Trip leader Ted secured a camping area at the Whitewater Canoe Rental in Brookville, Indiana for OHCRA's October outing. Friday was a beautiful fall day with temperatures in the 60's and full sun. Ted arrived around 11:00am followed shortly by Wil. Wil attempted to set up his tent but was missing a tent pole. Mentioning that his son had used the tent previously, he borrowed a couple of plastic poles Ted had. The two devised a pole system that looked like an accident but functioned just fine. Steve and Tony pulled in and set up their gear for the weekend with Tom arriving as they finished. Since it was lunch time, everyone but Tom headed to downtown Brookville for lunch. Ye Olde Shack was a restaurant/lounge that started life as a log cabin back in the 1800's. The rest of the building was built around the log cabin which can still be seen inside. After lunch at Ye Olde Shack, the guys walked around downtown, shopped and had a couple drinks.
The camp ground had a shelter house that the club could use for the weekend. Since Saturday's weather forecast was calling for rain, it was decided to wrap a tarp around part of the shelter house. Ted has a 30 x 40 foot tarp that blocked the west and part of the south end of the shelter. It not only blocked the rain but also most of the wind. As the day wore on the five members socialized while enjoying the fall day. Connie came up after work bringing firewood with Liz and Colleen arriving at dark. Harold and Laurie made it after being held up in traffic in the late evening. As the day continued towards midnight people slowly faded to their tents.
Same as last month at the Allegheny River, the rain started, this time around 3:00am. It wasn't very heavy but steady, so everyone slept in until bladders convinced them to stir. The sound of rain on tents can be so soothing but running water does strange things to the body. Ted and Connie planned a community breakfast for Sunday morning but since the rain soured canoeing, the group breakfast was cooked on Saturday instead. Around noon with the rain not letting up any thoughts of canoeing was dropped. The temperatures were cool now so the fire was fed throughout the day with games being played and books read. Tony and Wil went to the village of Metamora while Connie and Laurie went to the casino in Lawrenceburg. Tom had Saturday evening commitments and headed for home with the rest playing games, socializing and napping.
The Whitewater Canal was in the area in the early 1830's and traces of it are still visible. At the edge of the campground there still stands a wood and stone bridge or navigable aqueduct, which the canal used to cross a creek bed. Water crossing water. The workmanship of the stones and old timbers in the floor is just amazing.
The Whitewater Canoe Rental must have been in business for a long time. They have a couple hundred aluminum and plastic canoes on canoe trailers sitting all over the property. There are also old school buses parked all around. Steve tried to buy a couple canoes from the owner but he would not budge. There may be a small fortune in scrap aluminum.
The feast or potluck was held at the regular 6:00 time with everyone over eating. Walks helped digest the meal with the Left, Right, Center dice game being played then friendly poker later. The rain did stop around 2:00pm but the dampness, falling temperatures and slight breeze really made the campfire become the central focal point. The shelter house was high enough that the fire ring was inside the building and with the tarp walls it was very cozy.
Sunday morning was in the high 30's and the dew was very heavy but not frosty. Slowly the campers exited their tents and gravitated towards the now rekindled fire. The sun was shining brightly and promised to be a nice day. Connie helped Ted shuttle a vehicle downstream so five canoes and one kkkayak could finally paddle the Whitewater River. The water was clear but low and the rocky streambed with the changing leaves was beautiful. 6.25 miles was all they had time to canoe but plans were made to make the trip again soon. As with last month, the weather dictated the outing plans. Being flexible and having other interests to past the time with friends really helps. As some like to say: A bad day canoeing beats a great day at work!!
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