Again, way too much food but great conversation and shared stories. John did return to the group and breakfast. We learned more about the history of the farm and area. Carol's husband, Wayne also offered us his friendship and kindness. Al and Wayne traded names of favorite mystery writers, and books were exchanged prior to our leaving. For anyone visiting the area, I strongly recommend the Valkommen House. It is only a mile and a half from the Skillet Creek take-out and truly one of the hidden jewels of Iowa. I ran the car shift to the YMCA camp and a 10-mile take-out for myself above the Frazier dam. We finally got on the river at 11am with the weather being kind. A light wind and gray sky made for ideal paddling. We had a beautiful day down the river. We did see several eagles during the journey. The group stopped at 1pm for lunch and my take-out. I went to the next boat ramp after the dam to make sure everyone made it safely through any challenges. Adrienne was the first one to pass and stated that all were safe. I went on to the YMCA camp to meet the group while they proceeded down the river. Stephanie Adams, at the YMCA, was extremely helpful. She pointed out a location for the tents, bathroom/shower facilities, dining hall, and river-side fire ring for the evening campfire. I then only had about a five minute wait until our folks arrived. Camp was established and sadly we had to say good bye to Rick Dietz of Ames. We voted that he should stay and even contemplated hiding his car keys. I think he regretted leaving as much as we wished he could stay. We are now down to the final group who plan on making the total trip: Al Donaldson, John Wenck, Bill Denton, Adrienne Adams, and me (Ana Donaldson). We started with 13 and am down to the final five. Dinner was supplied by the YMCA and was typical sturdy camp fare. Stephanie joined us at dinner and shared her story as she listened to our description of the trip. She pointed out the location in the woods where she had seen a pileated woodpecker. We immediately headed in that direction but failed to see the secretive bird. Al and the group did find the world's largest Jack in the Pulpit after my departure. I headed to Boone to the Super 8 for the night as Al stayed with the group. As I checked into my room, the clerk informed me that bad storms were headed this way. The news station broadcast tornado warnings for south of us. I called the camp emergency number and asked that they report the weather situation to the travelers. All of the local news channels were functioning at panic mode through the rest of the night.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Day 4: Stratford to YMCA Camp
Day 4 was the Skillet Creek to the YMCA camp portion. Morning found Carol turned into her grandmother, Brita Larson. In a Swedish costume she served us a bountiful breakfast.
Again, way too much food but great conversation and shared stories. John did return to the group and breakfast. We learned more about the history of the farm and area. Carol's husband, Wayne also offered us his friendship and kindness. Al and Wayne traded names of favorite mystery writers, and books were exchanged prior to our leaving. For anyone visiting the area, I strongly recommend the Valkommen House. It is only a mile and a half from the Skillet Creek take-out and truly one of the hidden jewels of Iowa. I ran the car shift to the YMCA camp and a 10-mile take-out for myself above the Frazier dam. We finally got on the river at 11am with the weather being kind. A light wind and gray sky made for ideal paddling. We had a beautiful day down the river. We did see several eagles during the journey. The group stopped at 1pm for lunch and my take-out. I went to the next boat ramp after the dam to make sure everyone made it safely through any challenges. Adrienne was the first one to pass and stated that all were safe. I went on to the YMCA camp to meet the group while they proceeded down the river. Stephanie Adams, at the YMCA, was extremely helpful. She pointed out a location for the tents, bathroom/shower facilities, dining hall, and river-side fire ring for the evening campfire. I then only had about a five minute wait until our folks arrived. Camp was established and sadly we had to say good bye to Rick Dietz of Ames. We voted that he should stay and even contemplated hiding his car keys. I think he regretted leaving as much as we wished he could stay. We are now down to the final group who plan on making the total trip: Al Donaldson, John Wenck, Bill Denton, Adrienne Adams, and me (Ana Donaldson). We started with 13 and am down to the final five. Dinner was supplied by the YMCA and was typical sturdy camp fare. Stephanie joined us at dinner and shared her story as she listened to our description of the trip. She pointed out the location in the woods where she had seen a pileated woodpecker. We immediately headed in that direction but failed to see the secretive bird. Al and the group did find the world's largest Jack in the Pulpit after my departure. I headed to Boone to the Super 8 for the night as Al stayed with the group. As I checked into my room, the clerk informed me that bad storms were headed this way. The news station broadcast tornado warnings for south of us. I called the camp emergency number and asked that they report the weather situation to the travelers. All of the local news channels were functioning at panic mode through the rest of the night.
Again, way too much food but great conversation and shared stories. John did return to the group and breakfast. We learned more about the history of the farm and area. Carol's husband, Wayne also offered us his friendship and kindness. Al and Wayne traded names of favorite mystery writers, and books were exchanged prior to our leaving. For anyone visiting the area, I strongly recommend the Valkommen House. It is only a mile and a half from the Skillet Creek take-out and truly one of the hidden jewels of Iowa. I ran the car shift to the YMCA camp and a 10-mile take-out for myself above the Frazier dam. We finally got on the river at 11am with the weather being kind. A light wind and gray sky made for ideal paddling. We had a beautiful day down the river. We did see several eagles during the journey. The group stopped at 1pm for lunch and my take-out. I went to the next boat ramp after the dam to make sure everyone made it safely through any challenges. Adrienne was the first one to pass and stated that all were safe. I went on to the YMCA camp to meet the group while they proceeded down the river. Stephanie Adams, at the YMCA, was extremely helpful. She pointed out a location for the tents, bathroom/shower facilities, dining hall, and river-side fire ring for the evening campfire. I then only had about a five minute wait until our folks arrived. Camp was established and sadly we had to say good bye to Rick Dietz of Ames. We voted that he should stay and even contemplated hiding his car keys. I think he regretted leaving as much as we wished he could stay. We are now down to the final group who plan on making the total trip: Al Donaldson, John Wenck, Bill Denton, Adrienne Adams, and me (Ana Donaldson). We started with 13 and am down to the final five. Dinner was supplied by the YMCA and was typical sturdy camp fare. Stephanie joined us at dinner and shared her story as she listened to our description of the trip. She pointed out the location in the woods where she had seen a pileated woodpecker. We immediately headed in that direction but failed to see the secretive bird. Al and the group did find the world's largest Jack in the Pulpit after my departure. I headed to Boone to the Super 8 for the night as Al stayed with the group. As I checked into my room, the clerk informed me that bad storms were headed this way. The news station broadcast tornado warnings for south of us. I called the camp emergency number and asked that they report the weather situation to the travelers. All of the local news channels were functioning at panic mode through the rest of the night.
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