Day 3: Lehigh to Stratford

Day 3 began with Kelly, the owner of the Riverside Tavern, fixing a 7am breakfast so we could have an early paddle day. Al and I invited the bed and breakfast owners, Carol and Wayne Larson, to join us in our early feast. Kelly filled the table with piles of incredible food and refused payment for the meal. The group left generous tips to thank her for her effort. She stated that she and several town folks would like to join us for next year's trip. The trip today was from Lehigh to Skillet Creek. I ran the early car shift and the group was on the water prior to storms. The original plan was to rough camp on the shores of Allen Creek. The high water and flooding made that impossible. The Larson's invited the group to stay at the B&B as an alternative. At 1pm, I met the group at the Skillet Creek take-out. The river is high and fast and 20 mile trips are taking about 4 hours, including breaks. They stated that the scenery had been spectacular that day. A red-headed wood pecker and indigo bunting had been sited.
The bed and breakfast was a wonderful experience for the group. We stayed in a house that was built in 1903 by the Swedish grandparents of our host. A picture of the farm's barn with a Swedish barn quilt is on the right. The small antique-filled house from the beginning of last century had snug room for all of us. It was great to continue the reenactment with a home that existed just a decade or so after the original trip. John went home to DesMoines for the evening to vote and see his wife but was back again early in the morning. The group decided it was time to fix some of the food they have been carrying down the river but have not eaten. I went into Stratford for dinner and returned to find the group snacking on re-hydrated edibles. Carol Larson supplemented the meal with dip and crackers, two varieties of home made cookies, huge bowls of ice cream with home made chocolate sauce, and bags of home made caramel popcorn that never got opened. Who would think that the group would paddle 130 miles and need to come home to diet. I shared some of Tacitus' words from his original story about the 1892 trip from John's copy of the original book published in 1896. I handled it very carefully. A reporter from the local Stratford newspaper came with her husband to interview us about the trip. It was fun sharing our story about this adventure. I think we have fascinated folks along the route with this insane recreation. Our passion about the reenactment is being shared as we reach each of these rural communities.