The Deets

We had an impromptu org meeting at Brown's last night.  Here's what you need to know.

We will have a total of 8 rivermen for at least parts of this trip.

The following are full monty Thursday to Sunday:

Skip

Rob H

Stuart

Phil

Pete F

In addition, Mullowney will be on for two nights, Thursday to Saturday.

Vernon and Dave Coviello will be joining Saturday for one night.

On Thursday, I will pick up Stuart at the airport about 10:30 and we will go straight from there (with some supply stops).  Anyone not riding with me and the trailer should meet us at the Williamsport Market and Deli which you will know because it is surrounded by five (5) cemeteries.  Including a dedicated meth cemetery:

  Or look for it's famous murals:

The Saturday guys (Vernon and Coviello) will join us on the river under the Natchez Trace bridge where the Gordon House rest stop is.  Coviello will be launching a canoe, but Vernon will just trade places with Mullowney who is exiting on Saturday at the same place.

All of this - plus leaving an extra car at the take-out to get Stuart to the airport early on Sunday - will make the shuttle somewhat complicated.  The good news is that because the river bends are unusually long and twisty and the road is unusually straight, the entire shuttle for this four-day, 25 mile canoe trip is only 10 minutes long.

Our paddle on Thursday will also be short -  only one mile, which we can do in less than thirty minutes.  So we'll have plenty of time to set up Proud Mary.  Here is drone surveillance from the put-in to the campsite:

Poplar Creek Campsite

On Friday morning we will paddle past the previously mentioned 1822 Farm, which sells fresh meat on site.  The owner looks and talks exactly like Old Man Willet, who you may recall had some of the best lines in Goodbye to a River (“Hit’s a-snowin!”  “Hit’s the only book they is,” “You’re a blowed Jew!” “Ought to see him dressed up like Gunsmoke, Sundays,” “No-good piss ant,” “Looks like you’d have more brains…horsin’ around a river").  His son is going to meet us at the mouth of Big Bigby Creek via four-wheeler and deliver two big dry rub Chuck Roasts and a Thor's Hammer for our Friday night entree.  

Here's the full menu:

THURSDAY

Lunch - egg salad and/or avocado sandwiches 

Dinner - chickens a la Proud Mary, Big Daddy collared greens and wild rice  

FRIDAY

Breakfast - tobacco and coffee

Lunch - chicken sandwiches

Dinner - 1882 Farm pot roast.  Note from the chefs:  everyone should bring a quart-sized bowl for this meal (in addition to the usual personal plates, cups and silverware)

SATURDAY

Breakfast - tobacco and coffee

Lunch - beef and horseradish sandwiches

Dinner - pasta with garlic, anchovy, capers and red pepper, sautéed Guinea greens, 7-Up cake 

SUNDAY

Breakfast - tobacco and coffee

Plus Stuart is going to bartend and will be serving specialty cocktails each evening.  It's going to be a good trip, Passengers.

Is this thing on...?

Ok you jessies.  Fall Trip is going to be Thursday, October 26 - Sunday, October 29.  Three-nighter.

Destination is the Duck River from Willamsport to Littlelot Bridge which goes under the Natchez Trace in Maury and Hickman counties.  Downstream of Columbia, TN, upstream of Centerville.  We did parts of this section on the Fall 2011 trip.

Total distance over four paddling days will be 25 river miles.  The first 16 of those are around the very remote Greenfield Bend where this is no access.  So if you are looking for options your choices are put in Thursday and take out Saturday, put in Saturday and take out Sunday, or the full monty Thursday to Sunday.  In other words, there will be no putting in or taking out on Friday.

Chefs:  as you work on the menu, let's consider getting some red meat from 1822 Farms.   No mail order or retail, you have to pick it up fresh from the farm which is on our first big turn right at Big Bigby Creek.  We can send a procurement detail across the field in their riverman boots.  

Especially interested in "Thor's Hammer" but will let you guys decide.

We found a lantern, actually more than one, and we found Old Glory.  So I think we're all set.

Final roster:

Rob H.

Skip

Josh

Mullowney

Vernon

Pete F

Stuart 

Rob Cannon

Rob, Skip, Pete and Vernon will meet at Vernon's farm at 8:30 am and load the trailer, then go to the put-in and run the shuttle.

Josh will pick up Stuart at the airport and then will meet us at the put-in whenever they can get there, probably between 1:00 and 2:00.

Mullowney and Rob Cannon we assume you will meet us at the put-in unless we hear otherwise from you.  If you want your trucks to be at the take-out you need to arrive in time to participate in the shuttle.  Probably no later than 11:00.

The put-in is Bell Bridge on Highway 13.  You can put "Crazy Horse Recreational Park" (Waynesboro, TN) in your GPS and it will take you right there, although we will launch on the opposite side of the river.  It's two hours from Nashville.

Weather looks amazing.  Sunny paddling during the day and cold nights by the fire, but bring your long johns for sleeping.  Remember:  BYO water, beer, plates, cups and silverware.  Also, lunch on Thursday is on your own but can be found in Linden if you're part of the shuttle crew.  Everyone else plan accordingly.

 

 Does anybody know where the Old Glory river guitar is?  We are also down a Coleman lantern or two.  Propane or battery lanterns will not do because they don't provide the same tense anticipation of what might happen next when Josh does the ritual cleaning and lighting at the first gravel bar.  

Besides, the Coleman lantern is one of the sights and sounds of a proper gravel bar campsite, as John Graves of course knew.

 

 

Here's the Plan

We're going to do a section that's solidly in the middle part of the Buffalo which I think will give us enough water everywhere except for the truly shallow riffles which may require some dragging but probably would on any Fall trip.

Put-in will be at Hwy 13 / Bell Bridge and take-out at Linden City Park.  

This combines the put-in from the Fall 2015 trip and the take-out from Fall 2017.  Here are some visual reminders.  

Put-in 2015...

Take-out 2017...

Warning:  immature bald eagles have been spotted loitering on this section!

We'll leave Nashville early Thursday morning and meet at Vernon's farm where the canoe trailer and most of the canoes have been living.   

Here is what I've currently got for the roster so let me know if anyone's status has changed.

Rob H.

Skip

Josh

Mullowney

Myers

Vernon

Pete F

Stuart 

Rob Cannon

Fall Trip

It's time to get back on a river, fellas.  And I know which one it's going to be.

Last trip was Fall of 2019 so in order to make up for lost time this will be a full 3-nighter.  Thursday, Oct. 20 - Sunday, Oct. 23.   

Looking back at our most recent trips before the hiatus, we could have changed our name to the BRCC because the archives say we went to the Buffalo River four of the last six and six of the last ten trips. 

The trend is going to continue because there's no other river in Tennessee that is both spring fed and long enough to do a four day trip in a drought.  

Not that we expect anybody to complain about the Buffalo.  It has been very good to us...

I'll let you know what section when its decided.  Have to drink over some maps this weekend.