Dunbar Creek (Paddling Part 5)

... 'Dunbar Creek' drains a pretty small watershed and for the majority of the year runs pretty low, however, when it's runnable, it's a pretty good time... and less than ten miles (for us) from the front door to the put in as well...

... this is the 'run' - you can launch a boat at 'Betty Knox Park' ("upper section") and paddle roughly 7-1/2 miles to where the creek empties into the 'Youghiogheny River', and continue another mile or two to take out in the town of Connellsville... alternately, put in at downtown 'Dunbar' ("lower section") and do a shorter trip of around 3 miles to the 'Yough'... it's probably a Class II+ to III run depending upon water level - however, an old 1970's wire spiral-bound  'Penn State Outing Club' paddling guide (the only publication that we have personally ever seen that references this creek) rated a drop located about mid-trip, near the old 'mine tailing dumps', as a Class IV - can't verify - lost my copy over twenty years ago - sure would like to get another copy - contacted them a few years back but no one (current) knew what I was talkin' about...

... this is the total creek (blue) located on the 'Useful Map', pictured above... you can see the creek valley drains directly through the 'Loyalhanna Limestone' - cropline highlighted red - probably one of the reasons that the creek is additionally considered one of the best trout streams in the state - you can catch some natives if you hike upstream above the 'Betty Knox' parking area... the aforementioned 'drop' is located about where the creek makes a "watergap" through the limestone strata on the map...

04/27... no, didn't identify the four "feeder" streams - (top to bottom) 'Elk Rock', 'Tucker', 'Limestone' and 'Glade' - just partially highlighted them for information... understand that the local 'PA Fish Commission' and 'Trout Unlimited' people have recently cleaned up and renovated 'Glade Run' and have been regularly stocking it - may be wrong...

... no numerical "flow gauge" to speak of - if on the drive by it looks as if ya' can paddle it, ya' can - if it looks high, it is - this is probably the lowest "paddle-able" stage (pictured) - you're lucky to see this if the leaves are green - mostly a winter/spring run - did it once in the summer after a very heavy rain, and we were draggin' boats about a half mile before the 'Yough' - it dropped that quick...

... on the other hand, here it is really rockin' (Rob Hyatt)...

... loads of fun regardless of the water level - Rob again...

... 'buddy Matt' in open canoe...

... a small sandstone 'bluff' just below the town of 'Dunbar'...

... haven't been up there in a few years - don't know what the "upper section" is currently like - there began to be many downed large trees and "strainers" - a real nuisance...

... so much that we took to sticking to the lower section - or - puttin' in halfway east of town across from the old 'Dupont Mine' along the 'Furnace Hill Road'...

... even though we spent a lot of time clearing obstructions - got to be a lot of work for only a handful of guys...

... a few more photos of typical conditions...

... a decent hole leading to a few small ledges - Matt and canoe...

... Ha! - same spot - slightly higher water level - Rob and kayak...

... more small ledges...

... would really like to do this run from the beginning of the creek high up the ridge - have MTB'd it many times - pretty impressive at high water - would be a chore to get a boat into, however...

... a 'Beaver' colonies "work-in-progress" along one of the small feeder side streams a few years ago - this is looking toward the breast of their "small" dam - about three feet high and one hundred feet long...

... resulting in a decent size pond along this once narrow lowland stream channel...

... anyway, either way ya' can't loose - just pack your fly rod in case it's too low to paddle...

... or just go for a hike...

04/27... was riding MTB alone with one dog along one day - was far upstream and came across a pack of three wild dogs that had recently dropped and were 'hind quartering' a small doe in the creek - my dog started to run toward them and they took off up the hillside... two buddies said that they were riding MTB's up near the "headwaters" of the creek and came across a dead deer "dump" with a large pack of wild dogs feeding on the deer - said that the dogs started to chase after them so they "beat it"... same two guys riding again came across a 'Game Commission' bear trap one very hot summer Sunday far up the creek - said that you couldn't see light passing through several of the air holes on approach - get closer - there's a large 'Black Bear' in the trap - it's Sunday, 90+ degrees and the bear is in a "hot metal can" - one guy sticks a water bottle in thru an air hole to give the bear a drink - the bear bites the top right off the bottle! - as soon as they got to where they had cell phone reception they called the 'Game Commission' - think that they said there was a phone number on the trap to call to report a "catch"... 

Ignatz Enigma (Part 2)

... so been watchin' and studyin' this guy for goin' on two years now - winter, spring, summer, fall - have to conclude that he "is what he is"...

... 'Ig' (rear) and his "big buddy" - neighbor cat 'Bluto' (our name for 'em) - that's a big, muscular and strong cat - very friendly as well - cool guy... but brutal none-the-less ...

... never was a "cat person" as discussed - no reason, just never "had one" - they seem to be a hated creature for some reason - don't know why...

... animals eat animals...

(YouTube Video)

... a "few moons ago", witnessed a girls small, friendly cat walk up to a guy's big, ferocious 'German Shepherd' once while we were all hangin' out along the river - that dog killed that small cat in a split second... 

... 05/04/14 - couldn't recall this old poem - finally tracked it down:

Five Little Owls

Five little Owls,

On a branch by the shore,

One fell off,

Then there were four

Four little Owls,

High in a tree,

The wind blew hard, 

Then there were three

Three little Owls,

None of them knew,

A Raven took one,

Then there were two

Two little Owls,

Sitting in the sun,

A Raccoon came along,

Then there was one

One little Owl,

In the setting sun,

Flew off to the forest,

Then there was none

... was how it was always explained to me...

River Hill (Mountain Biking Part 7)

... was movin' some stuff (old bikes) to get to the lawn mower earlier today, and later (currently) playin' around with 'Hillmap', and got to thinkin' of another cool MTB route - 'River Hill'...

... this is the real 'River Hill' (not the 4WD/Quad trail to the west) - drops directly down from below the 'Casparis Quarry' - personally spent a full day, alone (other than two dogs) "re-opening" this old trail a few years back - was overgrown as hell - is a very cool steep and technical downhill - follows an old 'mule trail' from the quarry days - I added some rock 'cairns' to identify drop turns at the time - was pretty overgrown and probably is again, been a few years - the above map route is approximate - just go directly south from the mine and you'll find the old trail - would love to try it with disc brakes - would definitely fry old 'cantilever' brake pad components - definitely not for everybody - nice loop... ride up 'Casparis Road' (good hill climb) to the mine - drop down 'River Hill' - and take the railroad back west out of the gorge to wherever ya' began - can't be more than six miles round trip ...

(04/20: Someone checked it out - told me that it is pretty overgrown again with a few fallen trees and many fallen tree limbs - needs a bit of work from the get-go - as mentioned, been a few years )

... Ha! - an old (and beat) original (hard frame) 'Schwinn Sierra' drug out of the cobwebs...

... 'MOS' (Mountain Over Size) frame - this bike was purchased with the original production frame...

... kept breaking the left 'chain stay' where it connects to the 'drop out' (or, it caused the rear axle to eventually break in half - resulting in a few breakdowns and repairs "in the field" - and lots of bitching directed my way for "poor maintenance" as we all stopped while I made the necessary "trail repairs") - was living near 'Niagara Falls, NY' at the time - eventually took it to a local 'Schwinn Bike Shop' run by some old guy who was "...sellin' 'Schwinns' since 'Kaptain Kangaroo' was "hawkin' em'" on TV..." - said the frame was bent from day one at the factory - everything under lifetime warranty - rebuilt for free (gave 'em $100, none-the-less)... those 'G-Force' chainstays and that little arch (brilliant) actually worked, by-the-way, when it came to hill climbing...

... old 'Panaracer Smoke Magnum' tires (pictured) - great - although, ya' never will beat the old (not pictured) 'Farmer John' (rear) and 'Farmer John Cousin' (front) combo - actually ran an old 26x2.5 "military style' tread once as well, don't remember the manufacturer...

... was hell of a hill climb'n snow tire, though...

... cantilever brakes...

... 'Index Shifters' (??)

... used ta' "soup 'em up" - would always install the smallest chain ring possible on the 'crank set' (12 or 16 tooth, don't remember - missing in this photo - must have put it on something else - don't recall) - they were some hill climbers... a few of "the boys" eventually bought 'full suspension' bikes when available - first time I took one for a ride could really feel the rear shock flexing and subsequent loss of traction when hill climbing - finally understood the principle of 'traction bars' from the old hot rod days...

... which I never understood at the time - was always explained as the difference between standing on a bathroom scale and lifting on the rear bumper instead of pushing down  (internet photo - man, is that one badass Nova -  yellow 'Lakewood' traction bars) - and subsequently the basic principle of the 'G-Force' chainstays as well - they work pretty well - BRILLIANT!

Here Comes Summer

... man, outdoor thermometer currently peggin' 83 degreesF - bring on summer...

... this ones for 'Matt'...

... Ha! - Brilliant!! - thanks 'ricvintagerecordshop.com'...

... one more... some (serious) "cool cars" in this one! (as well as the late, great 'Eddie Cochran')... Oh, a few "chicks" as well...

... see! ...

... finally gettin' to be too nice outdoors to be settin' around the house drinkin' beer all day and "occasionally" viewin' porn sites on the 'web' and postin' borderline nonsense on this Blog ... other than an occasional s*itty rain day, see ya' in the fall!...

Mounts Creek (Paddling Part 4)

... came across a new (to us) on-line mapping tool the other day, 'Hillmap' (www.hillmap.com) - pretty nice - developed primarily for backcountry route setting and mapping - quite a few useful functions and map formats, profile tool etc... have to agree with their claim "... the best on-line mapping app on the web" - very nice job developing this thing...

... anyway, scrounged up some photos of a local paddling trip we occasionally do, 'Mounts Creek', mainly as an excuse for playing around with the mapping tool...

... saved a few 'screen shots' - 'Mounts Creek' is highlighted in blue (text was annotated in other software) - usual 'put in' is at the 'Little League' baseball field opposite 'Bullskin Elementary School' off Rt 982 - you can put in around two miles further to the north next to 'Bullskin Park' as well and 'meander' thru some nice farmland "en route"... 'take out' is usually along 'Connell Avenue' in the 'Dutch Bottom' section of 'Connellsville' - around four miles by water, or ya' can continue on to the 'Youghiogheny River' and paddle down to the 'Adelaide Campground' (think it's called 'River Edge Campground now'days) where you can leave a vehicle - around eight miles total... 

... here's the 'put in' - 'Hillmap lets ya' do some cool 'split screen' images between map formats if ya' want...

... 'take out' along 'Connell Avenue' near the water treatment plant...

... not a "desperate whitewater adventure" by any means - but some nice countryside and wildlife to view - usually lots of ducks and Herons with raccoons and deer along shore - and you're basically paddling through the middle of "suburbia", though ya' seldom know it...

... not to say that there isn't a few decent drops bordering Class 2+ depending on water level - no gauge to speak of -if it looks as if you can paddle it on the drive by, then ya' can - if it looks high, it is - come to think of it, have paddled at "desperate level" a time or two - once had to 'head-duck' to make it below  the 'Bellview Road' bridge overpass...

... once ya' get past the 'Whites Run' drainage, the creek detours west and drops through a small, deep gorge for a mile or two... 

... some spring time blossoms this day...

...  as well as a few 'Turkey Vultures' and blue sky...

... some interesting water "texture"- buddy Rob Hyatt paddling, by the way...

... paddling thru the 'gorge' and nearing an area known locally as 'B.A.B' (Bare. Ass. Beach) - used to be a popular swimming hole and "hangout" back in the day - don't know if it still is - some houses down that way now...

... anyway, not a bad time considering we're probably never more than three miles from the front door...

... Ha!... we continued on to the the 'Adelaide Campground' one Saturday and discovered that they were in the throes of a "Hippie Fest" (or, 'Hemp Happening" as they billed it) - we're walkin' around in wetsuits - "...dude!!... where'd you guys come from!?" -  lots of interesting sights for sure - they were setting up an impressive bandstand and stage lighting - we were told (by everyone) that the the guy who wrote the song 'Panama Red' (New Riders of the Purple Sage) was the featured performer later in the evening... do remember this one old guy - long gray hair and beard - wearing a long white robe and sandals and carrying a long, hooked, wooden staff - spitting image of 'Moses' - was drivin' to work early the following Monday morning - saw him standing along Rt 70, hitchhiking near the PA Turnpike entrance ramp, and dressed exactly the same...  

... one last note regarding 'Hillmap' - the installed 'shaded relief mapping' graphics are excellent - here's an example - you're actually able to identify the 'Confluence Ice Quarry', as depicted above - good stuff!! 

Larry Scott

...recently learned the great bodybuilding icon, Larry Scott, passed away last month, he was 75 years old - he was a big influence on anyone interested in "pumping iron" back in the late 1960's and throughout the 1970's...

 ...held every bodybuilding title at one time or another, and was the first 'Mr Olympia'...

... equally famous for co-developing and popularizing the 'Preacher Bench', which is attributed in part to developing his massive 20 inch biceps - a technique known as 'Scott Curls'...

...  bet most don't know, but until the early 1970's, weight training was considered a total waste of time "... you'll just develop big, useless muscles and become 'muscle bound'" - bodybuilders were right up there with the circus sideshow 'bearded lady' - baseball and football coaches and such even forbade players from weight training (no eating ice cream, either, even after "practicing" for three hours - could never understand that one) - yea, in a way I guess, even had so-called "child development experts" back then... 

... so anyway -  Scott, Oliva, Schwarzenegger, Columbu, Zane... etc... etc... sailing aboard the USS Wieder, eventually changed all that - the Pittsburgh Steelers as well by the way - first pro sports team with a strength training program and the first to employ a strength coach as I recall (may be wrong) - definitely worked...

... Scott was, by the way, a for real "90lb weakling who became a strong man", as they used to market strength training back in the day...

... used to have the "Charles Atlas' ("the world's most perfectly developed man" - always wanted a pair of those leopard-print tights) workout program - wasn't bad, actually - basically, work out hard with weights - nothing like the crazy TV gimmicks now'days...

... a quote from Scott's excellent book, 'Loaded Guns': 

... while in grade school I was always smaller than my friends, but I was kind of cute... when junior high came along, however, the guy's voices started to get deeper and they began to grow in height and other places... I was still small and slow in developing everywhere it counted.. seventh grade gym classes, with mandatory showers, were a torture for us "late bloomers"...

(... Sheesh!!.. now'days all the highly educated "child development experts" would have had him in all kind of therapy, convincing him he was "f*k'd up", and takin' all kinds of drugs - until he finally flipped out and jumped off the f*k'n school roof...)

... so he started "lift'n weights"...

... Larry Scott...

(Note: All photos were "borrowed" from various on-line sources - not our property - thanks for the use)

La Madre Spring

...another nice trail out at Red Rock Canyon, Nevada - about a 2.5 mile 'out and back' - the trail ascends around 900ft in elevation following the 'La Madre Spring' drainage to eventually reach 'La Madre Spring' ...a great trail, especially in the spring (when the following photos were taken)...

... hard to believe you're in the desert - lots of green pinion pine and juniper tree vegetation with the 'White Rock Hills' and 'La Madre Mountains' as backdrop...

... sandstone cliffs of the 'White Rock Hills'...

... 'La Madre Wilderness' limestone folds...

... everything in bloom this time of year - a flowering Cactus above...

... Agave...

... some type of purple Aster (?)...

... Beavertail Cactus...

... Desert Marigold...

... not sure of this one...

... Juniper Berries...

... Pinion Pine...

... were a million butterflies (?) up there - this one's a little rough looking - looks like he's dodged a bird attack or two...

... pretty small - guess it's a butterfly... there was also a ton of birds, including some of the biggest Hummingbirds ever seen - tried to photograph a few but failed to get any in acceptable focus...

... 'La Madre Spring' - they also have a small dammed reservoir constructed for the wildlife - saw plenty of 'Desert Bighorn' tracks - hung around quietly for about an hour - didn't encounter anything but heard some obvious "big stuff" rustling about in the nearby brush...

... would have to agree with the wandering dog, 'Dominic' (from the classic kid's book of the same name, authored by 'William Steig') regarding this day:

 "What a wonderful world!" (thought Dominic) - "how perfect!" - had it been up to him when things were first made, he wouldn't have made them a whit different. Every leaf was in it's proper place. Pebbles, stones, flowers, all were just as they ought to be. Water ran where it should run. The sky was properly blue. All sounds were in tune. Everything had it's appropriate smell... Dominic was master of himself and in accord with the world. He was perfectly happy.