Mop Up Operations

It was still dark when I entered Hubbard Park Saturday morning.

Visit #1173, Saturday 29 December 18, 6:15-9:00AM, 4.6 miles.
Temps in the low 50's, unseasonably mild, sunny with increasing clouds and dropping temps.

Considering the day-long rain on Friday, "mopping" could be an appropriate term for Saturday's work.

On December 10th, a motorcyclist traveling west on West Main Street by Hubbard Park, was struck by a car turning left into Hubbard Park. Unfortunately, the motorcyclist died of his injuries.

While certainly tragic, I found the roadside memorial created at the location of the collision in very poor taste.

What do people think gives them the right to claim public land for their personal memorial spot? How long will it exist? This belongs in a cemetery, not on the street nor at the entrance to Hubbard Park.

Considering it was at a highly visible location (Hubbard Park), made more so by the holiday lights, this eyesore would be seen by many people.

I didn't feel it was appropriate, so I entered Hubbard Park early Saturday morning to avoid scrutiny and remove it. And as this memorial included beer bottles, I think I did the right thing.

The cross contained a solar powered LED.

Now to wait for the repercussions...

It was still dark when I was done. I then drove to the north end of Hubbard Park, near Merimere Reservoir, and walked the road toward the peaks, to address some graffiti.

Graffiti similar to this kitty has appeared several times since November 2016.

The sign was too high off the ground to reach without getting creative. I got creative.

I stood on the log, hugged the tree, and used multiple techniques to  clean the graffiti from the tree without falling.

The sun was just rising at Merimere Reservoir when I turned around and walked back to my vehicle, and RETURNED to the park in better light, to perform my typical litter mopping operations.

Back at the park, I mopped up all the trails on the south side of I-691. My Find of the Week was a Little Tykes swing.

I also found Season of the Missing Glove entry #4, My Little Pony edition.

I returned to the park to drop off my last bag of trash for 2018.

And as is customary for me this time of year, I extend this invitation: If you'd like to be removed from my distribution list for this blog, please contact me, otherwise you'll have another year of "trash talk" from me.

Happy New Year!

WTF! (With The Flu)

My flu treatment supplies.

The beer-it's a joke, okay?!, it was NOT part of my flu treatment!

Visit #1172, Sunday 23 December 18, 9:30-11:40AM, 4.7 miles.
Temps in the low 40's, sunny.

I was home from work with the flu for THE ENTIRE WEEK. WTF?! Too close to Christmas. It would be poor form for me to go to work and infect my coworkers, especially in front of the holiday. I became intimate with my couch, hoping I'd feel better by the time the weekend rolled around.

On Wednesday I visited my doctor, not for a cure-all but for an excuse for my employer.

True story: I said to my doctor, "I'm here for a prescription for a rock; a rock to crawl under until this blows over. I couldn't find any over-the-counter rocks, so I came to you."

She got a laugh over that. I coughed.

Well, the weekend rolled around and I still wasn't quite feeling chipper, but I WAS going stir crazy and my couch kicked me out of the house for a few hours. Hopefully, the fresh air would do me some good.

It didn't do my camera any good; it malfunctioned so I lost most of the photos I took on Sunday. WTF?!

I walked the road from the gate, around Merimere Reservoir, and up to the fork in the road between East/West Peak. I collected so much litter (WTF?!, this was unexpected due to the time of year.) and due to the upcoming holiday, didn't want to leave it at the fork in the road for later pickup by the Meriden Parks Department. So I carried it all the way over I-691 and back to the park.

The hike didn't seem to improve my symptoms but it felt good to get some fresh air and feel some warm sun.

Remember; the days get longer from here on. Happy Holiday!

Dreary

It was a dreary day indeed, but that didn't deter THIS person from venturing out to Hubbard Park.

Visit 1171, Sunday 16 December 18, 8:10-10:00AM, 4.2 miles.
Temps in the low 40's with light to moderate rain.

Saturday was cloudy and started rainy, but it dried out enough and was warm enough that I wasn't going to waste it; I went for a bike ride. I knew what I was getting into when that left Sunday for my weekly trip to Hubbard Park.

I walked a clockwise loop from the parking lot, and first thing I noticed was half the lights on the train display were not illuminated. (I couldn't get a photo to better capture the lights.)

Looking closer I see that all the lights were connected to one extension cord, and the junction wasn't exactly uh, waterproof. I'd like to meet the shoemaker that cobbled together that setup.

I wasn't going to touch that in the rain, especially since one leg of that 3-in-1 was live and powering some of the lights on the train.  Makes me wonder if the other displays are adequately protected from the rain.

A simple search on the interwebs results in many ways to protect extension cords in the rain, some of which DON'T COST A DIME, which I'm sure a municipality would enjoy hearing. Here's just one of them:

I moved on, over I-691 and covered all the trails below West Peak and Castle Craig. Nearing the Halfway House, I spied the tall standing, blond grass...

 and the first thing I thought of was...

I let out a "Rebel Yell", continued on and...

... found Season of the Missing Glove #3 for 2018/19.

At the south end of Merimere Reservoir I found the lock securing the gate is missing.

I usually check on it when I'm passing by but can't recall the last time I was aware it was there. In any event, it needs to be replaced.

I returned to a still empty parking lot and dropped off my trash for the week.

The Season of the Missing Glove Begins

Winter reminds Merimere Reservoir who's boss.

Visit #1170, Saturday 8 December 18, 10:00AM-1:00PM, 4.9 miles.
Temps barely cracking 30, sunny.

I had the deluxe pleasure of being joined by pal Jeff as official photographer and assistant garbageman on this week's excursion. It was cold to start, but quite pleasant once you were moving.

While cleaning the slope below Castle Craig just after Thanksgiving, I noticed a newly fallen branch lying trailside. It was an eyesore to me and too close to the trail, so this week I brought my chainsaw to remove it.

Jeff and I left the parking lot and walked the Soap Box Derby track, then the road, to the south end of Merimere Reservoir where we picked up the trails.

I shortly came upon 2018/19 Season of the Missing Glove Participants #1 and 2.

I had enough brains to save these rather than toss them in my trash bag. I'll drop them off at Goodwill after washing. That pretty much used up all  my common sense for the day!

Reaching the fallen branch, I went to work.

I may have been able to just pull the large branch downslope, saving time and avoiding the use of the chainsaw, but I already used up all my common sense with the mittens and besides, why would I want to spoil the fun of using power tools?

An "artiste" inspects his work.

When Jeff and I reached the top of the trail, we turned right onto the Blue Trail along the ridgeline and the western edge of Merimere Reservoir. I wanted to follow this route because it's rare I take this lightly used trail, but in the off-chance there was something that needed the services of a chainsaw, I would be prepared and not have to make a return trip.

Jeff admires the view east, while I'm already thinking about lunch...

As we hiked along the ridgeline we came upon these climber's web straps secured to these trees. I can only imagine the rock would be cold to hold onto today. We saw no movement on the straps so we hollered to get the climber(s) attention, but received no response.

Near the end of the trail, my decision to hike this direction with my chainsaw paid off, for we encountered a tree across the Blue Trail.

Wide enough to fit your momma through.

We reached the road and followed it back to the park.

Another reason I wanted to trek this route this week was to see if Hubbard Park's secret decorators had adorned the tree adjacent to Echo Point with holiday cheer. If so, it would be the third or fourth year of this tradition.

Sure enough...take a walk on the road and check it out.

And it seems the Season of the Missing Glove is off to a roaring start, as I found Participant #3 on the first day of the season.

Looks like a relative of Mr. Hamburger Helper. However, I never found the spoon.

Jeff and I returned to the park to drop off our trash for the week. I hadn't forgotten about lunch...

Making A Difference

Visit #1169, Saturday 1 December 18, 12:10-3:10PM, 3.5 miles.
Temps in the mid-40's, sunny and pleasant.

Once a year I make it my task to clean up the slope between I-691 and Hubbard Park. People park along the fence line and toss their trash over the fence. It becomes unsightly, especially when viewed from the playscape.  I hope it makes a difference in how the park looks to visitors.

But before I did this, I went to Highland Elementary School in Cheshire to participate in a blood drive. The American Red Cross has a motto on their stickers...

...it was from a Boy Scout who's not quite ready to receive his Merit Badge in penmanship. That's probably because all kids know today is how to type on their smartphones, with their thumbs!

When I finally got to lie on the table, the phlebotomist goofed up, and instead of blood flowing into the bag, it flowed onto my left arm instead.

He had to discard the bag and the needle, and computer document the bag's serial number.

Fortunately, I brought my other arm with me; that made a difference as he was able to stab a vein and drain a pint. Final score; Arm 1, Red Cross 1.

The best part of a blood drive is the canteen. Chowing down on egg salad sandwiches, Welch's Fruit Snacks, oatmeal cookies, and cranberry juice makes errant needle pokes worth it.

Now a little bit lower in blood supply, it was time to get to work.

Semi-dumb move.

Their post-donation instructions explicitly say, "Do not do any heavy lifting or vigorous exercise for the rest of the day." (Emphasis in the original.)

Eh, what do they know?!

Climbing up the slope as I picked up trash definitely had me bending over wondering why the earth was suddenly rotating so fast.

Once I eased off on my effort I was able to keep things under carousel speed.

But I wasn't the only one spinning. While tossing a bag over the fence, I was given a "Nice job!" by a couple Cheech and Chong stoners who obviously just returned from Northhampton, MA and were leaving a trail of reek as they drove by.

One of my best finds of the day:

One reader of this blog, "Big Mig" C., collects license plates and will be the lucky recipient. Hey Mike; don't say I didn't get you anything for Christmas!

Parts of the rest of the vehicle were soon to follow. It must have been some serious crash for the front bumper, 4 hubcaps, and various underlying parts to make it over the guardrail and down the hill.

As I collected trash I would drop it over the fence and open a new bag.

Once done, I put all ten bags, a charcoal grill, and the various Chevy car parts into a pile.

But I couldn't leave the junk there. People cruising through the park to enjoy the Christmas lights would see an eyesore. Removing the trash would make a difference in people's experience and their perception of Hubbard Park.

Here's where I gained most of today's mileage.

I carried everything over to the dumpster at the Parks Department facility, roughly 1/3 mile each trip. I made ten trips, which in my blood depleted state was a workout in itself.

Burn Off That Turkey!

Visit #1168, Saturday 24 November 18, 11:00AM-1:30PM, 3.2 miles.
Temps in the low 40's, overcast.

Alright dear reader; Thanksgiving is over.  While you gorged on the traditional Thanksgiving trappings; turkey, cranberry sauce, and that Syrup of Ipecac substitute, Green Bean Casserole, I pointed my appetite in another direction.

I hate tradition, but figured I'd be jailed if I didn't try to fatten myself up during the holiday due to some violation of American law. So I made my own homage to gluttony.

Elvis Banana Bread!

The batter included bananas (of course), peanut butter, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, bacon fat, and crumbled bacon.

But I wasn't done there.

The frosting: More peanut butter and more crumbled bacon!

Eating that put me in a position requiring I burn off those calories, so on Saturday I ventured to Hubbard Park.

The temperatures, and the weather made it ideal for my annual purging of the slope beneath Castle Craig of all the bottles and cans tossed over the wall in the last year.

But first I had to burn a few calories to reach the slope.

I started at the Soap Box Derby track and as I passed under I-691 I found this large section of drainage pipe.

How or why it wound up there, I don't know. I dragged it back to the pack and tossed it over the gate so the Meriden Parks Department would carry it away later.

This photo gives you a better idea of how large and long it was.

Then I headed to my task for the week, and returned via the same route. I left my trash bags at the water treatment plant as they were too heavy to lug back to the park.

After burning all those calories crawling around on the slope, I went home to replenish and refuel, with my holiday leftovers.

I hope you had a plan to incinerate all the calories YOU ate on Thanksgiving; your couch does have a weight limit, you know.

To Do List

A mere 48 hours after our first snow of the season, and a significant 6-8" snow too, the trail shows the conditions didn't deter hikers from enjoying Hubbard Park.

Visit $1167, Saturday 17 November 18, 12:10-2:20PM, 4.9 miles.
Temps in the 40's, sunny and comfortable.

Last week's foray into Hubbard Park left me with a To Do list, so this week I would hike through most of the same locations tracking down and checking off items needing attention.

The early season snow was melting quickly. This, combined with the not quite yet frozen ground, meant a sloppy mix and slippery going. But with my new boots on, at least my feet would remain dry.

I hiked over I-691 and followed the trails up to West Peak. Here's a view from the trail below West Peak. Yes; it really is that steep.

I took in the view at the top.

I also checked the rock faces for any recent graffiti and unfortunately, I found some.

But this week I carried with me a new graffiti removal formula, which I intended to debut later but the opportunity presented itself so...

It's effective, and it's fast. The only drawback is, wiping the rough surface is not easy. This liquid removal technique is better applied on smooth surfaces, as we shall see.

I left West Peak and headed to a trail where a hemlock had fallen across.

I had originally planned to bring a chainsaw but since this was the only tree on the agenda, and it was relatively small in diameter, and a soft wood, I chose to bring my bow saw instead, hoping it would not take long to dispatch the tree.

Not bad; it only took seven minutes.

I turned around and retraced my trail steps back to the road. Enroute I came upon the only piece of litter I would find today. Good thing I was looking up, otherwise I never would have seen it.

Reaching the road,  I followed it down to my next task; Hubbard Park's Christian graffiti vandal's 12th work.

This is where my new removal approach is perfect; a smooth surface. It was a matter of a minute or less to remove this.

I continued following the road around Merimere Reservoir and back to the parking lot to deposit one measly beer can.