I have been unable to access the wonderful world of QJ for the past 2 months.  I was concerned that something tragic happened, as I would just get a little SORRY in the upper left, when I typed in QJ.com.  So today, while I was supposed to be doing official Army stuff, on the official Army computer, I accidentally typed in quietjourney.com.  Thank god.  I have been going through serious BW withdrawals since getting over here, and couldn't take much more of the other BWCA site.  Far too much nonsense over there, for my liking.  I seem to get that same giddy feeling using this official computer unofficially, as I did on Knife Lake many years ago, bringing back a few gallons of "bootleg" blueberries across the border.

Look out the MPs are on their way to make an arrest!  ;D

QJ can be hard to get to.  I keep getting logged off on my work computer and resetting the password is hard so I can only access from home.

Which other site did you try?  There's two - CCBB and BWCA.com.  Both have their merits and demerits, and the CCBB is certainly not what it once was.  I still need all three sites to feed my addiction.

Glad you found us here, bmaines.  And hope you will safely be home in the future so you can be back to the canoe country.

I am active on that other site (bwca.com) where you are not as happy, but there isn't much for me here on QJ anymore.  It seems to be just for the Quetico folks now.  I still check it every day, though, and my heart is here more than anywhere because I made such good friends here.  Can hardly wait for next year's Canoecopia!

I lurk on the CCBB but have never posted there.  Three boards are more than I can handle.  And when I was working I wasn't able to get ANY of them on my computer there--they were all blocked.  I guess public schools are fussier than the military.   ;)

Welcome back! Glad you found us! Thanks for all you do in the military! You guys don't get enough thanks and praise for your sacrifice for our country! My son is in the Marine Corps, currently in Japan. We appreciate the sacrifices that are made. [smiley=thumbup.gif] [smiley=thumbup.gif]

I didn't really think too much about QJ being hijacked by Quetico trippers until Spartan 1 pointed it out.  But that is fine with me as I haven't gone to the BWCA for over 20 years.  Plus I only enter Quetico from the north.  Some day I should go to the BWCA and see if my memory is correct or see if the BWCA has changed a lot from 20 years ago.

I thought QJ was being hijacked by WCPP.

Westwood

Oh no. Another thread hijack. Old Salt is going to get carpal tunnel syndrome trying to keep us all on topic.

Re Q people overwhelming BW inhabitants on QJ:

Having just got here, I'd hate for QJ to die from too much love from us northerners.

QJ is certainly the "Go-To" place for Q news and it's the first place Q park office staff recommend for on-line info. (It's a bit embarrassing that we Canucks have to depend on an American online site for this.) I'm not familiar with bwca.com, but I have to question whether a site ignoring the northern half of this wilderness might be lacking a bit of perspective?

I think most of us view crossing the border (in either direction) as little more than a nuisance. I tend to view BW/Q as a shared resource, with a few irritants added by the pointyheads in Ottawa, Toronto and Washington.

Slightly different park rules means there's more chance that a potential visitor will find what he wants somewhere.  Is the compass direction from which we enter that important?

So Spartan 2, please don't think of QJ as just a social thing, and deprive the rest of us who don't know you personally of your years of experience. Hopefully those of us who mainly visit the northern half will be able to give back enough for it to be worthwhile for one who mainly visits the southern half.

Well, Joe, at the risk of continuing the hijack (sorry, that wasn't my intent in the first place, I was just making conversation.  Most of the guys on here are familiar with me and know that is my style),  I think there are a couple of things that you said that need clarification.

First of all, I am not depriving anyone on here of my "experience".  If I am on QJ and find I have something to say, I say it. (Incidentally, the past four POD's are my photos.)  I just find, these days, that most of the conversation on here revolves around places I have not visited (either in the Q or now even WCPP) and I don't have much to offer here.  That is OK, it is what it is.  I still like it here.  And I know that there are still a few BWCA folks who frequent this board, we are just in the minority.

And since you say you are unfamiliar with bwca.com, I should perhaps point out that they do not "ignore" the northern half--there are great number of Q enthusiasts over there as well, and they have an entire section devoted to Quetico concerns and questions, including a special group area for Q visitors, of which I also am not a member.  And they have a few members there who continually engage in what I lovingly call "the Quetico put-down", implying that visitors to the Q are inherently superior to those of us who prefer to stay south of the border.  We just get used to it, it goes with the territory.

I have visited your wonderful park in my younger days, Joe.  I love it there.  I know why people want to go there and I don't begrudge them one bit.   ;)   And I'll be around here for a long time to come, too.

And now, everyone, get back on topic.  I wouldn't want to cause Old Salt any problems.   ;D

Thanks everyone for your great concern for my wellbeing. My palms are NOT sweating, my blood preasure is normal, and carpel tunnel is not an issue. ;D

Spartan 2

From reading your last trip report, the biggest problem you have is portages.  If you put in at Beaverhouse and went into Quetico, you wouldn't have to do hardly any portaging and you could canoe new territory for days.

You are never too old to try something new.

Westwood

Westwood wrote on Aug 24^th, 2010 at 4:06am:

Spartan 2 From reading your last trip report, the biggest problem you have is portages.  If you put in at Beaverhouse and went into Quetico, you wouldn't have to do hardly any portaging and you could canoe new territory for days. You are never too old to try something new. Westwood

That's a great idea if the Spartans don't mind the extra drive and expense?

The portage from Beaverhouse  parking lot is flat/wide enough, you could even put a person on each side of a pack and carry across.

The portage from Beaverhouse to Quetico Lk is a short steep section, then wide and flat for maybe 50 yds top.

Once in Quetico you'd never have to portage again. Lot's of bays, islands, campsites. A pretty area. With some kick butt lenses, it's a photographers dream.

Something to consider, for another year.  We'll have to get out our maps, get some passports, and think about how we would figure out logistics to do that.

Interesting way to spend some time this winter, giving it some thought.

QJ.com?  ;D ;D ;D

More convenient
More practical
Long-lasting
Guaranteed workmanship
Breathable
Long-wearing



bmaines, HoHo (anyone else with access problems):
If the "Sorry" link isn't a clickable link for you, use the "ask why" link or just send me an email. I can probably get you guys in on a regular basis. Not a problem. Really. I could bore you to tears on the how and whys but I'll spare you the details beyond that clicking the "Sorry" link is easiest all around. I do ranges and the board bans me on occasion too.

Beyond that, Joe wrote: "Is the compass direction from which we enter that important?"
I love that question. Sorta depends on your perspective and what you hope to accomplish.

Q, BW, WCPP, someplace else? All the same sort of initial challenges if you've never been. If you want differences, you can find those too. To me, fresh fish have subtile differences, every loon has the same accent ... and every portage trip is different - even from the same trip I took 10 minutes ago. "What idiot would step there? DOH! Never-mind. Looks like that was me."

If it ain't broke..... If it can be improved upon, there's always parts to repurpose and lessons to relearn. QJ was never intended to be about where you've been or what you've done. Its about where you want to be, how best to get there and where some good luck might be found. It's not an envy thing.

While all new (to you) ideas tend to intimidate, just as Q did to me after my third or fourth trip and does so to this day more often than I'd like to admit ... thats what I always wanted this (QJ) to be - a place that took some persistence as well. These sites are no different. When it fits....

Ya, this looks like a Q site at first glance and that's probably my own fault but it's what I know. The general stuff, while important, seems easily transferrable. Personally, I do this site for the details that are meaningful to me (perhaps me alone). I couldn't care less if I glean those details from someone who goes wherever, however. I can adapt well enough and so it seems can some of you.

And you do it extremely well, db. Seriously.

All you need to do now is write a QJ app for my iPhone, then you'll really be in business  ;D

wrote on Aug 30^th, 2010 at 4:48pm:

And you do it extremely well, db. Seriously. All you need to do now is write a QJ app for my iPhone, then you'll really be in business  ;D

I get QJ on my Blackberry...sweeeet.

Old Salt wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2010 at 6:18pm:

wrote on Aug 30th, 2010 at 4:48pm: And you do it extremely well, db. Seriously. All you need to do now is write a QJ app for my iPhone, then you'll really be in business  ;D I get QJ on my Blackberry...sweeeet.

Oh.  I get it on my iPhone, but its just the standard Safari web browser of the site.  I used it all last week while I was spending time in a cabin in the mountains of New Mexico.  There was no internet service there, so I limped by on the iPhone with standard cell service access.

dd

I'm not a conspiracy theory sort of guy, but something fishy is going on here.  I had some issues accessing this site last year, as my initial post describes.  Fast forward to today.  I am back in good ol' Afghanistan, but supporting the Marines this time around.  By supporting, I mean I'm one of 4 Army soldiers on a FOB full of Marines.  These guys block every site a person could possibly want to access.  That probably worked to my advantage this morning, when I was unable to follow the Badger game live.  That one still stings. 

I think, perhaps db is mixed up with some of those 3 letter agencies, as quietjourney is one of the only "entertainment" sites I am able to get into. 

From a guy that won't see his canoe for another 11 months- THANK YOU for getting around the Marine Corps website blocker guys, db.

Brooks, Welcome back to the site!  Thanks for serving our Country and US!  I too like Spartan2 frequent both sites...understand what you mean when you say there is a lot of "clutter" so to speak on the other one :)
Good to know your able to connect.
I went for a paddle here in Nebraska last two afternoons, at a local lake with my lab Molly.  Windy today, will have to put the RockStar away for the day I think.
Take Care
SunCatcher

Quote:

Thanks for serving our Country and US!

Can't be said often enough IMHO :)

That was a good game with a great ending btw - even though it ended badly. ;)

I don't know how the DOD goes about restricting access but I bet it's a whole lot easier for them to block neighborhoods like I do. Some time in summer, QJ moved from the old shared server to a semi dedicated server. Smaller company, higher cost ... so basically a "better" address from a distance. I can even send an email to someone using AOL now w/o it coming back as blacklisted so they must blacklist neighborhoods in a similar way as well.

Thanks...  from me too. I don't ever recalling blocking .mil addresses while .gov address do get blocked when they are known open relays.

In any case, there's a form to send if access is blocked by QJ. If you're not allowed to send the form or can't (which is possible) - by all means send me an email and I'll get you back in.