Hey! Luke!
Hey there! How are you!?! What a great canoe trip -- glad to see you're enjoying the free time that comes with being out of school. I don't think I ever gave you permission to leave Montana. I just got here, and was looking forward to visiting you in Bozeman, but no longer.
Glad you're doing well.
Take care,
Hilary
translation according to google translator: ATTENTION TO OUR CHILDREN IS PERHAPS THE YOUR
which maybe means, please pay attention and don't run over our children?
Rhyolite - 40 years ago While participating with an Explorer Scout troop in 1968, which specialized in desert exploration, we ended up in Rhyolit after spending the day at the Mint 400 desert auto race. There was a terrible sand storm blowing, winds about 50 mph and you could not see anything. We took shelter in the abandoned and dilapidated three story bank building, the only place secure enough to endure the wind and sand was one of the two old bank vaults. We could not get our gear into the upper vault as it had been stripped of the bank flooring, so we sheltered in teh lower one which smelled really bad, worse that a port-o-potty. The next day we went to an old railroad station in town that had been set up as a museum, one of the few remaining buildings in tact. It was being run by an old lady. She asked about our small group, and we told her that we had sheltered in the lower vault at the old bank. A grim look came over her face and she informed us that a few days before the police had recovered a completely nude, male body with the finger chopped off and the head missing - obviously a mob hit in her words. Thus explained the smell - The town itself back then was actually very interesting historically, as it had been one of the largest towns in Nevada with over 35,000 inhabitants, three major railroads and no less than five major banks. When the government reduced the price of gold, the mines laid off workers on a temporray basis expecting the price of goald to resume at it's original rate. Many of the peopel who were originally from other states as far back as the eats coast packed up their bags for a trip not much different than a vacation. Gold did not increase, the mines stayed closed and people did not return, some had even left their doors unlocked and wash hanging on the lines drying in the desert sun. The reason Rhyolite lookes the waty it does is that building materials were very scarce in teh desert, and when the railroads quit running to that town, people would just strip all the buildings of anything useful. The shell of thebank survived because it was reinforced concrete - no way to take it way by theives.
Answers to your slug question I hereby give you a ranger rick article on slugs:
Title:SLIMY, SLITHERY, SLUGS AND SNAILS. Author(s):Ellen Lambeth. Source:Ranger Rick 35.4 (April 2001): p.23. (1006 words) From General OneFile. Document Type:Magazine/Journal Bookmark:Bookmark this Document Library Links:
Full Text :COPYRIGHT 2001 National Wildlife Federation
Take a good look at this sneaky snail and its little hitchhiking pal. Slimeballs like these could be prowling your neighborhood right now. Can you track 'em down? Read on for clues to help you investigate these oozers and their partners in slime.
What has a head connected to its foot, which is also its belly? Did you guess a snail, like the one in the photo below? If that's your final answer, then you're absolutely right!
Scientists even call a snail a "belly-foot." It just sounds better when they say it, because they use the scientific name: gastropod.
Snails are soft, squishy animals with simple bodies. So are their shell-less cousins, the slugs. Snails and slugs come in all sizes, shapes, and colors and live in all kinds of places.
Some snails live in the ocean. You sometimes see their shells washed up on the beach. There are sea slugs too. They have colorful bodies but no shells.
Some snails live in freshwater. Maybe you've found them in ponds or even in aquariums. But the snails and slugs on these pages all live on land. If you look, you might find some like them right in your own backyard.
Nighttime's the right time to look for land snails and slugs. That's especially true during warm weather when it's also muggy or drizzly. But what if it's not the right time? Then search for these slimy guys in their hideouts. Try any place that's dark and damp, such as under a pile of leaves or an upside-down flowerpot. Your first clue is a silvery trail of slime.
WHICH IS WHICH?
The main difference between snails and slugs is the shells: Snails have 'em; slugs don't. The common garden snail at left can scrunch into its shell when the weather's not right. But the colorful slug below seems to get along just fine without a shell. Bet you can see why it's called a banana slug! The slug above is almost a snail, but not quite. Can you find the tiny almost-shell on its back?
SHELL
A hard "home" that grows in swirls as the snail grows. See the growth lines, like rings in a tree trunk?
FOOT
Crawling body part. Muscles in the foot move in waves like a bulldozer's tread. That helps push the animal forward on a layer of slime.
TENTACLES
Eyes at the tips of the long ones see light and dark. Short ones feel around and sense food. Both kinds can be pulled into the head for safety.
BREATHING HOLE
On a slug's right side. In a snail, it's under the edge of the shell.
MANTLE
A protective "coat" of thick skin on a slug's back. On a snail, it's under the shell. A gland in the mantle makes the material that forms the snail's growing shell.
PRIME SLIME TIME!
The coolest thing about slugs and snails is their goo. Without it, they're nowhere.
The ooey-gooey stuff has another name besides slime: mucus (MYOO-kuss). Mucus oozes from a gland in the front of the foot. Sometimes it's sticky and sometimes it's slippery, depending on where the creature is crawling. It protects the animal's body from sharp surfaces--even a razor's edge (above). Yowie!
Slime helps a snail or slug get around. Here's how: 1) The animal oozes out some mucus, 2) it moves little muscles in its foot, and 3) it slides forward on top of the slime layer. Hey, maybe it's easier to use someone else's slime layer! (left)
The slug above is trying a really slick trick. It's dangling from its own "rope" of slime to climb from leaf to leaf.
Slime also helps keep moisture in the body and dirt and germs out. Some snails and slugs can make a slimy foam that grosses out an enemy until it loses its appetite. And slime can be useful when the weather gets too hot or cold or too dry. A snail just seals off the opening to its shell with a thick plug of slime. Ahhh, cozy and safe inside!
MAMAS AND PAPAS
Believe it or not, a single slug or snail is both a mom and a dad. But each one still needs to find a mate. It's like two families in one. The pair of them fertilize each other's eggs. Then off each one goes to lay its own eggs. It might leave its eggs under some leaves or in another moist hiding spot. Or it might drop them down a hole dug into the soil, as this one is doing. Plip! Plop! Plup! The weirdest thing is, the eggs are coming from a hole at the snail's front end!
After a couple of weeks or so, tiny, pale copies of the adults will break out of the eggs. That's what the little guy in the small photo above is doing. This baby slug is checking out the world for the very first time.
Slugs and snails have plenty of enemies. Looks as if the salamander at left has just picked a fresh banana--a banana slug, that is! Toads, moles, mice, and snakes are just a few of the other animals that dine big-time on slimers. Even people sometimes eat snails--some people anyway! And there are some birds that eat nothing but snails.
Snails and slugs eat lots of different things too. Some eat dead or living animals, sometimes even each other. But many eat mostly plant parts. The garden slug below left is about to make a meal of a juicy, ripe strawberry.
Inside a slug's or snail's mouth is a tongue-like tool with a very rough surface (see close-up drawing below). This tool is called a radula (RAD-joo-lah). It works like a file to scrape off bits of food.
Now you know just how cool snails and slugs are, right? So don't be sluggish. Don't move at a snail's pace. Hop right up and get outside, quick! Maybe you'll meet a snail or slug in your neighborhood that you can get to know a lot better! =
Hope that helps!!!!!!
In true geek-dome, Luke, I know the answer to your slug questions (well, some of them) thanks to Animal Behavior 101...or well, 240. Slugs like to wrap themselves in slug juice when Marvin Gaye starts playing...I saw a video! hahaha, I know, I know....and I believe they lay eggs. ....hm, yes, I'm going to lock that in as my final answer. Salt kills them because of osmosis: water leaves their body, causing dehydration. Impressive, hey, who knows about slug sex? I am happy to hear you survived the Nulhegan, and she finally relinquished your paddle. Best of luck crossing back into Maine—awesome adventure!
slugs babies! They mate the regular way, then put their fertilized eggs in a hole in the ground to hatch.
And because this is my forte:
Slug juice is mucus! It keeps their bodies from drying out. When you salt them, they die, because the salt absorbs all their body moisture.
Slugs Well besides the fact that, holy cow, sounds like quite an adventure (glad you're ok, sorry you lost stuff, glad you reclaimed some of it), I'm writing to answer hopefully all of your slug-related questions. No, unfortunately, this doesn't come from personal expertise on these gastropod mullusks, but instead from the reliable wikipedia:
1.) How are slug babies made (do they hatch from eggs?)
This is going to disturb you. Well, first, slugs are hermaphrodites. When a slug locates a mate, they circle each other, do their DNA-exchange, and a few days later, about 30 eggs are laid in a hole. Now, according to Wiki, a commonly seen practice among slugs is "apophallation," when one slug CHEWS OFF the other's penis.
2.) What is the Slug juice that they make?
3.) Why do the LOVE camping gear?
4.) Why does salt kill them?
slug info--gross! MUCUS
Slugs have two types of mucus:
one which is thin and watery comes from the glands of the foot epithelium,
the other which is thick and sticky comes from the pedal gland and originates
at the front of the foot.The thin mucus is spread out form the centre of the
foot to the edges,the thick mucus spreads out from front to back.
The whole surface of the body produces also mucus.The pedal gland of Limax is
embedded in the foot muscle,in Milax it lies in the haemocoel on top of the
foot.
Mucus is very important in the slugs life for moving around.Mucus contains fibers
which prevents the slug from sliding down vertical surfaces.
Because slugs don't have a shell to protect them they use mucus for this
purpose.
Mucus also prevents the slug from drying out,it absorbs water.
In navigation mucus comes also in handy,and some species use slime cords
to lower themselves on the ground and during mating(Limacidae).
Some species have pigmented mucus,for example yellow in Arion subfuscus.
REPRODUCTION
Slugs are hermaphroditic,which means that they have both female and male
reproductive organs.
Often a slug will follow another slugs mucus trail and eat it.Then the slugs
circle around eachother.The genitalia are being pushed out,often visible
as a bluish swelling on the right side of the body.The slugs move closer
together and the genitalia make contact.Sperm is transferred in the form
of spermatophores.
The Great Grey Garden slug often mates in midair hanging on a slime cord.
two slugs mating their genitalia are pushed out
pictures courtesey of this site.
In the case of Bananaslugs something else happens,it is called apophallation.
What it means is that one slug will bite off the penis of the other.
Because the penis cannot regrow the castrated slug is forced to be
"female" and offer eggs.
FERTILISATION AND EGG LAYING
The spermatophore passes to the spermatheca where the outer layer is digested and the
sperm released.Some of it pass to the hermaphrodite duct where it fertilises the eggs.
The place where fertilisation takes place is a part between the hermaphrodite duct
and albumen gland,called the fertilisation pocket.
Between mating and egg laying is usually a short period,for Agriolimax reticulatus
this is 8-10 days and for Arion ater some weeks.
In a lot of species self-fertilisation is normal(Agriolimax agrestis,A.meridionalis,A.laevis),although in some species
(Agriolimax reticulatus)this is rarely the case.
Normally eggs are diposed in holes in the ground.Ofcourse the number of eggs and size
depends on the species.Vaginulus borellianus lays 610-1365 eggs in 8-13 batches in
a continious string.Agriolimax reticulatus lays about 500 eggs in batches of
up to 33 eggs.
General Store - Richford, VT Met you when you portaged the rail trail (math teachers). I'm wondering if by the General Store you meant the old IGA grocery store (formerly Blouin's) which has been closed for a few years. There is now a new grocery store in town called "Mac's" which is near the fire station by the bridge. The Pinnacle Peddler (gas station/del) is not far from the old IGA and has great pizza and sandwiches! Happy canoeing.
Holy Cow Glad you guys are making it. I hope you are being careful; it would be a sorry world if it were suddenly shorter by two wonderful mathematicians. Speaking of which, did you talk to the math teachers about Euclid or Lobachevsky, Riemann or Fermat? Or was it all rapids here, camp there? I hope you are both having fun amidst all that treachory, whatever you are discussing!
Hey! I'm enjoying your entries--especially love hearing about upstate NY, I lived there for 2 yrs. Have a Saranac for me! All the best, have a great rest of your trip!
Keep on truckin! Luke,
Sounds like you guys are having a good time. Nice writeup, it is almost like I am there. Too bad about the camera, maybe you can grab another one somewhere.
The entire state of Montana misses your presence.
Wishing you well,
Michael
I saw a special on Lake Champlain. It does look huge, but have you ever seen Great Salt Lake from a plane? Anyways, Champ the lake moster lives there. Try to get a pic with him. I hear he's shy and doesnt do public appearances often. Get him to sign your boobs for me if you see him though.
Hmmm, a Pendleton blanket! I used to live in Pendleton! Pow wows are fun; Ive been to a few (in said Pendleton; had an ex that is a Native American in the tribe there) and I always had a good time. Shoulda bought me a lobstah when YOU were HERE. Instead we had to make do with stuffed manicotti. You left your Spudnuts; I ate them.
Bridger Ridge Entry Hi Luke,
The race director of the Bridger Ridge Run wants me to post on the ridge run website your blog about your hike on the ridge two years with Shane and Gauss. Can you give me permission before you are devoured by mutant black flies?
Tom
Great story - can I put in on the BRR Website? I just came across your tale of doom. Loved it - and with your permission would love to have it on our Bridger Ridge Run website. Can we do it? I know this is a year or 2 after the writing, so I hope you read this! (I'm the race director)
Lake Champlain Awesome!!!! Do me two favors. 1. Pee in Lake Champlain for me. 2. If you see Champ (he's Vermont's Loch Ness monster), say hello, take a picture, and ask him not to bump the canoe too badly!
Looking forward to your next entry!
Al
The Dance From these pictures, one would assume that The Dance for Luke consists of bending your left arm. Interesting...
That was in no way meant as a diss on the Pow Wow or the honor of being honored and included in the Pow Wow. I just found it amusingingly coincidental that in every picture taken of you during this dance, you appear to be walking with your left arm bent. Did it hurt? You know, my good natured smart mouth comes across all wrong in print. I hope no one is offended, although I suppose if you find it offense or think that someone else will, you won't display it. This is getting out of hand; I must stop now!
I LOVE MATH!!!!
After finishing my masters degree in mathematics at Montana State, I've moved back east to explore, live, and learn about the cool places and things to do on the Eastern Seaboard.... full info
Hilary
non-member comment
Hey!
Luke! Hey there! How are you!?! What a great canoe trip -- glad to see you're enjoying the free time that comes with being out of school. I don't think I ever gave you permission to leave Montana. I just got here, and was looking forward to visiting you in Bozeman, but no longer. Glad you're doing well. Take care, Hilary