It is a story about a ‘colorful’ Skipper of a Ticonderoga-Class Guided Missile Cruiser and a little Pygmy Goat that got the ride of its life across the Pacific Ocean. It has brought controversy and instability to a crew, heavy media attention to a goat, and the end of said Skipper’s career, and we have an inside source on all of it. The Cruiser Lake Erie’s Captain, John Banigan, came under review for various questionable management practices, and during this review, investigators became aware of an unsanctioned crew member, Master Chief Charlie. According to the Navy Times , it all began when the Lake Eerie’s Command Master Chief told subordinates that they should get a goat as a mascot, as a reference to the “Goat Locker, ” a nickname for the Chief’s Mess aboard the ship. The idea was to get a stuffed goat, or some effigy of sorts, but instead, the chief selects thought it would be hilarious to get a real goat as a practical joke. They procured a little white and brown Pygmy goat and made him a uniform vest with the ship’s insignia and other icons adorned on it. From then on, the legend of Master Chief Charlie was born. He was a massive hit, showing up at ship functions and playing with sailor’s children. The diminutive goat was also apparently a very effective mascot that boosted morale and brought the ship’s crew together. He even met Vice President Joe Biden! All this was back in 2012, when the Lake Erie was still home ported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. During this time, the goat lived its non-service days happily at one of the crew’s homes that had ample space for the furry four-legged Master Chief to roam around, eat weeds, and jump on stuff. Then the Lake Erie received orders to transfer from Hawaii to San Diego. Such an event is always challenging for a crew, but this was especially hard as they were faced with the question of what would happen to their beloved pet goat. Apparently, nobody wanted to leave him behind, including the Skipper, so he joined the crew on the 2, 600 or so mile voyage from Hawaii to California. Sadly, there is little space for the crew aboard a US Navy ship, yet alone livestock. As a result, the goat ended up being chained up on the stern of the ship, near the Cruiser’s vertical launch system, for the arduous voyage. The Navy Times had one Lake Erie sailor quoted saying: “It’s a pretty long transit and every time we’d walk by I’d be thinking, Man, this goat is going to die...” But goats, even small domesticated ones, are very hardy animals, and Master Chief Charlie survived the voyage, becoming the ship’s “Salty Goat.” He was now more closely tied to the crew than ever. He, too, had traveled the high seas, just like them. In fact, the Navy has a long history with goats. The mascot of the Naval Academy is a goat, and the Navy once embarked goats to provided a source of fresh meat and milk when ships were at sea. They swim well, are relatively small, very sure-footed, and they can coexist with humans seamlessly. Although there are said to be no rules against boarding livestock onto a US Navy vessel, the problem was that Master Chief Charlie never went through the proper importation process via the California’s Department of Food and Agriculture’s regulations, whereby goats entering the state need a vet exam, micro-chipping, and a permit issued to the owner to keep the animal. This was eventually sorted out, and the goat is said to be living a happy life in California, but the Navy, upon its investigation into the Captain’s surly behavior and command record, was not happy about any of it. Chaining little goats to a Cruiser’s missile farm during a transit across the Pacific may not break any written regulations, but it is clearly bound to piss of a lot of people. But for the embattled Skipper, this was about more than a goat. According to an exclusive Foxtrot Alpha source who wishes to remain anonymous, the Captain was a mixed bag when it came to management style - or lack thereof - and the goat in question took more than one voyage aboard the Lake Erie (errors their own) : I think Capt. Banigan was driven between two navies: the one that likes to have a good time, and the one that is increasingly trying to be politically correct and run like an corporation. Ultimately he was fired because he displayed incredible favoritism to some officers (who he liked) and didn’t have the time of day for others. He was also somewhat openly racist and drank too much. He inserted himself into the wedding of a junior officer and had to be driven home from the reception because he had drank so much he was wandering around Coronado with his uniform half off. Another contributing factor to the firing was that the Admiral who ordered it (Mewbourne) botched it so bad that he had no choice. The investigators were onboard the ship for almost a month on three occasions, and gave Sailors leading questions. At the end of that, the crew’s own confidence in the CO was so shaken that the Admiral had no choice but to remove him. Our Supply officer is also under investigation, and has been held onboard for an extra month to face whatever is coming his way. Also interesting is that the Captain who was supposed to take over as the CO in July (Capt Cegelski) has had his orders cancelled because he was seen as unfit for our ship. As for Charlie, the decision was made to take him across when it appeared that CA agriculture laws would be too much of a burden to deal with for the import. And the goat wasn’t tied up the whole time, people took it around the ship on the main deck. The second voyage that everyone has been wondering about? That was an officer who got married while underway. They took the goat from Seal Beach to San Diego. Charlie was the ring bearer! Charlie is no longer attached to the Lake Erie. They sold him when the investigation started. So there you have it, the inside scoop on the salty adventures of one Pygmy Goat and the end of one questionable Captain’s career.

Minnesota North Shore Travel, Minnesota Scenic Highway 61: Places to see, Things to do, Hiking, & Waterfalls along the Lake Superior Circle Tour In the years since, we've made a number of trips each season to various destinations along the Minnesota North Shore of Lake Superior from Duluth, Mn to Thunder Bay, Ontario. On our travels we frequently break up the day with short hikes from 1 - 3 hours in length. Both the North Shore state parks and the Superior Hiking Trail offer an abundance of trails. Among the scenic bonuses of trekking along the North Shore are numerous rivers with waterfalls that empty into the Lake Superior basin. So for our added scenic enjoyment and as a defined hiking goal, many of our hikes have been treks to discover and enjoy these falls - most of which we photographed. Thus waterfalls are featured in many of the photographs in these pages. . . with an occasional lakewalk, a shot from the top of several peaks that we climbed, or another scenic view. In 2010 we added another series of recreation pages to our North Shore section of SuperiorTrails: golf course reviews. We've played and profiled a number of courses from Duluth to Grand Portage and have compiled a directory of North Shore Golf Courses. In 2014 we added a directory of best North Shore Beaches for Agate Hunting and Rock Picking. Winter is a great time to enjoy the north shore: cross country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, winter festivals. See our report on a winter north shore visit to some of our favorite hiking trails on snowshoes and sampling some of our favorite restaurants. The first festival of the winter is Duluth's Christmas Lights Village: Bentleyville Tour of Lights.

By Peter Christie Tim Haxton shifts his chair to allow his visitor a better view of the photograph on the computer screen. The dark image of a fossilized fish makes a subtle “S” in the lighter brown mud-stone that surrounds the shape. It is as if the creature suddenly turned to stone during a lazy swim through murky water. The petrified details – even the fine rays of fins – are crystal clear, and the identity of the fish is unmistakeable. “Sturgeon, ” confirms Haxton, a fisheries specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). “This one is probably about 200 million years old, from the Jurassic period. They really haven’t changed much in form or function since.” The soft-spoken biologist has collected hundreds of photos during his 15 years of studying lake sturgeon, Ontario’s largest and longest-lived fish. His picture of the fossil, however, adds an almost mind-boggling historical view to our discussion of sturgeon conservation: close ancestors of this formerly indomitable animal were swimming the world’s waters before the Atlantic Ocean was born, before birds flew and about 200, 000 millennia before humans first appeared. They swam right through the great extinction of the dinosaurs and, despite volcanic eruptions, ice ages and other climatic calamities, have overcome every threat they encountered – until now. Sturgeon today confront a higher risk of extinction than any other non-insect animal in the world, says Haxton, citing the conclusions of a 2010 workshop of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Decimated by periods of overfishing and prized for their eggs, which are sold as expensive caviar, many sturgeon populations around the globe have been in free fall for decades. All 27 sturgeon species – including lake sturgeon – are on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species. Two-thirds of these are considered “critically endangered” because their plummeting numbers or shrinking, fragmented ranges mean that the odds of this fish disappearing for good are “extremely high.” Four sturgeon species may already be gone forever.

Lane Road entrance 3301 Lane Road Perry Township, OH 44081 Lon: 81°11'1.15"W Lat: 41°47'0.801"N Clark Road entrance 2901 Clark Rd. Perry Township, OH 44081 Lon: 81°10'27.076"W Lat: 41°47'17.731"N Many Northeast Ohioans recognize the value of Lake Erie. Now they have a park that features this natural wonder in Lake County’s front yard. Park hours: 6 am to 11 pm Amenities 600 acres. Hiking trails. A reservable three-season shelter with views of Lake Erie. Three scenic overlooks. Two access points for access to natural beach. Fish...

ONION RINGS & CHIPS All of your favorite cuts, batters, and breadings. Several items come in a convenient portion pack. PEPPERINOS Choose cheddar or cream cheese in a variety of packs and coatings. Even available oven ready. MUSHROOMS Our mushrooms are harvested and coated quickly with one of our original batters or breadings. ZUCCHINI PLANKS & FRIES We take fresh zucchini and batter it to create these crispy treats. CHEESE STICKS & CUBES You name them and we’ve got them! Provolone, mozzarella, pepperoni, cheddar, and hot pepper...

Program Overview The Dental Assistant program provides the student with the knowledge and hands-on practice in working along with a dentist in delivering care to the patient. The student is provided with the opportunity to prepare tray setups and work with dental instruments and materials. Students also learn the basics of x-ray filming, oral heath care, dental lab techniques, and other chairside assisting techniques. You are also given the opportunity to obtain skills working in an administrative capacity within the dental office...

Feel at home Here at Andy Myers Lodge we understand the camaraderie that comes with fishing and hunting. We hold our daily seminars in the Main Lodge to further your skills and show you the spots to make your fishing and hunting trip an exciting one. At our main lodge, you can enjoy a superb American breakfast and evening meals in our dining room overlooking Eagle Lake. After a long day in the outdoors. We want you to feel comfortable while staying in one of our cabins, you’ll be provided with a very casual feel...

Ontario's top beaches draw plenty of vacationers every year. (Photo: Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images ) Related Articles Ontario's beaches are a mainstay of summer vacation in the eastern Canadian province that borders four of the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and James Bay. There are plenty of beaches in provincial and national parks, as well as near cities. Ontario's south coast, in particular, offers miles of beaches to explore and enjoy, as well as clean water to swim in. Sauble Beach Named the No...

World Class Bass Fishing Feel the exhilaration of a Large or Smallmouth Bass on the end of your line. Largemouth bass are one of the most aggressive fighting fish in the world and will give any fisherman a challenge. Smallmouth bass are pound for pound, one of the toughest fighting fish. Travel the length of Crooked Lake and find the perfect spot to enjoy the thrill of Bass Fishing. With the exception of some shore lunch or menu items, the Lodge adheres to a policy of catch and release. Breathtaking Photography Crooked Lake Wilderness Lodge is in the heart of the 35, 500 hectre, Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands; one of the most diverse and least disturbed natural areas found in Central Ontario...