Quest for the Ogopogo

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Ogopogo Stamp


If the Ogopogo's on a stamp, doesn't that mean he's dead?

Or is this another cover-up?

Hydrobios

Jose: Bad news.
At present, human beings' research on hydrobios has generally reached a very high level, the scientists have left their footmarks almost in all main lakes of the globe, and have mastered the basic characteristics of hydrobios, including the food chain of local living things.

In the eyes of ordinary natural lovers, "lake monsters" as rumored have a mysterious color. But as far as scientists are concerned, there is nothing worth studying. As a matter of fact, in a fairly long period of time from now on, human beings have not really discovered any large mammals unknown in the past.

Lobo: Cover-up.

Jose: They're after the prize money.

Dog Sauce

Al: I imagine Lobo'll be the guest of honor... Or should be.

Lobo: We need to have an Ogopogo Conference.

On a houseboat.

That's alls I'm sayin'.

Al: With sauce for Alcalde to dip into before he jumps into the lake as bait.

Alcalde: What flavor sauce?

Al: You decide.

Jose: You can't just let Alcalde decide. This has to be based on a scientific assessment of what the Ogopogo would find tasty.

Al: You're right... Hmm... You decide.

Lobo: The legend says the indians used to carry dogs in their canoes to throw in the water off Skeleton Island just in case Ogie appeared.

So I think he should dip into Dog Flavored Sauce before he dives.

Jose: But what did the Indians marinate the dogs in? I'll bet it wasn't dog-flavored sauce, because what would be the point of that?

Lobo: I'll bet it was Dog-flavored sauce because that way the Ogopgo would be twice as distracted.

Think about it.

Jose: Ah, good point. So is it enough if Alcalde just wears his Wet Dog cologne?

Lobo: I think he will need to sew floppy ears on his wetsuit and bark underwater from time to time.

Al: He should also carry a bone in his mouth.

Lobo: Agreed. Looks like we're all set!

Jose: Well, that just silly. How can he bark underwater if he has a bone in his mouth? The bone would fall out at the first bark!

Al: Hmm... You're right... We'll just tether the bone to him so he can put it back in his mouth after each bark.

Lobo: He can kind of bark those breathy, growly noises that dogs do when they have things in their mouths. It's not that hard. We can make Alcalde rehearse before he dives.

Al: Yeah, a dress rehearsal would be important so we'd know he's doing it right. Good point.

Jose: The floppy ears should really help him get into the role!

Al: Should he wear a fake nose, too?

Jose: Definitely. And when he goes underwater, the nose will get wet, and that will mean that he's healthy. Until he gets et, anyway.

Al: I think this is pretty much settled, then.

Al: So, just to get this straight, when Alcalde does the Ogopogo bait thing he'll:
  • Wear floppy ears.
  • Wear a fake nose.
  • Have a bone in his mouth.
  • Make barking sounds, even though he might drop the bone, but that's okay 'cause it'll be tethered to him, or he can make barking sounds with the bone in his mouth.
  • Be dipped in "dog sauce." What flavor?
  • Undergo a dress rehearsal to make sure he gets his part right.
Am I missing something? What else does Alcalde need to do to make sure he's successfully et by Ogie so we can get the monetary prize?

Lobo: I think that's a pretty tidy plan. Complete.

Jose: Sounds about right. I'm not sure what flavor of dog sauce we should use. What would the Ogopogo find most tasty? Chihuahua?

Al: Frankly, I've never heard of dog sauce. Did Lobo bring that up? Maybe he should decide what kind of dog sauce flavor should be used.

Jose: What's Alcalde doing in Alaska, anyway? Is he going to work for one of those fish-packing places? I knew a guy who did that for a summer. He worked 16-hour days and made a bunch of money and came back smelling of fish. If Alcalde comes back all fishy-smelling, will the Ogopogo be able to smell the dog sauce? Will the Ogopogo go for the fish smell or will he just be disgusted? I hope Alcalde doesn't end up spoiling everything.

Al: Hmm... You've got a point. It's just like Alcalde to do something dumb and spoil things for everyone else! Let's hope he does the right thing and stays fish-free.

Jose: It's weird, too, because he doesn't even like fish. Why would he go do something so stupid?

All's I can say is if he ruins his baitability, he owes us 2 mil Canadian!

Alcalde: You all really need to get a life.

Al: What are you talking about? When you get et by the Ogie, it'll be part of the Great Circle of Life! Didn't you watch the Lion King? And then we'll get much money which means better lives!

Jose: $2 million Canadian will buy a lot of life!

Al: Damned straight... Alcalde obviously doesn't understand that.

Solarbenite Plan

Lobo: You have to get a search permit, but it looks like the purse is getting bigger!

Jose: BFD. The real question is: When we catch the sturgeon or catfish or whatever it is, how are we going to dress it up in a reward-worthy Ogopogo-like manner?

Lobo: I'm not sayin' it's any big deal.

I'm just sayin' I need an Ogie break now and again, okay?

The real question is: What if we did have this solaranite [sic] bomb? We'd be an even stronger nation that we are now!

Jose: That's it! That's how we'll catch Ogie! We'll take a can of our gasoline and we'll pour a thin line of that gasoline from Ogie to the sun itself! And then something unclear happens, after which we will profit!

Lobo: Capital, my friend! You've hit the mark spot on! Bravo!

Jose: This is the kind of teamwork that will win us those big Canadian beaver-bucks. Working together is what this expedition is all about.

Except for Alcalde. He's always raining on our wet blanket.

Marinade

Lobo: You have to get a search permit, but it looks like the purse is getting bigger!

Jose: "Search to be conducted between August 1, 2000 and September 1, 2001."

Do you think we'll make it?

Lobo: If we hurry.

I'll bet the prize is up to C$2.1 mil by now!

Houseboat Videotaped Alcalde Death Dive Mash!

Al: Hmm... It may be time to start marinating Alcalde...

Jose: What kind of marinade do you think Ogopogi prefer?

Jose: Alcalde keeps weaseling out, though. He's just not reliable. Maybe we should use Al instead.

Al: Nope, Alcalde's the designated bait. It's been established.

What kind of marinade do you think an Ogo would like?

Jose: Hey, that's what I just said!

Al: I asked you that! Anyway, maybe some kinda BBQ sauce? Whaddaya think: Mild, zesty, or what?

Jose: How about sweet and sour?

Al: I dunno... Spicy?

Lobo: Chipotle? Green Curry? Finlandia Eel?

Al: Keep it simple, dude.

Jose: Ooh! Thai peanut sauce!

Al: That's it!!! Peanut sauce it is!

Jose: Boy, I hope Ogie doesn't have a peanut allergy. That could spoil everything.

Al: Hmm... You're right... Oooo, I know, soy sauce!

Jose: I dunno, that's kinda salty. I'm thinking maybe spicy is the best way to go after all. Turn Alcalde into a giant buffalo wing.

Al: If that's the case, then Ogo may not like spicy. We don't wanna overdo it especially if it's too spicy. I say we go back to plain ol' BBQ sauce, regular flavor, right out of a jug. I suggest we go to Costco, buy an Alcalde-sized jug, and we're done.

Jose: I guess we are going to need a lot of it, and we don't want to cut into our profits too much.

Al: It shouldn't... Costco prices are very reasonable. Besides, Lobo's springing for the bbq sauce.

Alcalde: You guys are the best pals anyone could ask for. You're the greatest!

Al: Pals? Huh?

Jose: I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we genuinely care about you as bait.

Al: That's a fact... Um... I get the PowerMac when he gets et!

Alcalde: You care. I know you deeply care. That's what makes our friendship so special.

Al: Friendship? Man, you are deluded!

Jose: You betcha! We care somewhat!

You know, you could use some relaxation. Why not take a nice long soak in a tub full of barbecue sauce?

Al: Then, after a 4-hour soak or so, wrap yourself in plastic and you'll get really tender... Um... relaxed.

Jose: And he'll smell fabulous!

Sunday, January 16, 2005

Bait


Dangling for the Ogopogo Posted by Hello

Sunday, August 01, 2004

Update

I was going to update this blog with new and relevant information about the not-occurring Ogopogo Mission, but unfortunately I forgot.

Perhaps another time.

Tuesday, May 25, 2004

Look! There! It's Ogopogo! Or possibly Godzilla!


Posted by Hello

Whaaa...?? It's a sturgeon???


Posted by Hello

Monday, May 24, 2004

Some Monster Links, for Scholarly Research

Ogopogo Country
ogopogo.org
Ogopogo, Real or Myth?
Stories of Ogopogo
The Legendary Lake Monster - Ogopogo
Cryptozoology Page on Ogopogo
Mysteries of Canada
Ogie in Chinese
Nahuelito - Patagonian Ogopogo
Monsters out the Koongdoongy

... a n d ...

WHEN LAKE MONSTERS ATTACK!!

A Conversation from May 2004

Lobo: When are you leaving for Alaska again?

Alcalde: Well I can't leave today, my Jeep's in the shop!

Lobo: June...?

Alcalde: I plan on leaving here on or about 6/8, returning about three weeks later.

All plans are contingent on parents' health.

Lobo: Is The Jose going with you?

Alcalde: Not to Alaska.

Lobo: Not to Alaska. Anywhere else?

Alcalde: Well, I invited him to come with me to Okanagan. I mean, somebody has to reel in Oggie when he chomps on the bait (me).

Lobo: You wouldn't. You couldn't.

Alcalde: Dude. Would we do that to you? On June 11th and 12th? Would we?

Lobo: I AM FIRE PROOF . . .

Alcalde: Then you won't be jealous when you get postcards from Okanagan telling you all about collecting the reward.

Jose: From me, of course, since Alcalde will be et at that point.

Alcalde: No, no, no. You'll spring the trap just before he ets me. I have a conference in Anchorage to go to. And a polar circle to cross.

Jose: Not a problem. You can count on me.

Alcalde: Well. Okay, then.

Lobo: It would mean war, gentlemen, plain and simple. Take time to consider, I beseech you.

Alcalde: If it is to be war, then bring it on.

Jose: Plans for the Megaramble continue to move ahead as new plans are submitted and reviewed daily.

A Conversation from July 2003

Alcalde: Amateurs! They didn't even use bait!

Lobo:We'll show them how it's done at Okanagan, right?

Alcalde: Benefits?

Lobo:Yes.

Alcalde: Medical? 401K?

Lobo: We offer a generous overall compensation package for anyone killed as bait in the successful pursuit of the Ogopogo resulting in the receipt of the $1m Canadian reward.

Alcalde: No deal.

I ain't doin' it without a guarantee of medical coverage (including dental!) whether or not the prize is ever collected.

I'll simply just not answer when you guys don't call!

Jose: Not a problem. Once you sign the appropriate paperwork verifying that you've been killed as bait, your accrued benefits will be paid to you. That's the Ogopogo Guarantee!

Lobo: We offer FlexBait Plus, a benefits package designed for you and your lifestyle. You can select the benefits that meet your needs and carry them with you even after you are eaten by the Ogopogo.

FlexBait Plus: Your benefits solution!

Alcalde: Sounds great! When's the next enrollment period?

Another Conversation from February 2001

Lobo: Btw... I saw a tv show in NY on the Loch Ness Monster which built up a big monster-myth drama and then systematically disproved every shred of evidence. The best part was when the show went to other parts of the world with similar sightings. They interviewed this Lady in Canada who claimed to have shot the Lake Champlain monster. The show then explained that a giant sturgeon washed up on the shore the next day ... with bullet holes.

Jose: Hey! Maybe Nessie's a sturgeon, too! And Ogopogo! And Bigfoot! They're all sturgeons! I'll bet the Sturgeon General is running this whole thing.

Lobo: Dude, would you get serious? Ever since I saw the Ogopogo film on Unsolved Mysteries (which should, incidentally, be required viewing for all SBFC members) I've thought it was a sturgeon. I've said that before. Don't go mockin' my Sturgeon Theory, now.

Jose: How big do sturgeons get? Do you think anyone will give you a million dollars -- even Canadian ones -- for catching a stupid sturgeon? How are you going to convince them that it's Ogie?

Anyway, I have my own theory. I think it's the USS Greeneville.

Lobo: Sturgeons get huge. Giant sturgeons have been found in Lake Champlain that are almost ten feet long. And they have this snake-like swimming motion that creates big lumps in the water behind them that could be mistaken for "humps".

I'm thinking that should be worth a million Canadian, huh?

Jose: Yeah, I can see this.

"I caught Ogopogo!"
"That looks like a sturgeon."
"It is a sturgeon! Ogopogo's a sturgeon!"
"Right -- On your way."
"No, really! Check out the snake-like swimming action!"
"We're very busy right now..."
"But that makes the humps!"
"Thank you for stopping by..."
"Where's my million? This is Ogopogo! The humps prove it!"
"Security!"

Lobo: The whole get-out-of-the-water-then-get-"ushered"-back-into-the-water thing is really dumb. Was he scared or wasn't he? He was scared but not scared enough to keep from being "ushered"? Did he explain, "There's a giant prehistoric-looking Lake Monster at least twenty feet long right beneath me, hence, I am reluctant to reenter the water at this time as I will certainly be placing my limbs within striking distance of his giant razor-like teeth."?

It's a sturgeon.

Jose: Dude, you're responding to the wrong email. The guy-in-the-water one is the other one.

But even so, I think you're forgetting those grapefruit-like eyes. That really clinches it.

Lobo: Dude, I'm responding to both emails, the subject of which was my breakthroughs in proving the existence of the sturgeopogo. I don't have to respond to them separately, you know.

The grapefruit eyes reference is chilling, no?

Jose: And one of the Ogos was box-shaped. The other one was log-shaped. It didn't say which one had grapefruit eyes.

But imagine coming face-to-face with a grapefruit-eyed log or box, just right there in the water.

Lobo: It will probably sound odd to you but I think there is some weird kind of credibility to this goofus actually seeing something. I've heard of divers in lakes in California being surprised and frightened by six-foot (and longer) catfish. It seem possible to me that this guy saw a very large fish with bulbous eyes and with the visual distortions caused by the water he was confused about the size and shape.

Sturgeons have bulbous eyes, incidentally.

Jose: Most fish have bulbous eyes. He probably did see something, but any size claims are almost certainly wrong. Most people have a truly amazing ability to misjudge size by a factor of two or more, and the water would just make that worse.

So he may well have seen a sturgeon. I'm not really criticizing the sturgeon theory. Heck, it was probably a sturgeon that broke into Alcalde's house. All's I'm sayin' is that you're not likely to convince the Ogopogo reward people that Ogie's a sturgeon. That's all's I'm sayin'.

But if you do, I get a cut for agreeing with you.

Lobo: With the exception of the claim to a cut of the loot you make some good points. Take a look at this "picture" of the Ogopogo. Or this.

This stuff is considered "evidence". The show I saw on Loch Ness gave attention to the psychological studies which are being done into how phenomena of this type are perceived. One study went so far as to drag a bent pipe through the water and ask random people what they saw. Almost all said a bent pipe. One said he saw a monster-like "head", and when showed a theoretical picture of Nessie he insisted it was what he'd seen.

Now to convince the Canadians of my Sturgeon Theory and claim that prize!

Jose: I find this picture even more convincing:

But there is a problem with the sturgeon approach, even if you're right:

"The Penticton Chamber of Commerce has put a Can$2 million (about U.S.$1.3 million) price on the monster's head. Anyone who can come up with scientific proof that the monster exists -- and is not just an oversized sturgeon -- will take home the money."

So you only get the money if you can prove that it isn't a sturgeon, which, if it is, you obviously can't.

Lobo: You're a pretty mean person.

Jose: Well, now wait a minute. Hear me out. We can capture a sturgeon, then dress it up a bit. We'll put some extra humps on it, and some random appendages, and no one need be the wiser. Whaddya say? 50-50?

Lobo: This conversation is having a chilling effect on our friendship, that's what I say.

Jose: We don't even need a sturgeon, really. We could use a bent pipe. Come on, I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself after screwing up Operation Cuchillo.

A Conversation from February 2001

Lobo: "August 24, 2000 a report from Darryl Ellis, a cancer survivor, who swam the length of Okanagan Lake, 80 miles, to raise money for cancer research: Two ogopogos swam underneath him for an hour by Rattle Snake Island. He could see him ahead and behind him, making Ogopogo 20 feet long. One was shaped like a log the other like a box. Their color was grey/black. He was so scared he swam to the spotting boat. Not understanding Darryl's concern he was ushered back into the lake. Later, by Okanagan Lake bridge Ogopogo suddenly appeared and looked up at him with eyes as big as grapefruits."

Jose: There are two of them? And they're log-shaped and box-shaped? And he didn't get scared until they'd been swimming under him for an hour? And then he didn't tell the guys in the boat what was going on?

I think this guy's just trying to scam the million bucks. He probably wants to squander it on cancer research or something.

Lobo: "Not understanding Daryl's concern he was ushered back into the lake."

Like, yeah. Uh-huh. That proves it.

Jose: Well, sure. You can't let someone leave the lake just because he appears to be terrified.