Dedication

Meriden sits under full-bladder skies on a cool, gray Memorial Day weekend.

Visit #1138, Sunday 27 May 18, 7:40-10:00AM, 3.9 miles.
Temps in the 60's, cloudy, breezy, with intermittent light sprinkles.

I was clearly dedicated to my duties this weekend.

Despite the threat of rain, I headed out to the trails anyway. I had ridden my mountain bike through Hubbard Park earlier this week and spotted a couple posters someone thoughtlessly placed. I removed one of them then, and my route this Sunday would take me by the second poster, and beyond.

Enroute to Hubbard Park, I experienced a flat tire on my car, adjacent to Westfield Meriden.  So dedicated to my duties was I, that I installed my spare tire on the side of I-691 and continued on my way. You can see the drops of rain on my car. Lesser mortals would have turned around and returned home to watch cartoons. Not me!

Arriving at Hubbard Park, I left the parking lot and walked to the south end of Merimere Reservoir, then up to the Halfway House, where I ran into a large group of trail runners taking a break. After resting, they were running up to Castle Craig, the along the ridgeline high above the reservoir, exiting at the north end of Merimere Reservoir. Below is just a small portion of the larger group, heading to the steep trail up to Castle Craig.

I reached the poster and removed it. The poster advertises a "fit camp" to be held on the Meriden Green. Read the poster and you'll notice they have the date/day of the week wrong.

I reached Castle Craig just as the trail runners were leaving. I cleaned up the parking lot then followed the road back to the park. Enroute I spied a tree fallen across an adjacent trail, which I'll probably remove next week.

Crossing the north end of Merimere Resevoir, I found someone else dedicated to their task, in this case, to their young.

I arrived at the gate just as the park custodian arrived in his golf cart to unlock the gate, 10AM. He kindly offered to take my bag of litter.

Better weather is forecast for Memorial Day. Seek out a parade or memorial service and pay your respects.

Promises

Last week's storms, tornadoes, and microbursts exercised the brunt of their force south of Meriden, but the city didn't entirely escape. The trails in Hubbard Park have new low hanging branches as a result. In time, I'll take care of them, as I inspect the trails in the coming weeks for damage.

Visit #1136, Sunday 20 May 18, 1:00-2:30PM, 1.9 miles.
Temps in the 70's, cloudy with tropical humidity.

First, the important news: The winner of last week's contest!

The item I asked you identify was an indoor TV antenna!

I still use a similar antenna today for FM radio.

The spiral wire on the contest antenna is used to receive UHF channels. The VHF radials you see in the photo above were missing on the contest antenna.

There was only one correct answer, and the winner was Joe Murray of Wallingford, CT. His prize-a $25 gift certificate to Trackside Brick Oven Pizzeria of Wallingford! Thanks to all who participated.

Joe tried to decline the prize but I'm someone who tries to keep his promises and Joe graciously accepted.

And after discovering new graffiti last week and promising to return this week to clean it up, I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep that promise. The harsh weather of last week persisted into Saturday evening, and Sunday morning was foggy and way too humid to paint. I impatiently waited until skies appeared to clear and some drier air moved in before I ventured to Hubbard Park.

I started at the gate and walked straight to the building in question, picking up litter along the way.

What I didn't count on was moisture lingering on the brick. It caused the paint to run slightly. I wasn't bright enough to try and wipe up the drips even though I had a rag with me. It's hard to find good help these days...

I followed the shapes of the brick to add a little organization to the patches, unlike the brown on the door which I'd painted previously and looks vaguely like a handgun.

As an aside, the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, which maintains many of the trail networks in Connecticut, recently sent me an e-mail suggesting a donation. They have actually calculated how much it costs to maintain a trail. Here's the breakdown:

$25 supports 1/10 mile of trail
$50 supports 2/10 mile of trail
$125 supports 1/2 mile of trail
$250 supports 1 mile of trail

I presume that's on an annual basis.

Considering Hubbard Park contains roughly seven miles of trails, that means it costs $1750/year to maintain the trails. I definitely don't spend that much in trash bags, paint, and whatever else wears out in a year. Either my expenditures are extremely low, or I don't charge the City of Meriden enough... ;-) (This is tongue in cheek; the numbers above are accurate but I'm not pandering for money. I promise!)

I packed up the paint and returned to the park via the Soap Box Derby track, and turned westward toward the I-691 walkbridge. Seems someone stole the American Flag over the eastbound lanes. It had just been replaced in late April 2018. I removed the grommets and tyraps that held it to the fence.

After cleaning up the trails, I returned toward the park and cleaned up the parking area in the northwest corner of the park. While doing so, I came upon my Find of the Week.

Now, I see a Cinderella story here: If I find the woman who fits this hoodie, she'll turn into a princess, marry me, and we'll live happily ever after.

I put the hoodie into my trash bag instead. Any princess that wears a hoodie uh, no thanks!

I returned to the parking lot and dropped off my bag of trash.

I just discovered this week that my backpack, while also designed to conveniently hold a chainsaw or a gallon of paint, has holders specifically for handled tools like a shovel, rake, or the paint brush extender you see. Neat!

Another reason I planned for my afternoon start today was to take advantage of the Food Truck Festival being held this weekend in Hubbard Park. Waiting until I was done with my work, I was sure to have an appetite for some fried, decadent food truck offerings.

I walked toward the John Barry Bandshell and...

Do you see any food trucks?! Neither did I. Somebody broke THEIR promise.  ;-(

Contest Time Again!

Gray, brooding skies were holding water, ready to give it back to Merimere Reservoir on Sunday.

Visit #1136, Sunday 13 May 18, 8:55-11:50AM, 4.4 miles.
Temps in the high 50's, cloudy skies with scattered showers.

Weather-wise this weekend it was going to be a gamble. Saturday's forecast of rain came true which meant I stayed home and dry, praying Sunday would be better weather, despite a forecast offering little hope.

Sunday's skies restrained themselves and I averted assured misery.

I got a relatively early start so I would be able to walk the road in peace and quiet and unencumbered by cars. I walked the road all the way from the gate, to the north end of Merimere Reservoir. Enroute I stopped at the brick outbuilding below the water treatment plant, to inspect some new graffiti.

I had previously painted over other graffiti on this building as you see on the left of the photo, and on two other sides. Unless the Meriden Water Department gets to it first, I'll take care of it next week. Who's betting against me painting it before the water department?!

With the road to the peaks now open for traffic, There's much more litter, enough to leave a bag at the water treatment plant so soon after beginning my day.

I continued to follow the road around Merimere Reservoir, collecting enough litter to leave a second bag on the roadside just as the road pitches up. I'll ask the Meriden Parks Department to pick it up.

It's at this point I left the road to meet my trail objective of the week. There was a small tree across this trail that I would remove with my bow saw.

As I started the trail I came upon some low hanging vegetation which I removed.

It was while trimming the low branches that I came upon my Find of the Week and this week's contest.

I spied it just as you see here, hanging from a tree branch.

It was definitely old, and had the heft of something vintage (solidly built). I wonder how long it was hanging there?

This week's contest is: Correctly identify the object and win a gift certificate to a local eatery. Out of state participants-guess anyway and I'll figure out a prize. Winner will be selected from all correct answers. E-mail your answer to me no later than midnight Friday, 18 May 18.
No correct answers-I treat myself!

Here's another photo, and a clue: It has no use in the woods, which makes me wonder how it made its way so far from where it would be useful.

I hiked up the trail to a tree which was across, and swung it out of the way.

Eventually I reached the fallen tree. Two cuts and the trail was cleared.

The trail ended near West Peak, so I cleaned up litter in the parking lot, then followed the trails down to the I-691 walkbridge and back to the park, depositing my last bag of litter.

I'd like to point out a pleasant surprise: As I arrived at Hubbard Park this morning, I noticed the City of Meriden marked the parking lot for spaces. It looks nice and organized. Good job.

.

Getting Schooled

Visit #1135, Saturday 5 May 18, 10:00AM-12:30PM, 3.2 miles.
Temps in the low 70's, sunny.

Saturday was Meriden's annual Clean Up Day. Volunteers throughout the city spiffed up areas that needed spiffing. A pal and myself engaged in a little renegade cleanup in Hubbard Park.

After reading in the Record-Journal last week about recent graffiti vandalism at Castle Craig, I decided I better check the rest of the known graffiti hotspots in Hubbard Park in case there were other areas to be sanitized.

So on Wednesday I rode my mountain bike up to West Peak and the trails below East/West Peak and I'm pleased to report I didn't find any more graffiti.

However, what I DID find was a large fallen branch across the Main Trail leading to the Halfway House.

I now had my work laid out for me this weekend.

I had the great fortune to be assisted this weekend by a Maloney High School classmate, Jeff. Not only was Jeff cheap labor (he bought lunch, too!), he schooled me as well.

We started at the Soap Box Derby track and walked toward Merimere Reservoir.

While I stooped down to pick up trash as is my routine, Jeff employed a sharpened nail on the end of a broom handle to do the stooping for him. I argued that my stooping burned more calories and thus was better for health and exercise. Jeff contended he was more efficient. In the end, I was schooled on the finer points (get it?!) of picking up trash. Don't be surprised if you see me with a Jeff-autographed Sharpened-Nail-On-The-End-Of-A-Broom-Handle, in the future.

 Enroute, we picked up enough litter, some left behind from last week's Daffodil Festival, that we left our first two bags of trash at the water treatment plant.

Shortly thereafter we picked up the trails at the south end of Merimere Reservoir and followed them to the fallen branch, where I was reminded I continue to need schooling on chainsaw sharpening or my choice of saw chain. I failed to remember my previous lesson, leaving the Stihl Rapid Super chain at home. Consequently, cutting up the branch was a slow, laborious process. That's why I let Jeff do it, while I supervised ;-) .

It should not have taken an entire tank of gas to do away with this branch, but it was gonna be close. Then Jeff showed me an alternative method of removing the remaining heavy wood.

You see, Jeff and Archimedes were drinking buddies in college, where "Archie", as he was known to his friends, once said to Jeff, "Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world.” At the time, Jeff just thought that was drunken talk, but on Saturday Jeff put Archie's beer wisdom to work and used a cut branch to lever the remaining piece off the trail. Again, I was schooled.

We followed the Main Trail toward the Halfway House where I had previously found graffiti which, while being less of an eyesore than that found at Castle Craig, still had to go. A little brown spray paint...

Further up the trail was more of the same.

It was smooth sailing down and over I-691 where we stopped to cut away another, smaller branch which I found on my bike ride earlier this week.

Again, I leaned on the shovel while Jeff did all the work.

Here, Jeff ponders how Archie's understanding of leverage applied to loppers.

On a trail several hundred feet from Mirror Lake, we found a brace of ducks protecting their newborn young.

The rule with ducks is, on ground, they're called a "brace" or "badling". On water they're called a "raft", "team", or "paddling". In the air they're called "turd dropping terrors of the sky". I made up
the last one.

Back at the parking lot, we dropped off our second set of trash bags. Jeff insisted his pointed stick be in the photo, noting that it wasn't invented by Archimedes.