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June 15, 2006 - Rainy pleasures and perils12A • The Suffolk Times • June 15, 2006 Rainy pleasures and perils THE RAINY SPELL we've just had brought to mind some of the old expe- riences we've had with rain. Probably one of the first that holds a spot in my memory bank was after Barbara and I were married. From the beginning we were camping enthusiasts. We had made the acquaintance of a couple in Southold who thought they'd like to get into the camping game and asked if they could go along with us on our next camping trip. Of coarse FOCUS we said yes and O N told them about a date we had NATURE planned over at Montauk by Paul State Park. They Stoutenburgh Pumped at the idea and set about buying a tent, cook stove, gas lights and just about everything in the store the eager salesman could sell them. All went well at the campground. Their new tent finally went up and their cooker blazed away, with flames shooting three feet into the air. At about nine o'clock, everyone turned in, but there were ominous clouds forming over the ocean. Could a stone be brewing? Ah, yes, and what a storm it was. Wind and rain deluged the campsites Between flashes of light- ning and the howling wind and rain, we heard spirited words coming from our new campers. Then some of their tent stakes started to pull out as the wind tore at the poorly erected tent. By morning we could see that other tents were down and the unhappy campers had taken to their cars in hope of keeping dry and possibly get- ting some sleep. Some had left during the night and headed for motels. We didn't come out unscathed either. Our tent stayed up but, since it had a bot- tom floor, there was no escaping the heavy rain, and we awoke with three inches of water trapped in the tent. The kids, who were small at the time, floated about on their air mattresses, Rain or shine, young puffins have to be fed. Here we see the parent bird returning from a recent fishing trip with its beak full of small flsh, which she will feed her young In the underground nest along the cliffside of Flatey Island In Iceland. Suffolk Times photos by Paul Stoutenburph Here on the Olympic Peninsula on the Pacific Coast, you can camp In a real, hon• est•to-goodness rain forest. Almost every day It rains or the area Is blanketed In fog. Look closely and see H you can spat the person standing by the tree. unaffected by what was going on. When we picked up our food boxes, the wet bottoms fell out, along with all the food. As far as our new camp- ers went, at first light everything was hastily packed up and thrown into the back of the car. They never even said goodbye. We spent the next day with our tent hoisted up off the ground, drying out. It definitely wasn't the time for first -night campers. Then there was the time our family took off for some camping upstate. On our way up, we stopped at a delightful campsite. It was the Fourth of July, and we watched the fireworks while lying on our backs on blankets. We had got- ten a late start from home, and I made the mistake of convincing everyone to sleep `but under the stars." Great ideas sometimes spell disaster. About two hours into sleep, I heard a t u n- bling from the west. It got louder and louder, and then raindrops started to fall — not one or two, but a downpour. We all raced to the car with our wet sleeping bags. At least we were out of the rain, but have you ever tried to sleep with two adults and three devil- ish kids in a car loaded with camping gear and parked on a hill? A more pleasant story about rain was when we were camping in Yel- lowstone. We always carried our canoe and had paddled some distance from our campsite when — you guessed it — it started to rain, and did it rain! We were all soaked, but our spirits couldn't be broken. Then someone started singing, and the saturated crew sang its hearts out as we paddled to- ward home, voices echoing through the rain, which didn't let up until we reached our campsite. Another time we tented with friends (not the ones from Southold) around Australia and New Zealand and had perfect weather except for one night. What to do? The campsite we were going to stay at was flooded. We were soaked and everything was wet and soggy. Then we spotted a small cabin nearby that was for rent. Yes, it was available, and it would cost $90 for the night. Split two ways, that wasn't bad. So we got ourselves together and got everything inside. After a nice hot dinner, we hung everything up to dry. We could see the sorry campers in the nearby campground; some of their tents had collapsed. We four felt very thankful for a warm bed and a place to dry out. The next day we would see mud shdes all along the way, with only half of the road open. We were told it was a most unusual rainstorm, and we agreed with that. Another rainy night in a campsite was when Barbara and I were travel- ing in our pickup with a popup camper on the back, so rain was not a problem. It did rain, but that was natural, for we were staying in the Olympic Rain Forest on the Pacific Coast. The next day was a wonderland as we walked the trails, where everything oozed with water. The moss - covered trees glis- tened in the sun and our feet sank into a carpet of sphagnum moss. It was a special kind of place we'd never forget. We took a group to Iceland, where Have you Helgi, an enthusias- ever tried to tic guide, drove us sleep in a around the country in a small bus. He Car with two was anxious to show adults and us the wildlife of the three devil country. We stayed in college dormito- ish kids? ries and ate won- derful and different Icelandic meals It rained the day we were scheduled to leave on a boat trip to see Arctic terns nesting. This is the bird that literally flies from one end of the Earth to the other, nesting in the Arctic and winter- ing in the Antarctic, a round -trip of 25,000 miles, more or less Because of the rain, half of the group voted to stay at the motel. The rest of us didn't want to miss a trip to see puffins and other sea birds nesting in the cliffs of the island. The cook had already packed our lunches with good- ies like shrimp and egg sandwiches, smoked fish, etc., for the entire group, so off we went with an extra supply of food. It was a wonderful trip out to the island on what they called a mail boat. Puffins, terns, fulmars and other birds were everywhere. The rain let up and the sun came out and we had one of our best days of the trip, walking about this unique little island. These were just a few of the rainy, days that we encountered that brought back fond memories as we've watched the rain come down recently. At first glance one would think this was one of our local terns. Not so; this Is an Arctic tern that nests each year In the Arctic, then travels to the Antarctic, where It spends the summer — a round trip of 25,000 miles more or less. The Suffolk Times • June 15, 2006 • ain leasures and E RAINY SPELL We've just had brought to mind some of the old expe- riences we've had with rain. Probably one of the first that holds a spot in my memory bank was after Barbara and I were married. From the beginning we were camping enthusiasts. We had made the acquaintance of a couple in Southold who thought they'd like to get into the camping game and asked if they could go along with us on our next camping trip. Of course Focus we said yes and told them about ON a date we had NATURE Planned over at Montauk by Paul State Park. They Stoutenburgh jumped at the idea and set about buying a tent, cook stove, gas lights and just about everything in the store the eager salesman could sell them. All went well at the campground. Their new tent finally went up and their cooker blazed away, with flames shooting three feet into the air. At about nine o'clock, everyone turned in, but there were ominous clouds forming over the ocean. Could a storm be brewing? Ah, yes, and what a storm it was. Wind and rain deluged the campsites. Between flashes of light- ning and the howling wind and rain, we heard spirited words coming from our new campers. Then some of their tent stakes started to pull out as the wind tore at the poorly erected tent. By morning we could see that other tents were down and the unhappy campers had taken to their cars in hope of keeping dry and possibly get- ting some sleep. Some had left during the night and headed for motels. We didn't come out unscathed either. Out tent stayed up but, since it had a bot- tom floor, there was no escaping the heavy rain, and we awoke with three inches of water trapped in the tent. The kids, who were small at -the time, floated about on their air mattresses, erils Suffolk Times photos by Paul Stoutenburq on the Olympic Peninsula on the Pacific Coast, you can camp In a real, hor o-goodness rain forest. Almost every day it rains or the area is blanketed ii Look closely and see if you can spot the person standing by the tree. Rain or shine, young puffins have to be fed. Here we see the parent bird returning from a recent fishing trip with its beak full of small fish, which she will feed her young in the underground nest along the cliffside of Flatey Island in Iceland. unattected by what was going on. When we picked up our food boxes, the wet bottoms fell out, along with all the food. As far as our new camp- ers went, at first light everything was hastily packed up and thrown into the back of the car. They never even said goodbye. We spent the next day with our tent hoisted up off the ground, drying out. It definitely wasn't the time for first -night campers. Then there was the time our family took off for some camping upstate. On our way up, we stopped at a delightful campsite. It was the Fourth of July, and we watched the fireworks while lying on our backs on blankets. We had got- ten a late start from home, and I made the mistake of convincing everyone to sleep "out under the stars." Great ideas sometimes spell disaster. About two hours into sleep, I heard a rum - bling from the west. It got louder and louder, and then raindrops started to fall — not one or two, but a downpour, We all raced to the car with our wet sleeping bags. At least we were out of the rain, but have you ever tried to sleep with two adults and three devil- ish kids in a car loaded with camping gear and parked on a hill? A more pleasant story about rain was when we were camping in Yel- lowstone. We always carried our canoe and had paddled some distance from our campsite when — you guesse d it — it started to rain, and did it rain! We were all soaked, but our spirits couldn't be broken. Then someone started singing, and the saturated crew sang its hearts out as we paddled to- ward home, voices echoing through the rain, which didn't let up until we reached our campsite. Another time we tented with friends (not the ones from Southold) around Australia and New Zealand and had perfect weather except for one night. What to do? The campsite we were going to stay at was flooded. We were soaked and everything was wet and soggy. Then we spotted a small cabin nearby that was for rent. Yes, it was available, and it would cost $90 for the night. Split two ways, that wasn't ba . So we got ourselves together and got everything inside. After a nice hot dinner, we hung everything up to dry. We could see the sorry campers in the nearby campground; some of their tents had collapsed. We four felt very thankful for a warm bed and a place, to dry out. The next day we would see mud slides all along the way, with only half of the road open. We were told it was a most unusual rainstorm, and we agreed with that. Another rainy night in a campsite was when Barbara and I were travel- ing in our pickup with a popup camper on the back, so rain was not a problem. It did rain, but that was natural, for we were staying in the Olympic Rain Forest on the Pacific Coast. The next day was a wonderland as we walked the trails, where everything oozed with water. The moss - covered trees glis- tened in the sun and our feet sank into a carpet of sphagnum moss. It was a >pecial kind of place we'd never forget. we toox a group to Iceland, where Have you Helgi, an enthusias- ever tried to tic guide, drove us Sleep in a around the country in a small bus. He car with two was anxious to show adults and us the wildlife of the three devil - country. We stayed in college dormito- ish kids? ries and ate won- derful and different Icelandic meals. It rained the day we were scheduled to leave on a boat trip to see Arctic terns nesting. This is the. bird that literally flies from one end of the Earth to the other, nesting in the Arctic and winter- ing in the Antarctic, a round -trip of 25,000 miles, more or less. Because of the rain, half of the group voted to stay at the motel. The rest of us didn't want to miss a trip to see puffins and other sea birds nesting in the cliffs of the island. The cook had already packed our lunches with good- ies like shrimp and egg sandwiches, smoked fish, etc., for the entire group, so off we went with an extra supply of food. It was a wonderful trip out to the island on what they called a mail boat. Puffins, terns, fulmars and other birds were everywhere. The rain let up and the sun came out and we had one of our best days of the trip, walking about this unique little island. These were just a few of the rainy days that we encountered that brought back fond memories as we've watched the rain come down recently At first glance one would think this was one of our local terns. Not so; this is an Arctic tern that nests each year in the Arctic, then travels to the Antarctic, where it spends the summer — a round trip of 25,000 miles more or less.