VENTURE Crew 149
Please feel free to add or correct my recollections.
I found 3 days of youth writings and have incorporated the ideas (that could be shared) into this story.
By Dave Dicke
Day 1
We met at Epworth for a 6 hr travel day. Started out fin all is well, but the air went out on the Dicke “bus” so those riding there were treated to a warm ride.
We got as far as Hudson Ohio and the Dicke Bus started to loose power. We all got off the highway and met in a shopping plaza that had an AAA office. Dicke arranged to have the van fixed but needed a vehicle to pull the trailer to continue on with the trip. We all ate lunch at the repair shop. But the van wasn’t to be fixed that day!
Uncle Eric and Uncle Conrad Jelinger to the rescue. Uncle Conrad drove his pick up to Hudson and Uncle Eric drove him back to Toledo. What a great pair to help the crew out! The rest of the crew continued on to the cabin. “Big Red” and Julie stayed with Dave to wait for the pick up pick up…
Pick up back on the road in a couple hours back on track. Balance of the group got to the cabin around 5:00. Dave Dan and Julie got there around 6:00. We dropped the gear and we were off to the bull riding Rodeo nearby… WE THOUGHT. Good thing all the vehicles had high clearance because we were out on an old logging road as a short cut to get to the Rodeo. “Centerline” Gregg Sattler knew the area and got us there just fine. The rear pick up riders were sure we were all to be killed in the woods by the Evil Gregg’s hillbilly friends!
The bull riding event was outstanding. We all saw a sport none had seen before. The place was packed several thousand perhaps in the stands. 15 or so riders set out to tame the might bulls. One got a broken leg; others were beaten up pretty bad… Ate local fare, really good I must say. Great Fireworks display, we thought the debris was going to light up the forest, but it didn’t!
Back to the cabin for a camp fire
_____________
Second Day
Slept in and did some sight seeing and grocery shopping. It was hot so we went to a local park that had a great beach with volleyball. A Challenge was made. The adults ROCK! But lost… Uncle Eric and the girls made their way to meet us swam and had a nice lunch. We then made our way back to the cabin to get ready for the next day. On the way we stopped at the Tall Oak Stores. They are very unique retailers along a neat river. Nick Knacks and food, and eclectic enclave. We also stopped at an artesian well to fill up our drinking jugs (cabin water isn’t too good for drinking)
Foil pack in the camp fire dinner and “Centerline’s” first excellent Dutch oven dump cake. We all stuffed ourselves on 1000’s of calories of chocolate cherries and cake and ice cream too yum yum!
Ask Diane B about her fashion statement at the sink?
The guys tried but had no luck at catching the tricky native trout in the stream behind the cabin. They built a small dam in the stream to build up the water for a larger pool for the fish. It worked pretty well. They ended up wallowing in the water to get cooled down a few times too!
Dave burned two pie iron pies until he figured out how hot the coals really were. We all stared at Austin’s toe nails!
_____________
Third Day
Got an early start to do the North Country Trail service Project. Met Keith Klos the NCT project coordinator and the Park Service Ranger Joe. @ 9:00 they gave us a safety lesson and taught us how to use the tools. We loaded up eh pick up and road in the back up the mountain to an oil well platform area. Got out and hiked to the service area spot. Some split off with the Ranger to do some tree trimming , others went off to remove old oil line pipes from the trial and stream and the others began the trail repair at a bend in the stream. The original idea was to move about 600 feet of trail up away form the stream. But the slope was too steep and the rocks too plentiful to do t hat, so Keith had us move stream rocks along the bank to build a stone break wall to stop the erosion. We then back filled the rocks with dirt and stone to build a trail base. We did that for almost 300 feet. We also had to build a substantial foot path of rocks to cross a smaller stream that joined the larger one. That way the trail didn’t need to slosh through the smaller stream. Tons of rocks were moved by hand and tons of pipes were removed to a location where a truck could come to recycle the steel. We then all had some lunch, we finished the job around 1, ate and then started to hike down the mountain to the original parking area where 3 of the cars were left. We got a big thank you from Keith and Joe. Joe explained all our volunteer hours get an hourly rate to be used to get matching federal dollars for other projects in the park. He thought he would get $3000. in added funds or more with our time and efforts! We all headed back to the cabin We spent the night packing for the canoe trip and going to the store for more supplies. Spaghetti, for supper Mr. Sattler made another dump cake, but we were all so tired and full that we decided to keep it till morning and eat if for breakfast. BAD IDEA! The wonderful cake took on the burnt odor and taste of the coals as it cooled. It went to the trash. The (we understand that a bear came a calling that night while we were canoeing. He must have wanted that dump cake!
_____________
Fourth Day
Canoe Trip Off Early to get the canoes. We hustled to the livery and unloaded into their antique busses. Canoes were pretty beat up and old too, but for the most part they floated. Mr. Sattler and Julie’s leaked pretty good until we stuck a stick in the missing rivet hole. We put in at the base of the Kinzua Dam and began the slow trip to Bear Island for the night stay. Lots of neat scenery and fun paddling and splashing. Just before the town of Warren there was a rapids that all needed to pass. We all made it but Gregg and Julie. Their water logged canoe had a hard time navigating the fast water and they flipped. Stuff floating everywhere!. We all got back together and kept on going. We got to a nice park on the river at Warren and had lunch at a neat shelter house. Rested, dried out, and then hit the water for the last leg of the first day.
Maria and Dan walked to teen to get some needed supplies and then caught up a short time later.
We got to Bear island around 4:00 pm. We got our tents set up. Some got he fire going, other prepared the meal. Some gathered fire wood for the night fire. We ate hiking trail food. Lots of variety. Chicken with rice, Mexican rice, stew, Chicken teriyaki, beef stroganoff etc. The new had several great deserts. All the food was consumed!. We burned out the cans. The “valley Girls were in the river cleaning up and laughing and singing after dinner when they both started screaming! A bear was sighted on the island not 600 feet from our camp. We thought they were joking but others up the river confirmed the sighting. Bear bag In the tree tonight for sure. We gathered more fire wood for a long night. We gathered all the food candy, tooth paste etc and put it in several bear bags to raise into a tree we picked. As we lifted the bags the limb gave way and we had to start again. All was well, we had some thorns and roses talk before turning in for the night.
_____________
Fifth Day
Got up not early enough. Started to break camp and it started to rain. Lightly at first the nit stopped. We got on the river and started to feel like the rain might l go away, when it came down in buckets. Several times we had to move towards shore as the rain was so heavy we couldn’t see all the canoes ahead or behind. We continued on the rain would stop for a while. We stopped ant a neat park like area for lunch and the rain stopped for a little while but resumed before we had finished. We were we pretty much all over.
We kept on going hoping and praying the livery was the “next cabin on the right”. We went buy a lot of next cabins before we got to the base. We unloaded and headed back to the cabin.
When we got back the sky had cleared and we set out all the tents to dry. Got cleaned up and went to Warren for a great Pizza Hut Dinner. Some then went to Rim Rock and to see the Dam, others went to shop. Back to the cabin snacks and sleep.
_____________
Sixth Day
Up early again to start our North Country trail hike. We started where we parked for the service project. WE hiked , and hiked and hiked some more. It was really pretty country. Some steep uphill, some great views. We hiked through an area that was d destroyed by winds, all the trees were felled helter skelter. We walked through new growth pines for a fire. The hake was about 2 hrs longer that we thought but it was worth the effort. The Jelingers had to hike ahead as they needed to meet their day to go to another family outing in the Pittsburg Area. Uncle Conrad had the location of the cabin and went there to take a nap prior to meeting the hikers. He went inside and got a pop from the refrigerator. Then went to sleep in his car. When Uncle Eric arrived to drop of the kids Conrad was in the neighbors drive and had gone in the neighbor's house for the pop!. Good thin she wasn’t home and thought he was a bear!.
Cheryl led the youth in spreading the dirt pile out in front of the Sattler's Cabin. She did a great job! Getting the kids to do the work we set out to do for the hosts when we arrived. Supper was Mr. Sattler’s famous Sticky Chicken Dinner cooked in Dutch ovens on the fire. Maria helped prepare the feast as others got cleaned up and rested from the hard day of work!
_____________
Seventh day
Slept in a little and had to get off to go horse back riding at the stable where the rodeo was held. The people were very nice when we got there. Follow the same way to get there, out in no man’s land again. Unfortunately we had to find another rout as road construction had the one lane road down to no lanes. Got to the stable. Some went riding in a first group. The second group got riding and show riding lessons while we waited. Second group then went. Had a little rain as we returned but it let up. Others chilled and talked to the stable hands. We then had a great lunch put on but the rodeo food service crew. Lots of premium big “dogs beans chips and cookies.
Headed back to being packing for home. Some were near witnessing a wreck. Uncle Eric MD to the rescue again. He worked his magic on the injured until the rescue squad arrived and rather un-politely asked him to vamoose!
We got home and Mr. Sattler had a great Idea to have our last dinner at Rim Rock park. He wanted to show us a great view and rock formation. So he and two girls set of ahead to get the fire going and supper started so we could eat when new got there. Dump cake on the menu again. We had left over spaghetti, brauts, French bread salad cheese, a feast. However Gregg and the girls didn’t have matches to start the fire until we got there so dinner was a little later that we had thought it would be.
We climbed the rocks and went in small caves, Kevin lost is mom’s good flash light!. We went to the overlook and were all impressed with the great view of the lake and river thousands of feet below. We were inspired and had a great round of thorns and roses to end the trip. We were really blessed with good friends, food, activities and for the most part good weather….
A side bar: While hitching the trailer to the pick up Dave found the hitch ball was a size too small for the trailer. The result could be a trailer coming loose form the truck ( it made it all the way form Warren that way unbeknownst to Dave) So a simple ball change is in order. NOT Conrad’s ball receiver has a lock… no key. Easy take the ball off and replace it with another larger ball ( Dave had the right ball in the trailer). Sounds easy. Dave broke a heavy duty pipe wrench trying to loosen the nut from the ball. So he cut it off with a hack saw. It took 30 minutes of sawing but I got it off and we were safe again!. Conrad you have a bigger ball on you truck now…
_____________
Eighth day
Up early, quick breakfast cleaned the cabin and grounds and hit the road.
Safely home and picked up the Dicke van ( fuel pump was replaced for $1100.) Ouch air still out!
All got home safely and relatively unhurt.
The adventure was over for 2007.
Thanks to all the adults and youth that made it happen. Especially Mr. Gregg Sattler and family for hosting us at the Cabin, Dan Sattler and Maria for organizing stuff, Diane Baughman for pulling the camper for the comfy beds and the constant smile and support to Dave when he was at his wits end. To Diane Wilke Smith for putting up with these groups’ quirks, and keeping we grounded, Conrad and Eric for coming to the rescue more than once.
Go Venture Crew 149!!!!!
