The June trip was originally Ron's but due to an accident with wife Jlinda, Ron turned the outing over to Harold. Harold secured permission to camp at the NTR Canoe Livery in Bolivar. NTR means, National Trail River, which the Indians and white man all used to travel. They had sites 4 and 5 in the primitive campground and Tony was first to arrive on Thursday afternoon, in a very hot, 93 degree day. As soon as he got his camp set up and sat down to rest, in pulls Harold and Laurie. As they were setting up Ted and Connie arrived. They however were staying in the hotel a 1/4 mile away, with air conditioning. After all were settled in, Tony kept whining about being hungry so they drove a 1/4 mile to Vaughan's Pub & Grill for some good food. Back at camp it was time to play card games until the still, very hot day was over. It was still hot in the morning.
Friday Wil was coming to scout and or paddle and he arrived before 9:00 am. The USGS stream gauge at New Philadelphia was at 1.25' Friday and Saturday. The three guys loaded canoes while Laurie held down the camp, and drove to the Canoe Liveries 4.5 mile put in spot. The parking area is shared with the McDonnell Trailhead on the Ohio-Erie Canal Towpath Trail, off ST RT 212 and the access has a parking area for multiple vehicles. They were sweating by time the paddles pushed the boats from the shoreline with the water level great and the air a little cooler on the river. Lots of wildlife was enjoying the warm day such as turtles, muskrats, birds of all types, squirrels and ducks. No noisy geese, thank goodness. The 4.5 miles went fast and soon they were looking for a good exit spot close to the campsite. The livery take out was at least a 100 yards away so they found a non-muddy spot just downstream of the tents. The shoreline of the Tusc is very muddy a lot. It was still hot but Ted and Connie braved the heat to come over and go to lunch. Across the road from Vaughan's Pub & Grill is the Lockport Brewery. It was a very busy place, but after a short wait, they got a nice table in the AC with a cold beer to boot. Back at camp in the heat, they talked, played games and tried to keep cool. In the evening Steve and Coleen came in to visit. Coleen's dog Murphy was sick so they left him home out of the heat. They couldn't camp because of him but visited for a while before driving the hour and half home. Steve promised he would be there Saturday morning before nine to paddle with Tony as they are planning a trip together in the fall. There wasn't any cool air in the night so sleeping bags weren't really needed.
Saturday morning dawned, yep you guessed it, still very warm. Steve arrived as planned and everything was loaded and ready to go. Newer members Tom and Helen Greene were coming to paddle and they met the others in the canoe livery parking lot right on time. The Greene's, Tony and Wil were doing 6.5 miles starting 2 miles further upstream from Fridays trip at Riverland Ave SW and 212. The parking at Riverland & 212 is on the road side only with a max of 4 vehicles. It was full when they arrived at 9:15AM Saturday. Harold and Wil were duplicating the day before and drove the vehicle down to the better parking spot. The Tuscarawas River is very pretty and there isn't a lot of development along the shores in that area and other than Interstate 77 and the traffic noise, it is really peaceful. The 6.5 mile folks saw where Sandy Creek flows in and decided to paddle upstream. After 1/2 mile they came to the Bolivar Dam and just had to get out and explore the area. There isn't any water behind the dam except the very small Sandy Creek. The dam was built in 1935 to control flooding of 502 square miles of upstream land. The earthen dam is 6300 feet long, longer than a mile. When they got back to their canoes, there were lots of friends with inner tubes getting ready to float from there down to Zoar. What a hot long day they were going to have. Arriving back at camp Harold and Wil were already lounging and Ted and Connie were ready for lunch. After getting shuttle vehicles it was to the Towpath Tavern for a long wait to get food. One waitress for the whole place. But the food was good. Tom and Helen said their goodbyes and headed off while the rest went back to camp and were greeted by Chuck and his dog Cookie and Coleen who hitched a ride. Everyone sat and melted in the heat and just had cold drinks. Ted and Connie had enough of the heat so they said their goodbyes and headed for home. After games of 5 crowns, some folks were hungry while others were too hot to eat. Since Steve and Coleen were not camping for the night, Harold lite a quick fire so the small potluck could begin. Hot dogs, Brats, baked beans and misc items filled belly's. After eating Steve and Coleen left and the other four lounged and sat close but not too close to the small Indian campfire. Since rain was predicted for Sunday morning, what could be packed the evening before was accomplished. Sleep was hard in the warm air but morning came and everyone finished packing up early.
Chuck and Cookie were paddling the 6.5 mile trip so he left his bicycle and little trailer for Cookie and drove upstream before seven. When he got back to camp he had to ride the bike back to the truck. What a good workout. Tony was on the road soon after and the trip leaders not far behind.
It was a great outing, more on the primitive side then most of the other outings. NTR Livery was busy on Friday & very busy on Saturday. The heat was stifling but bearable and the company was perfect. Until next month, keep the open end up!!
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