| Even
after 7 years of involvement in the Hoverclub, it continues to amaze
me how a common interest can bring together people that might otherwise
never meet. Back in December 2005, Gary Tanous of Bell, Florida contacted
several of our Atlanta area members and expressed interest in getting
together for a cruise. He had recently purchased a Neoteric Quesetric
and was anxious to learn more about operation and start logging hours.
First, let me share a bit of background on Gary and Denise Tanous' residence
in the fly-in community of Shady Bend Airpark. They are within walking
distance of both the Suwannee River and the 2800' landing strip. They
have a wonderful log home and 4 horses on a beautiful 5 acre lot. Over
the course of only a few weeks our casual discussions on getting together
"somewhere" evolved to Gary hosting a hover-in at his place.
His family, neighbors and friends could not have been more receptive
to our presence and seemed to be looking forward to our visit as much
as we were.
Due to business requirements I had in Florida earlier in the week, I
was first to arrive. Thursday afternoon Gary and I toured a hanger at
Shady Bend which housed several classic aircraft and then ran up to
Branford for a dinner out with his wife and daughter. Mid-day Friday
we met Harold Carter on his way through Live Oak, FL and toured a hanger
packed full of ultra light aircraft. One of these was Gary's, which
was in the process of being fit with floats for landing on the river.
These floats are manufactured from a fascinating material which is a
lightweight closed cell foam with an extremely durable plastic skin.
This material has interesting potential to serve as hull material for
a hovercraft.
After returning to Shady Bend Friday afternoon, Harold and I unloaded
our hovercraft with the intent to run the grass runway. After several
passes to understand the lay of the land and wind, I put on a helmet
and decided to proceed with a speed run. At 57 MPH, I set a fresh personal
hovercraft speed record and likely one that will not be broken again
(by me) anytime soon. Shortly after Dave Elzbeck arrived and unloaded
his Starcruiser for a few runway runs. Quite a few other residents of
the airpark got rides and pictures and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the
activity.
Saturday morning we awoke to rain, wind and a significant temperature
drop. Keep in mind though that we were in Florida. Even with the arrival
of this cold front, afternoon temps reached on into the mid 60s. The
rain stopped mid-morning, but the wind did persist. We launched on the
Dixie County side of the Suwannee just upstream of Hwy 340. Not far
downstream a 8' or 10' wide opening is noted in the dense mangrove.
It didn't look like it was going to lead anywhere, but I opted to venture
in nonetheless. About 200 yards in this small passage opened up to a
spring that was probably 200' wide. Instead of the brown color of the
Suwannee, this was crystal clear and water was pouring up out of a 40'
to 50' deep opening near the middle of the spring.
From here we proceed on downstream a few miles with Gary's friend, Kent
DuBose following us in a pontoon boat loaded with fuel, supplies and
other friends. A little after noon we stop at a park to stretch our
legs and have a lunch. Here we find a smaller, but equally clear spring
in an open area. Some of Gary's friends were familiar with this area
and advised of the location a mid-sized gator usually nests at the side
of this spring. Unfortunately (or maybe it was fortunate) he was not
home at the time. In view of the +20 MPH wind, we decided to cut our
Saturday cruise a bit short and head on back. At the ramp we find that
Cecil Scalf has just arrived and is waiting at the ramp. Rather than
load up at this point, we opt to extend our stay and cruise some 5 or
6 miles upstream.
Upon arrival back at Shady Bend, we find that Gary's family and friends
have spent most of the day preparing for an evening feast. A bonfire
is burning, a pig has been roasted and enough food for at least 2 dozen
people has been prepared. The celebration began at dusk and went on
till well past midnight. Great food and great company, truly a meal
I will remember from this point forward.
On Sunday we put in on this same ramp and proceed to the Suwannee River
Cafe, some 15 miles upstream. The wind continues to be brutal, but the
food at SRC provided more than adequate relief. We were a bit underdressed
in contrast to the after-church brunch crowd, but welcomed in nonetheless.
In fact we drew a crowd out of the dining room and onto the riverbank
when we left. On our downstream return we hooked a left at the mouth
of the Santa Fe River and cruised a few miles upstream. This was an
amazing part of the trip with an open water channel about 50' wide and
large cypress trees in standing water flanking both sides. Definite
potential for an advanced obstacle course event.
While there was much talk about water moccasins and alligators, we did
not encounter any during our stay. While they are a very real issue
in the warmer months, they are said to represent little to no threat
during the winter. Our accommodations were a very reasonable rental
unit next door to Gary's house. Not only did this keep us comfortable
and dry, the accompanying hanger allowed under cover parking for 5 hovercraft.
While Cecil and David had to move on Sunday afternoon, Harold Carter
and I held over for an AM departure Monday (Feb 6). Even the drive back
offered its share of surprise, as I crossed paths with the Oscar Meyer
wiener truck on I75. In summary, I can't thank Gary Tanous enough for
his hospitality and welcome him to our group.
Click
here for information on Suwannee
River Cruise II from February 2007.
|
The
Suwannee and Santa Fe Rivers offer a unique and striking beauty. This
coupled with the fact that we largely had the rivers to ourselves made
for an incredible trip. |
|
One
needs to be cautious about bumping a tree, as snakes are know to drop
out. Jumping out of your craft due to a snake on board situation is
also undesirable, as you then become gator bait. |
We
unload our craft in front of Kent Dubose toy box, the contents of which
prove to be quite impressive. |
| 
Despite
this previous less than perfect landing beside the runway, this neighbor
of Gary's is alive and well today. |
Kent,
Vicki and several neighbors tail us in the pontoon boat on Saturday,
carrying along spare parts, tools and fuel for man and machine. |
| 
Saturday's
wild hog roast offered up great food and a great deal of story swapping. |
Jan/Feb is generally
high water time of year in these parts. Recent drought, however, resulted
in a well below the normal high level (see marks on trees) during our
Feb 2006 visit.
|
Sometime
after this photo was taken Dave Elzbeck plays "Voyage to the Bottom
of the Sea" when returning to the river from high atop a sand dune.
No damage to man or machine, but quite a dunking. |
The Suwannee River
gang (left to right): Harold Carter, Cecil Scalf, Louis Bondurant, Gary
Tanous and David Elzbeck. |
