dannyboy

That is just wonderful, thanks for sharing. Dan

The guy Rick is fishing with is Ian James, crack fly fishing guide and fly tier. If you ever get a chance to take one of his classes or book him for a day do it. The big Scotsman is as a funny as Rick, knows his stuff and is a great teacher. Dan

ARMAGEDDON

Streamers: woolly bugger, Mickey Finn, Clouser, bucktails. Nymphs: hare's ear, pheasant tail, stone fly, caddis. In a couple different sizes and colour variations should work fine. Buy more than one fly of a type, there is nothing worse than loosing a fly (which happens lots) that is slaying them and it was your last one. The fly shops in the area you are fishing are a great resource, stop in, find out what is working and buy a dozen or so flies. Dan

Been called up twice; The first time the judge spoke to all the potential jurors telling us that he had heard all the excuses to get out of jury duty; can't speak English, hardship, can't sit, racist..... The time to get out was before you had to show up at court; doctors note, extenuating circumstances, religion and so on, and if you hadn't bothered to deal with it before, you were eligible for jury duty - period. If anyone acted at all offensively to the court they could be charged with contempt and would be required to remain in the selection pool for the remainder of the week and not be dismissed. I was chosen the first day for the first trial for what turned out to be a drug trial of a bike gang member. The next day when we jurors reconvened for the trial one of the jurors claimed he had received a threatening phone call and had been told several specifics about the trial which he relayed to us. The Bailiff that chaperoned us said he was obligated to inform the judge who questioned the juror privately for 1/2 hour then called us all in and dismissed us. The second time I was selected as a juror and the case lasted two days. Of the jury I would guess three would have had problems spelling their name, half couldn't keep the simplest facts straight and several members had the attitude "bring the guilty bugger in and lets get this over with" - very scary. It wasn't worth anyones time to wait around to collect the money they paid the jury. Dan

The paddling part is usually pretty easy, stay close to shore out of the wind and waves short cuts across big water are tempting but the water is cold in May. As mentioned above weight and packing are very important to make portages bearable, generally three portages from the launch get you some seclusion and into some decent specks. Don't attach gear to the outside of your pack, use large packs, if you have them, and put everything inside making sure to waterproof anything that must stay dry. Normal garbage bags don't work that well and tear easily, find trash compactor bags. Like Dr. Salvelinus said above try to pack so you can carry every thing in two trips over the portages including the canoe. Borrowing a friends 90 lb canoe won't seem like such a good idea after the first couple portages. Get rid of the water (weight) in your food, you can dehydrate meals in the oven or take the 'just add water and cook' meals from the grocery, leave the beer at home and take a bottle of scotch if need be. I will add my voice to getting a water filter system or treatment drops, no use taking chances with water borne diseases. For novices speed in a canoe will be around 4 kph while portages average about 2 - 3 kph depending on the terrain. If you double carry the portage, as many do, you are walking the distance three times - twice loaded and once empty on the return, so a level 1 km portage takes about an 1 to 1 1/2 hours plus 15 minutes on either end to load and unload. Start in good time and quit early, our rule of thumb is to be at our next camp by 3 pm. You don't want to be paddling around in the dark trying to find a place to stay. Reservations in the interior of Algonquin are by lake only and are first come first serve, so the campsite near the end of the portage may be taken and you have to paddle to the other end of the lake for a site. Have a plan, half the enjoyment is the planning and anticipation. Take your time and enjoy the journey don't be in a hurry to get to the next portage or campsite, Algonquin is a wonderful place especially in the spring. Troll behind the canoe, fish rapids and creek mouths, small EGB spinners and Mepps work great, also a good time to try some fly fishing. Dan

Didn't hear the National Anthem but I guess being a proud Canadian accounts for that. Dan

You should include whether the caster is left or right handed to avoid a skew in your data by us sinister folk. Dan

I looks like the booking system is getting sorted. I received a phone call a bit ago from a very nice lady who confirmed our reservation, took payment, and gave me a confirmation number. All very quick and painless. Good to go. Dan

Here is a link to ice out on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park. Dan

If you have the weight at the tongue and at the wheels and distance between the tongue and axle the calculation is straight forward to figure out how much weight shift you get for each inch of movement of the axle - similar to weight and balance calculations on aircraft. Do some physics review on arms and moments or post the numbers and I can figure it for you. You can also find weigh scales at livestock feed companies. Dan

Very nice work Chris, thanks for sharing. Dan

You can book up to 5 months in advance. We are doing a loop through Ralph Bice Lake on the west side of the park. The booking system still isn't up, we booked before Christmas and haven't had confirmation yet. Dan

One trick with feathers is to spray them with a fixative before you cut them, clear gloss works. Dan

Thanks again for sharing your work Chris, very impressive. Was the head tied the same way as the first one you posted other than the antennae? I would enjoy seeing more of your work. Dan

A firefighter was working on the engine outside the Station, when he noticed a little girl nearby in a little red wagon with little ladders hung off the sides, and a garden hose tightly coiled in the middle. The girl was wearing a firefighter helmet, the wagon was being pulled by her dog and her cat. The firefighter walked over to take a closer look. “That sure is a nice fire truck,” the firefighter said with admiration. 　"Thanks,” the girl replied. The firefighter looked a little closer . The girl had tied the wagon to her dog's collar and to the cat's testicles.“Little partner,” the firefighter said. “I don't want to tell you how to run your rig, but if you were to tie that rope around the cat's collar, I think you could go faster. The little girl replied thoughtfully, “You're probably right, but then I wouldn't have a siren.”

Very nice work, Chris. Thanks for taking the time to put this together. Dan

Like Mike said, you make reservations by phone then register when you get to the park, they give you a permit to leave in your vehicle and one to take into the park. The reservation system has been changed from last year and is still working out some kinks, we booked our spring trip two weeks ago and are still waiting for confirmation. You can book 5 months in advance so book early if you can. Dan

The ship is based in Anchorage Alaska, here is a link to what happened. Dan

If a dog bites always ask that it be tested for rabies. Dan

Also have a look at the Okuma Helios reels. Dan

Much easier and safer catching drunks coming out of a bar than bad guys, I bet they don't buy sport fishing licenses either! Dan

WD-40 isn't much of a penetrating oil or lubricant for that matter, buy some penetrating oil in a squeeze bottle so it will go exactly where you need it. Also use some anti-seize on the threads before you reassemble. Dan

If you can pull out a section of soffit that would be the easiest way, as you know the baffle goes between the top plate of the wall and roof. You probably want to check the soffit area anyway if they missed installing the baffle in a spot the insulation may have been blown in there. Use a stick to carefully make room for the baffle and slide it in, take care to get the insulation back in place without compressing it too much. Dan