Artsy assman.

For Dawnwon, who wil be reading this blog.

Quotations, facts, a lie, and a question.

It has been a couple of weeks since my spin cycle of misery laden last post. I have since come out of that funk that always follows a lengthy, enjoyable vacation. Life is good, once again, sort of.
My sister and step-daughter, refugees from hurricane Rita, have been staying at our house for the last 3 weeks. They, along with their Golden Retriever have been great house guests, and built in baby-sitters. It feels really good to help someone out in their time of need. That said, it will be nice once they clear out. I miss walking around naked in my own house in the evening.

O.K, so on with the quotations, facts, lies and question. Our hypocritical, fascist government is lying to the public about Medical Marijuana. Marijuana has been used medically for thousands of years. Until the 1930's, medicine shelves carried cannabis in all forms of remedies, in the USA. Now, under federal law, it is illegal for even the sickest of patients to seek relief using cannabis. A plant. A plant in it's raw form is considered a Schedule 1 narcotic, rated as having no medical or scientific properties, is rated as dangerous as HEROIN. Insane.

Quotes.

"In strict medical terms, marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating ten raw potatoes can result in toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough cannabis to induce death."
-A quote from the DEA.

"The difference between a policy and a crusade is that a policy is judged by its results, while a crusade is judged by how good it makes its crusaders feel."
- Thomas Sowell

"Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself, and where they are they should be changed."
-Jimmy Carter - Former U.S. President

"When even one American who has done nothing wrong is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth, then all Americans are in peril."
-Harry S. Truman

FACTS.

Approximately 77,000 marijuana offenders are in prison or jail right now

There have been over seven million marijuana arrests in the United States since 1993, including 755,186 arrests in 2003, —an all-time record. One person is arrested for marijuana every 42 seconds. About 88% of all marijuana arrests are for possession, —not manufacture or distribution

Seventy-two percent of Americans believe that marijuana users should not be jailed. Eighty percent support legal access to medical marijuana for seriously ill adults.

Because marijuana is typically used in private, trampling the Bill of Rights is a routine part of marijuana law enforcement—e.g., use of drug dogs, urine tests, phone taps, government informants, curbside garbage searches, military helicopters, and infrared heat detectors.

Lies.

Marijuana is an unstable mixture of more than 425 chemicals that convert to thousands when smoked. Many of these chemicals are toxic, psychoactive chemicals which are largely unstudied and appear in uncontrolled strengths.

The DEA's own Administrative Law Judge, Francis Young concluded in a 1988 ruling that: "In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death. Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care.

Well, I could go on and on with the lies.

The question I have is: Why is cannabis (medical or recreational) banned in the USA?
What is it the drug warriors and policy makers are so afraid of? It seems like the public at large supports medical marijuana, in fact most support decriminalization!
Is is the deep pockets and deeper fear of the Pharmaceutical lobby?

Something to think about.

Rain, rain, rain.

Record rains for October have been falling in MN and WI the last few days. A 'train echo' has stalled over us and dumped over 5 inches of rain yesterday. The ground is saturated and any new rain is running to the nearest collection point. Highways are flooding, creeks are roiling, and my temperament is decreasing as the water rises.
It's always like this when coming off of a vacation, but with all that is happening lately, both personal and globally, it seems to be hitting me a lot harder than normal. It's nice to be able to sound off on this blog, even if only a few people are checking it out.
It seems like everyone has something to hide these days. What has happened that no one tells the truth, until the truth becomes worse than the lies? Friends lie, wives lie, husbands lie, congressmen lie, presidents lie, governments lie. I lie.
The lies are pouring in like this October's rains. I fear we may all drown in this deluge unless the truth is finally told.
Wake up. Look, I mean really take a look around you. Are you doing what you want to do? What you need to do? Are you prepared? Are you with who you want to be with? Are you lying to yourself when answering your own questions?
Damn, I'm in a horrible mood. Need to get rid of this cold. I feel like I'm under water, kicking hard for the surface, but the weight of my clothes and boots are holding me down, pulling me under.
Enough. I've got to slog home through this shit, 90 miles of depression, 90 miles of nothing but time for my mind to bubble and stew, 90 minutes.
90 minutes of rain and lies.

BWCA Day 4 and home.

Woke up early once again, this time to a howling wind. It made me nervous so I tried to fall back to sleep. No dice. I got up and picked up the loose articles the wind had tried to blow away. I was touch hungover from the night before, but knew Greg would be feeling even worse.
We broke camp in the wind, heating water with the WhisperLite for coffee and oatmeal. I was amazed with how efficient we were this year. 2 #4 Duluth packs (1 Granite Gear original, and 1 GG Superior), 1 GG food pack(which we stuffed with a 10 Gallon bear barrel), and one #2 Duluth pack for the kitchen gear. We could have single portaged, but why? The waves were about 2 feet high with a pretty strong wind, but not too bad. It seemed like the wind was always at our backs this year.
The paddle and portaging out were uneventful. We did meet a couple of retirees who were coming out after ten days in. The 140 rod portage up and down the cliff was pretty tough on the old guys, but it looked like they had enough cigarettes to make it to the Chainsaw Sisters.
We carried the gear back to the car, and went inside for an ice cold Coca-Cola. The service was cool as usual, but expected. With all the gear loaded we headed into Ely for food, a visit to the Brandenburg studio, and presents for the wives.
The Jetta handled the load magnificently, and we were able to the 440 mile round trip on just under a full tank of diesel. We averaged about 38 MPG on the way up, and with the wind and extra canoe about 27 MPG on the way back. Not too bad.
It was a good trip, although much too short. For a first timer, Jake handled himself like an old pro, and fished his tail off. A commendable performance. No major changes will be needed for next year other than to bring more Kool-Aid and wine, and less vodka.
I'm still in a foul mood about having to leave the BWCA so soon, but the duties of a husband, father, and now sheltering 2 hurricane Rita evacuee's are filling the days and keeping my mind off the peace and solitude one can only find in the wild....

BWCA Day 3.

Once again, I'm up at first light. No sleeping in for me this trip. Today is a travel/exploring day. We are taking a circuitous route through Boot, Fairy, Gun, Bullet, to Moosecamp where we have heard the walleyes are biting. Since we have no hydrocarbons to power our canoes, we must power them with carbohydrates and Greg has just the substance: blueberry pancakes.
Sidenote: The previous night at the campfire, a Maker's Mark discussion between Greg and I concluded that if I was up early enough to make a batch of wild rice, he would make blueberry/wild rice pancakes. We'll since I can't sleep in, I went ahead and made the wild rice.
So, we dumped in a generous amount of wild rice, and proceeded to eat a whole box of pancake mix, with wild rice. Feeling stuffed as an old grizzly bear, we piled into the canoes with fishing poles, MSR stoves, bacon, a frying pan and a filet knife. We were going to "catch our lunch" today. It was a good thing we also threw in the bagels, cheese, and sausage.
We were able to ride with the wind through the lakes mentioned above, but quickly realized that we would NOT want to paddle back into the wind. We decided we would take the shorter route through the stream that connects Moosecamp to Fourtown. With water levels low, this was a risky decision. More on that to follow.
Gun and Fairy lakes were extremely clear and pretty lakes. We did fish and landed a few smallies, but nothing to speak of or eat. Moosecamp produced one pike which we promptly ate. We all stretched out for a nap in the warm sun and breeze, resting up for what threatened to be a rough trip back to base.
The levels were low when we started into the stream, but navigable. After the second beaver dam, we knew we were going to get muddy. We dragged, lined, and portaged over half of the distance to Fourtown, but still felt it was better that battling the wind the entire way back through Gun, Boot, Moosecamp, Bullet, and Fairy.
We caught a few fish in Fourtown on the way back to camp, but again, nothing to write home about. The breeze kept up after dark, but it was out of the south and quite warm. We made up wild rice with fried onions, lots of garlic and butter, and a generous amount of cayenne, wrapped in the remaining tortillas. The rice was harvested and finished by my Dad and I in early September, and tasted fantastic!
We decided to finish off the platy's that night. I should say, Greg and I decided to finish off the platys that night. Another bad decision. I'll leave it at that.
Stars, northern lights, excellent cloud interaction with the NL, too much drinking, and Jake nodded off about 14 times while sitting by the fire. I think the Crazy Creek 3 chair had something to do with the drowsiness. The CC3 is on my Christmas list for sure.
Went to the tent with the spins around 1:00 a.m. Next year I'll bring booze home if I have to.

BWCA Day 2.

Ahh, up with the morning light. I can't sleep in when I'm in a tent, regardless of how little sleep I've had. What a gorgeous morning! A little cool, but I manage to get a fire going, split some wood, and put the coffee pot and Dutch oven on to heat water for the morning. A thick fog blankets the lake as the sun starts to peek over the tree tops with a brilliant morning glow.
Today will be a rest/relaxation day with a little fishing and exploring so everyone takes their time getting up. I made scrambled eggs with onions and pepperoncino peppers and fried a pound of bacon. We wrapped the eggs and bacon in tortillas, very tasty and almost to spicy. Almost.
Fishing does not pan out for Timmy and I, but Greg and Jake (mostly Greg) land a couple of pike. Greg wants to throw the bigger pike back but Jake, thinking with his stomach, castigates Greg for even thinking about it, and they keep the pike. Greg cooks up four panfuls of the fish, Y bones and all, and we proceed to eat heartily with a side of garlicy, buttery, spicy(cayenne pepper is essential) wild rice. What a feast! Jake manages to finish off the leftovers, that were kept warm in the Dutch oven, before the night is over.
Another night of stars, Milky Way contemplations, platy depletion, northern lights, and conversation without wind or bugs ensues. The birch holds a warm steady glow as we enjoy the peace and quiet away from jobs, wives, kids, and responsibilities. Do we really have to leave the day after tomorrow?

BWCA trip report, pre trip and Day 1.

Pre trip, 23 Sept:
Greg and Tim arrived at my house to go over the gear, packing, food supplies, etc. We used Maynard's (the usual fourth for this trip) detailed packing list and were fairly satisfied with the results. Jake had already stopped by earlier that day to drop off his gear, drink 3 of my beers, and throw a wicked session of frisbee. Tim, Greg, and I managed to drink our fair share of beer that night and we said goodbye at 11:00 p.m.
We managed to plan a departure time of 5:00 a.m. on the 25th, and very little else.
Pre Trip, 24 Sept:
Tim showed up around 4:00 p.m., and we went shopping for the trip. $60 in food for the whole trip isn't too bad. Not counting the 2 lbs. of wild rice I threw in gratis, $15.00 per head is extremely cheap. We decided to pack in the morning and proceeded to suck down a couple of ice cold pitchers of beer at The Pioneer Bar in my town. Jake was at a wedding party and also managed to consume a large amount of alcohol. We would not budge on our 5:00 a.m. time. He called me a few names and hung up, after I regaled him with the Badgers stirring victory over Michigan.
Greg and Tim spent the night at my house.
25 Sept:
5:00 a.m. - I actually woke up without an alarm. I had planned to let Jake show up at 5 and wake us up, but when your up, and it's the Bdub, your up for the day.
5:12 a.m. Jake shows up!! And promptly lays down when he realizes none of us are packed or ready.
7:00 a.m. Departure. The Jetta is fully loaded and ready to rock.
7:15 a.m. Breakfast in Grantsburg, WI. Mmmm. See old guy with actual handlebar moustach that was greased to great effect.
11:30 - 2:00 Arrive in Ely. Sun is shining, unlike the dreary rain we left behind in Frederic. Eat lunch at the Chocolate Moose. Pick up permit from Piragis. Greg bought a new used canoe from Piragis, we load it up and head for the Chainsaw Sisters and our Entry Point.
Our portages into Mudro and Fourtown lakes are smooth as can be. We saw 4 groups heading out as we were heading in. Fishing outlook does not look good, but the water on Mudro is like glass, and it feels so good to be back in the BWCA. We saw a rather disturbed loon on Mudro, and kept our distance.
We located a campsite about halfway up the eastern shore of Fourtown with a great view and nice tent pads. Greg and Tim gathered wood in my canoe while Jake and I prepared dinner. Pork Tenderloin with garlic mashed potatoes and fried onions. All washed down with a nice red wine platy that Jake was smart enough to bring along.
What a sunset that evening! Fourtown was absolutely still, and the reflection on the water seemed to light the lake on fire. We had plenty of wood thanks to Greg and Tim so we built up the fire and settled around it for stargazing, socializing, and a wee bit of drinking. About an hour after sunset, an owl started showing off behind us. Soon after I heard the most sorrowful, lonesome sound I have ever heard. A lone wolf howling. He went on for almost 10 minutes, and then the whole pack joined in with him. It sounded like they were having a party! They pack yipped and howled together for a few minutes, the lone wolf howled once more, and then silence reigned again.
The stars were brilliant as usual, interrupted only by the glowing and dancing northern lights. A beautiful end to a great day, a better afternoon, and the best night I've ever experienced in the Boundary Waters.