[Parallax]

Cheese Enforcement Agency - Homepage

[Racer X 69]

Well @robtcorl last visited on March 30 to tell us about the 1962 Rambler Ambassador his family had.

I’m hoping he is well, and has been busy making bacon or smoking some meat on his Weber.

[Racer X 69]

We've just welcomed back our youngest two from a Duke of Edinburgh Award expotition to the hills, camping out in the frost last night and tramping miles to no obvious purpose.

A hike last year to Lake 22.




2.7 miles up a steep mountainside.

About halfway up the trail was washed out, but a temporary bypass has been created.




Beautiful vistas from the trail.






The flora and fauna are everywhere.







Should one become lost and hungry, these guys are everywhere, and are supposedly edible.




They have placed barcodes on rocks.





And a convenient place to discard refuse.

[lesmore49]

Racer,

Enjoyed your pictures of hiking in the PNW. Your forested areas are different from the Boreal Forest that I'm used to. The PNW is beautiful, and so is the Boreal Forest.

I don't spend much time anymore, hiking in the forest, but I do remember doing a lot in my younger days, fly rod in hand...walking into hike / float plane access only Canadian Shield lake locations. Large, fresh black bear scat I occasionally came across, gave me pause.

I would also come across 'crime scenes' where nature had taken its course...in the animal predator-prey encounters. Loose feathers on the trail. Nature unfolding as it does.

Once at these isolated lakes, I would spend a couple of hours or so, fly fishing for Northern Pike, usually using long red and white (same colours as another pike favourite...the red devil spoon) wet flies. Whether I caught a fish or not was immaterial.

The absolute quiet, peacefulness was a significant part of the pleasure experienced being alone out by a lake. It is hard to explain....the silence...out there...in the middle of nowhere.

I was never a Boy Scout, but I was a Cub Scout. Our son was never a Boy Scout, but he was a member of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets and he gained a lot of valuable experiences, as a result. Flying in gliders, camping out in tents, in -30 winter conditions, etc. He learned a lot of life lessons, in the Air Cadets.

These organizations, Scouts, Air Cadets are great organizations in my view.

[Parallax]

Once at these isolated lakes, I would spend a couple of hours or so, fly fishing for Northern Pike,

I'll never forget the first Northern Pike I caught. It was in Alaska.
Where I grew up in California I fished for catfish from as far back as my memory goes. Removing the hook after reeling them in was simple:
Stick thumb in fish's mouth.
Pull lower jaw down.
Remove hook.

As I said, I'll never forget the first Northern I caught.
I instantly decided that catfish and northerns require a different technique for hook removal.

[slartibartfast01]

Had a bet on the horse that came 7th in the Grand National and the bookmaker only paid up to 6th place. I went to collect my partner's winnings and discovered they were actually paying 7th place so ran home to get my betting slip and won more than my partner did from 2nd and 3rd

[lesmore49]

I'll never forget the first Northern Pike I caught. It was in Alaska.
Where I grew up in California I fished for catfish from as far back as my memory goes. Removing the hook after reeling them in was simple:
Stick thumb in fish's mouth.
Pull lower jaw down.
Remove hook.

As I said, I'll never forget the first Northern I caught.
I instantly decided that catfish and northerns require a different technique for hook removal.

Now, this is just idle speculation on my part...but it sounds to me, like...perhaps the voice of experience.

Those pike have large...inward facing teeth...and strong jaws....and bad tempers.....

This is what I carry in my tacklebox, to remove my hooks (debarbed, as per provincial requirements) from the gaping maw of any pike I happen to latch onto.

Rapala Baker Hookout, 9-in Canadian Tire

[lesmore49]

I had to start with a cheese, not some cheap imitation. Yes there are kinds available. Must look at the local specialist cheese shop to see what kind they have. They cut from the wheel.

You, being an Englishman would probably know about the Gloucester Cheese Rolling contest.

Back in '74 my first wife and I were touring Blighty, and were staying at a bed and breakfast in that shire or county...or whatever is the proper nomenclature nowadays.

Our host, an older man asked us if we knew about the Gloucester Cheese Rolling contest, where he explained they roll a big wheel of actual cheese down a hill, and I think, whoever rolls it in the quickest elapsed time, gets some kind of a prize.

I asked what do they do with the big wheel of cheese after it has been competitively rolled down the hill a number of times, no doubt collecting more than its share of twigs, dead grass, small animal excrement and other assorted whatnot.

If my memory is correct I believe he said all and sundry at the event, eat a piece of it....hmmmnn.

I'm sure I'm missing something , during the passage of so many years...almost half a century....

[tim60]

Had a bet on the horse that came 7th in the Grand National and the bookmaker only paid up to 6th place. I went to collect my partner's winnings and discovered they were actually paying 7th place so ran home to get my betting slip and won more than my partner did from 2nd and 3rd

Good onya.

Today I went past a Ladbroke shop. I realised it is named like those foreign languages which put the noun before the adjective. It is code for Broke Lads (found here).

[tim60]

You, being an Englishman would probably know about the Gloucester Cheese Rolling contest.

Back in '74 my first wife and I were touring Blighty, and were staying at a bed and breakfast in that shire or county...or whatever is the proper nomenclature nowadays.

Our host, an older man asked us if we knew about the Gloucester Cheese Rolling contest, where he explained they roll a big wheel of actual cheese down a hill, and I think, whoever rolls it in the quickest elapsed time, gets some kind of a prize.

I asked what do they do with the big wheel of cheese after it has been competitively rolled down the hill a number of times, no doubt collecting more than its share of twigs, dead grass, small animal excrement and other assorted whatnot.

If my memory is correct I believe he said all and sundry at the event, eat a piece of it....hmmmnn.

I'm sure I'm missing something , during the passage of so many years...almost half a century....

They still do that, subject Covid rules.

They eat the cheese with its accretions and then go to a local pub for many pints.

When they become ill they cannot tell whether it is the cheese, very unlikely, the accretions, moderately likely, or the excess of pints, very likely. And the ground all around looks like the footpaths in a university town early on a Sunday morning.

[StiffLegged]

You, being an Englishman would probably know about the Gloucester Cheese Rolling contest....

He's not really an Englishman, no, dear me, no; you should have noticed our Tim is actually from other parts. Not even European!

[StiffLegged]

Cheese Enforcement Agency - Homepage

There are times when your faith in human nature is renewed and this immensely worthy website is proof positive of the better side of t'internet. It's not perfect yet – there is no public health warning notice for Stinking Bishop* – but the cautionary note for Jarlsberg is unequalled.


*"The cheese is similar to the famous French Epoisses which has been banned from the public transport system in Paris. In fact, at a recent cheese show in France they were amazed to discover that Stinking Bishop was made in England.

The cheese takes its name from the variety of pear used to make the washing solution. Stinking Bishop pears are one of over 100 varieties which are grown on the Gloucestershire-Herefordshire border..."

[Parallax]

Now, this is just idle speculation on my part...but it sounds to me, like...perhaps the voice of experience.

Indeed. I had to hit the fish a couple of times with a sap to kill it. It wouldn't let go. It took my right thumb a week or more to heal.
On a positive note, it was delicious. (the pike, not my thumb)

[lesmore49]

Indeed. I had to hit the fish a couple of times with a sap to kill it. It wouldn't let go. It took my right thumb a week or more to heal.
On a positive note, it was delicious. (the pike, not my thumb)

A pike can do that, that's for sure.

You mention that it was delicious....the pike not the thumb. I'm sure it is, but on the other hand (pun intended ), if you find yourself in a difficult spot...say marooned in the middle of no where's land, you're hungry....and it is a matter of survival....a thumb is not bad to eat either. And if you have it handy.... bit of salt, some butter, some flour in a frying pan...it can be quite tasty.

I'm told.


Reminds me of an old joke....but applicable.



A travelling salesman came upon an old farmer sitting on his porch, next to the farmer was a pig with only one leg. The salesman was about to give his sales pitch when his curiosity got the best of him.

"Excuse me sir, but why does your pig only have one leg?" asked the salesman.

"Well sonny , I'll tell ya. One day I was out plowing the back 40 when my tractor overturned, pinning me underneath. I was losing blood and thought I would die when that pig came running. He dug and rooted around with his nose till he got me out and he dragged me back to the house. Saved my life that pig did."

"Wow, that's really amazing," said the salesman, "but I still don't know why the pig only has one leg."

"Well I'll tell ya," said the farmer. "One night me and the wife were asleep at about 3am when a fire broke out in the kitchen. Well that pig broke down the door, came into our bedroom waking us up and getting us out before the fire could get us, saved our lives that pig did!"

"Well that's really great but why does the pig only have one leg?"

"Well sonny, when you get a pig that smart, you don't want to eat him all at once!"

Maybe I digressed too much in this response.

[Racer X 69]

Those pike have large...inward facing teeth...and strong jaws....and bad tempers.....

This is the kind of bad tempered fish I'm familiar with.