Harold and Laurie met Tony at Morgan's Canoe Livery/Campground on the shores of the Little Miami River, on Friday afternoon. It was a sign of deja vu as the rain was falling; reminding us of the recent New York trip and all the rain we had up there. The three skipped setting up tents in the rain and headed west for the Bass Pro store near Cincinnati. After lightening their wallets, they headed over to a Chipotle's for lunch. While eating, trip leaders Ted and Connie called and as luck would have it, they were very close to the restaurant and stopped in. Since moving to Indiana, they had to drive right past the Interstate 275 exit to get to Morgan's. Connie tried her best to get everyone to stay at their house for the weekend and as tempting as it was, camping won.
Together the group drove back to Morgan's where the rain had quit for a little while. Tents and tarps were erected and a nice campfire was lit. Some charcoal was lit for cooking chicken in a dutch oven, and then it started. Heavy rains came and created a lake around the fire ring, extinguishing the warm fire and driving all under the tarp. Supper was soon finished and everyone sat eating and listening to rain beating on the nylon covering.
Harold and Tony entertained the audience by playing cribbage, in such a competitive manner, under the dim glow of a 12-volt light. And the language that was used! It was really quite in the empty campground, which is one of the benefits of camping so late in the year. Bedtime came around eleven and the five campers drifted off to dreamland.
They woke to rain at 6:00am Saturday morning so rolling over and going back to sleep worked just fine. People started stirring again around 7:30 and by that time, the rain was finished for the day. It stayed cloud covered and breezy all day but no more rain fell.
Lance had sent an email saying that he may join the outing by shuttle time but he was eventually listed as a no show. Tom B. arrived with his cedar strip canoe and the six paddlers headed off to the village of Corwin and launched from the Clint Fultz River Access. The river was up higher than last night and was a little muddier but the current was wonderful. Even with a lunch break, the canoer's made 13 miles in 3.5 hours.
At one point, a "water panther" reached up and pulled Harold and Laurie into the water. Actually, they had just run a small rapid and turned to watch the other canoes paddle through, with their canoe turning sideways in the process. One log, barely breaking the surface of the water, stopped them and over they went. It just happened so fast. The air temperature was in the low 50's by then, so thankfully they stayed warm the rest of the trip. October paddling is so quite and peaceful compared to July and August. No insects flew around, the grasshoppers were gone and even the birds were low key. The whole area was just so peaceful and serene.
Back at camp they relaxed and talked with the campground owner, Mr. Morgan. Jock called and said him and Bevan were coming for the potluck and the social hour. Ted and Connie started the meal off with soup beans and cornbread, roasted hog dogs and Jocks fried potatoes. Tony's butternut squash, Laurie's apple pie and some brownies rounded out the feast.
While eating Connie mentioned Ted's birthday, which was the next day. Not having candles to light, a hotdog was stuck into the brownies and we all sang Happy Birthday to Ted. That is two members birthdays celebrated in two weeks. Harold and Laurie had a Sunday engagement and left for home shortly after supper. Jock had brought extra firewood and the rest of the members enjoyed a blazing hot campfire after that wonderful Southern Ohio Supper. There was an enormous bed of coals in the fire ring and the heat felt great as the cool evening air settled in. Later, Jock and Bevan headed for home and the camper's retired to their tents as fog started to roll in.
Sunday morning was indeed foggy and cold. 35 degrees was the low and those hot coals in the fire ring were still hot enough to jump-start another roaring fire. Ted and Connie were leaving early, something about guest coming for someone's birthday?
Tom and Tony decided to paddle six miles downstream from camp. After shuttling vehicles, they hit the water at 10:30am. The temperature was warming up, the sun was shining brightly and not a ripple stirred the water. It was a canoeing day from heaven. One hour and 15 minutes later, they were pulling up on shore and loading gear. Heading back to camp, they struck their tents, said good byes and drove off into the "sunset", officially ending the 2009 OHCRA canoeing season.
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