5 Days on The French

The much anticipated French River trip has come to an end and I must say it was a most enjoyable experience. Mr. B. and I took 6 students with us for 4 nights / 5 days on the French River. In all we did approximately 60 km with a total of 4 portages.


Day #1 was uneventful save for the inability of a few students to maintain a straight line with their canoe. Luckily we had a good wind at our back and made the required 9 km that day.

















Day #2 started early as we had to complete 2 portages and 15 km in one day. I like this picture of the sun rising - it may be my new screensaver.

The second portage was brutal and we didn't complete it until 2 pm with still 7 km to go before camp. I'm not sure if the problem was with tired students, a rush to get to camp or the wind in our face for most of the day but the inevitable happened. A boat went over. A few items got wet as you might expect. What was unexpected was the beautiful underwear tree that came as a result of trying to dry clothing.








Day #3 was a carbon copy of the previous day - sunny and hot but this time with little wind. The portage was relatively easy and following a quick shore lunch we were able to do some small rapids. A most rewarding day.


































Day #4 - What can I say but another gorgeous day with little wind and a small portage. Time enough for another shore lunch and finally at our site by 3 pm - an easy day. Entertainment was provided by the only male student on the trip who decided to show us how to use a canoe as a sled. He suffered only minor scraps and bruises.










Day #5 and the end of the trip. A spectacular last morning to close off a spectacular trip.







Having reviewed the above, I must admit that my descriptions of the journey are rather boring. However - because of the various personalities involved, the trip was thoroughly enjoyable - on so many different levels. Unfortunately many of the funny stories can't be revealed in print nor would print do them justice. I guess you had to be there.

The French River - 2008

It has been a while since I have posted anything - I guess Moosonee left me shell-shocked. Haven't done much in the intervening days but for a few days of school meetings. A sure sign that summer draws to an end - meetings!

Anyway, tomorrow I am off to the French River for a canoe trip with Mr. B. and some school kids. The last hurrah before starting school in ten days. Should be fun - the canoeing that is! I'll blog more when I return, right now I have to finish packing.

Did I mention that I got rid of the 70 lb behemoth that was my favourite canoe and bought a new 36 lb beauty. I love the new canoe though I have yet to take it on a trip. For me canoes are a lot like women - and I like mine light-weight and easy to maneuver (ok - I have some work to do on that line).

Moosonee - A Trip Into The Past

The background - my dad was in the Air Force and as a kid from grades 4 to 7 we lived on a radar base next to a town called Moosonee. Moosonee is located on the southern shores of James Bay, some 300 km north of Cochrane. Cochrane being the most northern point you can reach by road in Ontario.

Last week I got the urge to take a trip to Moosonee. I wanted to see if the house we once lived in was still standing. A trip into my past so to speak. I was excited! A true quest!

Sunday was uneventful. We left around noon and drove straight to Cochrane. It only took about 7 hours - much faster than I remembered. The new road bypasses all those little towns that you once had to drive through. Towns like Cobalt, Swastika, and my favourite, Porquis Junction. We arrived in Cochrane at about 7pm.

It is hard to describe Cochrane. When we first arrived my first thought was - what a shithole! But after spending two days in Moosonee and getting back to Cochrane my impression was of a booming, prosperous town - but I am getting ahead of myself. For now - let's go with shithole.

After getting our train tickets for the next morning we tried for dinner. Several people whom we asked, including the guy checking us in to our motel, recommended Mike's Steakhouse. When I asked the guy if there was a dress code he gave me a look as if I had just arrived from outer space. This should have been my first clue. To describe Mike's as a steakhouse is akin to describing a Lada as a luxury Russian car (for those of you who remember the Lada). First comes the drink order - beer obviously - and the waitress asks if you want a glass with that (it's a northern thing I guess). Next - when my friend ordered the Silver steak special, the waitress shook her head and replied - no you don't want that - it's really tough. I think she took pity on us being as we were obviously from out of town. I say obvious because neither my friend nor I were wearing a 'T-shirt' as dinner apparel.

Back to the motel in anticipation of riding the Polar Bear Express to Moosonee the next day. At this point in the narrative I should discuss how the Polar Bear Express got its name. According to the story, it was given this name as a nick-name, a joke since there are no Polar Bears within a 1000 km radius and the train would stop for every trapper and prospector who flagged it down between Cochrane and Moosonee. For some reason the name stuck and it turned out to be a marketing miracle. People from all over the globe would come to ride the Polar Bear Express .... once!

The trip to Moosonee, some 300 km, took from 9am until close to 4pm by the time we got into Moosonee. At times we were travelling at 10 km/hr. The top speed was 70 km/hr. This means you are looking out the window for 7 hours at a world comprised of nothing but trees and the occasional hunt camp. But you must look out the window for the entire trip as a fisherman must look at the end of his pole - the belief that there is a chance of spotting a bear or moose. Trust me - there is no chance - but for some reason you must keep your face pressed to the window. I saw more F'n trees in that 7 hours than Paul Bunyan in his lifetime.

We arrive at 4pm. We get off the train. We see nothing but dirt/mud roads, native people wandering aimlessly, the local liquor store next to the police station - both with barred windows, and approximately 10 gajillion blackflies and mosquitoes. Now this is truly a Shithole! {In order, these are pictures of the beautiful main street and the view in front of out hotel - click on them for a closer look}.

My second clue came when we checked in. We asked the owner what sites we should see while in Moosonee for two days. He took a step back, cocked his head to one side and looked at me as if I had just peed on his foot. "Two days"' he questioned while looking through his reservation book. "Well Holy God, you're right", he said while shaking his head from side to side.

At this point in the narrative I must move away from a detailed step by step account of our experiences. It would bore you to death. Suffice it to say that it was probably the worst two days in my life and yet the best two days (only because I have a sense of humour). In the end you wander about the town looking for something to occupy your time and justify the expense. Most of the museums are closed down. There are only two restaurants in the entire town - one of those being at our motel. One grocery store and the liquor store. That's it! The good times come when you meet other tourist wandering around with the same expression as we were no doubt carrying - that being - What a SHITHOLE!

We met a lot of people during the two days. Nice people. We would sit for hours (because there was nothing to do) and talk about what a shithole Moosonee was and whether or not they should just let the whole town die by ripping up the rail line. The discussion also included talk about the role of the native people in this situation. For the most part they are happy with collecting there unemployment benefits from the government. You certainly don't get the impression that they welcome tourists. They certainly don't accommodate tourists. As an example - you must check out of your hotel by 10 or 11 am despite the fact that the train doesn't leave until 6 pm that day. The result being that there are many people wandering the streets looking for something to do to kill 7 hours before they can escape the shithole.

In the end we did escape. The only way the train ride could be worse is on the return trip. You leave at 6 pm and get back to Cochrane at 1 am. You don't even have the millions of trees to look at for most of the trip.

I leave you with some stories.

In the restaurant my friend asked the waitress what beer she had on tap. After a few seconds the waitress finally admitted that she didn't know what 'on tap' meant. You can only get bottled beer in Moosonee.

Another time, at the other restaurant, the husband of a couple we had just met also asked what beer was on tap. The waitress replied with the names of the three brands of beer they carried. He chose one and asked for a pint glass. She returned with a bottle. He should have known better.

One evening my friend ordered a pork chops with a baked potato for her meal. After placing our order, several other couples came in (we knew them all by this point) and ordered their meals. We waited and waited and waited. Approximately an hour later the waitress comes by with our meals and apologizes for the delay explaining that it takes a long time to make a baked potato. During this entire time no other orders were filled since the cook does one meal at a time - in order! My friend had backed up the whole restaurant by an hour with her thoughtless ordering of a baked potato.

One day while out for a walk at the old air force base (I did get to see where I grew up so that was neat - this is a picture of the old homestead), a dog started trotting beside us. He followed us everywhere including the mile long trek back into the town. He even stayed out front of the hotel while we went inside. My friend was worried that the dog wouldn't be able to get back home so she asked a native person about it and he replied that she shouldn't worry - that the dogs do that with all the tourists. We later found out from another person that the dogs follow tourists around hoping like hell that they will pick up the $55 tab to put them on the train so that they can get out of town. Apparently the natives don't treat their dogs very well and the dogs are smart enough to want to escape Moosonee. From my reckoning, that makes them smarter than 85% of the population!

Finally - Pictures!

Holy crap! Though I have been nagged (by the female members of the Cartel - who else!) on several occasions about not taking pictures of the Salt & Pepper shakers, I didn't realize it has been almost 2 years since my last update on the Cartel. Ok - so here goes.

We met this Saturday (minus D) and presented the wait staff with Mr. Salty and Captain Pepper. A set of shakers that I picked up on my recent trip to Maine. As you can see, both of the wait staff - oh what the hell - waitresses are extremely glad to receive such a fine gift.

We also talked to the owner about building a cabinet in which to display the shakers we have donated to date. I'm not sure of the number but it must be close to 150 or so. This may or may not become a reality but we shall persevere.

After dinner at Wild Wing we were off to the movies - yep - The Dark Knight. Not much to say that hasn't already been said by many others. A great movie. I must say that I like Christian Bale as an actor. I didn't realize that one of his first movies - American Psycho - was made in 2000. For some reason I thought it was much earlier. 3:10 to Yuma, Reign of Fire and The Machinist are also great movies.

After beating Dr. D in air hockey (3 out of 3) it was home to blog and pack. I'm off to Moosonee on the shores of James Bay tomorrow. This is a small air force town which I haven't been back to see since my family left when I was in grade 7. It has since been dismantled but I have a yearning to go back and see my old stomping grounds as it were - old age I guess.

Home Sweet Home

Back from Maine where the weather was perfect! Except for the drive back which was two days of continuous rain.



This year I discovered what they (people from BoothBay Harbor) call 'Land Trusts'. These are areas of land reserved for walking parks. Most of the Land Trusts are located along the coastal shoreline and I spent many a days walking them. Very interesting at low tide!




Also did a number of road trips in search of Lighthouses. One of these trips resulted in the discovery of a Salt & Pepper Museum - how cool.


















Then I came home. It wasn't as boring as this blog but I just don't have the time - must get back to WoW.

Oh Canada

Well, Canada Day came and went with somewhat of a bang. First, D and I went to see the movie, Wanted. I must encourage all to see this movie - it is well done and most entertaining.










Next we were off to visit a graduate (MT) who was running her dogs in a Canada Day show put on by her group Pawzie Traction. Though we couldn't stay for the entire show we did get to see some of the dogs practice. Truly fascinating watching how eager the dogs are to please. This is a picture of MT's dog - Bato.

Next stop was for dinner at a friends. After dinner and drinks, we lit some fireworks as is the custom. As you can see by this picture, I was enthralled by the spectacle. So much so I almost knocked over my martini. By the way - had baked potatoes with sour cream and caviar - nice - a first for HBB.

And tomorrow I'm off to Maine for just over 2 weeks. Have a great summer all!

The First Trip

On Thursday morning I left for my first solo canoe trip of the year. Forecasts of rain and cold weather could not deter my desire to get away for a few days. You might well ask, why does a man who lives alone feel the need to get away? I have asked that same question of myself and after three days of talking to no one but myself, I have the answer. But first some pictures.

One answer might be - I went away to try out my new canoeing gear. Here is a pic of my new, rain-proof tent. It was put to the test this trip as it rained every day. I must say I was pleased to wake up each morning in a dry sleeping bag. I love my new tent!


The first night was overcast and I was barely able to see the full moon as it peaked out of the clouds for a brief second. I was in bed shortly afterwards as I intended to be up early.






The next day I was off again - ok not so early - and it rained for most of the 5 hour journey. Despite the rain it was wonderful to be canoeing alone in the wilderness. Here is a pic I took while waiting out the heaviest of the downpours.

By the time I arrived at my second destination the skies had cleared and it was time to build a shore fire. As you can see, despite the wet wood, it doesn't take long to go from humble beginnings to a roaring fire.












Part of the answer to my question can be seen in these next two photos. This is why I go canoeing - to be able to better appreciate the beauty of nature and my role within it. It is difficult to describe the pleasure from sitting for hours with nothing to do but watch the world go from a sunlit wonder to a moonlit night scape.


The third day - the return trip - started out under sunny skies and then deteriorated into a full blown thunderstorm by the time I was halfway home. There is a certain fascination with mother nature while canoeing across a lake in the middle of a lightning storm. Scary for sure but nonetheless truly fascinating.

In the end I found the answer to my question of why does a man who lives alone find the need to go on a solo canoe trip into the wilderness. The answer, as is usually the case, is very simple. When you first arrive at a site there are a series of tasks which must be accomplished. The tent has to go up, lines for the food pack must be strung and then dinner has to be prepared. This gives me a sense of purpose. That done, there is nothing to do but build a fire, sit back and watch. This is the key - there is NOTHING TO DO! No bills to pay, phone messages to get back to, emails to write, no thoughts of what has to be done tomorrow. At home there is always something that you could or should be doing. In the wilderness by yourself there is NOTHING TO DO but sit and watch the world around you. That is the heart of true peacefulness.

Almost!

The prom is over (it was great this year but I have no pictures) and I have finished with my Monday meeting so today I spent the day getting the canoe ready for the first trip this year. A few minor repairs and a thorough cleaning - the result - a shiny (looks like new) canoe.

Tomorrow it is off to shop and pack and then hopefully (weather permitting) I will be off Thursday. Did I mention that I bought a new tent, sleeping bag, and backpack for this year? I was tired of staying in leaky tents so I spent the big bucks on something good this year. Pictures will follow when I return Saturday or Sunday.

Awwwwww

A little history lesson before telling this story. Every year the students undertake an initiative called Super Learning Super Fun (SLSF) which I oversee. We invite students from nearby schools to come to our own school for a day long leadership conference in which we play games and listen to guest speakers.

Although it may sound simple enough, the project is a big deal for our school and the team of students responsible for organizing the day are under a lot of stress to ensure that it is highly successful. With me as the overseer I make sure the students are constantly exposed to stress - I like to see how these kids will perform at a high level. In fact this year one of the boys on the team was fired from the management team when he failed to deliver as promised. Anyway - the point being is that the project is run at a high level and the student management team are expected to perform at their very best and the stress level is so high that they often hate the process but they are extremely proud of their efforts when it is all over and done with.

That said - on Wednesday my SLSF management team surprised me by showing up at my door for an impromptu 'thank-you' dinner. Each of the girls contributed in some way to the dinner and it was wonderful. We had salad, eggplant and oriental chicken for dinner with key lime pie for desert. They had even brought all the silverware and drinks, including wine for the old man. Later we watched a movie and had popcorn. It was wonderful!

There are days when I ask myself why did I become a teacher and then there are days like Wednesday when your heart is filled with such love for these kids that you just know the world is a wonderful place filled with amazing kids. On those days I thank the gods of opportunity that I am a teacher.

Yesterday was almost the last day of school before vacation time. Almost because I still have a few reports to get done, a prom on Friday and a meeting next Monday but I am getting closer to being in my canoe on a lake somewhere up north surrounded by the tranquility of nature.

Yesterday my boss, as he does every year at this time (if I've been good), presented me with a fine bottle of scotch. This year it was a very expensive single malt from the lowlands named Auchentoshan! I include the posted description for your reference:

Description
Och'n'tosh'n. Sound this odd-looking word out (it's actually the proper pronunciation for this single malt) and you'll feel like something magical is about to happen - and you'll be right. If you prefer subtlety over intensity then this 18-year-old Auchentoshan is the answer.

As you might expect, I was full of anticipation of tasting this 18 year old beauty. The key phrase that had caught my eye was "subtlety over intensity". At my age, and with the onset of a summer vacation filled with tranquility, nature, canoeing, etc., I was looking forward to an evening of subtlety with a very mature 18 year old.

So late last night (after allowing my expectations to reach their maximum), I dared to open this beauty and poured a wee dram of the golden liquor into a small glass. I teased myself for a full minute by simply breathing in the wonderful aroma. I marvelled at the clear amber colour of her. I gently swirled the liquid around in the glass and admired her long legs (it's a scotch drinkers term) as she undulated down the sides of the vessel. I was ready!

At first sip though I realized that I was not dealing with a submissive golden haired Scottish beauty from the highlands but rather with a fiery red head from the lowlands. She entered my senses not with subtlety but with the cruelty of an explosive charge which carried down from my nose to the bottom of my stomach. Additionally, to my utter amazement, as I pulled the glass away I noticed that the once clear amber coloured 18 year old had disappeared to be replaced with an angry looking oily, milky mixture such as you might find in the ditches of Calcutta on a hot July day after the monsoons have passed. I felt betrayed - as one might after falling in love with a beautiful girl only to have her turn into an angry, bitter harpy once the marriage vows have been consummated.

But I was arrogant my friends. Did I turn away from this vixen who had harmed my very soul? No! I thought that given my many years of experience I could tame this wench who had turned into a bitch before my very eyes. After all, had I not gone through a divorce and lived to tell of it! Could this be any worse? With the boldness of a fool I turned once more to this fiery, angry beast and continued to consume her.

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.
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As I write this, some 2 hours after awakening upon the floor of my apartment in a pool of my own drool, I still feel as if I had gone a full twelve rounds with a 6 foot Amazonian Scottish whore who clawed, bit, chewed, and punched her way to victory over my tired old body. I'll give her that - she is a fighter! But as I said before - I am arrogant and last night notwithstanding, I look forward with eager anticipation to once again tackling the Scottish whore tonight. Tonight I will be prepared! Tonight I shall be victorious!

Day #1: Pre-summer of 2008

While it is true I didn't have to go to school today, exams finished yesterday, I don't really count this as the start of my summer. I spent most of the day marking exams, a small portion on renting a tux for the prom next week, and the balance on leering (there is no better word to describe it) at Big Screen TV's.

In the end I came home empty handed. As is always the case I refuse to buy something and then have to wait for delivery. If I can't walk out of the store with it - I don't want it. In the case of Big Screen TV's, it may be a while before that happens.

Now I am off to finish marking the math tests.

A light!

Sunday - classes are over and I am beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Tomorrow begins three days of exams (from the writing of I am currently taking a break), then the remainder of next week is marking and data base input.

Next weekend is reserved for producing report cards and then a slow Monday to Thursday while I await the prom on Friday - that reminds me - I have to rent a tux - should have done that today!

After the prom I think a weekend of shopping for canoeing supplies and after a school meeting on Monday and maybe Tuesday, I am off to the quiet of the woods.

Choo Choo

A Goal Realized

I know I haven't blogged in quite a while but I have been extremely busy balancing school with Warcraft. My hard work though has finally paid off - no the students haven't gotten smarter - rather, yesterday at 11:15 pm I finally realized my goal of getting my WoW character to the maximum level of 70. I think it has been close to 18 months of playing to achieve this and I am now finally able to rest. That is until November when the next upgrade to WoW is due to hit the market.

This screen shot was taken 10 seconds after reaching level 70.

A good weekend

Well it has been a long while since I blogged, not since my great road trip to Kingston in fact.

This past weekend I finally did make it to Kingston, Ontario. I arrived on Friday and began drinking margaritas at 8 pm and basically didn't stop drinking until Sunday. A most relaxing weekend. To be fair, the drinking was mixed in with Warcraft and Wii.

On Saturday I did take a break from drinking to have lunch with some former students. I also found out that my girl, H, won first prize in a film festival. It's a long story but the short version is that her film professor had his entire class do a film on a 'Can of Snails'. After completing the assignment, H, then entered her film in the Kingston film festival in which she won first place.

If you take the time to watch the posting on U-Tube you will figure out who H is. I must say that I am taking some credit for H's fame since there is no way she could have written those great lyrics if she had not been exposed to the many projects in my classes which involved, in one way or another, the lyrics of Stompin Tom. For my American friends who do not know who Stompin Tom is - well it is your loss.

For some reason, H, disabled the embedding option so I can not post her video here but follow the link to view.

Micro Snail

A confession and apology

Well - as some of you who know HBB may have already guessed, HBB wasn't on a road trip at all. For those of you who don't know HBB - I apologize for allowing you to be misled by my words, however, I have to say that while I might have misled you - I didn't actually lie in any of my blogs. Read them carefully again.

I'm not sure in which category LED and Sunny fit but I appreciate the comments and felt a wee bit bad - but I needed to do this - I apologize and I'll explain later.

Yes I did wake up late - I did face south - but I never said I did it in the cities (or towns) I mentioned. The weather reports and pictures were obtained from many hours of searching the internet. Do you know how hard it was to find seasonal appropriate pictures (especially in late winter) of these towns!




I was thinking of entitling this blog - The top 10 reasons to take a fantasy road trip. I probably learned more about these towns and know them better than if I had actually driven there. Not to justify my actions, but it took me about 2 hours each day to prepare each blog.


Ok - The confession and justification. HBB needed some time to himself. I was getting burnt out at work and wanted a week to myself. If you know me that is nearly impossible. Every day at school I get asked about 200 to 300 questions. I was tired and wanted to spend time with myself. I actually like me.


I could accomplish this by actually going on a trip and spending over a $1000 or I could not. But if I stayed home I knew I would get people phoning or emailing asking how I was etc. God love those people but I needed to get away from the world for a week.

I turned off my phone, never checked my emails, and only left my place for food and booze during the entire week. It was great. I haven't talked to anyone in 7 days - except for unavoidable "would you like fries with that" or "would you like extra cheese on that" when ordering food. I feel refreshed and ready for the final stretch at school beginning next week.

To emphasise my point - I now have about 40 emails to respond to, and close to 15 messages on my answering machine - most of which are from students who don't read my blog - and who obviously don't listen in class (triple exclamation point here)!!!

So what did HBB do during his hiatus from the real world? Well I lived in my fantasy world of course. I read several books, played a bit of online poker, watched a lot of TV, got my DVD's organized (mostly), played a bunch of WoW. Generally I spent a week being only accountable to my bladder and stomach. Such a sweet week it was!

OK - now for the top 10 reasons to take a fantasy road trip.

10. - You can save $200 a day.
09. - You don't need to get your oil changed every 7 days!
08. - Never miss your favourite TV show.
07. - Reservations are easy.
06. - No need to go through Buffalo or Detroit.
05. - You don't have to spend $10 in a laundromat.
04. - You can put an entire chocolate bar on your pillow each night.
03. - Time, distance and money are no problem.
02. - You can sleep in well past check-out time.
01. - You can do it while spending the day in your underwear!