I admit that I carry some biases in my mind that are inaccurate. I grew up in Montana. When Susan and I lived in Chicago, I used to long to cross the Missouri on my way home. My way of thinking was that I knew how to handle myself in the west. Were my car to break down, I would know what to do and how to get help. I was les confident as I drove to the east. In reality, my car broke down several times in those days and we always handled the problems without undue trauma. People did stop to help when we were stranded. Then I moved back west and some of my old biases remained.

When we travel with our camper, I prefer to go north and west from our home. I like camping in the mountains and I have also enjoyed some great trips in Canada. I have the general sense that the flat country of the Midwest isn’t the best place for camping. I fear thunderstorms and tornadoes and expect somewhat sleepless nights when we are camping in eastern South Dakota. It is a bias and one that is not entirely based in the truth.

This morning we are camping in Union Grove State Park, a few miles south of Beresford, not far from the Southeastern corner of South Dakota. We are on our way to Kansas City for the United Church of Christ Musicians’ National Network meeting. Union Grove is one of the many treasures of the South Dakota State Parks system. It is located a few miles off of the interstate in gently rolling hills. There are lots of mature trees to provide shade and shelter. The campground is relatively small and quiet with plenty of spaces available during the middle of the week. It is a treasure.


I had a small adventure earlier this week about which I haven’t yet written. During the winter and spring I have been working at building a small rowboat. I have been a fan of canoes and kayaks for many years, but decided that a somewhat larger and more stable boat might be better for a young grandson’s first boat adventures. In addition as I seek to stay fit, I know that rowing is better whole body exercise than paddling. So after studying a lot of different options, I selected the plans for a Chester Yawl from Chesapeake Light Craft and began building. The boat is plywood lapstrake and the construction method is called stitch and glue. The plywood panels are assembled by drilling small holes and putting them together with copper wire. They are then glued in place with epoxy before the wires are removed, the holes filled and filets of glue and sawdust added to complete the structure. It is time consuming, but the results are very nice.

After months of gluing and no small amount of sanding and varnishing, the boat was ready for sea trials this week. Of course I had a very busy week and I initially thought that the first trip to the water would have to be put off until I got back from this trip. However, we had some time on Wednesday evening and we took the little boat to Sheridan Lake for a short row and a picnic. The boat handled beautifully and as expected, but still reassuring, it had no leaks.

I did learn, however, that my rowing technique needs a bit of practice. I have relatively long spoon-bladed oars and I didn’t have the leathers in quite the right place. Fortunately, I devised a way to lace the leathers to the oars because I couldn’t bring myself to put nails or tacks into those new oars. This way I can adjust the leathers and get them where I want them to be.

The rest of the process, however, will just take time and practice. After a good pull on the oars, they need to be lifted from the water, feathered and pushed up for the next stroke. This will, I am sure, become automatic with practice. Right now, it is a bit of a mental struggle to remember everything. I occasionally drag an oar, which makes the little boat take a winding instead of a straight path. And my timing is a bit off, which slows progress.

Still, there is a wonderful feeling that comes with the launch of a handmade boat. The work of building a boat involves a fair amount of looking at the emerging shape and imagining how it might perform in the water. Being a daydreamer, I imagined the first launching many times before it occurred. Boats are made for the water. Boats that perform well in the water tend to also be beautiful. The same curves that enable a boat to slip through the water are pleasing to the eye. The little yawl has a striking wineglass-shaped transom that sets it off. It immediately settled into the water like it belonged.

Unlike a canoe, the rowboat is very stable in the water, which means that I can tie it up at a dock and stand up to get in and out. The awkwardness of stuffing myself into a kayak is absent from the process of rowing the boat. And it is fun to be able to take along a passenger without having to ask that person to pick up a paddle. Susan and I enjoy tandem paddling in our canoes, but it was a treat to be able to just have her take a seat and ride to our picnic place. We could have eaten our picnic in the boat, but chose to pull up to the shore.

My old bias was in favor of boats that are light enough for me to pick up and carry. At 110 pounds, this little one is a bit much for me to handle without some awkwardness. I have a small dolly that allows me to wheel it down to the lake and it rides on our trailer to get there. I’m thinking that a somewhat larger boat is a good idea for some adventures, however.

If I can change my opinions about boats, I can also change my opinions about camping in the flat country. This certainly is a lovely place to sleep. I suspect that we’ll be back again someday.

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