Sidetracked

Visit #1382, Saturday 27 August 22, 7:35-9:35AM, 3.8 miles, 10.4 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 70s, sunny with moderate humidity.

Visit #1383, Sunday 28 August 22, 7:30-8:30AM, mileage and litter n/a.

Temps in the high 60s, cloudy morning with moderate humidity.

 As Dewey Oxburger (John Candy) said in the movie, "Stripes": "Well sir, we were going to this bingo parlor at the YMCA, well one thing led to another, and the instructions got all fouled up." Something similar but not so dramatic happened to me this weekend in Hubbard Park, resulting in a change of route.

I initially planned on heading straight up to Castle Craig but something piqued my interest in the northwest corner of Mirror Lake. After picking up litter in the dirt parking area, my bag was too heavy to carry all that distance up to the castle, so I stuck to the lower trails instead. Castle Craig will have to wait for another week.

While cleaning up the parking area, I learned Hubbard Park has another secret; it's a great place to treat your nail fungus. That should be in all the tourism brochures.

After having been detoured from my original route, I traversed the lower trails, passing the south end of Merimere Reservoir and observing the drop in water level as Connecticut's drought conditions continue.

My unplanned, shortened route left me with spare time so after returning to the park,  I cleaned up the area outside of the playscape and called it a day.

But someone told me I should return to the park and see what I possibly missed. I did just that on Sunday morning, but on my mountain bike so I could get a ride in.

The birch tree so lovingly tagged two week's ago  and erased by me, was re-tagged (and re-erased this week). It will be interesting to see where my fan's infatuation progresses.

While some people have a strange habit of carrying a purple marker just in case they experience a spontaneous need to tag a tree, some compulsive graffiti vandals use other means.

Our new, "Lets (sic) Go Brandon" tagger has reappeared since I cleared them from Hubbard Park just last week. I tried cleaning the tags best effort with the only tool I had. A return visit will be required.

Some graffiti was untouchable-for now. Wait until next week...

Done with the recon' for now, I was left with an enjoyable ride on a trail where I found a newly fallen tree. I put removing that on my To Do List.

Labor Day weekend usually brings with it dry, sunny conditions. I hopefully look forward to enjoying the same this year, and I hope you do, too.

Boomerang

 Visit #1381, Sunday 21 August 22, 6:45-10:55AM, 5.5 miles, 4.7lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 70s rising to near 90; early morning dense clouds but clearing and sunny in an hour or two.

Trees are starting to change color in Hubbard Park; that means cooler temps, right? Apparently Mother Nature is getting her weather cues mixed up.

While last week the heat wave broke and I enjoyed more pleasant weather, this week was an about-face with the heat and humidity attempting to cling to summer power. I arrived early at Hubbard Park but there was no beating the heat this weekend.

As I left the parking lot and passed the playscape I noticed the new, additional Little Library. It was featured in the Meriden Record-Journal's Photo section last week. I can't link to any article, so I've reprinted what I could, and added my photo to the published photo. Hope the lawyers don't coming knockin'!

Susan Martel, of Meriden, creates a puzzle-themed design on the side of a new little library nearing completion at Gallery 53 in Meriden on Tuesday. The little library, constructed by Joe Glorioso of Meriden, will be packed with puzzles instead of books and installed near the playground at Hubbard Park in Meriden. Photos by Dave Zajac, Record-Journal

As I walked around Merimere Reservoir and elsewhere today, I kept encountering graffiti, which slowed me down from performing my planned work as I tried to remove all of it.

This rock I merely flipped over to hide the graffiti; I was lazy!

Not this one, however.

Phew! Now that THAT is over...

As our drought conditions continue, the Merimere Reservoir alligator is beginning to resemble a whale.

Perhaps you were guessing, from all the photos of my polesaw that this was was another roadside trail trimming session. Well Sherlock, you'd be right! And if you were guessing this was Week "N", you were doubly right.

I have wisened up with all this heat and now bring TWO waterbottles with me. It's much more enjoyable when I'm properly hydrated.

After an hour of trimming I went about my way to the last task of the day.

I reported last week finding this fallen tree branch encroaching upon the trail.

I brought a separate limbing saw to trim it back.

Hopefully in the coming weeks the weather will do another about-face and return to cooler, drier conditions.

Painter's Trifecta

 

Yeah; it was as wonderful as it looks.

Visit #1380, Saturday 13 August 22, 7:15-9:15AM, 3.6 miles, 4.0 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 60's, sunny, dry, with a light, soothing breeze.

Compared with the previous three weeks' enthusiasm-wilting heat and humidity, this weekend was pure luxury.

I was on a mission to address some recently discovered graffiti.

I hiked west toward the I-691 walkbridge.

I know I have plenty of fans of my work in Hubbard Park, but one person's outpouring of love for me is just too much.

I'd rather flowers or a sonnet.

A week or so ago, I had found a sticker on the gate at parking area across from Belmont Avenue. It was resistant to removal and at that time I only had white spray paint with me. "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.", so I covered it but didn't like the contrasting color.

Time to fix that.

Then:

Saturday morning:

At the end of July I found this new graffiti on the I-691 walkbridge.

My original plan was to brush on some gray paint but due to logistics and cleanup issues I changed my mind and tried a different approach. I brought a cordless drill with a wire brush. It wasn't as successful as I had hoped.

But I did have a backup plan, and that was the gray spray paint I used on the gate. The results were better than the picture reveals.

Walking across the bridge, I found some new graffiti. My usual sandpaper treatment wasn't working as quickly as I wanted.

Ah, but here's where my cordless drill w/wire brush earned its keep, and quickly, too!

Hiking along the trails, I came upon this fallen tree branch. Since next week is a Pole Saw Week®, I will trim back that branch then when I have the proper tools.

Stay tuned for the next gripping installment! Until then, maintain.

"M" Is For...

 Visit #1379, Saturday 6 August 22, 6:25-10:15AM, 5.8 miles, 6.2 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 70s, climbing into the 90s, sunny with very high humidity.

"M" is for morning, very early in the morning. As early as I started my hike there was no avoiding the warm temps and the humidity. Interestingly enough, the National Weather Service's Heat Index chart does not consider temps below 80, combined with any humidity level,  to be of concern. So I'm not permitted to complain. Today's humidity was in the 70% range which put the Heat Index into the "Extreme Caution" range.

"M" is for the malcontent whose graffiti I kept finding today. Fortunately, said malcontent used chalk. I was able to remove most of it with a scrub brush. Rain, if we ever get any, will do the rest.

"M" is for mountains or what passes for mountains in Hubbard Park, such as the cliffs high near East Peak.

"M" is for molting (or shedding), which is what this snake did with its skin.

"M" stands for Merimere Reservoir and the alligator within that keeps growing as the drought continues.

"M" is for more roadside trimming as I continue to make my way up the road to East/West Peak.

After an hour of roadside trimming jazz, I collapsed the saw and walked up the road to Castle Craig, continuing to pick up litter.

"M" is for a mystery: Why did someone wrap electrical tape around this tree?

And the mysteries continue: This is the 21st Colorado'd tree I've found in Hubbard Park. The last one was found a little more than a year ago. I used the saw portion of my pole saw to remove it. Neither ideal nor most efficient, it did the job.

"M" repeats for Merimere Reservoir, which I passed by as I left the trails.

"M" is for more: I found more of the malcontent's graffiti as I returned to the park. I was able to completely remove it with the assistance of GooGone.

"M" is for man, was I soaked with sweat as I neared the end of my hike, from my shirt down through my belt and pants.

And finally, "M" stands for well, "M"! In case you've wondered how I track my progress trimming the roadsides to East/West Peak; I mark the road with a letter where I finish, so I know where to begin at the next session. I chose letters instead of numbers so people wouldn't try to interpret any number as some sort of distance marker. As of this week, I'm up to the letter "M".