But today, I was determined to conquer the Rover Warthog Award! The weather forecast was going to be unusually good for this time of the year. I chose five parks near my QTH and the mapped distance showed about a 75 mile loop to hit all the parks. The parks chosen were K-1495, K-3323, K-3324, K-3315 and K-1518 in the order. I chose these parks not only because they were close. I have activated them before and hoped that my familiarity with them would reduce the time to hunt for places and get set up. I also did not want to use 2-fers etc to make my 5 activations. I estimated about 90 mins per park with about 30 minutes of commute between them. Since I would be riding the act of suiting up, getting the earplugs and the helmets quickly eat up minutes. I needed the extra time to set up and tear down as well; I was going to be using my wire antennas up the tree. So that makes about 10 hours in total! I needed to get an early start.
I skipped my morning jog/walk to conserve energy and headed out promptly at around 8 AM (1200UTC). It was a cool 60F/15C. The ride to Dodge #4 State Park K-1495 was pleasant. I found a spot with a suitable tree and bench within a few steps of the parking spot. Since it was cool this time, I decided not to take off my jacket or my riding pants. I had the antenna up the tree within minutes. Since 40m is good for the early part of the day, I stuck to it. Looking at the log, the first contact was at 1247 UTC. By about 1303 UTC, I had 14 contacts. The going was good, I had the activation bagged within 20 minutes. The tear-down was uneventful and after ensuring all gear was packed, I headed over to the next activation.
Pontiac Lake Recreation Area K-3323 is about 20 minutes away. The traffic was very light early Sunday Morning and pretty soon I was in the park. This park always presents problems as I have not located a picnic area with trees and tables. The previous time I was here, I had to use my tarp on the meadow. This time, I chose to use the picnic shelter as I did not see any reservations for the day. It was very close to the parking lot. The muscle memory kicked in and pretty soon I had the antenna up the tree. I got about 17 QSOs in just under 30 minutes. The minor issue with this park is it is just across from a rather busy airport. The weekend morning had quite a few takes off right over my head drowning out any contacts. I had to ask for a few repetitions to get the call signs correct. Two down. Time for a little sip of water and on to the next park.
Google Maps told me that it was about a 20 minute ride to Proud Lake Rec Area K-3324. The ride was fun as it took me through some rural 2 lane roads. I chose to use the Huron Shelter area in the park. It is reached by about a quarter mile of dirt road. The parking lot was empty and I had the entire area to choose. I chose my usual spot under a tree that allows for an antenna up about 30 feet. This particular spot has been tricky for me as it takes a few tries to get the rope over the branch. I usually end up with mild elbow injury from repeated tries to get the throw bag over the branch! By this time, 40m pretty much seems to have dried up. So after trying for about 6 minutes I hopped on to 20m. After bagging 13 QSOs in 18 minutes, time to head on to park number four...
On to Island Lake State Recreation Area K-3315. Google Maps routed me through some dirt backroads that eventually put me on the freeway to the park. I was getting a little tired and had to exercise caution in getting my road bike over the dirt roads. The bike kept weaving on the gravelly surface, but fortunately there was no traffic and that allowed me to take it nice and easy and reach the park safely. I chose my spot overlooking the beach. It was fun to watch people having their fun -- kids playing, a mom teaching her kid to use the stand-up surfboard. The lazy rhythm of the kayakers with their colorful kayaks enhanced the visual appeal of the lake. The setup was quick as usual. 40m was still dead and the bands were starting to dry up. I hopped between 30m and 20m and got 18 QSOs in about 40 minutes. The slower pace of the contacts also gave me enough time to eat my home cooked pasta for lunch. Park number four...done! I was still feeling good and the next park is my favorite that I have activated many times. The end was in sight.
After a quick 20 minute ride through suburban roads, I arrived at Maybury State Park K-1518. My usual spot was empty and I even got nods of recognition from other joggers and walkers who by now seem to accept me as part of the scenery. I rarely get any more questions or looks of suspicion at this location. Just as I was getting started, a father with a young son sauntered over to me and asked me if I can reach Bad Axe (about 120 miles to my north). I told him possibly if the conditions were right. He told me his father was a ham and we exchanged callsigns. I did not think much of it and proceeded with the activation. I continued to pursue my strategy of using a mix of 20m and 30m. Just for the heck of it I called CQ on 17M and got SM2SUM from Sweden, who has worked me a couple of times before. I got my requisite contacts and was about to wrap up. I was making mistakes in copying CW and my hands were not working the paddle right. As I was about to put my QRTs, the grandfather of the young kid earlier contacted me. We had a 599 contact on 30m across 120mi. I exchanged quick pleasantries and wrapped up the successful Rover Warthog attempt.
I had estimated about 8-10 hours, but I was done in about six and a half hours. The extra padding allowed for bad conditions. This also ensures that I was not rushing between parks and make mistakes when riding under pressure of time. I was glad that the bands were cooperative and I was still reasonably fresh at the end.
Now to the important question: Will I do it again? Possibly not. I do not relish the task of constantly having to set up and tear down the radio and antennas. This in addition to gearing up and taking the gear off at every stop. The chance that I forget or leave something behind is also greatly increased.
I like the more leisurely pace and possibly will stick to the 3 park a day routine for the foreseeable future.
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