BAYOU BYLINE June 2016 Calendar of Events June 21 Monthly Meeting - Pat and Susan Harrell Hot Air Ballooning See write up below. July 10 Meat Pie Triathlon 10-16 Ozark Erie Canal Bike Trip 17 Cross Lake Triathlon 19 Monthly Meeting August 7 River Cities Triathlon 16 Monthly Meeting Our monthly meetings are held at Mickle Hall in the Carlisle Auditorium on Centenary College campus on the first floor. X marks the spot on the map. Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month. (except December) Program starts at 6:30 pm. Business meeting follows. Plan to join us after the meeting for pizza and socializing. With the U.S. Hot Air Balloon Championship being held in Shreveport July 14 19, we are pleased to have local balloonist Pat Harwell as our June speaker. Pat is the most experienced balloon pilot in Northwest Louisiana with over 3000 hours flight time. He is the 3-time Louisiana State Ballooning Champion and the 2-time Southeast Regional Champion. Pat s wife, Susan Harwell, is the first female balloon pilot in Louisiana. Susan is the prior world record holder for longest distance flown by a female in a 31,000 cubic foot balloon. In 1996 she placed second in the North American Balloon Championship. The Harwell s take passengers on hot air balloon adventures with their business, American Escapes Aerosports. Come get fired up about hot air ballooning at the June 21 BCOS meeting. 1
June 4 Vickie Rech s Birthday JUNE Special Days June 7 Jenny and Gary Hackman s Wedding Anniversary June 14 Flag Day June 16 Vannie Edwards Birthday Robert Gaudet s Birthday June 17 Cathy Joyce s Birthday June 19 Anna Lane s Birthday Father s Day June 20 Hot Time in the Old Town All Day - Summer Begins June 21 BCOS Meeting - Hot Air Ballooning June 22 Lisa Willard s birthday Ouachita Haven June 9-10, 2016 Dare you to try and pass! Stephanie and Mason 2
Arkansas River Weekend By Sandy Roerig It wasn t a Bayou Chapter Canoe Clinic, but the ghosts of clinics past seemed to be everywhere at Ouachita River Haven campground (formerly known as M&M Campground during the era of canoe clinics). From the front porch gathering place where we ate Marian s spaghetti dinners, to the open area by the driveway where we received complete river safety instructions, I could almost hear the voices and laughter from those special times. Now, the trees are bigger, but the campground looks about the same as another group of BCOS members gathered on June 9-10 for a trip on the Ouachita River. Long-time members and previous clinic participants included Cathy and John Joyce (previous instructors), Stephanie Parks, Barbie Halbert, Toni Spitale and Sandy Roerig. Members who never had the privilege of experiencing a clinic included Dick Maxwell, DJ Teutsch, Kenneth Holdiness and new members Stephanie and Jim Lee (they camped Friday night but did not join the river trip). It was a special treat to have a couple of young people (10 and 11 years old) along for the experience, Abby Jones (DJ s granddaughter in the maiden voyage of her new green kayak with a matching green paddle) and Mason Welch, Stephanie Parks paddling partner. Saturday morning produced perfect paddling weather, as people ate a quick breakfast and gathered at 9:00 to get started. At this point, BCOS members were joined by Terri Barnhill and her friend Donna who were escaping Shreveport for the weekend. We were delighted to learn that the ORH staff would shuttle our boats to the put-in at Oden for the 13 mile trip back to the take-out at the campground. There were a total of 11 boats (3 canoes and 8 kayaks) for the group. At the put-in, we quickly unloaded boats and started the trip down the beautiful Ouachita River about 10:15 it s a lot faster when the shuttle is so easy! The weather was perfect, the river gauge was about 2.8, a good level for an easy paddle, and everyone was in high spirits. Less than an hour after the start, there was a mandatory swim break, just for fun. In addition, a few paddlers took unplanned swim breaks, providing entertainment to all those who managed to stay in their boats during a few technical spots in the river. I ll just note that this was Mason s very first paddle trip, and he learned a LOT.. There were a few other paddle groups on the river and everyone was having a wonderful time. Plenty of room for all and no need for any rescues. In fact, there were several shallow areas, although most people only had to drag their boats only one time, if at all. But, Mason did rescue a couple of kayakers who got stuck on rocks right in front on the lunch spot! (Thanks, Mason!) The last couple of miles seemed to be one long pool, with no riffles to push us along. So, everyone was really glad when the campground finally appeared around 5:30 pm on river left! Another bonus was that the ORH staff helped load our boats back on our cars. What a deal for $5!! As usual, everyone had brought food to share and no one could say they didn t get enough to eat. There were many delicious dishes to try. There was lots of campfire talk, also, as usual until everyone just crashed. Most people needed to get back home on Sunday, so the tentative plan to paddle the Dragover loop was postponed for another trip. Some of the group stayed around for a while, just relaxing and enjoying being outdoors. Hope you can join us for the next trip we had a blast!! 3
Dee Jaye s 10 year old Granddaughter Abby Giving the boats a well deserved rest! Taking a swim in the Ouachita River Lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer! Mason, John, Sandy, Cathy 4
CHAIRMAN S CORNER By: Dick Maxwell Got just a couple of things to mention this month. But, just because there isn t much to say doesn t mean it is not worth reading. First off, we all need to give thanks to Marian, who along with her somewhat questionable assistants Sandy R and Roy O have without a thought to the implications of this action, volunteered to publish our newsletter. (I still think the only reason for this is the very generous stipend we give them.) But, be that as it may, we are very thrilled to have such caring and giving people on the team. Item two. The weekend at Ouachita River Haven. There I was. Ready to add several pics to this post and with one masterful click, erased all of my pictures from the camera. With any luck others who were on the trip will have some to share. This was a show up and go if you wanted. There were 11 of us who camped out and we were joined by three (I ve gotta have a bed to sleep in types) who used the excuse of Dog Sitting to escape the joy of 90 degree heat in a tent. Wimps I calls em. Wimps. Saturday morning we gathered at the designated spot at 9:00 to load the boats and head to the put in for a 13 mile float. (Allow me to add here that the staff at the Ouachita River Haven were EXCELLENT.) I cannot say enough good things about them. Shuttle to the put in and launch took very little time and we were on the water at about 10:15 am. The float itself was a delight. just a couple of chutes and riffles. Some skinny water, we could have used another 4-6 inches but overall a fun trip with a couple of cool off water stops and a lunch break. At the end of the float, right at the camp, the staff of Ouachita River Haven were on hand and once we were out of the boats they grabbed them and carried them up the bank. A truly great way to end a float. The dinner Sat night was sort of piecemeal. No organized group meal but, people got together and ate a bit here and there. If you wanted to there was plenty to eat at a couple of different camps. Two more thoughts on the trip. 1. We were joined by two of the nicest young people we could have asked for. Abbey who we all know (and are required to put up with) and Mason who came with Stephanie. Both a delight to have at camp and on the float. 2. One sad note; two of our new members who joined us for the trip were unable to be on the float. The stated reason being medical in nature, I however think it was that they just saw us as a bunch of disreputable boaters and wished to have nothing to do with us. I hold out hope that both Stephanie and Jim Lee will be able to join us on a future water journey. I also hope everyone will welcome them into the Bayou Chapter. Sunday morning came and I was up looking for excited paddlers to take another trip. Unfortunately, I seemed to be the only 5:00 AM riser and there was no one ready to float. So, after a couple of cups of coffee, I packed up and headed for the house. Perhaps someone will add a few words if there was any activity on Sunday. A quick reminder. In July we have the Meat Pie Triathlon on the 10th and the Cross Lake Triathlon on the 17th. Safety Boats are needed for both. 5
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Classy Ads and Other Important Stuff If you have an older Yakima Rack System and need parts for it, here is the site. Roy ordered parts, and they arrived promptly www.etrailer.com Prices were reasonable too. If you want any info posted here, contact Roy at roneal2@bellsouth.net or 318-272-0259. 8
2016 Membership Application Renewal New (1 year membership) Name: Phone: Home Work Cell Address: City State Zip Email Address: Please send newsletters to my email address instead of by U.S. mail. Please circle activities that interest you: Canoeing: Flatwater Whitewater Kayaking: Whitewater Recreational Hiking: Day hikes Backpacking Biking: Touring Mountain I understand that a certain amount of risk is involved in the activities listed above and I agree I will not hold the Bayou Chapter Ozark Society, its officers, instructors, event leaders or other members responsible for any injuries I may receive participating in activities sponsored by the club. Signature: Date: Return signed application with your $25 check to: Bayou Chapter of the Ozark Society P.O. Box 4693 Shreveport, LA 71134 Like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/bayouozark Check out our website www.bayouozark.com! See all the Ozark Society Chapter newsletters and the Pack and Paddle newsletter at www.ozarksociety.net. 9