does anybody paddle where there are no vapour trails?

I was born before there were any jet aircraft. I never used to see vapour
trails. Now I see them everywhere I go. It just doesn't seem like
wilderness when I look up and see vapour trails.


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William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
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One of the things that struck me in the couple of days after the
September 11th attacks was the lack of vapor trails in the sky.

Given the routes that commercial aircraft take it might be hard to
find someplace without vapor trails - antarctica maybe?

While I usually find vapor trails a visual blemish I do have fond
memories of paddling in a cypress swamp a few years ago when the Blue
Angles were practicing above. The dichotomy between paddling a canoe
in the swamp, something that harkens back thousands of years, and
seeing modern jet fighters streaking overhead in precision flight was
striking.


(William R. Watt) wrote in message ...
does anybody paddle where there are no vapour trails?

I was born before there were any jet aircraft. I never used to see vapour
trails. Now I see them everywhere I go. It just doesn't seem like
wilderness when I look up and see vapour trails.

Mike McCrea wrote:

One of the things that struck me in the couple of days after the
September 11th attacks was the lack of vapor trails in the sky.

Given the routes that commercial aircraft take it might be hard to
find someplace without vapor trails - antarctica maybe?

California's north coast has very few vapor trails overhead,
and can be paddled year-round on some river or creek somewhere.
There are flights between California cities and Portland or Seattle,
but not ultra frequently, and vapor trails quickly move eastward
away from the coast.

Might be difficult finding a clear day in winter, though! ;-)

In article , William R. Watt wrote:
does anybody paddle where there are no vapour trails?

I was born before there were any jet aircraft. I never used to see vapour
trails. Now I see them everywhere I go. It just doesn't seem like
wilderness when I look up and see vapour trails.


Helsinki Sky is most of time quite clear. I finally noticed this
myself when I saw a group of japanese tourist staring at the sky in
awe. The sky was indeed unblemished, unformly blue from horizon to
horizon, not having even a trace of regular yellowish smog so common
elsewhere. Vapour trails are uncommon, because airport is close and
there is not much traffic passing by.

William R. Watt wrote:

does anybody paddle where there are no vapour trails?

I was born before there were any jet aircraft. I never used to see vapour
trails. Now I see them everywhere I go. It just doesn't seem like
wilderness when I look up and see vapour trails.



There's progress for you.

Pete H

--
When eating an elephant
take one bite at a time.
C. Abrams

William R. Watt wrote:

does anybody paddle where there are no vapour trails?



Timo has the basic idea: live/paddle in an area that's not on a great
circle between popular tourist/business locations.

I have the bittersweet location of having the entire north Maine woods
as my playground, yet it's on about a dozen great circles that connect
New York, Boston, Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, etc. with nearly
all of Europe. From 5-9 a.m. it's Europe headed for North America while
from 7 - 10 p.m. it's North America headed for Europe. Fun with a small
telescope to pick out the insignia (insigniae?) of various aircraft -
but inimical to the basic purpose for being in the woods to begin with.

Pete H

--
When eating an elephant
take one bite at a time.
C. Abrams

Pete H

Actually the North Atlantic Tracks change daily depending on wind,
turbulence and the number of tracks needed to accommodate traffic. Since
most of them originate and terminate from an area about 50 miles north and
south and about 30 miles east of Gander what you are seeing is the traffic
routed to join the tracks. I'll wave the next time I pass overhead.

Ron Donahue


"Peter H" wrote in message
...
William R. Watt wrote:

does anybody paddle where there are no vapour trails?



Timo has the basic idea: live/paddle in an area that's not on a great
circle between popular tourist/business locations.

I have the bittersweet location of having the entire north Maine woods
as my playground, yet it's on about a dozen great circles that connect
New York, Boston, Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, etc. with nearly
all of Europe. From 5-9 a.m. it's Europe headed for North America while
from 7 - 10 p.m. it's North America headed for Europe. Fun with a small
telescope to pick out the insignia (insigniae?) of various aircraft -
but inimical to the basic purpose for being in the woods to begin with.

Pete H

--
When eating an elephant
take one bite at a time.
C. Abrams

Ronald Donahue wrote:

Pete H

Actually the North Atlantic Tracks change daily depending on wind,
turbulence and the number of tracks needed to accommodate traffic. Since
most of them originate and terminate from an area about 50 miles north and
south and about 30 miles east of Gander what you are seeing is the traffic
routed to join the tracks. I'll wave the next time I pass overhead.

Ron Donahue



Ron,

Some flights are nearly NE-SW but the majority appear to be very close
to true E-W as they fly over. I'll have the coffee pot on, roughly from
last of April till end of November. I'm lucky enough to average 45-50
nights a year in the Maine woods. If I can retire @ 62.5, in 2005, I'll
be in there guiding folks & having a great time much more often.

Pete H

--
When eating an elephant
take one bite at a time.
C. Abrams

Another angle: Jet scouting.

Been to the UK twice in the last two months - just got back again yesterday.
This last trip was a real window gazer. First trips went over Maine and then
over St. Johns to the London. But the return on this one was the one I was
waiting for: The London to Minneapolis great circle route. It took us over
NE Scotland, the tip of Greenland, over Northern Labrador, across the James
Bay and then Northern Ontario. The weather was gorgeous - clear and sunny.

I sat glued to the window mumbling about the rivers and interesting spots and
scribbling rough drawings to look up later of places I would like to visit.

Coming in from James Bay, you suddenly hit the northern most edge of the areas
of clear cutting. The East side of Nippigon is essentially all whacked down, and
many many areas there are lakes surrounded by just a "clown fringe" of trees with
the entire forest around it totally cut down.

But the rivers were spectacular. The snow really highlighted the surface features,
making the elevation and terrain differences stand out. It was awesome.

Someone should make arrangements to strap video cameras to the underside of planes
and sell the reconnaissance data. I would be a buyer in a heartbeat. And if one knew the
weather conditions were going to be good and the route known, I would buy a cheapie
ticket just to do it all over again

Blakely


Ronald Donahue wrote:

Pete H

Actually the North Atlantic Tracks change daily depending on wind,
turbulence and the number of tracks needed to accommodate traffic. Since
most of them originate and terminate from an area about 50 miles north and
south and about 30 miles east of Gander what you are seeing is the traffic
routed to join the tracks. I'll wave the next time I pass overhead.

Ron Donahue

"Peter H" wrote in message
...
William R. Watt wrote:

does anybody paddle where there are no vapour trails?



Timo has the basic idea: live/paddle in an area that's not on a great
circle between popular tourist/business locations.

I have the bittersweet location of having the entire north Maine woods
as my playground, yet it's on about a dozen great circles that connect
New York, Boston, Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, etc. with nearly
all of Europe. From 5-9 a.m. it's Europe headed for North America while
from 7 - 10 p.m. it's North America headed for Europe. Fun with a small
telescope to pick out the insignia (insigniae?) of various aircraft -
but inimical to the basic purpose for being in the woods to begin with.

Pete H

--
When eating an elephant
take one bite at a time.
C. Abrams

Someone should make arrangements to strap video cameras to the underside of planes
and sell the reconnaissance data. I would be a buyer in a heartbeat.


How much you willing to pay? We have a video camera under our C130.....

--Chris