Sorry I could not post sooner.  We were being surveilled.

As you know, the Spring trip is three weeks away:  Friday, April 14 - Sunday, April 16 on the Buffalo River with a early-but-not-too-early departure Friday morning.  All route and menu planning  will be built around maximizing the use of Proud Mary since we somehow managed to go on a three-nighter last fall and not use her once.  

In anticipation of such, and having had a few test trips to know what we really want, we rendezvoused at Brown's Diner to decide on final improvements.    A few minutes after we arrived, black clad rotisserie specialists rappelled down from the roof of Brown's to receive our instructions. Due to security concerns, they took no notes.  Then they took it back to their workshop with promises it would be done before our trip.

There was no shortage of advice from the regulars at Brown's...

The best water wheel rotisserie in the world is about to get even better.  Main improvements will include a whole new, longer set of leg extensions with larger feet to keep them from sinking into the sandy river bottom, and we ordered multiple sets of forks/tines to go on the spit for different sizes and types of meat.  We added a new set of those to our order with every pitcher and nobody really remembers how many that was.  Let's just say we'll be able to accommodate every kind of roast from weasel to wildebeest.  And also fish.  I think we ordered a fish basket.   Plus some accessories like a utility shelf on the shore end (for sauces and utensils), and a flag mount on the river end (because it seemed like a good idea at the time).

Our Friday campsite has been selected specifically for the small stream running through the middle of it to power Proud Mary.  That's actually a rare thing, to see a running creek bisect a gravel bar in Tennessee.  Very excited to see how that works.  It will require near constant monitoring all day so if you are willing to volunteer for this chore be sure to bring your camp chair and plenty of beer.

 

There has also been a lot of work in the off season on club boats that will be showcased in the Spring.    Josh's old Mad River was seized from him by social services but Phil adopted and rehabilitated it, including a major gunwalectomy just like Tim's got a few years back.

As per custom, we will have a ceremonial fire with the old gunwales the first night of the trip.

Meanwhile, my Old Town turns 80 this year and is getting a full blown restoration to honor the occasion.  This looked like more than a six pack's worth of work so it was sent off to the professionals who have also promised delivery before the trip. 

 

They confirmed it is the same model shown in the picture from John Graves' trip.   

"It will look just like that when we're done," they said.   "Everything except the pup."

"No problem," I said.  "We've got a new Passenger this year."

Vernon's 16-week old Newfoundland "Siena"