People are STILL slobs! (and other progress reports)
Last November, after I wrote a column decrying all the litter that dirtbags thoughtlessly — or maliciously — toss along roadsides, in waterways, on beaches and in other inappropriate places (https://www.theday.com/ columns/20171124/lets-face-itpeople-are-slobs) a few readers suggested I follow up on what progress, if any has been made.
Guess what! I no longer see ANY cigarette butts, beer cans, hamburger wrappers or nips bottles anywhere whenever I go for a run, hike or paddle! Former scofflaws, properly educated, chastened and shamed, now fastidiously dispose of every scrap of refuse that can’t be recycled … Yeah, right. If anything, litter is piled deeper wherever you look. My friend Bob and I still pick up the equivalent of a garbage bagful on our morning jogs, stopping to toss bottles, cups, crumpled papers and other debris every so often in neighbors’ trash containers. That doesn’t include all the gunky, unmentionable stuff I won’t touch even if I were wearing a hazmat suit.
What are slobs thinking? I guess nothing at all — it’s all reflex: Finish beer, cigarette or burger, roll down window, toss, keep driving.
At the urging of Jim Furlong of Mystic, a member of the Groton Open Space Association, I made a few calls to see how often anti-litter laws are enforced. Not surprisingly, I learned the answer is infrequently, at best — not because police aren’t doing their jobs, but because it’s difficult to catch someone in the act.
“The only way is when a cop is right behind them,” said Ledyard Police Lt. Ken Creutz. “That rarely happens.”
On the other hand, police have made arrests after rummaging through heaps of dumped rubbish and finding an envelope with a name or other identifiable evidence, but again, that’s rarely takes place, Creutz said.
“In most cases, we don’t have any way of finding out (who did the illegal dumping),” he said.
Paul Gately, deputy chief of the Town of Groton Police Department, agreed that arrests are uncommon, but not for lack of concern.
“Littering has always been a pet peeve of mine throughout my career,” he said.
It’s one thing to keep a messy house, but when you litter outside, “that affects everybody,” he added.
Gately said he sees cigarette butts more than any other roadside debris and theorized that their prevalence is due to the fact most new cars today don’t have ash trays.
The fine for littering in Connecticut now stands at $219 — an amount set by the legislature every year based on a complex formula. This is not exactly a slap on the
wrist, but one should note that if you're spotted simply chewing gum on the immaculate streets of Singapore you get caned. Just saying.
Ferries and bikes, Part 1
In a June 29 column about Stonington bicyclist Kevin Clark's annual madcap, daylong ride that involved ferries to Block Island and Long Island, promised an update on this year's repeat performance.
I'm delighted to report that Kevin, joined by pals Mary Georgetti, Steve Valach and a rider who prefers to be identified only as “Bob,” set off at 5:30 a.m. last Sunday from Stonington to Point Judith, R.I., where they boarded a ferry with their bikes to Block Island; rode around the perimeter; then hopped on another ferry to Montauk Point on New York's Long Island; biked to the Hamptons; then to Sag Harbor, where they took another ferry to Shelter Island; rode across that island; boarded another ferry to Greenport; then sprinted to Orient Point, where they boarded yet another ferry to New London and finally cycled back to Stonington by 7:30 p.m.
“It went like clockwork,” Kevin reported. The group wound up pedaling about 100 miles interspersed by ferry voyages.
At one point, Mary wanted to go for a swim, but Kevin cracked the whip.
“No time for stops,” he demanded. Mission accomplished.
Ferries and bikes, Parts 2
After reading the June 29 column, a hard-core bicyclist named Dan Linkinhoker from Washington, D.C., who grew up in southeastern Connecticut and had been visiting his mother in Mystic, decided to follow a somewhat more circuitous version of Kevin's route as a solo ride July 22.
One bump in the road: Miserable weather wreaked havoc with ferry schedules.
“I was irate, but realized I could still complete the ride. I would just finish late at night. Ridiculously late,” he reported in an email. Here is his account: “So Sunday morning I got up and left my mom's apartment in Mystic at 8:30 a.m., hoping to catch the 10:30 am ferry out of Judith …. I had such an aggressive headwind and rain I contemplated just turning around and going home for a nice warm shower (although the thought of travelling back on Route 1 was enough to deter me). I made it with five minutes to spare, soaked. However, I was on my way to Block Island (if the boat didn't capsize)!
“Block was beautiful, but I had five hours to ride around the island. I ended up riding for about three hours before taking a long break before the 5 p.m. Montauk ferry, knowing I would need my legs for later (I was already at 80 miles at this point). The roads on Block were much worse than I expected, but very few cars.
“The Montauk ferry was just as bumpy as the first ferry, but I did not have time to be seasick (despite my stomach's wooziness). My goal was to catch the 9:30 p.m. ferry out of Orient Point (three hours to do 40 miles, plus the two other mini ferries).
“After departing Montauk, I found my hard work earlier in the day had been rewarded. The wind was with me now (or I actually got a new pair of legs). I averaged a little over 21 mph to the south ferry. I felt amazing …
“The trip to the north ferry was just as fast … and I completed that section already having 110 miles down. I crossed on the north ferry, turned my lights on, and raced towards Orient Point as darkness and more rain descended upon me. Thanks to the tailwinds and my new legs, I now had a shot to catch the 9 p.m. ferry. And I did just that, averaging over 20 mph as I pulled into the Orient Point parking lot at 8:55 pm.
“Getting off the last ferry in New London at 10:50 p.m. was laughable, knowing I still had to bike a little over 10 miles back to Mystic ... I biked over the bridge, along 184, down the light-less River Road, and back home to Mystic at 11:40.”
Dan computes he averaged 18.35 mph over 135.5 miles and burned about 8,000 calories.
“Given the chance I would do it again,” he added.
My kind of guy.