james_kieliszek (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} james_kieliszek) wrote,@ 2005-07-14 11:33:00 |
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Adirondacks recap - condensed, because I forgot a whole bunch of stuff
Showed up early on Wednesday, after shopping for supplies with Potter. Helped a wacky old lady get a jug of peanut oil into her cart, and convinced Potter to buy much more smores makings than could be consumed. Drove up to Brandreth and jumped in the lake. I cooked a dinner of steak and a McGuyvered greenbean casserole (surprisingly good!).
Thursday, we cut down a blighted tree, and I dusted off my mad chainsaw skillz and busted it up into lengths suitable for firing Potter's hottub. I wore longsleeves and pants in the midday sun to keep woodchips out of my underclothes, and managed to get a bit of a tan while saturating my clothes with sweat. Went out for a kayaking venture on the lake, and learned sweatproof sunscreen only stays sweatproof if you put it on when you aren't already sweating; I had to hop out of the kayak to wash the sunscreen off my face, as it kept running into my eyes. On the way back to Potter's dock, a loon surfaced about 40 yards in front of me, and as I approached it, it displayed vigorously and dove again. That was particularly nice - close encounters with loons remind me of home, as Pennesewasse Lake has two nesting pairs. Steak again for dinner, with a (decidedly mediocre!) scalloped potato dish I scraped together with what was available. I found some real cheddar cheese the next day in Potter's freezer, and was upset that I missed it when I needed it (only had American and processed cheddar [from instant mac-and-cheese] on hand for the potato dish). Finished the day with some time in the hottub.
Friday, it rained most of the day. After demonstrating that I can, in fact, fit an entire blueberry pancake in my mouth without chewing, we went on a dump run/picnic in Potter's truck. I rode in the back in a camping chair with a cupholder and a cooler full of beer - a redneck safari, sans gun. We walked the train tracks until the sky started to really open up, when we returned to the truck for a trip to shelter and lunch. Bill and I turned our chairs to face forward so it would be easier to duck low branches. While facing backwards earlier, I had watched Dan Lee (who was sitting against the tailgate, facing forward) for my cue to duck; this plan got scrapped after Dan started faking me out, dodging imaginary branches, and remaining still for the real ones. Daredevils that we are, Bill and I managed to catch some leaves/branches in our teeth. We also engaged in a hilarious battle against a swarm of scores of deer flies that were chasing the truck. They're less manuverable when they're charging forward at twenty miles an hour, but swatting them is the best tactic - spraying them with OFF doesn't even distract them. Dinner was two deep-fried turkeys that the assembled crew absolutely demolished. After dinner, we ate ln icecream and introduced some new folks to the wonder that is the mexican domino train. Liquid nitrogen turns whipped cream into a fatastic treat that melts in your mouth while giving you a mildly freezer-burned tongue and the ability to exhale a dense mist.
Saturday was rafting, which was a blast. It rained all day, but we were given wetsuit tops, which kept us nice and warm. I did some last-minute dealing at the trade deadine, and managed to swap Wanker and his gf Stephanie for Matt Girard and his gf Michelle. Having completed Team Danger with my Steinbrennerian machinations, we set off on our adventure, and quickly began entertaining Matt's plans for a mutiny. After it became clear that Matt had no idea how to guide a commandeered raft, we decided to stick with our guide "Critter", who put us through some of the more interesting stuff on the river, and let us intentionally flip the raft. We also traversed a mild stretch of rapids outside of the raft, at which point Sara Schumann lost a good-sized chunk of flesh on her knee to a hungry rock. We ate dinner at the rafting company, and then again a few hours later at Potters. After dinner, more fun with ln and butane. Potter put out a fire he deemed out of control by throwing a cup of ln on the table (which pushed all the oxygen away from the fire), and Matt had to scramble to keep his genitals at something resembling body temperature - hilarious.
Sunday was paintball (fun, and hits hurt less than I would expect) and then the drive back to Rochester. The winding (paved) road out of Brandreth is a joy to drive, and makes me want to buy a sportier car when my impreza bites the dust. I spent the evening at Rhubarb's, hanging out with Casey and Dan before they drove back to NC on Monday. I stayed there until around 3:30am, at which point I decided I did have to show up at work that day, after all. I found out that night that there's a pizza place in town that'll deliver until 4am, and maybe it's the beer talking, but their pizza's pretty darn good for the only place in town that's open that late.
Showed up early on Wednesday, after shopping for supplies with Potter. Helped a wacky old lady get a jug of peanut oil into her cart, and convinced Potter to buy much more smores makings than could be consumed. Drove up to Brandreth and jumped in the lake. I cooked a dinner of steak and a McGuyvered greenbean casserole (surprisingly good!).
Thursday, we cut down a blighted tree, and I dusted off my mad chainsaw skillz and busted it up into lengths suitable for firing Potter's hottub. I wore longsleeves and pants in the midday sun to keep woodchips out of my underclothes, and managed to get a bit of a tan while saturating my clothes with sweat. Went out for a kayaking venture on the lake, and learned sweatproof sunscreen only stays sweatproof if you put it on when you aren't already sweating; I had to hop out of the kayak to wash the sunscreen off my face, as it kept running into my eyes. On the way back to Potter's dock, a loon surfaced about 40 yards in front of me, and as I approached it, it displayed vigorously and dove again. That was particularly nice - close encounters with loons remind me of home, as Pennesewasse Lake has two nesting pairs. Steak again for dinner, with a (decidedly mediocre!) scalloped potato dish I scraped together with what was available. I found some real cheddar cheese the next day in Potter's freezer, and was upset that I missed it when I needed it (only had American and processed cheddar [from instant mac-and-cheese] on hand for the potato dish). Finished the day with some time in the hottub.
Friday, it rained most of the day. After demonstrating that I can, in fact, fit an entire blueberry pancake in my mouth without chewing, we went on a dump run/picnic in Potter's truck. I rode in the back in a camping chair with a cupholder and a cooler full of beer - a redneck safari, sans gun. We walked the train tracks until the sky started to really open up, when we returned to the truck for a trip to shelter and lunch. Bill and I turned our chairs to face forward so it would be easier to duck low branches. While facing backwards earlier, I had watched Dan Lee (who was sitting against the tailgate, facing forward) for my cue to duck; this plan got scrapped after Dan started faking me out, dodging imaginary branches, and remaining still for the real ones. Daredevils that we are, Bill and I managed to catch some leaves/branches in our teeth. We also engaged in a hilarious battle against a swarm of scores of deer flies that were chasing the truck. They're less manuverable when they're charging forward at twenty miles an hour, but swatting them is the best tactic - spraying them with OFF doesn't even distract them. Dinner was two deep-fried turkeys that the assembled crew absolutely demolished. After dinner, we ate ln icecream and introduced some new folks to the wonder that is the mexican domino train. Liquid nitrogen turns whipped cream into a fatastic treat that melts in your mouth while giving you a mildly freezer-burned tongue and the ability to exhale a dense mist.
Saturday was rafting, which was a blast. It rained all day, but we were given wetsuit tops, which kept us nice and warm. I did some last-minute dealing at the trade deadine, and managed to swap Wanker and his gf Stephanie for Matt Girard and his gf Michelle. Having completed Team Danger with my Steinbrennerian machinations, we set off on our adventure, and quickly began entertaining Matt's plans for a mutiny. After it became clear that Matt had no idea how to guide a commandeered raft, we decided to stick with our guide "Critter", who put us through some of the more interesting stuff on the river, and let us intentionally flip the raft. We also traversed a mild stretch of rapids outside of the raft, at which point Sara Schumann lost a good-sized chunk of flesh on her knee to a hungry rock. We ate dinner at the rafting company, and then again a few hours later at Potters. After dinner, more fun with ln and butane. Potter put out a fire he deemed out of control by throwing a cup of ln on the table (which pushed all the oxygen away from the fire), and Matt had to scramble to keep his genitals at something resembling body temperature - hilarious.
Sunday was paintball (fun, and hits hurt less than I would expect) and then the drive back to Rochester. The winding (paved) road out of Brandreth is a joy to drive, and makes me want to buy a sportier car when my impreza bites the dust. I spent the evening at Rhubarb's, hanging out with Casey and Dan before they drove back to NC on Monday. I stayed there until around 3:30am, at which point I decided I did have to show up at work that day, after all. I found out that night that there's a pizza place in town that'll deliver until 4am, and maybe it's the beer talking, but their pizza's pretty darn good for the only place in town that's open that late.
