August 13, Pine River Cleanup Lincoln – Dobson
We had a great turnout of 13 paddlers: Bob Fitch, Norm Fred, Lois Goldstein, Gail Hastings, John Heiam, John Mesch, Maxi Neugebauer, Jean Palmieri, Mary Powell, Fred and Judy Swartz, Roseanne Bowman; and Angie Willis.
Unfortunately, one member (J.T.) went to the wrong launch site and missed this beautiful day on the river. After all cars were driven to the Dobson take out site, we were ready to suit up when Maxi wondered why she had trouble getting into her PFD. She asked Judy for help, and was told that she had it on upside down - we had a good laugh.
It was a warm sunny summer day, which enticed the eager and experienced paddlers to get out of their boats to retrieve the difficult-to-reach trash. We were surprised to find the river with much less debris than on other cleanups. But we came to the conclusion that due to the recent closure of that section, and possibly also because of the cooler weather we have had this summer, it has seen fewer paddlers. The log jams seem to have the mother-lode of garbage, and both Mary & Bob loved climbing up the logs. John probably made the best find: he discovered a deeply buried kayak paddle in the sand from PIne River Paddlesports Center which we returned on the way home.
We did encounter a family with their son, and Lois got into her teaching mode and gave the son a few basic tips on how to hold his paddle, etc. We chatted with them a few more times when all of a sudden we saw mother and father further downriver upside down and then emptying their boats. By the time we got to them. they were all set and the son was waiting patiently for them at an eddy on the side.
We arrived at Dobson at 4 PM, and took a group photo with the loot and treasures we found. We had a lot of fun, thanks to the congeniality of the group and thanks to our dedicated leaders.
Maxi Neugebauer