Traveling Non-Angler Tuesday

Out of Alaska

After numerous attempts, I discovered proper form for redeye flights last night: I fell asleep before we backed away from the gate in Fairbanks and was out cold until the descent into Minneapolis. Brilliant.

Thus closing this Alaskan chapter of my life.

It was a good trip, but the lack of sleep from working night shifts did me in, and yesterday's hunt for pike on my 7wt ended up being more of a snipe hunt.

But there were highlights...

Highlight #5:

• Working night shift that far north was cool and it made for some pretty combination sunsets/sunrises.

Highlight #4:

• Catching my first grayling on the fly. It isn't a technical fishery by any stretch, but they were fun for a diversion. Small flies, light leaders, etc. Pretty fish, too; though I didn't take any pictures save one. I needed the pic for the Species Journal, after all...

Highlight #3:

• This is more a personal thing than an Alaskan thing: I decided on new path for this site. Maybe not a new path; perhaps widening the path is more apt. More on this in a very-near-future post.

Highlight #2b:

• Finding this cabin in the middle of nowhere down a random dirt road while looking for a fishy spot. Something about it brought a smile to the cockles of my heart.

Highlight #2a:

• Seconds after finding the cabin, the realization that I sometimes can't believe I get paid for this.
• This also ties in with Highlight #3...but hours later, while being chewed alive by bugs and being busy as hell, this upbeat attitude diminished slightly. I was still excited about Highlight #3 and the cabin, however.

Highlight #1:

• Being present in the precise moment in space and time to be able to see this:

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So that was Alaska. 

Quick shout-outs to:

Matt H - may he have good fortune with his new Sage Largemouth rod & not have anymore minor incidents with company rental trucks.

JR at Big Ray's fly shop - thanks for the help. My inability to roll-cast that robin-sized diver on my 7wt in no way diminished the appreciation I have for time spent giving me directions for the pike hunt.

*          *          *

Here's a tune.

Appropriate title, considering I'm on the verge of wandering over to the complimentary bar to fix one for myself. Aeroplan Elite status has its perks.

The (Self-Proclaimed) Cuppow Kingpin of Fredericton

Time/Date: 2010 AST, 01-March-12
Location: Fredericton, NB

I returned from my three week project in Mexico last night. It was -14°C when I landed; giving a solid 56°C temperature difference from my last full day on the project site. It was harsh.

Something to warm me up was waiting for me at home though: an order of Cuppows!

What are Cuppows?

Well, watch this video:

CUPPOW! from Paper Fortress on Vimeo.

Cuppows are one of those items that say, "Wow, cool idea. I want one."

For me, I took it one step further. I went to their site to order one and ran into the minor issue of PayPal not allowing non-US orders. Being slightly stubborn, I moved to the next level: I became a Cuppow distributor.

That's right. I am now the Cuppow Kingpin of Fredericton.

If you live in Fredericton and want a Cuppow, I'm the only game in town
(unless you want to pay about $6 US in shipping).

If you want a Cuppow, fire me an email at angling<dot>ronin<at>gmail<dot>com.

• If you live in Fredericton, I can drop it off to you. 
• If you live in Canada, we can do the PayPal thing and I can ship to you.
• If you live in the US of A, you're better off buying direct from the fine folks at Cuppow, as it'll be cheaper for you.

FAQs

1. How much?
$10. Ten smackers. 1 Sir John A. MacDonald.
(Fredericton folks: If you need a mason jar, add another buck)

2. What size of mason jar does the lid require?
Wide-mouth. As in, Wide-Mouth Mason, without the music. You can find wide-mouth jars at Home Hardware on Main Street in Fredericton in 250mL, 500mL and 1L sizes. I have the 500mL in my truck if you're getting one from me.

3. What can I drink using the Cuppow?
I recommend fine coffee, the 'shine, or strong drinks made of rum or the rye-whisky.

4. What if I don't drink fine coffee, the 'shine, or strong drinks made of rum or rye-whisky?
Then you probably still drink from what I call Nature's Cuppow, or, as biologists call it, your mother's teet. You can get a real Cuppow when you grow up a bit.

5. Is there that BPA-shit in the lid?
No. Cuppows are BPA-shit-free.

WF-9F fly line cozy!

6. Isn't it hot on your hand?
Yes, it is. But you can get creative and make or find a little cozy to protect your delicate little hands. My roommate, rugby superstar Chris Aaen, taped cardboard to the outside of his. Myself, being more creative and more awesome (though not as much as a rugby superstar), made a cozy out of an used fly line I had laying around (see photo on right). Other examples of Cuppow cozies can be viewed on the Cuppow blog, such as these ones here.

7. What do you charge for delivery within Fredericton?
Nothing. Zilch. It's Included. Though if you wanted to meet me downtown or at Fredericton Outfitters, that'd be awesome.

8. What about shipping charges within Canada?
I'll figure that out when it happens. It shouldn't be much, as the Cuppows are pretty friggin' lightweight, but who knows what those zany CanadaPost people are like on any given day.

9. Did you say rugby superstar Chris Aaen uses a Cuppow?!?!?!
Yup, that's right. He knows what's up.

10. What else should I know about these?
They're made in the USA by some creative dudes. They don't ever want to have them mass-produced in a Chinese sweatshop to cater to the Sprawl-Mart crowd.

11. What are you getting out of it?
A free Cuppow, essentially. I won't be getting financially rich by hawking Cuppows, but it's already letting me meet new folks. Meeting new folks is cool. And these new folks might someday want fly fishing/casting lessons...or a guided fly fishing trip...or a dozen locally-tied flies for saltwater or smallmouth bass fishing. See what I'm gettin' at?

12. You think you're something awesome, don't you?
Just buy a Cuppow. No comment. No more questions. This interview's over!

********
So yeah...I know you want a Cuppow, so fire me an email (angling<dot>ronin<at>gmail<dot>com) or hit me up on the Twitter.

Happy Hump Day

Just 'cuz "hump" is a funny word...

Enjoy some tunes:

The Guatemalan Chronicles - Day 1

Departed for Fredericton Airport from my place at 4AM. It was -14°C, i.e., colder than a witch's tit. Check-in went smooth at YFC, as always, and we departed for Toronto about fifteen minutes late...as always.

Tense moments at YYZ; we landed and spent almost a full thirty minutes waiting for a gate. I only had about an hour to make my connection. Add it up: fifteen minutes late for departing + 30 minutes waiting for a gate + 10 minutes of shenanigans of getting off the plane = one sprinting Mat.

But I made the flight to Mexico City. And surprisingly, so did my bag.

After clearing customs in MEX, I had four hours or so to kill until my flight to Guatemala City. I celebrated the 24°C weather by sitting outside for most of that time. Terminal 2 at MEX is pretty damn nice. 

Outside MEX Terminal-2

I also indulged in the traditional Mexican cuisine of "greasy pizza by the slice in the food court" and an ice-cold Coca.

Soon enough it was time to head through security & to board the plane. This part wasn't overly fun. 

As usual, I was traveling with my four-piece rods & reels in my Orvis rod case. It's never been questioned that it's a carry-on; however, sometimes I tell a fib to the airline agents & say it's a clarinet because they never have an issue with a classical musician, but sometimes look funny at an angler. 

I'm headed through security with the rod case and, of course, they need to look at it. They make me take all the rods out of the socks, one at a time, to look at them up close. After a few questions and some more glancing, they let me go through.

BUT...then this Mexican hobbit of a woman in a security uniform runs up to me at the gate, a solid five minutes after the fact, and proceeds to tell me I can't bring my rod case on the plane. I politely tell her she's wrong (this doesn't go over well) and I had carried the same case through security in Cancun last month. No dice. Back to the security checkpoint I go.

The argument escalates when I ask them to either show me their regulations (I can't read Spanish, so not sure where I was heading with that) or to speak to a supervisor, i.e., the person who let me through the first time. They give me zilch. 

So back to the airline counter, where I threw $20 US to the shrink-wrap dude to wrap my rod case up solidly, and I hoped for the best. Back through security and onto the plane...and we're off.

I always seem to snap pictures from the plane. I don't know why, but I do. This trip was no different.

Mexican Marines

Random snow-capped volcano

Clouds

Sunset over the Pacific

Customs & immigration in Guatemala was a piece of cake; they had separate lines for residents and foreigners...and only 7 of us gringo-types were on that flight. A few cursory questions, passport stamped, and I made it to Guatemala!

My bags were quickly picked up (rod case intact, too), and then I was off to my hostel for the night.

Jon & Salty were picking me up early to head to the coast, plus the long day wiped me out. I'm typically a laissez-faire traveler, because I know how anything to do with air travel is more likely than not to get fucked up...but I found the Toronto sprint and the Mexican carry-on argument pretty annoying & tiring.

I was asleep by 9PM. Delightful.

Next up: Day 2, starring a missing Salty and The Puma...