Riiiip - HHNT

I live near a lake that is one of many that form part of the water system for a nearby large city. As part of that water system, the local watershed board conducts sampling on a bi-weekly basis. Because the lake I live near is completely surrounded by private land, there is no public access. For me to get my sample, I have to pass through one gate controlled by a key-punch box, then through two locked gates and over a mile of wooded land via an old road first made in the eighteen hundreds. Finally, I have to unchain a canoe that is kept at the one access point to the lake while being harassed by a pissed off osprey nesting on top of a nearby pole. It's a nice trip, but one that takes a bit of time and effort. I did my first sample last Monday.

With that bit of background taken care of, I set out to walk my dog on Tuesday and got about a half mile from home when my cell phone went off. On the other end was a young lady I had met the week before who had recently been hired by the watershed district to run the sampling program. She wanted to go out on this lake and conduct some water temperature tests. So, the Wonder Dawg and I turned around and headed home where I waited for this staffer to arrive.

Now the weather on this day was not the best for heading out in a canoe. The temps had dropped approximately 40 degrees over the previous day and there were strong winds out of the north. I was not really looking forward to retracing my steps on this particular day.

The staffer arrived and after deciding to take her car, we departed. I directed her the few miles to the gate with the keypad. As I was getting back into her car after opening the gate, I heard, and felt something give as I lowered myself into her passenger seat. The evidence is before you (as it was before her for the remainder of the process) and behind me. During the remainder of the trip I had to exit and re-enter the car several times as I would open and close the locked gates that stood before us and the lake. Then there was the canoe that needed unlocking, requiring a full squat and further tearing. It was cold and drafty - especially upon sitting down on the aluminum canoe seat.

The earnest young staffer was very polite about it all, but I am sure she got more than she was expecting on that little trip.