Shall we gather at the River? Getting there part 2

To a degree, one thing that our group has somewhat in common with Samuel Maclay and company is how we get together at the start of the trip. Beginning on April 26, 1790, Maclay started his journey down the Susquehanna from his home in the Buffalo Valley. He passed Harrisburg, and travelled up the Swatara, eventually establishing his quarters in Millerstown(known today as Annville). Maclay made a few trips east to Lebanon searching for his delayed comrades; his journal belying some impatience. By May 8, Maclay's comrads had joined him and by May 17 they had arrived at Sunbury. His journal entries made it appear that the expedition made the distance from Harrisburg to Sunbury in one day; a feat that seems a bit too impressive...

Most of the paddlers on our excursions come from the Hanover/Gettysburg Area and from year one, we identified our first stop at the McDonald's. In theory, it provided the point at which Bill Campbell and Gary would join the group. It certainly made sense because from there, we cross the Susquehanna to pick up 322 North, past Duncannon and, you might think, straight on up to Snowshoe. Don't be fooled. From Duncannon, we travel along the Juniata to Lewisburg where a traditional stop for beer and ice occurs. Then, the band travels through the Seven Mountains Area, Past Centre Hall and onto Route 220 where we would stop at the Agway to top off the gas tanks.

From Route 220, one might imagine that we travel on to Shawville. While we now only stop at Snowshoe, we initially also had stops at Milesburg, the Truck Stop at Snowshoe and the Rest Stop on Route 80; a few miles west of Snowshoe, and once, we even stopped for lunch at exit 123 before we completed the last few miles from Route 80 to Shawville. Clearly, we have never felt rushed.

Just as Maclay had some difficulty connecting up with his cohorts, we have occasionally had the same problems. At the start of the Fifth Annual Voyage, we made our trek up the river without Dwight. He had an early sales meeting in Hanover but assured us that he would meet us at Karthaus by 3:00. Buddy and the drivers were there at the appointed time but there was no sign of Dwight. A few thoughtful moments passed and it became obvious that Dwight had undoubtedly arrived and we deduced his exact location: Fisher's Bar at the river's edge.

A 1912 view of the Potter House In Karthaus. This predates Fisher's bar(now known as Riverfront Bar and Grill) but the location is correct

Dwight often figured prominently into our transportation misfires but he was not the only wayward paddler. There was the year that Alan and Gary were late because they decided to take a tour of beautiful downtown Bellfonte. And another time they were an hour late; a result of a detour to Clearfield to replace a forgotten pair of absolute necessities. But those are stories for other days.