Summer Bugs

In article ,
Edward Dolan wrote:
I have read many books about Antarctica. That is why, like Scott, I know it
is an awful place. But I do not have to go there to discover that first
hand, unlike some idiots I know.

Are you declaring me to be an idiot?

By the way, some media reports on faraway places are better than others. I
pretty much trust the National Geographic channel to report truthfully.

Oh, the NG is OK.

Get back to me if and when you trek across the continent of Anarctica.
Anyone can fly down there and sit in a shack for a few weeks or months.

Oh, you are saying that I just sat in a shack?

You think Barrow, Alaska is a neat place? I would like to hear what you
think is so neat about it.

As the Northern most US town, it has diural cycles unlike the lower 48.
It's surrounded on most sides by water. A large number of birders go
there which may be a good indicator of climate change. The physical
environment has toughened prior generations, what this means for future
generations is unknown and likely going to involve change and loss of
some cultural knowledge. Homes are shacks scattered all over the place
which contrasts to the Cartesian layout of some villages on
the North Slope post pipeline. Floyd is correct in that it
has a more diverse population that just the local indigenous people.
But this does not mean that Floyd has succeeded in gaining full
acceptance into their community. Floyd does have access in information
not covered in the touristy guidebooks. He has travelled to other parts
of his state. This last sentence can't be easily appreciated by
lower-48ers because roads don't play a part in AK as they do in the
lower 48. Yet there is substantial Internet penetration. The locals
are fairly well educated and get around.

--

"Eugene Miya" wrote in message
news:4468baac$1@darkstar...
In article ,
Edward Dolan wrote:
I have read many books about Antarctica. That is why, like Scott, I know
it
is an awful place. But I do not have to go there to discover that first
hand, unlike some idiots I know.

Are you declaring me to be an idiot?

Only if you think Antarctica is a "neat place."

I have read that the national flag of Antarctica, if it were a nation, would
be composed of just two colors equally divided half and half. The top half
would be just blue and the bottom half would be just white. That is because
that is pretty much what most of Antarctica looks like. In short, NOT a neat
place. The Amazon, anyone?

By the way, some media reports on faraway places are better than others. I
pretty much trust the National Geographic channel to report truthfully.

Oh, the NG is OK.

Get back to me if and when you trek across the continent of Anarctica.
Anyone can fly down there and sit in a shack for a few weeks or months.

Oh, you are saying that I just sat in a shack?

That is pretty much all that community of scientists do down there. None of
them could survive a week if it weren't for various technological miracles.
Ah, for the good old days of the 19th century!

You think Barrow, Alaska is a neat place? I would like to hear what you
think is so neat about it.

As the Northern most US town, it has diural cycles unlike the lower 48.
It's surrounded on most sides by water. A large number of birders go
there which may be a good indicator of climate change. The physical
environment has toughened prior generations, what this means for future
generations is unknown and likely going to involve change and loss of
some cultural knowledge. Homes are shacks scattered all over the place
which contrasts to the Cartesian layout of some villages on
the North Slope post pipeline. Floyd is correct in that it
has a more diverse population that just the local indigenous people.
But this does not mean that Floyd has succeeded in gaining full
acceptance into their community. Floyd does have access in information
not covered in the touristy guidebooks. He has travelled to other parts
of his state. This last sentence can't be easily appreciated by
lower-48ers because roads don't play a part in AK as they do in the
lower 48. Yet there is substantial Internet penetration. The locals
are fairly well educated and get around.

Yes, Barrow is a scientific resource for study and that is about all it is.
It is like Antarctica that way. I'll take soggy old Juneau any day of the
week and twice on Sunday.

I believe that most folks travel around Alaska by airplane. That would not
work for me. I do not like to fly. Do you not know that being in the air is
for the birds, being in the water is for the fish and being on the land is
for us humans.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

Hey, how long do they hang around for usually anyway?
"Sorni" wrote in message
...
NYC XYZ wrote:

I HATE THEM!!!!

Premature exclamation?

Springtime Bill

On Thu, 18 May 2006 12:23:01 GMT, "Dave" wrote:

Hey, how long do they hang around for usually anyway?
"Sorni" wrote in message
.. .
NYC XYZ wrote:

I HATE THEM!!!!

Premature exclamation?

Springtime Bill

Varies with the area. Mosquitos breed in standing water, so in swampy
areas, or areas with standing water, they will be around much longer.
Black flies breed in running water, which is why there are far more of
them in the Spring during and just after the snowmelt runoff.

Bugs will be gone by the time the first serious snowstorm hits.
Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
--
At the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

Gary S. wrote:
..
Black flies breed in running water


Here in northern Maine, at least, they can breed in wet grass; having a
prolonged showery spell or even seasonable summery mornings with heavy
dew can test one's patience and preparedness.

Pete H

On Thu, 18 May 2006 22:34:03 -0400, pmhilton wrote:

Gary S. wrote:
.
Black flies breed in running water

Here in northern Maine, at least, they can breed in wet grass; having a
prolonged showery spell or even seasonable summery mornings with heavy
dew can test one's patience and preparedness.

Pete H

Nice to know how versatile the little bloodsuckers are.

In general, rain followed by warm weather will create an upsurge in
the bug population. This weekend in NH, for example (guess where I am
going to be :-( ).
Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
--
At the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

Hull 697 wrote:
Remember the anteater in B.C.? When he sucked up the ants the noise was
something like "Zoot"?

Believe the sound the large (non stinging, thank God) bug that went up
my right nostril Saturday at approximately 28 mph made a sound more
like "Zok". Only downside I can see to bent riding so far, the nostrils
are upright and wide open for insect intruders.

Maybe we should devise a sort of bug screen that would hang in front of
the helmet and still let the air through?


I am skeptical of the windwraps/zzippers because they don't extend up
high enough to shield your head (like a motorcycle windscreen does!).
People say that BIG bugs bounce off them, but my particular problem is
riding into sunset-time clouds of tiny gnats that probably won't
"bounce" much if at all. And $300-$350 is a lot to pay for something
that might not help at all with the problem you have. ....The other
advantages (faster speed and riding in cold weather) don't interest me
that much, but I might pay $350 to never be covered with gnats again. I
just don't think the commercial fairings can do it though.

Also I have seen (!) that if you have a SWB with above-seat steering,
putting a headlight on the bars attracts bugs to where they collide with
your face. And to work the windscreen would need to be attached close yo
your face, which meant fixing it to the SWB bars, which I didn't think
would work well for steering's sake. I gots a LWB now, maybe I'll get
out the heat gun and waste some lexan again.
~~~~~~~

Yeah, it's the "April Fresh" scent in Bounce that does the trick. The bugs
around here don't come out until May, so when it smells like April they go
back to sleep. ;-)

--
Mike Nowacki


"NY Rides" wrote in message
...
I just read something about carrying a sheet of Bounce fabric softener in
your pocket can repel those critters.