Cape Cod Marathon

#2 Son flew in from Atlanta to run the Cape Cod Marathon over the weekend. He was also involved in a seafood exchange with a local. He brought some fresh shrimp from Atlanta and was to get New Bedford scallops in exchange. His friend also threw in some local fish. The writing on the freezer bag containing the fish said Sept 2007. In the trash that went. When he opened the scallops back in Atlanta, they too had to be trashed. One person provided fresh seafood, the other simply cleaned out thier freezer. Live and learn.
Fans at Oyster Bay Rd. Woods Hole, Ma.
Runners at Oyster Bay Rd. The finish line
Stretch, one...two
Checking the times.

Indigo Bunting and Liz's Treasure

Clue...find the rope hanging from a tree. (check)


The Kid and I went an a letterbox hunt late last night. This was after dinner with our couch surfing friends Josh and Britta. They were too tired to join us unfortunately, because of the conference hours and demands.

This one was really a great fun hunt. The box was place deep into the woods, and at 10:30PM, the hunt got quite haunting. The noises from the animals both big and small made for an interesting hike in the darkness. Soon enough we found Liz's Treasure



The kid finding Liz's treasure


Signing Liz's Treasure



We checked out all the "stuffing" of the letterbox, signed in and moved on to the next item. Finding Indigo Bunting

Originally we took a wrong path and spent a bit of time hunting for the Holly tree that was mentioned. In the dark, the only way to make out a tree was to walk up to it. Made things tough.
Searching for Indigo

Found it

Signing Indigo

Indigo Scroll


Letterboxing is a hoot. Letterboxing at night is fantastic. Spooky, but fantastic.

Letter Boxing

On this full moon walk, Brandon and I went on a letter box search in town. I found out today that there were a half dozen letterboxes placed within walking distance of our homes. Why not add the hunt to the evening walk? Brandon took along his buddy Nate and off we went.

The photos were taken by flashlight in the overgrown box location that was once a baseball field for the Atlas Tack nail factory. Atlas Tack is a super fund sight that has the following paragraph on the government "scorecard"

The groundwater is contaminated with CYANIDE and TOLUENE that leached from the site lagoons. The on-site soil is contaminated with VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCS), including TOLUENE and ethyl benzene; HEAVY METALS, including CHROMIUM, CADMIUM, LEAD, and nickel; pesticides; POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS); and polycyclic aromatic HYDROCARBONS (PAHS). Trespassers are at risk through direct contact with contaminated soil or ingestion of shellfish in the area

Nice. But we did find the box and signed ourselves as "amidnightrider and the kid"


This may become a regular offering in my travels. Looking up clues, finding and signing into letterboxes.

Walking the Dogs and the MUP Extension

Every night, my neighbor and I take our pups for sometimes very long walks on the MUP and around town. It's not unusual for them to lasts two or three hours. The past few nights have been exceptional with bright clear sky and the moon's steady increae to full. One of the sections takes us through some pretty remotes areas where the dead trees make for a pretty neat halloween scene, especially at dusk.


With his promise of secrecy, I took Brandon to the hiden box which is part of the letterboxing community. The local hiden box is only a few short yards from out homes on the Phoenix Bike Trail.


Hiding the Letterbox.


Sunday was a day to ride the new secion of the Phoenix Bike trail. The first phase of the extension into Mattapoisett Ma. All that is left is the top coat and seeding of the horse path on the right side of the MUP.



The biggest squaks are from the golfers at Reservation Golf Club. It's a very exclusive, private facility who's members will be able to see the people on the MUP. For some reason, this is causing a lot of stress in the clubhouse. I got my information from a friend I ran into on the 16th tee. He also gave me advise on bike riding. Stay off the roads, and if I have to be on the street, ride against traffic. Wear a helmet, and ride the sidewalks whenever they are available. I just nodded because there is really no arguing with someone that determined to keep bikes of "his" roads.



The second of three phases of the MUP extension requires the builders to go around the YMCA camp and build a wooden, elevated (around 3 feet)path over the marshes, sideswiping the 16th tee of the golf course, before returning to the waterfront and contining to the Mattapoisett harbor.

When this whole thing is completed the MUP will extend from Provicence R.I. to Provincetown, Ma. Much of the work has been completed for example. Twenty plus miles of continuous path in R.I. and a long 25 mile section on Cape Cod. Now it's up to the communities between the two to finish thier sectons. Mile by mile, a little bit at a time, the work is being completet. Not without fights by it's detractors, but completed never the less.

Compasion

Cross Eyed

As predicted I did get a bit cross eyed last night. After dinner we stumbled on an outdoor music event in the National Whaling Park in New Bedford, Ma. The Jethros and Lonesome Steve were two of the acts we got to see. Although there were only a couple of dozen people for the outiside event, it was still pretty neat.

Todays commute was cool, actually brisk is a better word. It's coming. {{{{brrr}}}}

Friday Post

The gym kept me off the bike today. I am working again tomorrow, and also have a ticket to the Revs game after work. Playoff are looming and the boys are erratic. Maybe my encouragement will get them on the right track vs a weaker Chivas squad. I'll have plenty of time to ride the 10 miles to the car, then drive back to the office for a shower and paint my face and chest. I'm the letter "V" this week, and will be in a behive of Midnight Riders. 8>)

I have the winter commuter (Marin Belvedere) as the main bike from here on. Tonight I am going to take off the bar extensions that I never warmed up to. They also make it very difficult to get the bike into the back of the Vibe.

OK. that's the real reason. I don't mind the extensions, but don't use them much either. Off they come, tonight. Or tomorrow, because we are going out to dinner tonight and I may get a littel cross eyed. Ya never know