Local scenery
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Woodland Caribou - dwindling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9um_flYGjg&feature=player_embedded
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/science-matters/2010/12/canadas-caribou-crisis-calls-for-collaboration/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV_v8t0R-Sg
The people in this universe have to do everything possible to support and protect the woodland caribou....as you can see from the Grateful Dead vintage video - the issue isn't new.
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/science-matters/2010/12/canadas-caribou-crisis-calls-for-collaboration/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV_v8t0R-Sg
The people in this universe have to do everything possible to support and protect the woodland caribou....as you can see from the Grateful Dead vintage video - the issue isn't new.
There IS a moose in this picture
Monday, December 13, 2010
Tripping in the winter
Coming soon!! Pre and post "posts" related to this winter's winter camping expedition!! Watch for exciting wildlife stories, fun pictures, and stories of freezing objects, food, bodies and more!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The beginning
So, this is where it all began for me....no making fun of me now, friends.
http://www.gbcamp.com/videos/adventure.html
http://www.gbcamp.com/videos/adventure.html
Smores - the demise of camping!
What is this world coming to....the demise of true camping adventures - shoved into a box on a store shelf!
Monday, September 13, 2010
A Wordle
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/2416637/The_Camp_Song
I'm hoping that you can enjoy my new "wordle" created with the words of The Camp Song by Peter Katz.
You can also google him on youtube to enjoy this super end-of-summer song.
I'm hoping that you can enjoy my new "wordle" created with the words of The Camp Song by Peter Katz.
You can also google him on youtube to enjoy this super end-of-summer song.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Learning bits - Crickets
So...each time one ventures into the Park it is difficult to get out without a bit of new knowledge....unless of course you are an ignorant, holier-than-thou human who is under the assumption that humans are at the top of the proverbial food chain on this planet....however, i digress....if you are looking to learn about the environment and nature you are likely able to gain some new insight.
This time i found out about the life of a male cricket! Uh-huh....#$%^* so forever more, while I listen to the chirp of the crickets outside my tent - the following will be coursing through my brain...
It is said that the crickets who "sing" are the guys who have already provided ample proof of their superiority just by virtue of the fact that they sing....the females are pretty indiscriminate in choosing a mate because it really is irrelevant as long as they sing. Loudness or tune are irrelevent. Unlike other species whose females are very choosey in order to ensure survival prospects of their offspring, these females don't care as long as they've passed the ultimate test of singing....
But this post is mainly about the male cricket....so "the guy who gets the girl" dies earlier than the others....the "silent" crickets, who basically gave up on the being "the best"...just hang out around the singers and pick up....the rest of the females....some times they nab them before the singer gets there...it is pretty dark out there you know....these guys are called "satelite males".
The singers appear to have the good deal going on but they are more susceptible to random attacks of violence from the silent guys, they attract predators (cats), they attract female flies (parasites) with their song....
The singer gets to live about 3 weeks on average....doesn't that suck.....but mates about 4 times a night. The silent guy, who inadvertently gets the girl without the workload lives for about 6 weeks, but if the boss finds out his less-than-acceptable-ways....he's done for.
Ultimately, as my teacher quoted, "The way to your lover's heart may lead to someone else's stomach", but not to worry, "if music be the food of love, stridulate on!"
**some information from "The Raven: A Natural and Cultural History Digest", article by Dan Strickland.
This time i found out about the life of a male cricket! Uh-huh....#$%^* so forever more, while I listen to the chirp of the crickets outside my tent - the following will be coursing through my brain...
It is said that the crickets who "sing" are the guys who have already provided ample proof of their superiority just by virtue of the fact that they sing....the females are pretty indiscriminate in choosing a mate because it really is irrelevant as long as they sing. Loudness or tune are irrelevent. Unlike other species whose females are very choosey in order to ensure survival prospects of their offspring, these females don't care as long as they've passed the ultimate test of singing....
But this post is mainly about the male cricket....so "the guy who gets the girl" dies earlier than the others....the "silent" crickets, who basically gave up on the being "the best"...just hang out around the singers and pick up....the rest of the females....some times they nab them before the singer gets there...it is pretty dark out there you know....these guys are called "satelite males".
The singers appear to have the good deal going on but they are more susceptible to random attacks of violence from the silent guys, they attract predators (cats), they attract female flies (parasites) with their song....
The singer gets to live about 3 weeks on average....doesn't that suck.....but mates about 4 times a night. The silent guy, who inadvertently gets the girl without the workload lives for about 6 weeks, but if the boss finds out his less-than-acceptable-ways....he's done for.
Ultimately, as my teacher quoted, "The way to your lover's heart may lead to someone else's stomach", but not to worry, "if music be the food of love, stridulate on!"
**some information from "The Raven: A Natural and Cultural History Digest", article by Dan Strickland.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Algonquin Park - Car camping at its best, to say the least.
So....it appears that my weather luck has run out...and that is being GENEROUS. Four days in Algonquin, the place that in my view would stand up to the heavens, and lots of rain and cold. But this is not new to me, nor my faithful camping team. Rachel, Bev and Evan stood the tests of time while they endured the winds of Earl and the rains that only Algonquin can deliver.
We (Evan and I) discovered that: "interesting mom, here the fire hydrants are red" and " (gag) GG (heather) put mustard on my picnic, ham, sandwich" and "I don't think that i like mustard".
So basically car camping in Algonquin in the rain and cold typically includes a visit to the Algonquin Visitor Centre....each year (ages 1-4) Evan re-experiences this "Visitor Centre" for the first time....as he appears to be deficient in memory>$%^&*....i, and Rachel, on the other hand try to act excited as we tour for the fiftieth time around and around looking at the same displays of stuffed wild critters. Seriously, would it kill them to add an exhibit occasionally....for the veterans without memory.
Car camping in the rain also means buying bagged, wet, molded, wood from the young, underemployed men at the "wood lot". So off I go with my wood and kindling tickets to pickup my goods. I pull into the centre of the circular drive (okay dirt field is more accurate) and park while others zigzag to get by and meet with the wood man. He gives me a bag and suggests I can leave. I challenge him about the fact that i have yet to receive my back of kindling. He asks me for my "ticket" and says with a straight face "Sorry, this is last year's ticket and has expired". I stand in stunned silence (which you all know is a stretch for me)....until he grins, and then I respond "Don't fuck with me, man!!" This triggers a similarly stunned response, the comment, "You never know what you're going to get when you visit the wood lot!" as I walk to my car, carrying my own back of wood. Later in the trip when we required more wood (this time not for cosmetic beauty or natural, camping atmosphere, but out of significant need for actual heat and survival).....Rachel (16) and I re-entered the "woodlot". I gave Rachel some warning of the possible side effects of my earlier interaction (less than professional) with the wood guy. Much to our interest, we dealt with the same guy. I flashed my ticket and he said, "one bag of kindling??!!" and I replied, "yup". He turned to grab the bag and turned to face us with two bags of kindling and a grin, stating "one bag of kindling, have a nice day". We returned to the site wondering who had been had!
Not too much to report in terms of wildlife. We stumbled upon a mama moose and twin calfs as we exited the park but they wandered back in the bush before we could do any excellent photography. Apparently bear were touring around us but no sightings. A racoon sniffed out our tent but was unsuccessful. No chipmunks....
More excellent stories to report such as Rachel learning from Evan how to play "Go Fish" and the SEVERAL trips to the Ontario Parks store....for the stuffed wolf , humourous company, and warmth!
Cheers and happy fall to those fall campers out there. After 5 trips into the park this summer, I have likely retired my gear for the year. Ode to the Park!
s
We (Evan and I) discovered that: "interesting mom, here the fire hydrants are red" and " (gag) GG (heather) put mustard on my picnic, ham, sandwich" and "I don't think that i like mustard".
So basically car camping in Algonquin in the rain and cold typically includes a visit to the Algonquin Visitor Centre....each year (ages 1-4) Evan re-experiences this "Visitor Centre" for the first time....as he appears to be deficient in memory>$%^&*....i, and Rachel, on the other hand try to act excited as we tour for the fiftieth time around and around looking at the same displays of stuffed wild critters. Seriously, would it kill them to add an exhibit occasionally....for the veterans without memory.
Car camping in the rain also means buying bagged, wet, molded, wood from the young, underemployed men at the "wood lot". So off I go with my wood and kindling tickets to pickup my goods. I pull into the centre of the circular drive (okay dirt field is more accurate) and park while others zigzag to get by and meet with the wood man. He gives me a bag and suggests I can leave. I challenge him about the fact that i have yet to receive my back of kindling. He asks me for my "ticket" and says with a straight face "Sorry, this is last year's ticket and has expired". I stand in stunned silence (which you all know is a stretch for me)....until he grins, and then I respond "Don't fuck with me, man!!" This triggers a similarly stunned response, the comment, "You never know what you're going to get when you visit the wood lot!" as I walk to my car, carrying my own back of wood. Later in the trip when we required more wood (this time not for cosmetic beauty or natural, camping atmosphere, but out of significant need for actual heat and survival).....Rachel (16) and I re-entered the "woodlot". I gave Rachel some warning of the possible side effects of my earlier interaction (less than professional) with the wood guy. Much to our interest, we dealt with the same guy. I flashed my ticket and he said, "one bag of kindling??!!" and I replied, "yup". He turned to grab the bag and turned to face us with two bags of kindling and a grin, stating "one bag of kindling, have a nice day". We returned to the site wondering who had been had!
Not too much to report in terms of wildlife. We stumbled upon a mama moose and twin calfs as we exited the park but they wandered back in the bush before we could do any excellent photography. Apparently bear were touring around us but no sightings. A racoon sniffed out our tent but was unsuccessful. No chipmunks....
More excellent stories to report such as Rachel learning from Evan how to play "Go Fish" and the SEVERAL trips to the Ontario Parks store....for the stuffed wolf , humourous company, and warmth!
Cheers and happy fall to those fall campers out there. After 5 trips into the park this summer, I have likely retired my gear for the year. Ode to the Park!
s
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Summer 2010
So this summer has been a great one for camping - both car and canoe. It has been dry (mostly) and hot which makes for nice paddling, portaging, cooking and camp fires. I hope to recap my adventures over the summer here as the days move forward into fall. Partly, I hope that this makes easing the transition into school season easier, but i also hope to simply share my travels with others, including those who've joined in on the tours.
This week i'm heading back to Algonquin Park along the 60 corridor to relax and rejoin on all that is Algonquin. This will mean car camping with day trips backpacking and/or canoe throughout the corridor and central regions. My 4-year-old, Evan, and Aunt Bev, my true companions will join me. I look forward to reporting back when I return! :) We will park at Lake of Two Rivers (the easiest and one of the most well know of car camping campgrounds in Algonquin) and venture from there. When we stayed there in May of this year we had the joy of having a cow Moose and her calf walk down river with us (in canoe) and across our site through the camping area. We were in awe. Later that evening we experienced a bull moose walking down the path in front of our site. He was tentative of onlookers and made his way west until he could cut through to the river and marsh behind our row of sites. No matter how many of these guys i see I am no less in awe and thrilled than the very first time.
The second time that i've stayed at Lake of Two Rivers, as a stop over to an interior trip, a bear roamed the campground. He was drawn to area from his home in the interior due to human stupidity and carelessness related to food (coolers) and garbage being left out. Once a bear knows where there is a potential meal s/he will continue to visit again and again. In Algonquin, a bear need only to return three to a populated area (a.k.a. a campground that used to be his home but has been turned into a place for human recreation...@#$%) before it is put down by park wildlife specialists. The first time a bear is determined to be a "nuisance", one of its tooth is pulled out. The second time the same occurs. This way park wildlife staff can keep track of which bears are visiting. Bears are trapped in live traps, or shot with tranquilizers and moved to the interior of the park.
In any case, I am hoping for some wildlife viewing. There is a public wolf howl (pending pack availability) on Thursday night and September marks the beginning of moose mating season.
More to follow.
S
This week i'm heading back to Algonquin Park along the 60 corridor to relax and rejoin on all that is Algonquin. This will mean car camping with day trips backpacking and/or canoe throughout the corridor and central regions. My 4-year-old, Evan, and Aunt Bev, my true companions will join me. I look forward to reporting back when I return! :) We will park at Lake of Two Rivers (the easiest and one of the most well know of car camping campgrounds in Algonquin) and venture from there. When we stayed there in May of this year we had the joy of having a cow Moose and her calf walk down river with us (in canoe) and across our site through the camping area. We were in awe. Later that evening we experienced a bull moose walking down the path in front of our site. He was tentative of onlookers and made his way west until he could cut through to the river and marsh behind our row of sites. No matter how many of these guys i see I am no less in awe and thrilled than the very first time.
The second time that i've stayed at Lake of Two Rivers, as a stop over to an interior trip, a bear roamed the campground. He was drawn to area from his home in the interior due to human stupidity and carelessness related to food (coolers) and garbage being left out. Once a bear knows where there is a potential meal s/he will continue to visit again and again. In Algonquin, a bear need only to return three to a populated area (a.k.a. a campground that used to be his home but has been turned into a place for human recreation...@#$%) before it is put down by park wildlife specialists. The first time a bear is determined to be a "nuisance", one of its tooth is pulled out. The second time the same occurs. This way park wildlife staff can keep track of which bears are visiting. Bears are trapped in live traps, or shot with tranquilizers and moved to the interior of the park.
In any case, I am hoping for some wildlife viewing. There is a public wolf howl (pending pack availability) on Thursday night and September marks the beginning of moose mating season.
More to follow.
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