Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

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chad ks
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Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by chad ks »

Hey folks...

I was going to wait until the winter to post this but I decided in a whim to do it now. I just got back from an 8 day adventure to west TX that was preceded by a 4 day music festival in Arkansas called Wakarusa Music Festival.
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I loved to see some bluegrass while drinking from my brewglass, lol!
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Anyway, enough of that. Here are some pics...

Here's a Gopher/Bull Snake:
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atrox
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I actually ran this coachwhip down with little effort, I was shocked to have the beast in hand!
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One of the biggest joys of herping this area at this time of year is the amount of other herpers down there also visiting. It's pleasurable to hang out at the hotel during the day and it's nice to see some old friends...but it also becomes a challenge to enjoy the serene desert herping each night when there are herpers all over the place, lol...sometimes the herpers get bored and play funny jokes on each other. This time I was the butt of the joke because when I saw this non-native dead milk snake (anyone care to guess an ID?)on the road I really got the "alterna rush"!
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I saw more of these snakes on this trip then on any other that I've taken to the area:
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I also saw more subocs on this trip then I ever have before- somewhere between 18 and 25 total. In one night down south of Alpine I found 11 in a three hour period:
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I stopped over at the Odessa Meteor Crater and took a look around to find some meteors but I forgot my handy meteor-magnet stick and therefore couldn't verify that any of the rusty looking shards were space rocks...
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I really enjoy seeing Night Snakes, but in evenings that were absent of snake activity they seemed to be mocking me with each one that I would see on a cut and think "could this be something more interesting then a night snake?!" The answer was usually no...
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I do have to say, thankfully, that I saw more snakes on cuts this trip than I ever have in the past. I used to hate shining cuts but now I think it's a fun way to find snakes while listening to loud music. This big snake was peeking out at me as I passed by so I shut down the car for a second and he came out a little more...
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Somehow I managed to see nearly twice as many blacktails as I did atrox...
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I absolutely LOVE the skies in W TX, especially the BIG thunderstorms!
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This snake was my favorite find of the trip. I saw a big lepidus on a cut about an hour before I found this one but I couldn't photograph the snake. I was really frustrated because it was so high up on the cut that I couldn't take its picture yet low enough that I couldn't photograph it from the top. I then went and walked some property and found this snake out foraging...
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One night I was out cruising a new area (for me) where alterna aren't common but where plenty of other species have been seen. At around 10:00 pm it was pitch black outside and the last thing on my mind was this:
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It went through the whole shabang...
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I've never seen more blacktails on any trip...and only one was on the road...
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I love it when it looks like this in the late afternoon...
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I was really glad to finally see a nice platinum blacktail considering that the other blacktails were all fairly brown and drab...
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I had yet to get a photograph of an in situ alterna and this was the primary goal of the trip. This was my last night and so the pressure was on to cover as much ground as possible to maximize the possibility of seeing one. For me these snakes have been elusive with only a small number seen in 5 or 6 week long trips to their range. I realize that to many people these snakes are common, but this isn't my experience (although most of my time has been spent in areas of their range where they are not commonly seen). When I saw this snake, I was hoping it was something else:
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This little fellow was sticking his head out of a Sanderson cut and then withdrew into the cut when my light hit him...
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It wasn't more than an hour or two after sunset before a huge rainstorm moved in on Sanderson and ruined our perfect alterna conditions. The temp dropped and the storm took over everything so the group of herpers located there had to move further east and I did the same.

I was late arriving and so I had to drive past many areas while other herpers were shining and photographing their finds. It seemed like a great night for snake movement and I had already seen several snakes on the cuts including this beautiful longnose:
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I moved further east and starting looking at cuts that were being ignored and within 20 minutes of starting I finally saw what I drove 5500 miles round trip to see:
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Fortunately the alterna was moving slowly and it allowed me to get several in situ photographs...

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After finding that snake I saw one more animal on a cut...
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Anyway, that was my trip. I had a really enjoyable time, thanks to Ruth and Roy Engaldorf for their hospitality!

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Dan Krull
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Dan Krull »

Seeing it in post form was Waaaaay better than all the cell phone calls and texts! Nice work sir. You are now a master of the Trans-Pecos.

Dan
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Tim Borski
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Tim Borski »

Wow, Chad. Too much to digest in one look...Gonna have to take another this eve. I love Great trips that take me along with them.
Interesting about driving by others at cuts photo-ing finds and shining. Sounds like it gets a bit congested there on favorable nights during favorable times of the year...much like I feel ENP does at times. (Only we have no Alterna to offer )
Comaraderie is always fun...in small, isolated doses.
Thanks for a great trip!
Tim
tai haku
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by tai haku »

that black and grey blacktail is unbelievable!!
chad ks
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by chad ks »

Herp Ninja wrote:Seeing it in post form was Waaaaay better than all the cell phone calls and texts! Nice work sir. You are now a master of the Trans-Pecos.

Dan
lol, YEAH right...this trip did nothing but show me just how little I know about finding alterna.

Thanks Tim and Tai Haku! It does get congested...
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monklet
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by monklet »

Holy cow! What a dream trip!

Gotta wonder about this though...looks silver/platinum to me??? - Pretty freakin' awesome if it really looks like that.
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Paul White
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Paul White »

you may not have found alterna but damn, those are some neat animals there. Blacktails, sub-ocs, some insane atrox...
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Don
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Don »

Awesome post. You truly hit the jackpot! Thanks for taking us along!
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Brian Folt
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Brian Folt »

Hognose out at night?!?! WTF??? Out east, I believe ours are strictly diurnal...

Sweet report; I bet the bluegrass festival was a blast. And of course sweet alterna...!
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suboc-1
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by suboc-1 »

Cool! :shock: Lots of good stuff! I also noticed the silverish pattern of that one suboc. Is that how it really looks or just the pic?
chad ks
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by chad ks »

Paul White wrote:you may not have found alterna but damn, those are some neat animals there. Blacktails, sub-ocs, some insane atrox...
Actually I found two, the one pictured and one that wasn't photographed. :cry:

Thank you for all of the replies folks. The suboc was actually that silvery and it may have been anerythristic. It was definitely different and unusual...I just snapped the pics without ever touching the animal. In fact that's how most of these shots were taken...
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justinm
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by justinm »

Thanks for the cool post, I had already seen some of the pics but the story goes better in a post. So am I to understand that Texas is now your spot?
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BlakeMolone
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by BlakeMolone »

wow that was such a cool post! The transpecos is my favorite place ever and ive only been there once lol. Ill be there in July and hopefully I can have the same luck you did!
Colubrid Guy
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Colubrid Guy »

Wow, nicely done! I was just down there on Monday and Tuesday and barely saw any snakes and no herpers! What did I do wrong lol
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LoneHerper
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by LoneHerper »

Awesome stuff! I am going down to the Trans Pecos area next month. Just about everything in this post is on my list, except pictigaster. That is what we are hoping to see the most.
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VanAR
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by VanAR »

Awesome! Love the in situ shots on the rock cuts. I wish we'd seen more snakes on the cuts like that when I went down there.

Van
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Jason_Hood
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Jason_Hood »

Chad you killed on the cuts, nice job!! :beer: I had a terrible time shining cuts and certainly did not have the eye for it or the light for it. We got to borrow one of the super florescent lights that the alterna nuts use and it was awesome.

I do have to agree that the meeting up with herpers and chatting is a real special part of west Texas... more so when it is not herping time. :lol:

Jason
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Greg Theos
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Greg Theos »

We don't see alterna on here too often, so hats off. I may take my first "out west" herp trip later this year. I've found darn near everything I've wanted to find here in the SE and it may be time for a new challenge.
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David Hardesty
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by David Hardesty »

Those are some great shots, especially the hognose with the open mouth. It looks like you had a good time.
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Mike Rochford
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Mike Rochford »

Chad... you dominate everywhere you go. You need to come show me how to herp Florida. I like the alterna. It's nice for that area. The one you found last year (?) is still one of the best I think I've seen. Someday I'll make that trip.... someday.

Mike
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Carl Brune
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Carl Brune »

Nice post - great photos and a good read. Looks like you did real well. I got a taste of that about a year ago, this makes me want to get back there.
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peter jolles
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by peter jolles »

Very nice. This type of post is the reason I check this site 5 times or more a day in the spring and summer.

I'm so J E A L O U S of your trip. Awesome...
Biolog_Guy TN
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Biolog_Guy TN »

Chad,

Great post and trip report. That Alterna was really nice. I'll have to talk my wife into taking a trip out that direction one of these days. Thanks for sharing.

Take care,

John
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Ross Padilla
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Ross Padilla »

Great in situ shots! The alterna is very nice. :beer:
Aaron
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Aaron »

Congrats on the alterna and everything else.
Mr. Slithers
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Mr. Slithers »

Wow, I don't know where to start! Amazing photos! I have a buddy who lives down in that general part of Texas, so I think I need to go give him a visit!
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by BillMcGighan »

:thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
Great job, Chad...
You really captured the essence of a trip to "alterna country"....
It's one of the truely magical herp spots in the country that keeps you coming back once you're hooked!
pitviper
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by pitviper »

I am so jealous of you I have not been able to find one in 5 years and i can't even find a suboc.
Zach Veal
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Zach Veal »

Outstanding post!! now thats a trip I want to plan !!!
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Fundad
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Fundad »

:beer: :crazyeyes: :crazyeyes: :thumb:

Good Stuff Chad.. Congrats on the awesome finds..

Nice orange on the Alterna..

I really enjoyed your CUT pics... It took me on the trip with you.

Fundad

:mrgreen:
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gbin
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by gbin »

tai haku wrote:that black and grey blacktail is unbelievable!!
I agree! Still more evidence for my contention that blacktails are the prettiest rattlers! :) Congrats on your very successful trip, Chad, and thanks for sharing it with us!

Gerry
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Schell
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Schell »

Nice post and great assortment.
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Brian Hubbs
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Brian Hubbs »

Nice trip Chad. Congrats on finding the gray-band. Wish I could have been there. :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
KevColubrid
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by KevColubrid »

Chad,
Great stuff...that lepidus is my favorite, just a killer animal. Hard to do much better than that out there, so my hat's off to you! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

Kevin
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Chris Smith
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Chris Smith »

Nice!

I have been to that resort in Arkansas... though not for the music festival.

-Chris
joeysgreen
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by joeysgreen »

I'm happy you had such a great time and the pic's do well to let me imagine that I was there, thanks!

I'm also going to embarrassingly admit that I'd have fallen for that milk snake prank until I went to check out the field guide. :?

Ian
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socalherper
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by socalherper »

Nice insitu picks Chad. looks like you had a lot of fun!
iScott
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by iScott »

nice stuff. love the alterna
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rosy-man
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by rosy-man »

great post
Crotalus
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Crotalus »

Still loving that lep lep! Nice finds man, and the "alterna on the cut" shots are fantastic.

-JJ
Brian Eagar
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Brian Eagar »

Wow! That is an amazing assortment of critters on one trip.
The fact that you found so many on the rock is especially cool.
Nice job.
r.edwards
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by r.edwards »

Chad,

awesome post!!! Hopefully I can find 50 percent of those herps next weekend. Thanks for the day to day updates!

r.edwards
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rosy-man
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by rosy-man »

great job out their
chad ks
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by chad ks »

Thank you all for the kind words and compliments! I had such a good trip that now I'm going back for the dark of the moon, who's coming with me?!
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chris_mcmartin
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by chris_mcmartin »

chad ks wrote:Thank you all for the kind words and compliments! I had such a good trip that now I'm going back for the dark of the moon, who's coming with me?!
Holy nuts man, who has that kind of vacation time? I've resorted to planning NEXT year's trip already! :lol:
chad ks
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by chad ks »

Uhh, to have vacation time implies a job...so I never get ANY vacation time!

College students have plenty of free time and when they play their cards right they have a few extra bucks to use for herping trips during the summer before they go back to bust their brains in the fall. :)
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Joe Blecha
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by Joe Blecha »

Awesome post. I'm definitely tucking some student loan money aside and taking next summer off to get some trips in like this! thanks for the inspiration!

:beer:
-Joe-
jswingchun
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by jswingchun »

I gotta add my kudos to the list. Would have been a great post even without the alterna. Those subocs are sweet.
chad ks
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by chad ks »

Joe- I'm glad that I could contribute to enabling your future irresponsible uses of loan money, lol...

Jim- Thanks! When are you going to make it down to the Trans-Pecos?
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chris_mcmartin
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Re: Back from the Bend...dial up warning.

Post by chris_mcmartin »

chad ks wrote:Joe- I'm glad that I could contribute to enabling your future irresponsible uses of loan money, lol...
As a taxpayer, my thoughts exactly! :shock:

Are you still puttering around down there or are you back home?
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