Dale was ahead of his time. In junior high school while many of us were struggling to make wooden cutting boards in shop class, Dale was building a wooden canoe. Later in the summer of our sophomore or junior year Dale and I somehow convinced our parents to let us set out in Dale’s canoe for New Orleans. We put in on the Scioto river just south of Columbus and headed out. I think we took three days to get down the Scioto to Portsmouth. We fell in love with a couple of local ladies we met in a Laundromat but forsook our chance at romance to continue our mission. Canoeing out into the Ohio river from the Scioto was intimidating. We thought that once we were on the Ohio, a swift current would take over and push us on to Cincinnati and beyond. The river moved incredibly slowly and we had to paddle every mile. As we locked through the locks with large coal and fuel barges we tried to hitch a ride on the barges but none would let us on. Something about not wanting to be responsible. We did make it to Cincinnati but by then we were tired and bored and decided to call it quits. Dale’s father was transferred to the Canton area before Dale actually graduated and Dale graduated from a high school there. I remained in contact off and on with Dale but gradually lost contact.
Tom Eller
Dale was ahead of his time. In junior high school while many of us were struggling to make wooden cutting boards in shop class, Dale was building a wooden canoe. Later in the summer of our sophomore or junior year Dale and I somehow convinced our parents to let us set out in Dale’s canoe for New Orleans. We put in on the Scioto river just south of Columbus and headed out. I think we took three days to get down the Scioto to Portsmouth. We fell in love with a couple of local ladies we met in a Laundromat but forsook our chance at romance to continue our mission. Canoeing out into the Ohio river from the Scioto was intimidating. We thought that once we were on the Ohio, a swift current would take over and push us on to Cincinnati and beyond. The river moved incredibly slowly and we had to paddle every mile. As we locked through the locks with large coal and fuel barges we tried to hitch a ride on the barges but none would let us on. Something about not wanting to be responsible. We did make it to Cincinnati but by then we were tired and bored and decided to call it quits. Dale’s father was transferred to the Canton area before Dale actually graduated and Dale graduated from a high school there. I remained in contact off and on with Dale but gradually lost contact.Tom Eller
Sandy Freeman (Spicer)
What a cool story.