Water-skipping and related shenanigans March 6, 2008

After a long, hard, irritating, useless and completely regrettable day at school, I decided to get on my machine and engage in some early march open water tomfoolery. For the past three years I have ridden my old Ski-Doo Tundra 250cc, I had mastered the control of it in just about any circumstance. I went further down the narrowing and partially frozen river than anyone else I knew. I could literally cross open stretches of water in excess of 40', and often would. It was such a great machine for accessing areas off the trail, for its light weight, reliable engine, and ease of maneuverability. It floated on top of snow whether it was a foot or five feet deep. You couldn't beat it for the price and gas mileage, but it did have its shortcomings: The pistons rattled the machine so badly any attempt at keeping a headlight was futile, it was extremely easy to tip over, it took 43 square miles to make a 360 degree turn on hardpack, and it was as loud as anything. It was the kind of machine you didn't worry about where you went with it or how you treated it. Sadly, I said my final goodbye to it this winter in place of a newer, faster machine.

Until recently I hadn't taken many risks with it. The power of it intimidated me and I also had the thousands of dollars in engine repair if anything went terribly wrong to worry about. Now I am familiar with handling it, and I decided to take a rip down the open stretch of water under the highway overpass. It's been a weird and inconsistent winter weather-wise, and the river hasn't really frozen over like it normally does. There is a nice 70' or so open section that was a breeze to cruise across. It's like riding a jet-ski and turns amphibious on contact with the calm steaming water. I proceeded down into safer sections, frozen over due to the current slowing in pace. I took five at an old power line where I frequently stop in the summer on canoe to take some pictures. There's something about the alien form of the lines that contrasts with the beauty of the surrounding forest that makes for a good shot. Snow was falling lightly, the bright sun was behind a translucent bit of clouds, which made it seem like I was looking at the horizon through a luminous lens. Colour seemed to have more significance. Or was that the marijuana?