By Joe Crain
The heavy rain pattern we had throughout the months of July and August stopped completely in September – we only saw ½-inch of rain for the first three weeks! But things have turned soggy again here in the last week of the month with several rainy days from the 23rd through the 30th, bringing us about 2 inches for the month. Overall, it was a cooler than normal, with temperatures early in the month hovering about 10 degrees below the normal high of 75 and lows that dipped deep into the 30s, giving us all a taste of early fall. The cold spell took us deep into September. It was not until the 15th of the month that we reached a normal high temperature! But then things warmed up significantly and we enjoyed temps at or slightly above average for the next two weeks. Though no one was very excited by the early onset of chilly weather, we were all glad to see the heavy rains stop and we were able to spend September putting the finishing touches on all of the projects we had gotten under way in between the rain events of the summer.
One of our main goals going into this odd summer of coronavirus was to take advantage of this bad situation. We sought to finish as many of the jobs we have always wanted to do, but never seemed to have the time or the weather conditions in the off season to get too. One job that has been in my head for a decade or so was to get a water source down the hill to the bike shack/tennis court area. I’ve always thought it would be a huge plus to have water for both the tennis players to quench their thirst, and for the bike program to fill water bottles and keep the bikes clean. Finally, at the beginning of the month that project was able to step out of my head and stepped into reality! With the help of Josh Hanson-Kaplan, a 150-foot-by-10-inch-deep trench was dug from the North West corner of the Swamper jop (the nearest water supply) down the hill to the South East corner of the bike shack. I ran a plastic potable water line in the trench and made a few simple plumbing connections, and at last I had one less “someday” project rattling around in my head! I spent most of the rest of the month busy driving the tractor back and forth to the Range Road dirt pile and did a lot of finishing landscape work in three main areas; in front of camps new skills bike course, around the slab for the new Rec Hall hand washing station, and around the edge of tennis courts 1 & 2. That last one was another of those projects that has been on-my-mind-but-hard-to-find-time-for jobs that has needed to be done since those courts were re-finished several years back. And I finished up the month by starting the finale trail of the Camp Nebagamon Bike Trail (The CNBT) system. Yet another of those jobs that has been trapped in my head for years now! The finale trail will be called the Mill Ruins Trail and will work its way past and through the remaining walls and rubble piles of what was the Warehauser Lumber Mill, the original owners of our beloved Camp Nebagamon site.
Caretaker Andy was able to get one of his long wanted to do projects done as well this month; the re-caulking and painting of all of the windows in his domicile, The Caretakers House. A tedious job that had him up and down a ladder for several weeks! But at last he too has one less job rattling around in his head. Andy finished up the month by getting one of the normal late September jobs done as well, taking the water out of camp and getting our plumbing system ready for another winter.
Very happy to have less things rattling around in my head but sure it won’t be long before many other “someday” projects are dreamed up and take their place in the jumble that is my mind, it’s Caretaker Joe, At Camp.