Ooooooh, Barracuda!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Although gratitude and thankfulness are my chief emotions during this time of year, the ridiculous amount of goodies that I consume help guilt work its way up there. This year, I wanted to experience something other than the normal, set-and-et turkey dinner that threatens my afternoon with a tryptophan nap.

I needed something a little more challenging. I felt the need to work for my meal. Fly fishing seemed to take some work. Then, I just needed a demanding fish. So, off to Pesca Maya Lodge in Mexico to do some fly fishing for Barracuda. The lodge is located about 80 miles south of Cancun in Ascension Bay .

A Barracuda, or Cuda as the pros call it, is a mean looking fish. Cudas are long and slender with a profile that looks like a military battleship. They also have a nasty under bite, full of razor sharp teeth. These fish are predators and stalk their prey before ambushing them within short range.

Most fishermen encounter Cudas when they are after other fish like Bonefish, Permits, or Tarpins. And then, there are some who seek them out. Not only are Cudas skilled swimmers and hunters, but they’re also intelligent. They actually use people fishing in their territory to plush out prey for them. But, this becomes their undoing as I am just a few clicks smarter than they. Or, at least my guides have set me up with a shinier fly (lure) and a real sharp hook. My guides told me that Barracuda need a fly at least 12” long to get their attention. Guides are certainly handy to have for advice like that.

However, another piece of helpful advice would have been that Barracuda over 4’ long are almost impossible to reel in while standing in waders. (The world record is 6’and 106 lbs) I certainly learned this first hand as what I assumed to be a Cuda latched on to my offering and took off like it just stole my mother’s purse. Before I could even get excited, I was being towed through the water like one of those parachutes on the bag of a funny car. I’m sure that fish got quite a work out. As my waders filled with the ocean, a tug of war ensued between my watertight pants and the monster on the other end of the hook with me in the middle. You would have thought that “let go” would have crossed my mind, but, hey, I had a healthy deposit down on that rod. After what seemed like an eternity (6-8 seconds), the line broke and then the laughter followed.

Well, this was certainly a wonderful experience, but I think my next Barracuda adventure will be with a 1970 Plymouth. :)

Until next time,

Marcos

Up, Up and Away - and then back

After returning from my hair-raising hike (see In Search of Blackbeard), I accompanied Jeff and Ben on a short flight around Jackson County in Jeff's Beechcraft Bonanza. In addition to being a businessman and a real estate professional, Jeff is also a very skilled pilot.

Although I am certainly not new to flying, it had been a very long time since Ben had flown in a small plane. Jeff was a skillful host and put Ben right to work as the "navigator," which means that he basically got to hold the map. He did a good job.

When it comes to flying, I actually prefer these small planes. Even if you are in the back seat, you feel like you are right in the middle of the action. For me, it never gets old. I think it's because you can always benefit from a different perspective on things, and I had yet to see Raytown from above.

Having been in several conversations about economic development and strategic planning, it was fun to look down and see how everything is arranged. It was like playing SimCity.

We got several good shots of the shop.

Raytown actually has a rich aviation history. Richards Flying Field (which was located south of Gregory Blvd between Blue Ridge Blvd. and what is now 350 Hwy) was reportedly the first air terminal in Kansas City. It was named after John Francisco Richards, II, a first lieutenant in the first aero squadron who was shot down in France in 1918. The field was named for and dedicated to his memory in 1922.

Later the field was owned by William “Bill” Ong, a local businessman and aviation pioneer. Mr. Ong was one of the founders of the National Air Transportation Association and also had a crop dusting business out of the airport. Sometime in the early 1950s, the field gave way to the development that includes housing for many wonderful families in Raytown. The names of the airport live on, as one of the streets in the residential neighborhood at the site is Richards Drive, and Ong Lake is located on the southeast corner of the property.

Pretty cool, huh?

Marcos

In Search of Blackbeard

Hello, friends.

I was recently back in Raytown from a short visit to Maine and got a good look at the progress on Benetti’s Coffee Experience. Wow! Jeff has really taken some big steps in the beginning of the project. It’s easy to see that this is more than just the average start-up business. The demolition part of the endeavor may not look too appealing, but as with most projects, it gets worse before it gets better. And, trust me, it will get better.

Since they had things under control, I found myself heading out of town this weekend. This is the result of three different inspirations: the festivities of Halloween, the arriving splendor of the fall colors, and a strange desire to learn more about pirates (the second Pirates of the Caribbean left me wanting a little). I needed to seek out an experience that combined all three. With just a little research in Haunted Hikes by Andrea Lankford, I found it in Springer’s Point on Ocracoke Island near Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. This area certainly doesn’t lack for creepy stories of haunted men and animals (Google the Ocracoke ponies sometime), but the story that caught my interest was that of Edward Teach, known to many as the infamous pirate Blackbeard. Fez opted out of this trip, which surprised me. I thought for sure he would love this, but apparently monkeys aren't as fond of pirates as I thought they were.

Just a short dagger’s throw from Springer’s Point is Teach’s Hole, one of Blackbeard’s favorite hangouts. In fact, he was in the process of taking over the island to create a Las Vegas for pirates when the British pulled an Ali-esque rope-a-dope to capture his ship in 1718.

Two British ships attacked the legendary pirate, and then acted like they had taken a beating. Once Blackbeard’s men boarded the English boats, out poured an abnormal amount of British soldiers who handed it to the rogues. At one point Teach was speared in the neck and eventually lost his head. Legend holds that Blackbeard’s body swam around the boat three times before sinking. Of course, there are related stories of buried treasure and more around that area and there’s a hiking trail that takes you past Teach’s Hole and some other creepy places.

So, this afternoon I’m going to fill my Thermos with some heavy-bodied Sumatra and then hit the trail. Maybe I should consider decaf!

We’ll see if I make it to my next post.

‘Til then,

Marcos