09/20/2023 –
It has been an incredibly busy year for us, and we just haven’t managed to find time for many flying adventures. We managed to make it to Oshkosh, but as usual, we drove. We managed a few quick trips to visit friends in MN for lunch or dinner, but until now, hadn’t done any real cross country flying this year. Rough River is always one we look forward to, this time was no exception. Having procured folding electric scooters that fit neatly in the one of the back seats, we were looking forward to much shorter refill runs from the ramp to the cabin. 🙂
We wanted to arrive mid week again, so we took off on Wednesday morning for Rough River. There were some storms we would have to navigate around, but it would only add 30-45 minutes to our flight time. It was just over 4 hours total by the time weaved our way there, but we were still expecting we’d be the first ones there again. Nope. Several planes were already there, as the Rutan Aircraft Flying Experience was conducting a formation flying clinic in advance of this years Rough River event. Strangely enough, what has almost become 4TFs’ usual parking spot was still open, so we back it into its usual roost just right of the car entrance. We unpacked the scooters, and went up the lodge, turning a 10min walk into 2min. Our cabin wasn’t ready for check in yet, so we grabbed a bite to eat while we waited and after checking in went back to the plane to grab our luggage. I was a little surprised to find that there was enough room on the scooter deck to fit the cooler and my feet. So with our bags slung over my shoulder and the beer cooler balancing on the deck I carted our stuff back to the cabin. Jake arrived a little later and after having dinner at the lodge we went back to the cabin for drinks. After 3 white russians, Christine was becoming a wobbly young lady though, it was time to get some sleep.
We had always thought it would be good to rent a boat for a day out on the water before everyone arrived, so the next morning after breakfast at the lodge, we wondered down to the marina to rent a boat for Friday (when Bob and Russ would be arriving). Sadly, they were booked on Friday, but had availability Saturday, so we figured we’d find time throughout the day to do some boating when it got too hot on the ramp. We decided to go exploring on the scooters a bit (within a few miles of the resort as none of wanted to push the scooters back) and had a rather relaxing afternoon.
Friday is the day where most everyone arrives, including Bob and Russ, so most of the day we spent at the ramp reconnecting with friends. For longer than Christine and I have been going to Rough River, Friday evening was also the night our friends Dave, Brett, and Elizabeth would host a pizza party at their cabin. Usually about 10-15 people would show up, and it was always a great time. For the last couple of years Dave, Brett and Elizabeth have not been able to attend, but last year we made sure the tradition continued. This year Russ was determined to make the Pizza Party a blow out event to kick off the weekend. Advertising it in advance on the various canard fora, we ended up with about 60 people that attended. Never before had I ordered 25 pizzas, but Russ’s efforts resulted in an absolutely unforgettable evening.
Saturday, Jake, Ron, Dawn, Bob, Russ, Christine and myself spent time out on the pontoon when we needed a break from the heat of the sun on the ramp. Definitely something we’ll do again, though probably earlier in the week so as not to overlap with time on the ramp with everyone else.
Sunday is always the saddest day as we say goodbye to 150 of our closest friends. 🙂 The diversions on the way down had cut too far into our fuel supply and there is no fuel available at Rough River, so we made a quick stop at Owensboro for fuel and to reassess weather, which had looked a bit iffy. It was mostly just lower clouds than I would like for a VFR flight, so I filed an IFR flight plan, and we departed into a broken sky for the trip back to St. Cloud. A few hours later as we approached Minneapolis we finally popped out of the majority of the clouds and were able to make a visual landing back home. What I really wanted to do was turn around and go back. I was happy to finally see everyone, but one long weekend just isn’t enough. Perhaps I’ll start a petition for the event to happen once a quarter instead of once a year. 🙂
