well the formal meetings were done. Chuck and I retired to the room after a supper of the local griocery store's final sales on some chicken halves and sode. It was 9:30 and the lights were out. I just layed there smiling to myself thinking about launching the next day. Chuck or I said something about the day. Next thing I knew Chuck and I were finall having to say good night for realzies. I was I think almost mid night! :shock:
Chuck's mind is forever thinking and planning. Al had several books with him and shared them that night. One was about building a kevlar canoe and the other was Kilpatrick's wood strip boats... one of which Al built... the "puddle duck". And now here is Chuck thinking on how he was gonna turn his peiroue into a kevlar mold..... he was was a thinking and before long he was a millionaire with rights to every kevlar pirouge around!
:lol:
Morning was chilly. We both steped out for a morning smoke and checked on Al's room. No lights on... he must be snoring still.... ( I shall make no remarks on Chuck's snoring here...) he he he he
But shortly Al came in and had already had breakfast at the resturant next to the motel ! Rascal was full and ready to ride! Then Van and Harry pulled in. These guys , remember, had spent the night out at Trader's Hill and was just beaming this morning! Cold has nothing on these guys!
A wonderful breakfust and off to Steve's St.Mary'sRiver Canoe Livery.
Steve and our boats ready to go.
I stopped by the sportsman store and bought a 7 day fishing licence. Then on to the camp. The guys were there and un-loading their respective trucks with the gear that they were to carry. I had re-assembled my gear at the motel and kept some things in the truck that I wouldn't need . So I started to take my stuff out. The boats were loaded.
Within an hour we were at the boat launch at St George's bridge. Steve is excellent for getting us there and packed up and un-packed. Very great humor and I would suggest him and his site to everyone without finding any thing wrong with service, advise, and plain good conversation. Then there it was!
The river... peacefull and what seemed not a heavy flow... just right I thought to get started in on this new boat.
My boat is the one with the yeller bag in it. Don't ask me how much it weighed... I don't rightly know... but it floated and that was OK fer me... or I thought so then.....
The day was perfect. I think our high was 66 for the day and a low of 44 predicted that night. We shoved off about 11 am or 11:30 I can't remember.... The river had a very small current here. The others took right off... I was beginning to adjust my seat that I had built a day before I left for Folkston. An old canoe seat with new webbing and my old adjustable back rest with a new web backing... aww I thought I had it made in the shade..... but remember I said " beggining to adjust". Then the small strainers came to us... Chuck who lead the way will find the best spot to cross through, over, around these wood mennises. Van and Harry would make sure I made it through ok and then paddle their canoe onward to the next strainer.
I was truely thinking that these guys were gonna have some hard times ahead with that big canoe... that didn't happen... in fact Gruman needs to inlist these guys in their advertizing the canoes! They made it look easy and comfortable. Oh yea! the back rests of their canoe... I gotta let ya see them... home made and functional. Van here is posing with one after I made the statement that what he had looked like tombstones with names to be added later.
Going through the downfalls with branches sticking out everywhere their canoe sounded like that tank from Saving Private Ryan ... but coming, it came... pushing over everything in their path! To cool...
Chuck would merely climb over the sunken logs... he made it effortless it seemed. Al, would march right up and over anything... the rocker on his canoe lifted him half way before the mid ship part went over...
They stayed in front....
Me? I was later called the "Barge" if ya want to know what I looked like paddling with a short wood paddle, that I found in the testing of Lazy Gator, controled real well.... er that is empty that is....
To be honest... I struggled.... I got through the strainers ok... and I pushed hard to keep up with these giants of the streams... I had the Barge and kept coming on strong. The current got stronger and I found that trying to avoid some of the smaller strainers that popped up in mid stream was a hassle because the flat bottom with the increase speed didn't allow me the comfort to steer around all logs and stumps! I'd just surface over to them! lol
Chuck reports that we ONLY did 1/16th of the trip that day.... I thought we had set a new DOT record for clearing swamp water for cruise boats! :lol: :lol:
We put in thet night and Chuck who had the active GPS system in use figgered where we were. The trail boss didn't look happy that we had only gone such a distance... I was happy to be dry and in one piece!
Camp was beautiful spot. Al, had picked this one and it was sandy, with wood behind a small hill for camp. On shore Van and Harry gathered wood for the nights fire. I found a neat spot where the hammock set up and my gear was tossed for the night. I wasn't hungry but after looking at Chuck's bean soup and smelling his cornbread I found that I was ready to say "OK" when he asked if I wanted some of his soup. I then went on to make a B day cake for Chuck. No icing... I had forgotten that at home... but it was good without the icing and we all had a bite at the campfire that night.
Here I want to say that the camp fires were the heart of the trip. I looked foreward to them each night. The amount of talk/chatter/story telling jokes/ and laughter was over whelming. Yea, we even thought of all of you guys... Mac didn't make the trip because of his wife's health, and all missed him. I was told that I really missed one heck of a camper/boater on this trip. If these guys say that you can take it to the bank.
Mac I and the others hope and pray all is well with you both.
The B day boy had a "free" pass that night... we couldn't vote him off that night... he was amuned to it! :lol:
The sands were white and the woods full of noises. Ducks flew from about every bend in the river. The camp site here had rooted areas where wild hogs had been through. Coon tracks, deer tracks, cyote, turkey and some small clawed animal had left their prints... the first night in the woods and all is well with Mother earth. I went to bed laughing that night. I sure was glad to be here.
swampy
Chuck's mind is forever thinking and planning. Al had several books with him and shared them that night. One was about building a kevlar canoe and the other was Kilpatrick's wood strip boats... one of which Al built... the "puddle duck". And now here is Chuck thinking on how he was gonna turn his peiroue into a kevlar mold..... he was was a thinking and before long he was a millionaire with rights to every kevlar pirouge around!
:lol:
Morning was chilly. We both steped out for a morning smoke and checked on Al's room. No lights on... he must be snoring still.... ( I shall make no remarks on Chuck's snoring here...) he he he he
But shortly Al came in and had already had breakfast at the resturant next to the motel ! Rascal was full and ready to ride! Then Van and Harry pulled in. These guys , remember, had spent the night out at Trader's Hill and was just beaming this morning! Cold has nothing on these guys!
A wonderful breakfust and off to Steve's St.Mary'sRiver Canoe Livery.
I stopped by the sportsman store and bought a 7 day fishing licence. Then on to the camp. The guys were there and un-loading their respective trucks with the gear that they were to carry. I had re-assembled my gear at the motel and kept some things in the truck that I wouldn't need . So I started to take my stuff out. The boats were loaded.
Within an hour we were at the boat launch at St George's bridge. Steve is excellent for getting us there and packed up and un-packed. Very great humor and I would suggest him and his site to everyone without finding any thing wrong with service, advise, and plain good conversation. Then there it was!
The river... peacefull and what seemed not a heavy flow... just right I thought to get started in on this new boat.
My boat is the one with the yeller bag in it. Don't ask me how much it weighed... I don't rightly know... but it floated and that was OK fer me... or I thought so then.....
The day was perfect. I think our high was 66 for the day and a low of 44 predicted that night. We shoved off about 11 am or 11:30 I can't remember.... The river had a very small current here. The others took right off... I was beginning to adjust my seat that I had built a day before I left for Folkston. An old canoe seat with new webbing and my old adjustable back rest with a new web backing... aww I thought I had it made in the shade..... but remember I said " beggining to adjust". Then the small strainers came to us... Chuck who lead the way will find the best spot to cross through, over, around these wood mennises. Van and Harry would make sure I made it through ok and then paddle their canoe onward to the next strainer.
I was truely thinking that these guys were gonna have some hard times ahead with that big canoe... that didn't happen... in fact Gruman needs to inlist these guys in their advertizing the canoes! They made it look easy and comfortable. Oh yea! the back rests of their canoe... I gotta let ya see them... home made and functional. Van here is posing with one after I made the statement that what he had looked like tombstones with names to be added later.
Going through the downfalls with branches sticking out everywhere their canoe sounded like that tank from Saving Private Ryan ... but coming, it came... pushing over everything in their path! To cool...
Chuck would merely climb over the sunken logs... he made it effortless it seemed. Al, would march right up and over anything... the rocker on his canoe lifted him half way before the mid ship part went over...
They stayed in front....
Me? I was later called the "Barge" if ya want to know what I looked like paddling with a short wood paddle, that I found in the testing of Lazy Gator, controled real well.... er that is empty that is....
To be honest... I struggled.... I got through the strainers ok... and I pushed hard to keep up with these giants of the streams... I had the Barge and kept coming on strong. The current got stronger and I found that trying to avoid some of the smaller strainers that popped up in mid stream was a hassle because the flat bottom with the increase speed didn't allow me the comfort to steer around all logs and stumps! I'd just surface over to them! lol
Chuck reports that we ONLY did 1/16th of the trip that day.... I thought we had set a new DOT record for clearing swamp water for cruise boats! :lol: :lol:
We put in thet night and Chuck who had the active GPS system in use figgered where we were. The trail boss didn't look happy that we had only gone such a distance... I was happy to be dry and in one piece!
Camp was beautiful spot. Al, had picked this one and it was sandy, with wood behind a small hill for camp. On shore Van and Harry gathered wood for the nights fire. I found a neat spot where the hammock set up and my gear was tossed for the night. I wasn't hungry but after looking at Chuck's bean soup and smelling his cornbread I found that I was ready to say "OK" when he asked if I wanted some of his soup. I then went on to make a B day cake for Chuck. No icing... I had forgotten that at home... but it was good without the icing and we all had a bite at the campfire that night.
Here I want to say that the camp fires were the heart of the trip. I looked foreward to them each night. The amount of talk/chatter/story telling jokes/ and laughter was over whelming. Yea, we even thought of all of you guys... Mac didn't make the trip because of his wife's health, and all missed him. I was told that I really missed one heck of a camper/boater on this trip. If these guys say that you can take it to the bank.
Mac I and the others hope and pray all is well with you both.
The sands were white and the woods full of noises. Ducks flew from about every bend in the river. The camp site here had rooted areas where wild hogs had been through. Coon tracks, deer tracks, cyote, turkey and some small clawed animal had left their prints... the first night in the woods and all is well with Mother earth. I went to bed laughing that night. I sure was glad to be here.
swampy