| Author |
Message |
canoebear
Member
Post Number: 79
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, July 17, 2004 - 11:37 pm: | 
|
Hey Paul,
How's Maines Northwoods? |
paul_hammersten
Member
Post Number: 92
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 18, 2004 - 9:17 am: |
|
Hello good buddy!
Maine was neat. We had great weather and good times with family and friends. I got out on the lake and locks for about 2 hours.
On the one rainy day we went to L. L. Bean in Freeport.
What a change from to time I went with my dad in '64!
When I found the letters I sent home from Northern Quebec in '63, I also found my dad's fly rod and reel and plastic tubes of flies with L.L.Bean labels on them.
I went to the fishing dept. of L.L. Bean and learned the rod was still usable! Matter of fact they sometimes making rods out of 200 year old bamboo!
Since returning to the Cape I have been very busy...there was a call on our answering machine from a friend who asked me to help him with his house painting business. What with that, my landscape jobs, and yankee trading etc. I have not been able to start the LETTERS HOME posts...but I really want to when I can and get some input and additions to amplify the letters and journals I have of the nine week ' 63 wilderness canoe trip through Northern Quebec.
2 things I will! do before Spring is read the book I got on Bush Pilot's recommendation...and finish my painting The Cross of the North. I promised Hillbilly and a few other Otterheads a copy...and will post the painting on the board and see if anyone else wants a copy or may even want to get the original.
With The Cross of the North I believe I am carving tooling and painting the best I ever have.
Best
Paul |
paul_hammersten
Member
Post Number: 93
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 19, 2004 - 11:09 am: |
|
Oh yes...I don't believe I mentioned in one of the boxes of slides from the late great Charlie Horner was a complete set of slides of the '62 Rangeley Lake, Maine canoe trip! [ my first canoe trip on these lakes was in '62 ]
I bet they have changed as has L.L. Bean!!
We didn't get over there this trip.
Best
Paul |
canoebear
Member
Post Number: 81
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 7:18 pm: |
|
Hey Paul,
Whats yer favorate region in Maine?
"Compare remote wildness of Ontario to Quebec?"
Hall if I knew U painted houses, U couda put sum
time in on my cabin on tha Chain O' Lakes.
I'm done putten wall-to-wall carpet down & painten whole dang inside of house.
Done, done, done! Mom always told me,
oncest homework is done, time to play-ya-ya!
I hav a month to ready fer rough trip ahead.
I rather portage a canoe with pack sack on back than to do house work, Heya! |
hillbilly
Member
Post Number: 76
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 11:41 pm: |
|
canoebear,
Give me an 80 lbs. pack and a 65lbs. canoe and I will single carry for a 2 miler than paint or do work around the house.
Bill |
canoebear
Member
Post Number: 84
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Friday, July 23, 2004 - 11:13 pm: |
|
hay hillbilly,
Hold that thought! May take ya up on that next time round. I hate house-work of any kind.
I do it cause i hav to maintain up-keep & all,
but don't necessarily hav to care fer do-en it.
As long as it looks ok when done, which matters much. Big family re-union/ college graduation party fer oldest of 2 boys morrow mornen.
Was was programed, shaped, molded & geared to play much of my life, so I hate work of any kind.
'Tis tha way it be!
1 of 2 14 day trip, be-en a month away. Off tha mark a bit as far as paddle milage goes, cause of
be-en wind rained on almost every day. Not as steady as I opt to be, at 'tis stage of tha game.
As far as totten load Bearen portage pack, canoe & all, in good with 150lbs. back strapt,
fer 320 rods & a bit, than it be Labatt's time.
My wife will hav to burden bout 55lbs. up/or down
portage paths trails. She'll be 1 happy camper.
Hey Paul, "Cross Tha North" portrait sketch of
likeness of who/or what? Drawen illustration of
scene, view, a vision, impression, portrayal/or
an account of what?
Since yer at yer best, do 1
" Due North & Bear a Bit To tha East", Heya!
|
paul_hammersten
Member
Post Number: 94
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, July 24, 2004 - 8:58 pm: |
|
canoebear...my favorite region in Maine is the Sebago Lake Region.
It was there that I got married!!!!
Saco River was my first 5 day canoe trip when but a boy.
And there is " this good [ secret ] place " on one of the Rangeley Lakes that I could go to today and know fur sur I could land over a dozen trout with my dad's old fly rod!
The " Cross of the North " is a composite picture - a sketch from a book called Cache Lake Country, a painting by the great Frank E. Schoonover, a vision, and a memory of a young man and his Indian guide side by side with their paddles crossed.
And the paddles...one is large and one is small...the model for the large beaver tail paddle is my Dad's Old Town with which he parted the waters of the Conneticut River with Camp Hasen...the small is my S & T padlle from my ' glory days '. [ These two actual paddles are crossed today on my river rock fireplace/chimney
Goom take a look good buddy!
Best
Paul |
canoebear
Member
Post Number: 90
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Monday, August 2, 2004 - 8:35 pm: |
|
Paul,
Hav 2, 2-week full moon trips planned round tha corner. 1 to tha NE & 2nd maybe to Dads mountains
out to NW, Montana-way. To yer stumpen grounds,
on sacred grounds of Lamdeer Indian Reservation.
Lot of wilderness way-out NW, cowboy country &
history too. Wher tha west was won/or run over tha old primative native-way onto tracks of progressive new rail-way.
Thinken bout venturen into tha
Transboundry Flathead Country, a special place,
hear-tell. Used to go-west fer a month every year, all thru tha 60's & mid 70's till that girl got killed by Grizz. By that time I was off chasen dreams & playen ball fer 25 years. Kinda lost touch with tha spirit of tha wild. Took trips in off-season into tha northwoods to get-away & heal my wounds. Need to show woodland eastern wife how her people live out to tha west. Take pleasure in tha west/but to value, prize, treasure, respect & hold in much hi regard the prestine canoe-portage waters-ways thru dense untouched forest woods, wher biggest blackest of Black Bears, hugh moose & packs of wolves thrive in, tha real wilds, of tha NE.
Paul, is Montana held as a true gem in all yer many of miles traveled? I'm worried bout tha crowds, make me wanna hang-back abit, heya.
|
paul_hammersten
Member
Post Number: 100
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 4, 2004 - 10:55 am: |
|
A TRUE GEM yes indeed!
To me land equals culture.
There are Indian peoples, often invisible to the dominant society, for whom their reservations and reserves and traditional hunting grounds are not ' blank spaces ' on the map, but home where many have lived for most of their lives.
These people and places may be found in Montana and one may find a ' home ' there as I did.
You may camp on my land in Lame Deer on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Montana and I will draw you a map with all the ' blank spaces ' filled in.
Lame Deer is busy at Pow-wow times and exciting with dancers and singers and drummers and their families from other tribes throughout the Western Hemisphere camping and visiting.
When one discovers ' Indian Time ' one will always have plenty of time and uncrowded space .
Best
Paul
|
canoebear
Member
Post Number: 92
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, August 5, 2004 - 4:22 pm: |
|
Hey Pal Paul'
Thanks fer invite. Waiten fer all Big Sky Country
info to be mailed/or sent out to me. If we go west, it will be all/or nothen. We'll take tha
whole state in. See it all at 1 time, carry-on move, be our way. May alter trip-plans to NW twice 'tis year. Won't no till last moment.
We're self-sufficient, so once truck be loaded-up
with canoe, gear stuff & with use of compass with maps all cardinal directional points R in reach.
I wood be much proud to encamp on yer land.
Before packen-out clean, I wood leave a symbol
of "13 rock piled cairn" behind in our wake,
that denotes tha 13 plates on Turtles back-side, Heya! |
paul_hammersten
Member
Post Number: 101
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, August 5, 2004 - 6:53 pm: |
|
How Kola canoebear!
Make sure your canoe is strapped down secure when you drive over the Bear Tooth Highway!
We approach the pass from Red Lodge and once over the mountains go into the North East area of Yellowstone Park[ the least frequented ] and then turn around and go over the Bear Tooths again!
They are so awesome!
From there we go to Cody, Wyoming and I have my bread pudding with whiskey sauce at Buffalo Bill's Old Irma Hotel.
I like to go over the Big Horn Mountains from Cody way and come onto the reservation by way of Sheridan.
I don't usaually take the Old Decker Rd [ the Spirits alway make havoc with the electricle system of my cars along this road ] but drive to the Little Big Horn River and ' Custer's Last Stand and take 212 into Lame Deer.
Well...dinners ready!
Best
Paul |
canoebear
Member
Post Number: 96
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 10, 2004 - 6:29 pm: |
|
Hey Paul,
Thinken bout fly-en with tha birds & then get
4x4 rental out Lame Deer-way. Wood save 4 days
day-light, $, energy & spare own truck from getten all beat-to-hall. Long spell wood save $.
Than hav more planned time take in Montana, Wyoming & Idaho. Still kicken-it round!
Might-be likely to do tha Canadian Rocky's agin up Jasper-way. Still all up in Big Sky, fer sur!
Yer thoughts on best centralized area base fer birds to land, Heya!
|
paul_hammersten
Member
Post Number: 104
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 10, 2004 - 6:53 pm: |
|
Billings...I will post our 2 & 1/2 week trip ...3000 mile...itinerary we did one fall. It does not include the Black Hills of South Dakotah which are neat too.
Best
Paul |
canoebear
Member
Post Number: 100
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 5:21 pm: |
|
Hey Paul,
Need summation of past core of discovery trip
out west, includen tha Black hills.
What be tha pinnacle part of 'tis here journey?
What means of conveyancy did ya go?
Had to buy all dang replacement cameras agin.
Today I "be in reciept of" my own fer-real
35mm SLR & 2 lense camera kit + brand new camcorder.
Now that I settled fer/or obtained 'tis SLR,
I hav to figure-out & comprehend tha essential features that be necessary to make likeness
of Ontario's Eastern Cougar in scene viewed.
'Tis camera gear stuff had'nt cum cheap.
Round tha Full Sturgean Moon we Bear to tha NE to
count Black Bears in bush & try to find Grey Ghost once more.
We saw same exact lynx in same area 2 years in a row. Part of his left ear be gone.
If that holds true fer small no tail cat, than
long tail big cat may-be ther too. We'll soon see!
Cum Full Harvest Moon we head out agin fer nother 2 weeks may-be go NW out to follow
"Trail of Big Bear". Did it in 60's & 70's.
Just tha trail be over 4000 miles round-trip.
thats not includen miles tally-up just to get to that "Gem". Rather drive wifes hi-clearance SUV & bring my 16' canoe along with all our equipment we may need, but take 4 days to & from. If we fly,
it limites our freedom & limites gear we can bring, but saves valuable time + energy. Not sur on cost consideration yet! Don't wanna be in hole
tooo deep. I need my freedom & don't take kindly
to be-en restricted of what I can take, then also be-en plane curb restrained + ther timetable schedual too keep.
Need freedom of of wild wind blowen thru our hair,
Heya!
|
canoebear
Member
Post Number: 121
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, October 7, 2004 - 6:11 pm: |
|
Ahneen Paul!
'Twas in L'Ance on tha Keweenan Bay in Baraga
County in tha Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Spent much time on Chippewa Indian Tribal Community of 'tis Lake Superior Band.
Spoke to a few Natives that made-way to Tribal Tribute gatheren celebration in Washington D.C..
They said 'twas dream cum true.
Wife & Native old friends wer pleased bout be-en wrote-back in history agin.
Visited Native American Burial Mound. Pay tribute to past friends & veterens at rest. Thought to be sum "Code Talkers" amongst them on mound.
They fer sur be "Real Americans" & Hero's!
L'Anse which sits across tha Bay from Baraga,
wher once tha French trappers & explorers impact
still holds an effect on Ojibwa Tribe.
Good safe canoe portage trip. Put alot of paddle
miles & covered lots of terrain, Heya!
|
|
Off-topic