A Weekend in Millinocket



This rock signals the entrance to the park is imminent.

This past weekend, my family and I trekked to Millinocket, Maine or as I like to refer to it, the southern gateway (Togue Pond Gate) to Baxter State Park and Mount Katahdin. This was planned as a quick trip for a family reunion on Saturday.

Millinocket is also home to the Pelletier family— lumberjacks who are featured in the Discovery Channel’s American Loggers.

Ribs at Ruthie's

We stayed at Ruthie’s Hotel Terrace in Millinocket. It was inexpensive and very homey. Ruthie made certain her guests had what they needed to be comfortable. At her restaurant, attached to the hotel, she offered a variety of well made, affordable meals and homemade baked goods (the doughnuts made to order – crispy on the outside, cake-like on the inside).

We should have taken all our meals at Ruthie’s. Comparatively speaking, our dinners on Friday and Saturday night were a disappointment. One establishment boasted they had the best burger in Millinocket and you could have it prepared anyway you liked—so long as you liked it charred, dry and crumbly.

Sunday we spent the day at Baxter State Park. Mount Katahdin is a haven for hikers, campers and photographers. There are trails for the novice and the experienced walker.

We had hoped to spy a moose. Unfortunately, a whole day was spent in the park but we did not see any signs of moose. But it didn’t matter; we still had a terrific day.

Our first stop was Sandy Stream Pond, an eight mile ride north of the Togue Pond Gate entrance and then an easy hike.



Sandy Pond Vista



Sandy Pond



Little Niagara

Next, we backtracked and went northwest from the Togue Pond Gate to Little Niagara Falls. The path to the falls was a bit more challenging but we weren’t deterred. It was worth the walk.

I’ve been to Mount Katahdin a number of times, and I’m always awed by the scenery and the clarity of the water. Every pond, every stream, is crystal clear. If you haven’t been, I suggest making the trip.

Does anyone care to take a hike?

Full Circle

I’ve been thinking about health issues a lot lately, and not just because universal healthcare, Obamacare to some, has been front and center in the political debate.

My health is not an issue. I just had my annual checkup. My vital statistics were outstanding:

• Blood pressure – 118/74
• Weight – down 4 pounds from last year’s exam
• Heart rate – 62 beats/minute
• My LDL (bad cholesterol) – down to 100 (was 105)

My concerns revolve around eldercare. We’ve been dealing with the declining health of my 93-year-old mother. She fell while trying to answer the telephone, resulting in a compression fracture of the ribs and a prolonged stay at a rehab facility (her third such stay in as many years). She was sent home and continued her rehabilitation with in-home professionals (physical therapist, occupational therapist and a nurse).

Unfortunately, they can’t be there 24/7. For the first few nights, we used a baby monitor to track her nighttime activity. We have a constant concern that she’s going to fall again.

She’s reached the stage of life where her mind is sharp but her body isn’t.

The idea of moving her into a “home” is unpalatable..We’re straddling a fine line between her ability to continue living somewhat on her own verses her need for help. I remember when a hernia didn’t slow her so watching her physical deterioration is tough to witness.

In a lot of ways caring for an elder is similar to caring for an infant or toddler. The difference being, a baby becomes more stable as she ages.

Is anyone caring for an aging parent? Please share your coping strategies.

Space Telescope

There have been a host of big screen and television disaster movies featuring comets, meteors and asteroids either colliding with or on a collision course to earth. Big screen productions such as Meteor (1979), Deep Impact (1998), Armageddon (1998) and the very recent Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) feature huge extraterrestrial objects hurtling toward earth.

Discovery News quotes Dr. Donald K. Yeomans, head of NASA’s Near Earth Object (NEO) Program Office, "On a daily basis, we're hit with basketball-sized objects, and Volkswagen-sized objects come in a few times a year."

Large scale impacts are not without precedent. National Geographic says scientists theorize that on June 30, 1908 a meteor may have crashed into a remote area of Siberia with a force of roughly 15 megatons.

I’ve read some stories that believe the asteroid named 2011AG5, which is 460 feet wide, could impact the earth in 2040. However, Yahoo News reports that NASA estimates the odds of 2011AG5 crashing into earth as a 1 (one) on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale. (The likelihood of a collision is so low as to be effectively zero.)

But, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen; stranger things have occurred. After all, the Red Sox did win two World Series.

Courtesy Google Images

Enter, the Sentinel Mission. According to their website, the B612 Foundation, a nonprofit group of independent scientists, is planning to raise funds to build, launch, and operate the first privately funded deep space mission – a space telescope to be placed in orbit around the sun. The intent is to create a comprehensive map of our inner solar system illustrating the paths of 98% of the asteroids, both large and small. They hope to have the telescope in orbit within 10 years.

But I wonder, if a huge meteor is discovered bearing down on our hapless planet, would we be able to do anything more than brace for impact?

What do you think? Would you want to know if the world was going to end in 21 days?

Flying High

There’s a store in The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk in Manchester, Connecticut, that sells some pretty cool electronic tchotchkes; items such as remote controlled helicopters and cars. Sadly, I am embarrassed to write, I do not remember the store’s name.

The cars didn’t interest me but the ’copters did. It was painfully obvious that my flying skills were inadequate. When I managed to get the thing off the ground, I discovered I could not control its flight.

This is of no surprise. My various attempts at piloting remote controlled, flying objects have never ended well. Humpty Dumpty comes to mind.

That is how I know that a Volocopter is not in my future. Granted, a manned Volocopter will not be remote controlled but I suspect my flying skills would be just as poor.

Courtesy Google Images

The Volocopter is an 18-rotor personal helicopter, currently in development by e-volo. According to e-volo.com, they completed the first manned flight with an electrically powered, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The company’s ultimate goal is a two-seat, personal aircraft. There’s no news regarding its public availability.

What do you think? Would you like a Volocopter for your morning commute?

Come Sail Away

My father was an aerospace engineer who designed airplane galleys and at one time he was a lead engineer on a developmental aircraft called the K16. His real obsession, though, was ships and he exercised this passion as a part time naval architect. Our house was littered with detailed drawings of sailboats big and small. He also wrote for a couple boating magazines and was a supporter of Mystic Seaport.

We spent many weekends walking the grounds of Mystic Seaport. My father couldn’t get enough of the old sailing vessels. Sadly, he never realized his dream to own a boat, but he never stopped dreaming that he might have one.

Alas, I did not share my father’s ardor for the sail. As a youth our trips to Mystic were mind numbing. My interest in the Charles W. Morgan, a whaling vessel, was ok the first couple times through her but my interest quickly waned. Not so Dad. He could stroll her deck for hours.

Sailboats have been in use for centuries. According to kidcyber.com by 2500 BC the Egyptians were using sailing vessels to cross oceans.

DVICE.com reports that almost 90% of consumer goods travel by water which means that when fuel costs increase so does the price of the cargo carried by ships.

Additionally, these ships use fossil fuels leaving a large carbon footprint.

Courtesy Google Images

One company, B9 Shipping, is developing a cargo ship that will use the DynaRig. The DynaRig is a system of sails that is computer operated. These vessels will still require an engine for those times when the wind is insufficient, however, it will only be needed roughly 40% of the time.

DVICE.com writes that the engines will be powered entirely by biogas, derived from sources like municipal food waste, making them carbon-neutral.

I think it’s exciting that a proven technology could be enhanced in such a way that today’s commerce needs could be met in an environmentally sound manner. What do you think? Do you think sail power is the future of trade?

Happy Father’s Day

I saw a Shoebox greeting card which read something like, “How did Father’s Day originate? Because a few weeks after Mother’s Day, someone said, ‘Hey, wait a minute!’”

What … I thought it was humorous.

According to The Great Idea Finder, Father’s Day was the brain child of Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington. In 1910, two years after the advent of Mother’s Day, Mrs. Dodd sought a way to honor her father, a Civil War veteran, who raised her and her five siblings after their mother perished during childbirth.

In 1972, the Nixon administration permanently established Father’s Day. 

This year, for Father’s Day, my wife treated me to dinner on Saturday night: a man-sized rack of BBQ pork ribs that brought me to my knees. I had to admit, reluctantly, that I was unable to eat the whole portion and had to request the proverbial doggie bag. I’ve made concession to age. In a bygone era, I would have finished my meal, my wife’s meal, my dessert and her dessert.

Sunday, we travelled to Weymouth, MA and picnicked with our family. For the first time in a while, we were able to have all three boys, our daughter-in-law and our grandson under the same roof.

All-in-all, I’d call my Father’s Day weekend a winner.

How about you folks? Anyone care to share their Father’s Day celebration? Leave a comment below.

From left to right
Tyler, Me, Dan & Nick

Old, Tired Tires

My May 21, 2012 post discussed Google’s driverless car. The concept of a car that does the driving for its passenger wowed me. I had visions of reading and doing crossword puzzles while I sat behind the wheel.

I admit I’m having some doubts regarding the sensibility of a completely automated vehicle. How would such an automobile respond in an emergency situation? The articles I read discussed the car’s reaction to normal traffic issues such as a pedestrian crossing the road unexpectantly. But, what would happen if a tire blew out in heavy traffic at 60-plus miles per hour?

Remember, tires are age sensitive; they have a finite life. The manufacturers add chemicals to the tires to make the treads last longer but rubber still ages, and over time will fatigue. There may not be any visible signs of age, such as cracking or worn treads, but old tires can be hazardous.

Jon Christian Ryter quoted a Ford Motor Co. caution on the subject. "Tires degrade over time," the Ford warning noted, "even when they are not being used. It is recommended that tires generally be replaced after 6 years of nominal service.”

Tirerack.com reported that in 2001 the British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA) stated, "BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tyres should not be put into service if they are over six years old and that all tyres should be replaced ten years from the date of their manufacture."

You may wonder why I think this is an issue. On Friday, June 8th, we drove to Ohio to celebrate our niece’s graduation from The Ohio State University. We were driving in the right lane on Route 90 West, just outside of Cleveland, in fairly heavy traffic, when our left front tire popped. Actually, the tread separated from the wheel. The car jerked to the left slightly but I never lost control and we were able to pull off the highway onto the grassy shoulder. 

Highway Tire Change



We were lucky. I’ve read some horror stories regarding incidents such as this. The tire that blew was over eight years old. I replaced all four when we got to our destination.

How do you know if you have old tires? There’s a manufacture date code on the tire and it is easy to decipher. Right after the DOT there should be a four digit number. The one on my tire was 1704. This means the tire was manufactured in the 17th week of 2004.  

 

What do you think, will you check your tires, even if you’ve just bought them, to make certain they are new?