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| The White River |
The Downs-related families have met here at the park for many years to eat and talk and play and hike and remember the people who have come before, the people from whom we have come, and celebrate being part of this extended family.
We of the Grand Rapids clan, who spent many years in the far-off Northwest, missed many of the reunions which went on here prior to 2004; we've rarely (if ever) missed one since. A lot of the people who were around back in 2004 (and before) have moved on to a better place; a lot of the people who attend now are too young to remember those folks.
Makes me kind of sad to think about that.
This year, we decided not to wait til the last minute, but to actually arrive a little early - actually, a couple days early - and take advantage of the on-site lodging facilities. We knew that there was an Inn at the park (it was originally a sanitorium), but hadn't realized until we (Cheryl) did a bit of research that there were also cabins for rent. So, owing to the novelty (and relative affordability) of the cabins, we booked a few nights, starting Thursday.
The Preliminaries
In a previous post, I mentioned that the Sonata was squealing, and that I thought it was the front brakes. But it wasn't. Cheryl, with far more sensitive hearing, told me to check the rear brakes. I did, and was much chagrined to discover that not only were the left rear brake pads worn down to the nubs, but that the right rear brake pads were hardly worn at all, which indicates that someone (probably me, but I don't remember it!) replaced the pads on one side but not the other. And, as everyone knows, brake pads are always replaced in pairs - all fronts, or all rears, but never only one at a time.
It was Thursday noon, and we needed to drive the car to Indiana as soon as possible. By two p.m., if at all possible.
So I went to my local neighborhood NAPA store and bought not only two sets of pads (because that's how they are sold!) but also two rotors, because the current ones looked old and shabby (and very rusted). And spent an hour or so putting them on. Nothing like working under a deadline!
After all that, the family loaded up the car and we headed down to Indiana. On the way down, I worried and fussed over every noise and bump we heard and felt, thinking the bolts were coming loose and the car was going to fall apart all around us, because that's the way my mind works, but, miracle of miracles, we got there safely and in (mostly) one piece, even after stopping in Kokomo for some dinner.
We actually arrived a little later than I had hoped, but still early enough that we were able to check in to the cabin and still have time to run over to Spencer for some supplies.
Did you know that there's a WalMart in Spencer? I didn't - but it sure was handy! Especially when they have percolators for sale, which is a necessity when there's a couple members of the family who won't survive unless they get their morning cup of coffee. Not naming any names, of course.
Then we settled into our beds, Adam and Mary in the bunk bed room, and Cheryl and I on the pull-out couch which squeaked and moaned like an old rusty car (and I know all about those!) when we crawled onto it, and was a bit more lumpy than we were expecting.
Note to Self: next time, bring one of those double-height air mattresses...
But we all slept OK. I think.
Friday
Got up early Friday before everyone else, eager to hit the trail. Started on Trail #1, which was just a loop off the Cabin road. Took a quick dash down Trail #2, which goes to the White River, then back to the cabin for breakfast. Afterward, Cheryl and Mary accompanied me back down Trail #2 to the quarry (which was eerie and spooky and full of croaking frogs), at which point I took off up Trail #7 and they continued on #2 on a loop back to the cabin area.
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| Two Hardy Hikers |
My goal for the day was to go on as many of the trails as possible, from one side to the other, and that's exactly what I did. From #7 to #5 (the Wolf Cave trail) to #8 to #9 on the far east side. Cheryl met me at the picnic area off of trail #9 for lunch, and then we took a walk to the old farmstead to see the remains of the place, including the Spring House and the Barn Foundation.
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| Cheryl Enjoys a Relaxing Walk |
When we'd walked enough, we went back to the cabin and then Mary and I drove over to the pool and spent an hour or so swimming and relaxing before heading back to the cabin again to get ready for dinner.
[Incidentally, my total hike for the day was around 7.2 miles. Whoo-hoo! Now, when does the fat start burning off my tummy?]
We met up with Jerry and Naomi and their kids at O'Charley's off of Highway 37 in Bloomington and had a delightful dinnertime chat, eating yummy food and waiting for the monsoon rains to abate so we could dash out to our cars. Then it was back to the cabin again for some card games and eventual sleep.
Saturday
We had a leisurely morning of it, as no one would be getting to the shelter until around 11, so we slept in a bit and had a bit of breakfast and then got a call from Mom and Dad who were arriving to help Maggie with the setup. We drove over to meet them and helped set up, then stood around and greeted all our relations as they arrived.
There were quite a few people I met for the first time, and quite a few whose names I had forgotten (which is not surprising, considering the difficulty I have with names anyway, and there were the ones whose names are so firmly implanted in my brain that I know it's my time to go when their names don't come to mind anymore. There were a nice bunch of young kids and some slightly older "kids" (i.e. 20s / 30s) with kids of their own, and then there were a few of us middle-aged folks (me and my cousins), and then there were the Legends: Doc and Beverly and Carolyn and Joe and Betty and Clyde and Judy and Maggie and Mom and Dad. Lots of good food. Lots of interesting chatter. Lots of side-splitting laughter.
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| Excellent Meal, Excellent Conversation |
Then it was time for the annual Trek to the Falls. Robert Dean and his wife, Jessica, were taking their kids down for the first time, and Mary and I were going to go with them, but they decided at the last minute to drive their car and park over by the bridge; we took the slick'n'muddy trail from the shelter instead, so missed them completely. Not sure how. We must've all arrived at different times. Plus we were on the north side and they were on the south side. I think. But we did manage to bump into Allie and her friends, so at least we saw somebody we knew. We went along the trail and then across the bridge and down the other side, but decided since it was pretty slick (and I did not have the best traction on my shoes) that we wouldn't hang out very long. So we went back to the shelter.
Just in time for Dad to come back from his Wolf Cave hike. !!! I was upset that I'd missed that hike with him. Didn't realize he was going, which was kind of a lame excuse because we all know that he goes on that hike every year -- but I was actually focused on spending time with Mary. Oh, well. Hopefully, we can all go together next year!
Epilogue
We didn't go over to Joe's for ice cream, owing to the fact that we needed to get home at a somewhat reasonable hour because Mary and I were going to be teaching Sunday School the next day. But we stuck around long enough to help clean up the shelter, and then back to the cabin to finish our clean-up there (inviting Mom and Dad and Bob and Joyce because they'd never seen the cabins) , and then we hit the road again.
It was a short but wonderful trip. We enjoyed seeing everyone and can't wait to see everyone again!
And we're praying safe travels for everyone, especially Mom and Dad, who are going from Indiana all the way out to California this week.
2 comments:
Sounds like a wonderful time was had by all. :-) We were glad to get to see Mom and dad on their way home.
Dad, not dad.
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