Fr. Royce Gegorsen, Pastor will offer 9am Mass on Friday, August 1st, at Our Lady of Good Hope. We will depart at the conclusion of daily Mass. The drive to the Beason Campground from Our Lady is about 2:00 hours (~100mi)
We will camp Friday night at Beason Campground. Saturday morning, we will be transported by bus and personal vehicles to Monterey to begin our canoeing. The Beason property is down river about 25 (river) miles from Monterey. We will have Mass Saturday and Sunday mornings at the campsite celebrated by Fr. Stephen Felicichia, the pastor of St Mary’s of the Lake in Culver, Indiana. Our friend, mentor and priest, Fr. Glen Kohrman pastor of St. Therese, Fort Wayne, will be joining us for the 26th time.
After the Sunday morning Mass, breakfast, and campsite/property cleanup, we will get back on the river for 2 – 3 hours to Riverside Canoe Rentals in Winamac. Riverside will transport us back to Beason Campground where we depart for home.
The Tippecanoe River runs along the Eastern edge of the Tippecanoe River State Park. The typical depth runs 3-4 feet. The Tippecanoe River is considered the river of lakes. It is fed and nourished by eighty-eight natural lakes and a lot of farm runoff. It is a clean river with some silt from the farms and lakes feeding it. The bottom is mostly sand. At present, the current is running OK even with the recent drought. So, the times listed below are for ‘floating’ and is generous – not hard canoeing. Canoeing should be excellent by the time we canoe. However, in the previous 25 years we have done this trip, I would guess that we had at least some rain over the weekend at least 18 or 19 times. So… be prepared! I think the locals consider this Father & Son trip – “The Drought Buster.”
Drop off is on Saturday morning in Monterey and will take about 6 hours of easy canoeing. If you just float down river, you might be late for dinner.
A novice canoer can expect to get wet. Most of your gear will be at the campsite, so anything such as Cell Phones need to be in a watertight container. Total river miles are about 30 over two days. For the fisherman, there is good smallmouth bass, pan fish, catfish, and northern pike fishing available.
The campsite is a 25-acre property of Culver Military Academy. Water and restrooms are available at the campsite. There is a large grass recreation area with room enough for playing baseball, soccer, and hitting a 5-Iron. Bring your recreation gear!
Please line up your tents along the woods line in an “L-shape”. Overflow tent sites is across the driveway and further up the drive,
*** RVs & Camper Trailers should line up along the driveway.***
There is electrical power on some of the light poles.
NOTE:
There is an indoor pavilion to use in the event of inclement weather.
I anticipate about 45 Fathers and their sons. Last year we had 269 total campers.
The “Campmaster” is Steve Kohrman. He will be the “Boss” for the campground. Several Dads plan to stay at the camp on Saturday and will not canoe.
Chris Ley is the Chef Master. He and Jody Brinker ( the Ass-Chef) will assist for all meals.
Heron Rodriguez is Menu Coordinator.
We will break the men and the boys into four groups for meal prep, serving, and cleanup. The jobs will rotate with each meal. Meals will be prepared over campfire and cook stoves.
**Please remember to pack your own snacks and lunch for Saturday while on the river**
GROUP 1: Friday Dinner (Pete Cook)
GROUP 2: Saturday Breakfast (John Sikorski)
GROUP 3: Saturday Dinner (Joe Vanderhulst)
GROUP 4: Sunday Breakfast (Scott Arnold)
Our Chaplin this year will be Fr. Stephen Felicichia, the pastor of St Mary’s of the Lake in Culver, Indiana. Our good priest will offer Mass and will be available for confession throughout the weekend. There will be a talk around the campfire on Friday and Saturday nights followed by the recitation of the Rosary.
Our friend, mentor and priest, Fr. Glen Kohrman pastor of St. Therese, Fort Wayne, will be joining us for the 26th time.
The purpose is to get closer to our Lord, enkindle friendships with our sons and have a good time canoeing in the wilderness. The theme for the weekend as always: Christ in all we do (even camping & canoeing).
From Our Lady of Good Hope (~ 95 miles)