| Archived Ass.Pictures |
Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville, PA This is the first stop on our way northward as we begin our trip toward Wellsboro, PA.
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Having a few samples in the Yuengling Rathskeller The brewery has a small meeting room at the end of the tour where we can sample 2 beers.
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Drunken Monkey One of our traditions along the way north is to stop at familiar and new bars. The Drunken Monkey has a dollar bill pinned above the bar with Pine Creek Rafting Ass written on it. Why is Sam "Precious" Volpone reaching for Dave "Molebait" Carter and Bill "The Bartender" Huffman's tallywhackers? DUDE!
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Inside the Drunken Monkey Ever been inside a drunken monkey? Let's hope you have better morals! We gotta do what we gotta do.
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Pine Creek Outfitters This is the launch pad located in Ansonia, PA where we start our raft trip down the Pine Creek in the Grand Canyon of PA. They also provide a shuttle to pick us up in Blackwell and bring the rafts and us back at the end of the journey.
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There once was a sign... Behind Pine Creek Outfitters is a path that leads to the river. The sign behind us is no longer there. (Probably wiped out by a tidal wave?) This is the last spot of dry land before we stop along the way for lunch.
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Brian "Six Finger Boy" Salak shows the proper procedure for licking an oar. I don't think he clearly heard the dare. It wasn't "oar". It was.... |
You act the fool, and end up in the pool. If you don't pay attention to the rocks downstream, they will dump you in a second. Nobody cries harder than a rafter who lost all of his beer to the Mighty Pine! |
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Who brought the burgers? About half way down the run, we stop on the shore to build a fire and cook some burgers. But first... I gotta pee!!! |
Anyone bring a can opener? It seems like every year we forget the can opener for the huge can of baked beans. Never fear, Mike "P.W" Green will use native skills and open the can with a sharp rock. Really!
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Eat a tree, save a beaver? I think Jeff "Mountain Baby" Roberts got the words mixed up in that joke? A mind is a terrible thing. Soon the burgers will be ready and he will be O-tay. "Day yur Dorry!"
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Cabin along Pine Creek If internet access could be installed there, I'm moving my home office there the next day! Note the handy external powder room.
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Which way do we go? Larry "Doctor Proctor" Hobdell and his brother Craig "Squirrel" Hobdell once paddled the wrong way when they entered the river for the first time. Hmm... seems like the current would have given them a clue? I believe they hit the sauce a tad early on that trip?
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View from the western ridge above the river. Beautiful doesn't begin to describe the views along the river. We stop just long enough to take in the view before someone rudely enters the Onion Ring competition and we have to scramble. (Amazing how a good one echoes!)
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Have oars, will travel The trip lasts a little over 5 hours. A better measure of the distance is: 14 guys x 10 cases of beer / 19 miles - pee breaks + 2 cigars / person x number of oars / rectal events + ....
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We're all hiding behind the camera. This is the view from the front of the pack - usually 4-5 rafts. A railroad track used to run along the eastside bank for a train that ran from Williamsport to Corning, NY. Once the railroad stopped running, the tracks were yanked and asphalt was paved the entire length for bikes, hikers, horses, and "Florida deer".
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Snowmelt makes waterfalls. We pass dozens of waterfalls on the way down stream. Since the river is free flowing (no dams or releases) we need these falls to keep the water up for rafting.
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Multiple Falls. No, I'm not referring to Bob "Papa Duke" Robinson's actions as he walks around the bar stools on Saturday night. "Ya aint drunk if you can lay on the floor without holding on!" I got pictures of Vito!
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BOOSH! Dave "Molebait" Carter earns his water wings when Jeff" Mountain Baby" Roberts and Gary "Guard Rail" Thurstlic dump 5 gallons of 35 degree water on his head as he is about to exit the river. Rookies beware!
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I feel pretty!! Sam "Precious" Volpone is quick to point out that not one drop hit him and he was a rookie too! Dave had managed to stay dry the entire trip until...
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14 guys in a van built for 10! Jeff "Mountain Baby" Roberts sings a kiddie bus song while others join in. Meanwhile.... lurking.... is a deadly air biscuit coming up from a smirking rafter in the back of the van!
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Chris "Oh Burger" Oberg and Vince "Don Vito" Margera. Vince had his hair dyed green the night before when he ran back to Philly to film an episode of "Viva la Bam" where he played a rock star. Chris recognized the color from the year before when he purchased 100% Beef Heart burgers and it turned all of our faces the same tint when we had lunch along the river. Oh Burger!
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DARBY CUP. To the winners of the pool tournament held the day after rafting goes the Darby Cup Trophy. One of the main traditions of the trip is the Darby Cup competition where the rules of "Darby" apply. If you don't know them, you will get a quick education during the tournament! Yeehaaa!!!
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Day yur Dorry! Sam "Precious" Volpone can't make a shot on his own ball, so he opts to knock his opponents ball away from the pocket. THAT"S DARBY POOL!
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"Don Vito" Vince eyes up his pool shot, or should we say he "eye" it up? Heck, he can beat most of us with one eye tied behind his back!
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Is there a Doctor in the house? Larry "Doctor Proctor" Hobdell watches carefully... to make sure.. he doesn't spill his scotch. Oh yeah, he is watching the pool game too now and then.
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Reverent moment? I think not. Seems like you only rent the beer for a short time and then it is only proper to give back to the river gods so that others may float a bit higher. |
Morris Takeover! About 8 miles south of Wellsboro is the metropolis of Morris, PA. What you see, is it. We tripled it's population for a few hours when we stopped off to play the first games of the Darby Cup tournament. It is also known affectionately as the home of the "Rattlesnake Round-up" in late May each year. Good times! |
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Tom Turkey Plaque A battle that runs simultaneously with the Darby Cup challenge is a shuffleboard tournament. The same team members compete in each competition. We be slippin while we're sippin!
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SLIPPIN!
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