Saint John River - Day 2

The second day on the river begins with a cold morning, followed by strong headwinds. The water level at Ninemile Bridge has fallen to 1630 CFS overnight.


5:54 AM - Dick waits for morning coffee.


7:40 AM - Packing the canoes.


7:50 AM - Leaving Turner Bogan.


9:00 AM - Chris practices his poling as we approach Flaws Bogan.


9:02 AM - Mark and John in the Blue Hole.


9:05 AM - Flaws Bogan cabin.


9:10 AM - Be good - I may be watching.


9:25 AM - The River at Flaws Bogan.


11:40 AM - Chris and Dick negotiate an unnamed rapid above Southwest Branch.


11:41 AM - Mark and John take their turn.


11:42 AM - John and Dan make it look easy.


11:54 AM - Richard unpacks lunch, Dick unpacks his fly rod.


12:10 PM - Dick does a little fishing.


12:46 PM - Dan makes friends with a crayfish.


2:00 PM - Afternoon on the river, during a momentary break from the headwind.


2:30 PM - Checking the map at Doucie Brook.


6:00 PM - Tonight's camp is at Northwest Branch.


6:10 PM - Dick an Richard check out the We-No-Nah after two scratchy days on the river. At the end of the day the Ninemile Bridge stream gauge reads 1510 CFS.


8:25 PM - Dick tries a little evening fishing.

Saint John River - Day 1

A low-water trip down the Saint John River in Maine.


5:30 AM - The rush to sort gear begins at Chris' house in Augusta.


5:50 AM - Packing the pickup.


8:30 AM - Everyone enjoys Richard's recitation of "The Cremation of Sam McGee".


10:30 AM - Pit stop on Route 11.


11:50 AM - Norman and Leon tie down the the canoes for the long ride to Baker Lake.


11:55 AM - Richard sports his pristine new red Crusher.


12:20 PM - A view of the trailer at the Allagash Checkpoint on the Michaud Farm Road.


4:20 PM - Unloading and resorting gear at Baker Lake.


4:30 PM - Loading the canoes.


4:35 PM - The warden's dog. We're told "You'll be the last trip down the river this season". The stream gauge at Ninemile Bridge reads 1710 CFS.


5:30 PM - Finally underway!


5:45 PM - John and Dan enjoy the scenery.


5:44 PM - Dan flashes our canoe gang sign?


5:45 PM - Chris paddles while Dick looks for fish.


6:30 PM - Turner Bogan, our campsite for the night.


7:20 PM - Relaxing by the fire while waiting for dinner.


7:40 PM - Mark's old Blue Hole.

The Boston Marathon

While attending college in Boston, I often watched the Boston Marathon, whose course was only a few blocks from my apartment. I was on the cross-country team in high school, where a race was 3 1/2 miles or so. However, I wasn't a very good runner - my legs are short and my oddly shaped feet always developed a wondrous pattern of blisters in the wafer soled Adidas we wore back then. Still, I identified with the marathoners in a way I never did with someone who played baseball or basketball.

Thirty years ago, it wasn't that difficult to get a good spot at the finish line and watch the runners on their final sprint down Boylston. This time, though, I decided it would be easier to watch from Kenmore Square, about a mile from the finish and the crushing crowds.


10:08am - The wheelchair runners started at 9:25, the women started at 9:35 and the men started at 10:00. All is quiet in Kenmore Square.


10:11am - Boston Police are out in droves - not just for the Marathon, but because for some perverse reason there's a Red Sox Game at 11:00am today.


10:58am - The first wheelchair competitors head down Commonwealth Ave.


11:25am - The crowd is still thin as the wheelchairers continue to zip past.


11:56am - A growing blare of sirens and a camera truck signal the approach of the first women runners.


11:57am - Alevtina Biktimirova of Russia and Dire Tune of Ethiopia run past my lamppost perch.


12:03pm - Just six minutes later the first male runner, Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya makes his way towards the finish.


12:06pm - Last years winning female runner, Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia, looks pained.


12:45pm - Antoni Kot of Edinburgh looks intense.



12:48pm - Adam Mulia of New York looks... like an airplane?


1:01pm - The runners, coming thick and fast now, round the corner on Hereford Street. Only two blocks to go!


1:34pm - Tracey Martin of Chicago (official time 3:01:35) stands triumphant and slightly dazed amid the chaos near the finish line. "Can you tell me where the subway station is?" he asks.

Wide Angle Grocery Shopping

Selecting your cart.


The produce section.


Oh look! Cheez-It's are on sale!


Canned food.


Processed meats.


Mission accomplished!