Cedar River Cruise June 2006
It started out fine with David and MaryJean Janni
arriving Thursday afternoon at Palisades Park. The Sun had been
shining all week and I was hoping for some good hovering. The
Janni's had been in the Park since 11:00 am and did some local
site seeing in Mt Vernon taking in PollyAnn's Antique Shop.
"Hey David; I didn't know you were so interested in Antiques
and Quilts":)
I met them a little after 4:00 pm and had supper of
LandJaegger's with Chips and Salsa. "Yum Yum". We
were fortunate to have a deer come out of the woods and walk
within 30 feet before sauntering back into the trees.
After returing to their campsite a neighboring camper came over to look at David's Hovercraft and invited us over to share their campfire. Don & Cindy were regular campers and told us about how they could get different color fire by stuffing a 3 inch copper tube with plastic garden hose "Not Rubber Hose" and tossing it into the fire. The chemical reaction from the heating and burning cause a gas to form that burned red, blue, green, pink, purple and other shades of color.
That is were I should have kept my Trap shut. "But
Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!" I had to say that I knew about
that from years ago when I worked for a county park.
Well MaryJean Pipes up "Michael" You knew how
to do this and never showed us??????????? We could have
been doing this for the last 4 years at the hover rallies! You
just didn't think it was important!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Oooohhhhhh
My was I in trouble. For rest of the weekend I was
constantly reminded how it would have been so wonderful to have
the pretty campfire at the hover rallies.
Friday morning Linda & Verdon Weber arrived at the Park at 10:00 am. MaryJean and Linda decided to go for a drive to see Jack Leonard "Maggie's Owner". Verdon and I repaired a busted manifold pipe on my Thrust engine. After a couple of stops at the local hardware store to get pipe and clamps the M.A.D. Mag was ready to go. At 12:30 pm "David Janni, Verdon, Doc Bowden, and I hovered down river.
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We stopped at Sutliff to see Jack and the ladies but
after Irene came home and started showing Linda and MaryJean her
Quilts and Hosta I knew there would not be any hovering unless I
said lets get going. So the Guys went hovering while the Gals
went Hosta and Quilt hunting or whatever ladies do when they get
together. lol
We hovered downriver to Cedar Valley "about 14 miles before
returning back to the park. The girls had just made it back
to so we all hovered up through the cut in the dam up to the
Roller Dam.
We all hovered close to the face of the Dam and Linda took some
awesome pics.
Friday Night it rained cats and dogs. I made coffee at 8:00
am and started the heater in my enclosed trailer. David and
MaryJean cooked breakfast We all brought in our camp chairs into
the trailer. We ate Bacon & Eggs and Salsa and Chips.
Let's not forget the Hoho's and Peanut Butter which is a
tradition with Verdon and I.
While it rained outside we talked all morning in the trailer cozy
and dry. Around noon everyone decided it was not going to quit
raining or warm up. Everyone packed up and went home.I left my
hovercraft at the park and took my enclosed trailer home.
I went back to pickup the hovercraft on Sunday and
decided to go down to the boat ramp to see if anyone was there.
No;only a family who were just packing up from fishing. Their
daughter who looked to be about 10 years old come running up to
see what kind of boat I had. Of course I told her is was a
hovercraft. She said boy it would be fun to see that run.
It was cloudy and had quit raining and I hadn't planned on
unloading but the look on her face made me think when I was a kid
and how I would see a boat or motorcycle and think it would be
neet to see it go.
Her Dad and come over and was eyeing the M.A.D. Mag and
asking questions when I asked him if he would like to see it run.
They both chorus YES! I unloaded the Starcruiser and took
it for a spin up to the sandbar and back. I hovered up the ramp
and turned it around. The little girl said it sure looked
like fun and her Dad was thinking the same thing.
I asked her Father if he and his daughter would like a
ride. I never saw two more excited faces. I think the
Dad was more excited. lol
I had two extra Life Vests and after they put them on
with hearing protection we took off upriver towards the dam. I
cut across the sandbar and back into the water then back over the
sandbar and head down river about a 1/2 mile. We took another
ride past the boat ramp where her Mother was standing and both
Dad and Daughter were waving. I hovered up the ramp and the
family thanked me for the ride. It sure does feel good to
make that day a little extra special for that family.
I loaded up Mag and headed home around 2:30 pm.
Mike C "Mag Master"