2021-In With a Bang!

 Despite being in the midst of winter, Merimere Reservoir isn't frozen. Temperatures on the New Year's weekend were actually quite comfortable.

Visit #1285, Friday 1 January 21, 9:15AM-12:30PM, 1.6 miles, 83.0lbs. of litter.

Temps in the mid-40's,  partly sunny.

Visit #1286, Sunday 3 January 21, 10:15AM-12:55PM, 4.9 miles, 7.8lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 30's, cloudy with freezing rain forecast for the evening.

The first bang of 2021 was, I woke up and discovered my computer died; I guess 2020 was a too tough of a year for it. 

As I type this, I have a new computer but I'm still trying to recover missing files and whatnot. I was worried I wouldn't be able to publish this week's post, which I know you would hate to miss!

I took advantage of the New Year's holiday, and distinct lack of any hangover, to perform my annual cleaning of the slope behind the playscape.

Despite signs prohibiting parking along the fence line (due to the pandemic), people still ignored the law, and tossed their litter over the fence. As an aside, all the small pieces of snow you see above are from a snowball fight for which I had a ringside seat!

I navigated around the fence, picked up litter, and dropped the bags over the fence as I filled them.

When I was finished, I gathered the bags in one spot in preparation of schlepping them over to the dumpster. The 83lbs. I collected was the second bang of the new year.

At this point a good samaritan came along, asked what I planned to do with the bags, and offered up his pickup truck to do the schlepping. He didn't have to ask me twice!

Walking back to my car, I noticed one of the posters originally in the new kiosk is now missing, despite having particularly pertinent seasonal information.

While mountain biking on the trails a week prior to New Year's Day, I found a fallen tree on the Green Trail. That's Merimere Reservoir in the background.

I returned to Hubbard Park on Sunday to remove it, and hopefully find other fallen trees so carrying the chainsaw wouldn't be wasted on just one tree.

Near that fallen tree was another one.

I took care of this one as well.

Onward I hiked up to Castle Craig, then followed another trail down toward Merimere Reservoir. Finding a third fallen tree today really made carrying the chainsaw a pleasure today.

 I reached the road and walked back to the park.

The third bang of this new year was the Season of the Missing Glove, 2020/21 entries, all of which I found on Sunday! These are entries 4 through 8.

The last bang is, a Meriden local has published a book about Hubbard Park. I'm certain to grab a couple copies.

 

Here's to another adventurous year!