Workaround

 

A spring breeze from the north ripples the water on Merimere Reservoir.

Visit #1011, Saturday 23 April 16, 2:10-4:25PM, 5.5 miles.
Temps in the high 60's, sunny.

(Note to the person who lost their "Adidas" hat. I told you I'd post a photo if I found it.
I didn't find it.)

Last week I  promised to show an alternative solution to protect the padlock on the gate at the south end of Merimere Reservoir.

This week I managed to travel to West Rock State Park and here's what the State of Connecticut has installed on the gate to the entrance of West Rock State Park.

The above shroud has holes to dissuade bees from constructing a nest inside. There's also a hole on top, I believe. Granted, I don't visit West Rock State Park often enough to know how effective their solution is, but it is an alternative.
 
This week begins the "pre-festival weekend" of the Daffodil Festival. Activities include a giant tag sale and a food truck festival. Parking within Hubbard Park to perform my weekly work would be impossible; I needed a workaround.

My workaround was to park outside the north end of Hubbard Park, in Berlin on Park Drive, and adapt my work plan to accommodate my situation. My plan worked out just fine.

At the north end of the  park, I walked the road all the way to Castle Craig. Enroute, the road passes a locked gate leading to the Maloney Canal. I presume this is Meriden Water Department property and not Park Department property as it is in Berlin, not Meriden.

Well, the gate is ostensibly locked.

This is what the lock is supposed to look like.

This is how I found the lock.

The Water Department needs to take lessons from the Parks Department on how to secure their gates!

Further up the road I found a late bloomer from the Season of the Missing Glove, Edition #11.

Knowing that parks department personnel would be busy cleaning up after the food truck festival, I wanted to try and not leave a full bag of trash at Castle Craig that they would have to spend time to collect. My bag was close to full but I endured.

I made it to the Halfway House to find it trash-free. I then hiked the trails down to the water treatment plant where I deposited my decidedly full first bag of trash.

I opened up another bag and walked the road north, and here's where today's plan just worked.

During the week I spied a discarded piece of clothing dumped near the causeway at the north end of the reservoir. During the return trip to the north end I was able to pick it up.

I returned to my car after executing a successful workaround.