”, surviving solely by our wits and reflexes.Although photos would be underwhelming, I did not have time to snap any because I was too busy “reading the river” in my not-very-fluent riverese.For a while I was also calling Snot Jr. “Muskrat Lad” because I thought we looked kind of like a playful muskrat frolicking along in the water.
I may have been inspired to provide the “Muskrat Lad” nickname because we saw so much wildlife out on the river.I think it was due to the cooler weather and the earlier forecasted rain/storms, but the animals seemed to appreciate the cooler, cloudy weather and we didn’t see another boat outside of our group during the entire, approximately 11-mile trip!It was amazingly tranquil and beautiful out there!Here is a list of some of the animals/animal parts we saw:
deer
raccoons (an endearing group of 3 youngsters playing/scampering around on the shore)
bald eagles (there were many of them).
softshell turtle (snout and eyes only)
fish (lots of jumpers! One time a couple of us seemed to corner them and there were dozens, possibly even a hundred of them thrashing about above the water and even landing up on the sandy shore!
great blue heron
duck decoys (?) (they looked so realistic!The only reason I eventually concluded they were decoys was because they did not move at all.Even then, at first I thought they might just be stoic ducks.)
a bovine vertebrae, weathered to a lovely brown color, as shown here
some type of creature that sent up a single dark gray or black stalk, very much like a periscope, that quickly retracted back under the water when it sensed our presence.Todd had initially mentioned something with long eye stalks that I speculated might be a very rare (possibly mythical) creature known as a giant freshwater crab (distant cousin to the fighting land crabs, mascot of the University of American Samoa made famous by Jimmy McGill of Better Call Saul).For a while I thought we might have traveled through a worm-hole of some type into a place called Xenoica.However, I didn’t encounter enough evidence on this trip to be able to support this temporary hunch.
On one large sandbar I decided it would possibly make a pretty good place to live (or at least a few days worth of camping), so I boldly proclaimed, “I claim this island for the Muskrat Kings!”to which one of my traveling companions on the other side of the bar responded “Booga Booga!” and did some type of dance to which I responded with a similar ancestral dance.
This voyage felt adventurous and important. The interaction with nature was somehow soothing and inspiring. It felt like a much-needed balance to the usual day-to-day human-crafted world that I live in most days. It was also kind of physically tiring. I came to the conclusion that it is time for Floaty to retire. Floaty has been great! She's been a stalwart companion to Snot Jr. and I for 7 years and I will always cherish the time we had with her.
However, her structural integrity ain't what it used to be and neither Snot Jr. nor I am getting any lighter. Therefore, the next time we head out to the river I will either be taking my inflatable SUP (it’s big enough that Snot Jr. could latch onto it and float along, if needed) or else the SUP and a regular kayak for Snot Jr. (I feel like he might not dislike paddling as much if he had a lighter, faster, more maneuverable boat. This is kind of like people that buy cheap bikes that don’t have good parts. It’s not surprising that they don’t like to bike when the bike that they’ve got makes bicycling a chore, with parts not doing what they should!).
Well, I’ll be sure to get back to the river soon and back to my bicycle even sooner. Let me know if you get a chance and we’ll try to meet up and catch up.
Whew! That last entry was long! Here’s something different.
Friday I decided to get out for an afternoon cycling excursion. It’s not that common for me to have such an opportunity, but you see here in North America’s mid-section we are on the backside of the national holiday we call Independence Day or, colloquially, the Fourth of July. This time I had some free time and so I hopped on the dusty, prematurely aged Wear-Yellow-Ride-cycle.
seen here in younger days
It’s fun because it goes pretty fast on flattish routes. It’s prematurely aged because I leave it out back under the canopy where it’s kind of sheltered but still gets a fair bit of dust and moisture and, hence, character-enhancing rust. So I filled her tyres with a bit a ye olde aire, strapped on a couple of gear bags with one of the few tubes lying around that seemed like it might be the right size, and spent some downhill time trying to re-familiarize myself with the feel of the skinny-tyred single-speed. It felt quite nice to get out on the trail. I had a tail wind as I headed southeast on the West Papio Trail (I hopped on at around 132nd & Q, by the big Tyson plant). I was probably going about 14 miles per hour (around 12 knots for the nautically minded, more on this later) on the way out. On that leg of the tour I noticed a relaxed looking fellow walking his dog whilst reading a book. Sorry, no photo, I was too busy going fast. I did refocus my ambition relatively soon: first I was ambitiously bicycling out and then I was ambitiously riding back towards Pint Nine brewery. As part of this shift; however, I did snap a photo of this intriguing sign.
I couldn't find out anything about the Iron Riders Tribute Bicycle Ride 2024
On the way back, there was a headwind to contend with, but this only served to sharpen my thirst for a fermented beverage. Eventually I was comfortably perched on an outside bench at Pint Nine. A fellow with a computer was sitting at the table with a 4-glass sampler and we conversed a bit about various topics, including bicycle- and travel-related things. It turns out that Seth was into bike-packing and had bicycled across South Korea! Apparently they’ve got a great trail that traverses the entire country and is mostly paved and well-maintained. You can get a passport-type book to collect stamps at TARDIS-like stations along the route and if you collect them all you can take your book to the trail HQ to collect a golden medal of some kind! How awesome is that! Plus, the US dollar is pretty good over there right now and you might meet some convivial K-pop stars or at least some of their fans. If I ever ride this trail, I would like to attempt to do it in a track suit that celebrates some type of K-pop group or maybe even just K-pop in general.
When asked about his bike-packing rig, Seth stated he had a Giant hybrid that he currently uses but that he’s got his eye on a Poseidon. I was not hithertofore aware of this brand, but it sounded like they have some pretty great deals, so I looked at their website and here’s one of the bikes that they had that I thought might be good for bike-packing. https://www.poseidonbike.com/products/flatbar-redwood?variant=41091788963991
Mrs. Snot and I were both not sure that Poseidon was a good brand name for a bike company. My wife has a deep understanding of mythology and she pondered the many facets of Poseidon. He was full of surprises. For example, you might think that Zeus or some land-based god created horses? Nope - Poseidon did! Mrs. Snot suggested that the website might have an origin story. So I looked around on their website and found the following: https://www.poseidonbike.com/pages/who-we-are
“Poseidon Bike takes its name from the God of the sea, a place where you can find serenity and stillness and discover the sea's strength at a moment’s notice.”
So I guess they are stating that bicycling is like being at sea? Maybe that is true in some ways, but I don’t think it’s common to get motion sickness on a bicycle? Anyway, I couldn't find any other specific reason for their brand name. As a direct-to-consumer bike manufacturer there are a few things I think about:
1. Not good for your local bike shop. But money’s pretty tight these days… tough decisions
2. Not sure where frames are made.
3. To keep costs low, some parts are probably not the greatest.
Nothing really jumped out at me when skimming specs, but a few reviewers stated that they upgraded brakes or wheels (possibly these were on older versions). I also feel like spending more on a bike up-front is typically a good way to get good components that can take some abuse and perform reliably. It looks like the Redwood, sorry X Ambition, would probably be my pick for a bikepacking rig. If you use any kind of ride-tracking technology, I'd recommend switching from km/hr or mph to knots just to honor the god of the sea and avoid angering this jealous deity.
Seth also recommended the Superchief. It was strong, so I got a mini!
So the weather is pretty good for bicycling these days, unless you want to do some riding on dirt, which has been kind of soggy lately. Hopefully I’ll be able to get out for some mountainous bicycling in the near future and I’ll let you know how that goes.
Sometimes I think it is easy to get a bit lost in the daily grind or, as thrash band Anthrax might have put it: caught in a mosh.
What am I doing with my life? What are my priorities? These are questions that I probably should ask myself from time to time. Instead, I sometimes just feel like I’m being tossed wordlessly around upon the waves of circumstance. Here is a quotation that I recently viewed at the Library of Congress during my recent vacation to Washington DC:
Reading maketh a full man
Conference a ready man
And writing an exact man
Not only do I find this quote true, but also inspirational. I like to distill some of my experience into words to try to communicate some of the things I find to be true. It can be easy to describe what happened matter-of-factly, in a sequential order, but that’s not always as relatable as when you express your feelings, strange thoughts, and extravagant goals/delusions. Plus, as shown in this fresco, from time immemorial: the ladies love the writers.
So I will try to use that preface as a guiding star as I relate to you many of the things that I’ve been fortunate enough to experience lately.
Before moving on to the vacation to our nation’s capital, let me regale you with a story of a charity ride I went on lately called “Bike with Mike, Walk with Mae.” This event took place on June 1 out on the Wabash Trace Trail. It was a fundraiser for mental health awareness via the local nonprofit Community Alliance. My uncle had purchased a couple of tickets but was unable to attend so he handed them off to me and I invited by stalwart companion, Rich, shown below fiercely improving his mental health.
How is your mental health, these days? Good, I hope. It can be a stressful world and probably the best way to deal with the stress is to get out on some kind of a bicycle expedition. Also, I think it’s good to talk about and channel your feelings instead of suppressing them. If no one wants to hear about your feelings, you can always write them down and/or let me know about them. Although they can be inconvenient and we might want to ignore them for pragmatic reasons, feelings drive our thoughts and actions in many ways so it’s best to at least try to have a vague understanding of our feelings and others’ feelings so that we can try to help ourselves by talking to someone and help others avoid unhealthy actions fueled by feelings we can’t come to terms with by ourselves. Unfortunately Mike and Mae died due to suicide. I met a woman who had attended school with both of them and had been a part of the event since its inception 4 years ago. The event has grown by leaps and bounds since it started and this particular event was well attended and organized. There was even a special speaker, Sam Eaton, who had written a book about mental health entitledRecklessly Alive: What My Suicide Attempt Taught Me About God and Living Life to the Fullest. We started out at the trailhead for the Wabash Trace Trail at Council Bluffs and rode out to Tobey Jack’s in Mineola (i.e., same route as Taco Ride) where many festivities were had and a build-your-own taco bar was enjoyed by all participants, or at least all the ones I talked to. There were many raffle prizes, drinks, Sam Eaton, and a live band. The weather was great and Rich and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Don’t worry, I kept the shirt, but did remember to send my uncle a thank you letter.
And now, back to our trip to DC. Rich was there too! (to provide continuity and stability, among his many other talents). My friend Tyler showed Rich and I around town.
Tyler is an aficionado of the Capital Bikeshare system. And now, so am I. The three of us quickly formed a bicycle gang,
hopped on some bikes and cruised around town and accomplished many things, some of which were:
told CVS we needed a prescription
went to another CVS because the first one didn’t have the prescription
got some drinks and appetizers at a nice local watering hole while waiting for prescription
experienced a spiritual encounter with the rare/potentially sacred albino/leucistic squirrel of the capital area
stopped at Supreme Courthouse
stopped at the tired U.S. Grant statue
stopped at the Round Robin Bar at the Willard Hotel (intriguing architecture - my stroll to the bathroom felt a bit like a trip through a fun house hall)
stopped at VUE Rooftop at Hotel Washington
ride by of the Watergate Hotel, which was larger than I would have expected.
felt awesome about riding around so much
ate Mrs. Snot’s leftover chicken wrap from Subway even though I normally subsist on a vegetarian / pescatarian meal plan
At the Round Robin bar I drank my first, and possibly last, Manhattan.
The drinks were served in chilled glasses and were delicious. I felt instantly more cultured, sophisticated, and generous (granted those aren't my best attributes to begin with). I might make it my last Manhattan because I’m guessing they’re normally not usually quite as exquisite. The Round Robin is reportedly the bar where all presidents-elect, except Trump, met up with the current presidents (i.e., predecessor) to have a drink and for the predecessor to share some insider tips/wisdom with the president-elect.
Here is a view from the VUE Rooftopbar at Hotel Washington where they had some delicious drinks as well.
I had a “That Tea is so Fetch” (Strawberry infused gin, bergamot, hibiscus, lemon, vegan foamer, and Peychaud’s bitters [because no one else’s bitters are nearly so bitter]) and Rich seemed to enjoy his Power to the Peaches (Grey Goose Botanicals, Cointreau, Chandon Garden Spritz, chamomile, honey, and lemon). Ye Gods! I felt like I got an injection of pure and uplifting B-12 vitamin along with my buzz! Tyler had an IPA (why does he drink those things? They taste kind of good but they tend to leave me feeling bloated and, eventually, kind of hazy and hung over). No offense Tyler! Thank you for the tour! That was a night to remember!
Further details about my DC experience: Nice bike share! I rode around a lot. Unfortunately I got kind of overconfident and eventually I dropped my cell phone and didn’t realize it until I had ridden a couple more blocks. Fortunately a kind soul found it quickly and eventually was able to return it to Tyler, who kindly drove out to pick it up from the Wunder Garten for me. I made it to Tyler’s place for a dinner party but I have to say I was even more socially awkward than usual because:
My confidence level was reduced due to losing cell phone (I should be able to keep track of that thing!)
Everyone at the dinner party knew each other and DC culture so I didn’t always have much to contribute (I learned a bit about DC Gogo music).
Despite my self-critique, all the partiers were quite jovial, I had a great time, and I wish I could have gotten to know them all a little better (maybe in smaller groups).
To prevent the dropped cell phone experience, if I ever take a similar vacation I plan on investing in some kind of strap-to-handlebar phone holder, possibly like this one:
After our time in DC, we rented a car and drove for about an hour to the northwest where we enjoyed a beautiful stay in the tranquil hamlet of Lovettsville, VA, that included a nice hike up to Maryland Heights
at Harpers Ferry with my cousin-in-law and Calvin.
Calvin and my cousin-in-law, Terry, often spoke of their enthusiasm for hikes. Calvin is an avid hiker who travels to many places on hiking expeditions, some of which involve pack animals and elevated temperatures. Calvin said that one trail he'd like to experience is the 211-mile John Muir Trail in the Yosemite area. This does look like a great backpacking trip. Terry and Calvin's frequent use of the word "hike" reminded me of this quote that first part of which Facebook is often inserting into my feed:
I don’t like either the word [hike] or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains – not ‘hike!’ Do you know the origin of that word saunter? It’s a beautiful word. Away back in the middle ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going they would reply, ‘A la sainte terre’, ‘To the Holy Land.’ And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not ‘hike’ through them.
After enjoying the peace and rejuvenation of Lovettsville and its environs, we headed out to the Jersey shore to get in some quality beach time at Wildwood, NJ. I rolled the dice with an Airbnb which turned out to be quite nice. It even had a few bikes in the garage. The beach was not too crowded and we ate a lot of food. I spent a lot of festive time with my college friend Pat and his friend Sarah. It turned out that Sarah grew up in DC. We talked about music from DC, including Fugazi, Bad Brains, and a band that I was not heretofore acquainted with: The Blackbyrds. Famous for their slice of life song: Rock Creek Park. Sarah estimated that 75 to 95% of individuals who grew up in the DC area lost their virginity at RCP. Pat generously supplied me with a patch that allowed me to drink more but feel less drunk and hungover. Maybe we could have just drank less? Easy to type now, not so easy to do when you’re experiencing a BEACH PARTAYVACATION!
Pat also recommended creatine to help build some muscle mass now that we're both quinquagenerians.
Seems like a great idea, especially with my vegetarian tendencies. Thanks Pat!
To get to Wildwood I initially planned on taking a train/bus combo to get there from DC. I thought about getting this booked early, but it wasn’t that easy so I figured I’d just buy tickets at the train station. However, this turned out to be logistically problematic and more expensive than I would have liked. So we ended up renting a car at somewhat elevated prices, but it was still less expensive and a lot faster than train/bussing it. And, as it turned out, it was kind of nice having the car around to get some grocery shopping done. Sorry public transport, not impressed in this area. If only the Double Dutch Bus ran from DC to Wildwood.
One unfortunate thing I noticed in DC: Google Maps sometimes seemed confused as to which quadrant of the city I was headed. Once it tried to autofill a Massachusetts St NW address when I wanted to get to Massachusetts St NE. Maybe it was worse because my phone was on low power mode? Don’t worry, it eventually all worked out alright.
So now we are back home and back to doing our regular stuff. However, I feel my mental health levels have improved and I've "recharged the batteries" as they often say. I hope your summer is going well and that you are able to enjoy a nice vacation or at least some quality relaxation with some reading, conference, and/or writing.
But anyway, as I was saying, the water was higher than what I was used to. Snot Jr. didn’t really want to be in the boat, so he floated along, sometimes being towed by the kayak and other times floating freely in the current. Initially he offered to be a tug boat and pull each of the kayaks into the river. However, once our kayak was out there, we just grabbed onto the back of our kayak, Floaty, and kind of floated/walked/ran along behind. During the parts where it was shallow enough to walk he would sometimes provide commentary about the depth of the water, which was sometimes kind of handy. He’d say things like, “Major drop” or “Oooo, look out! Getting pretty shallow!” At one time he decided he’d only provide updates when requested. Although he didn’t go along with my request when I asked for auto-updates every 2 minutes or so, he eventually agreed to provide updates if depth changed by more than 6-inches. For a while I was calling myself “Major Drop” and Snot Jr. “Corporal Current.”
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