Last Minute to Waldo

 My knee has been very bad lately.   Night before last it kept me up most of the night.

I'd become despondent over my future with all the pain.  

So I put the inflatible board in the car and headed to Waldo Lake.  I knew it would hurt to drive but at this point, I wanted away from this place to somewhere beautiful.

I stopped three or four times along the way, when the pain was too much.   When I stop and walk around, unbend my knee, the pain vanishes magically.  I don't know why because I don't know what's wrong with it.

At Waldo I spent many hours paddling around.  Went down to the south end, hung out at two different beaches, waded in the cold water, which makes my knee feel good, just relaxed in a beautiful place, without another soul in sight.

The inflatible whatever it is, I don't know what to call it, only 8 feet long and it weighs just 15 lbs.  It inflates with a pump in five minutes.  So its easy.

I got back to the launch about 4:30.  The mosquitos were coming out and I'd forgotten my repellent.  Three young folk walked out from the trail that goes around the lake, or used to.  The fires left the trail a mess starting at the burn just beyond the south end.  One of the young folk carried a chain saw.  They had tin hats on.  I paddled over and asked if they were doing trail repair and they said they were til their chainsaw broke.    I told them thank you and said I wish I was in better shape (younger too) because I'd sure love to volunteer to help.  One replied its great just to see people up here enjoying the area.  

Enjoy it I do.  Wish I lived up there?  Yes.

Before I left I went swimming, which later I realized was a mistake.  Didn't hurt to kick behind my boogie board in that nice cold water.  But my knee was throbbing and painful to the touch before I could even get back to Oakridge.  It doesn't like movement, like leg kicking when swimming.  Kayaking is fine, swimming not so much.

In Oakridge I bought a ten lb bag of ice and put some of it into a gallon ziplock bag and tied to over my knee and leg to drive a little further.  I stopped many times on the way home.

Was it worth all the pain?  Yes.

My doctor had finally replied to me on mychart a week ago, stating he referred me to sports medicine but did not specify who and also said I'd have to wait for them to call me.   Did he really refer me?  I have no idea.   Nobody has called.  The medical system here, what can I say, I don't even know how to describe a system so encumbered in referrals, lack of communication and waiting.  There is seemingly no way through it to get a medical problem help in timely fashion before a small problem becomes a huge one.

Dragon flies everywhere.

Many of the dragon flies were tandoms, with the one out front appearing attached to the second via a spike at end of tail to just behind the head of the one in back.   I knew this was part of their mating thing and found it described here:

"You are witnessing a mating ritual known as the "mating wheel" or tandem flight. The "tail spike" is the male's specialized clasping organ (claspers), which securely grips the back of the female's head or thorax to tow her through the air. [1, 2, 3, 4]

How This Behavior Works

• The Lock-In: A male dragonfly uses anal appendages at the tip of his abdomen to firmly grasp a female behind her head. The shape of these claspers acts like a lock-and-key, preventing males from accidentally attempting to mate with the wrong species. [1, 2]
• The "Charging" Process: Before latching on, the male curls his tail forward to transfer a packet of sperm from his primary genitals (at the tip of his tail) to his secondary genitalia (underneath the front of his abdomen). [1]
• The Mating Wheel: To actually transfer the sperm, the female loops the tip of her abdomen forward to connect with the male's secondary sex organs. This unique linking position forms a circular or "heart-like" shape while they fly. [1, 2, 3]
• Tandem Guarding: After they are finished mating, the male will often continue to hold the female by the head while she lays her eggs in the water. This prevents rival males from interrupting her or removing his sperm before her eggs are fertilized. [1, 2]"