Three Rivers Region

[dedgren]

Oh, man!  It's late again.

I'm going to try to get up at 4:30 or so tomorrow morning and try to get some stuff up.

Here's a bit to tide you over.  They're working on freeways in the North Country.



This is kind of fun.  I'm tempted to title it "Redesigning Minnesota" or something else frou-frou.

Later.


David

[emilin]

Quick question about that, David, if you don't mind?

That puts 3RR something like 160 miles northwest of Lake Superior, right? Considering your plans for a proper industrial port, how do the waters of Hotham Inlet connect to Lake Superior (and the rest of the river system making travelling to the ocean coast possible for large vessels)?

I think you need to invent a deep water canal going from Morson and through Rainy Lake and onwards to Lake Superior. It's either that or sticking to trout fishing in Hotham Inlet.

[pvarcoe]

That's very familiar looking territory you've got there David (although slightly modified

[Jmouse]

Stunning photos of the "wild country!" Way down south, we seldom enjoy such a colorful transition into fall.

Until next time...
Joan

[dedgren]

Hee hee!



I've just substantially added to the Interstate Highway System [linkie].  Bud Shuster [linkie] would be proud.

Later.


David

[thundercrack83]

I had to consult a map of Minnesota after that one, David! I couldn't remember what it was your added! You're doing a fantastic job! Keep it up!

[jplumbley]

That is some really cool Mapping David!

Now, since you have done such a great job mapping... you should really check your PMs.  Beskh3epmn sent you a PM the other day in regards to a request you had made and we have your response  and are eagerly awaiting for you to tell us what you think.

Sorry, for interrupting your great project.. But I thought this would be the best place to get your attention  since you are such a popular guy, a great admin and one top notch member overall and I know you get alot of PMs.

Now, Im gonna go hide in the shadows again  because I dont want to get a  from you... Hehe.

[BigSlark]

David,

Bud Shuster and the men behind the Appalachian Development Corridors would be very, very proud of you.

So, since I like to ask questions, has anyone thought about the freeway border posts in 3RR? Or are those in Canadian or US territory? 

Cheers,
Kevin

[Ryan B.]

Ladies and gentlemen, the 3RRDOT is pleased to announce it has commenced signage production operations.  The first two signs to roll off the line are for the intersection of Routes 1 & 10, in the southwest corner:



That is all.  More to come later.

[thundercrack83]

I saw the signs over in your thread, Ryan, but after seeing them here again, I can't help but let you know how great I think they are (I'm a huge fan of road signs, for some strange reason). Excellent work, again, my friend! I can't wait to see the rest of the 3RRDOT signs!

[bat]

That are nice looking signs! Also looking forward to the rest!

[beskhu3epnm]

The map is.... ghastly awesome. I've been through this RL region several times in my life (although I know your region is super-imposed) and it seems so.... realistic to think that 3RR could fit there. The way you have the lake and river system set up... you don't even miss a beat when it comes down to it.

Great work.

And... check your PM's....

[BigSlark]

That does it. I hereby nominate David to be the King of SC4.

I can only imagine what his actual cities must look like after seeing landscapes, a fleeting small town, and the mapping projects.

Cheers,
Kevin

[dedgren]

Mmmmmm. Mmmmm. Mmm.  You Ontario-based 3RR Fact Checkers should've kicked my butt.

I had a vague feeling of something troubling me the last time around updating the location map.  In 2003, I drove my daughter home from college (RPI, Troy, NY.  Bring lots of money) and took the Canadian route all the way back- something I've always wanted to do.  We drove around the north shore of Lake Superior (an incredible drive- highly recommended!) on Route, Route... Route 17.  Yeah! That was it.  Ontario was the province where all the uniform route numbering further west went to heck.  I labeled it Route 1 on my location map.  But it turned out that wasn't the only error I made...

I checked out a great website- www.OntHighways.com [linkie], and quickly found a picture that refreshed my further recollection that the Trans-Canada Highway route markers are not numbered in Ontario.



Rather, they bear names, and the major routes are on "The Kings Highway" shields.

So, my Ontario "Route 1" is actually signed like this.

   

I've also signed my former "TCH 71" as

   

and "TCH 11" (in Ontario) as

   

Note, though, that according to OntHighways.com, the powers that be at OntDOT (at least that's what I would call it) have removed the TCH "Voyageur Route" designation from both TKH 11 and TKH 71.  Why?  Who knows?  But that's Canada for you.  Fiercely independent, just like my oldest daughter, who married a nice guy from Edmonton and is in the process of emigrating there.

Anyway, 3RR continues to honor those heroic voyageurs (I get chapped checks just thinking about sitting in a canoe all day, much less paddling one- or, heaven forbid, portaging) by leaving up the TCH markers.  Here's the adjusted location map, which is still a work in progress.



* * *

I need to let folks who've PM'd me and otherwise asked me stuff to be a bit patient- I'm not ignoring you.  I travel to Helena, Montana tomorrow to visit my adopted son Josh, who's in a hospital there, and I've been bashing stuff together at work like a madman trying to make up for the two days of missed work coming up.  Just consider it me waiting to do the great things that are going on justice, please.

Later.


David

[threestooges]

With the work you have done so far, a little waiting won't hurt. Also, justice is a good thing too (heh heh). I'm keeping busy just by keeping up with law school reading... where do you find the time? I hope your visit with your son goes well, and that he gets better soon. Take care of yourself.

[Jmouse]

Take a deep breath, slow down and be safe, David. Please! 3RR and all your loyal fans will still be here when you return.
And best wishes for your son's good health and well being.

Until next time...
Joan

[Ryan B.]

Hope your son's all right, David.  RL items far outweigh 3RR stuff when it comes to family.

[dedgren]

I always appreciate how much here at SC4D everyone cares about the RL issues others face.   I've always only had one or two really close friends at any given time during my life.  I certainly can't say that any longer.

Without any intention to share more information than would be provided unbidden, the situation with the two children, Tristen and Josh, that Heather and I adopted in 2003 is as follows.  The two boys, who are extended family, were in foster care through the child protective services agency of another state.  Both were born with significant mental and emotional deficiencies as a result of drug use by their mother while she was pregnant.  Each suffers terribly as a result of a condition called reactive attachment disorder, which is caused, among others, by lack of proper nurturing during infancy.  While we have made a great deal of progress with each over the past few years, both boys are going through a very difficult time right now.  You might recall, if you are a longtime 3RR and 3RR-ST reader, that Tristen spent about a year and a half in a residential treatment center in the State of Texas.  Joshua is now in a similar facility in the State of Montana.  We are certainly hoping that he does not need to stay near so long as his brother, but only time will tell.

I'd ask, in saying all this, that nobody feel sorry for Heather or myself or either of the boys.  We're all doing the best we can and we have lots of great people helping us.  Rather, we hope to be in folk's thoughts in a positive sense- there've been lots of good times for us and I'm quite sure that there are more to come.  I'll include a few pictures in a comment following my return from visiting Josh and you will see what I mean.

Again, thanks very much for being such great friends.

* * *

So, on to things 3RR.   My flight leaves Anchorage International Airport mid-afternoon and I thus have a little time before I head into town.  I get to Helena a minute before midnight local time there tonight, so this is probably it for today.

I want to catch up on our double-0 honors before we pass 1900 posts. 

Back on September 5th, all of about three weeks ago, our friend and extreme 3RR Regular^* Pat (patfirefghtr, of Waterfalls fame) notched the 17th "00" comment [linkie].  Our Rhinelanderian friend is no stranger to the double-0 ranks, having done it twice before.  Pat, thanks for your prodigious commenting here- seeing your nic always brightens my day.  May this brighten yours...

Here's





Marchand is a first-class incorporated city located in Taylor Township up in northwestern 3RR.



It is situated on the western shore of beautiful Lower Taylor Lake.  The Taylor Lakes are home to the best walleye [linkie] fishing in the region, and Marchand is a center for area resorts, outfitters and shops that cater to this piscatorial pastime.



The world record walleye was bagged in Lower Taylor Lake in 2003- it weighed 23 pounds one ounce (just under 10.5 kilograms).  That's a big fish!



Marchand is also one of the few places in the world- another being its twin city Rhinelander, Wisconsin, where the mysterious hodag [linkie] can be found.



The rumor that hodags live on a diet of unwary tourists is just that, although they have been known to carry off small yapping dogs from local RV parks.  Needless to say, if some team or club in Marchand has a mascot, you can bet that it's a hodag.

Here's the Gazetteer entry.

• Marchand (City - SW Quad Taylor Twp - lat. 49° 10' 02" N / lon. 95° 17' 55" W - elev. 857 ft/261 m amsl.)  Marchand is a charter city located in the northwest quadrant of the region about 20 miles/32 kilometers from downtown Pineshore.  It is located on the western shore of Lower Taylor Lake, and is the traditional "jumping-off point" for recreation in the Taylor Lakes area.  The city takes its name from Frederick Marchand, an early principal in organizing the Duluth, Winnipeg & Western ("DW&W") railroad line.  Population (2000 census): 5,886.  Local Government:  Mayor, 5 member City Council.  Police and Fire:  Regional Trooper Post #11, Rural Fire Service Station #8.  Medical Services:  Trauma Center, For-profit hospital (Marchand General) and associated clinics, privately run open to public emergency care facility.  Postal Service:  Rural Postal Station #3.  Air Service:  General aviation, runway length 2,000 ft/610 m grass.  Rail Service:  None.  Marchand is home to the District Court, Northwest Judicial District.  History and General Information:  Frederick Marchand established a family "camp" in this last settled area of 3RR in the mid-1870s, with access being by a five mile/eight kilometer boat trip from Wood Ridge, a DW&W stop on the eastern shore of Upper Taylor Lake.  By 1890, the camp had been turned into a substantial home, around which grew up Marchand's downtown.  In 1895, when the region was divided into judicial districts, Marchand was selected as the site for the Northwest Judicial District's courthouse, and an imposing stone building was constructed for that and other local purposes on a site overlooking the city.  The city was issued its municipal corporation charter in 1897.  It had long been Frederick Marchand's dream to build a DW&W spur to serve the town and the surrounding heavily timbered area, but this never came to pass.  Marchand died unexpectedly on December 31, 1899, in the final hours of the 19th Century, and the idea of a rail connection to the town that bears his name died with him.  The road that became R-13 when the current route numbering scheme was adopted by 3RRDOT was paved from Brooks Ferry north to Marchand in the early 1920s, and an extension of the F-37 freeway is currently proposed to reach the city in 2015.  The Marchand home burned to the ground in 1951, and its former lawn is now Lakeshore Park.  In the 1960s, the growth of small resorts and guest cottage operations threatened to completely obliterate the theretofore largely undeveloped shores around both Taylor Lakes.  These led to the passage of the first "viewshed" preservation laws in 3RR- a practice widely in use throughout the region by the 1980s.  In the 1990s, protection of the unspoiled natural quality of the lakes was enhanced by the purchase of numerous conservation easements by the Marchand Foundation, a not-for-profit established by Frederick Marchand's heirs for the purpose of "preserving natural values in the Taylor Lakes area."  Today, Marchand is a gem of a small city, with a thriving tourism and sport-fishing based economy.

So, here's a few pics from around Marchand.


Northwest District Courthouse, Marchand


Marchand Best Western Motel, R-13


Church in Marchand, 3RR


Marchand City Hall


ASPEN FACE Facility west of Marchand

The Aspen FACE (Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment) Experiment is a multidisciplinary study to assess the effects of increasing tropospheric ozone and carbon dioxide levels on aspen forest ecosystems.  FACE sites are located in a number of places in the United States and Canada.  The site to the south and west of Marchand is the only location in 3RR.  The experiment consists of twelve 30m rings in which the concentrations of carbon dioxide and tropospheric ozone can be controlled. The design provides the ability to assess the effects of these gasses alone, and in combination, on many ecosystem attributes, including growth, leaf development, root characteristics, and soil carbon.  Each ring consist of a series of vertical ventpipes which disperse carbon dioxide or ozone into the center of the ring. A centrally computer-controlled system uses signal feedback technology to adjust gas release each second in order to maintain a stable, elevated concentration of carbon dioxide or ozone throughout the experimental plot. Because there is no confinement, there is no significant change in the natural, ambient environment other than elevating these trace gas concentrations.  More information is available here [linkie].


Newly constructed forest products factory, Marchand


Local recreation opportunities, Marchand, 3RR


Lower Taylor Lake sunset

So, that's Marchand.  Another really nice place in 3RR.

Thanks, again, Pat!

Later.


David

^* A 3RR Regular, as noted many times before, is someone who has commented at least once here or over at 3RR-ST.  We'll get around to counting 'em all at some point, but my guess is that they number in excess of 300 folks.

[thundercrack83]

It looks as though I've missed a bit of action here in 3RR today!

And it looks like you got lucky on those Canadian routes, too, David! Nobody caught it--I know I never would have! Also, congratulations go out to Pat for his third "00" accolade and to Rhinelander, WI, as well! Hope all is well in your travels and with the family, my friend! Take care!

[TheTeaCat]

David

Once again you amaze me by the wonderful update. How you find the time to do so much baffles me. Your constant attention to detail and positive approach to everything is evident with all you do, both here in 3RR and RL.

I wish only the  best for you and your family and when you get a moment enjoy this


regards
Derry