From: anthropo@carina.unm.edu (Dominick V. Zurlo)
Subject: Resica memories 3
Date: Tue, 06 Oct 92 21:17:28 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Followup-To: Resica memories threadings 
Keywords: Resica, waterfalls, Bushkill, Pennsylvania, fun!
 

 Well, on to the third instillation of my Resica memories.  This one is
purely fun, no work, and only joy and laughter and a little fear at one 
point.

   On the weekends, we'd get a bunch of people and inner-tube down the 
Bushkill Creek which ran about 6 miles on the Resica Falls Scout Reservation.
Right now, to me living in New Mexico, the Bushkill is more like a river than
a Creek, but this is back east, so the Bushkill is a creek.  It runs 
anywhere from 7-8 feet across to 40-50 feet across, and depth is 
from scant inches at some points to a probable average of 4-5 feet, except
in some places like theChapel Pool wherer we dropped a weighted line once 
over 15 feet, and at Fossil Rock and the Ox-bow and of course anywhere
near the falls.  
   (BTW the Bushkill runs through an amusement park at one point where there
are a series of falls, and they are really beautiful, they are called the 
Winnona five Falls, I recommend them as a nice quite vacation spot, but 
the Resica Falls themselves are really gorgeous!
   Well, we'd have a bunch of people and we'd start at the base of the 
Resica Falls and tube on down a good 2-1/2 mile section of the creek.  
We'd hit the shallow spots where there was usually just enough water to 
make you not want to bother to get up and walk the 10 foot section, but 
then you'd regret it on your posterior a couple of times.  We'd float
on down past he wire which designated the non-fishing area below the falls
and then the fun would begin.   There was one section here where the creek 
narrowed to it's narrowest point on our tubing streatch where it was only 
about 7 feet across, maybe, and about 8-9 feet deep, but the water rushed
through because it was a bit of a drop as well.  It was great! The adrenaline
rush was so good, we'd get out right below it and walk back to do it over.  
Right after these little rapids we'd float into the Fisherman's Dam area.  
this was a naturally calm section which had been built up by a man-made dam
and thus spread out a good 40 feet from bank to bank.  At various times
we would build a rope bridge across this area, mainly just for fun!  
So we'd float here, swim a bit (it was about 4-5 feet at most spots behind the 
dam, but went as deep as 10-12 feet in some places.  Nice swimming area.)
then we'd allow ourselves to be carried out one of the overflow exits (the
dam was made of piled rocks, not concrete, so it wasn't appreciably higher 
than the rest of the stream, and we'd make cold-water jaccuzzi pools where
the water would rush over us with a fairly powerful force and was quite 
relaxing.)  We'd continue to float downstream to the Chapel Pool, so named
because it was directly below the camp Chapel (about 300 yards almost 
straight uphill). This was a deep pool, and very cold.  If you put your hand 
below the surface any appreciable amount, the water was quite chilly.  (not
that it was warm to begin with)  we'd continue on down, the scenery wa
great, rock walls at some points with wonderful geological configurations
(not as spectacular ashere in the SW but still wonderful)  seeing 
the wildlife from deer, and occasional bear (like once a summer) and the
best part, water snakes!!! He HE HE!  Onc, this one guy on staff, Rey was 
terrified of snakes, and we were all tubing on down and he bounces off this 
rock and starts screaming bloody murder, well, I was towards the back of 
the contingent, and by the time I got there, this poor copperhead was so 
scared it was ready to bite.  We got everyone away, but rey was jumping at
every movement.  
we continuted to float on down the creek unitl we got to Fossil Rock.  SO
named becuase there were fossils imprinted on the rock.. everything from
ferns to Trilobites.  It is a wonderful wall of history.  From Fossil
Rock, we could Cliff Dive!!! YEAHHHHHHHH!
   there were several levels, but you had to be real careful to jump 
out and away or you'd hit the rock.  It was lots of fun, and the stream was 
funneled (oops, 'scuse me, creek) through one small 3-foot opening
in the center stream, with only a little bit going through other 
waterways.  It was cool.  We'd have contests to see who could sit there the
longest.  the trick was to get your body submerged so that the water was
literally pounding onto you and holding oyu there.  
   We'd bring lunches sometimes, and just have a blast.  Now, we'd floated
like 2-1/2 miles by this point and could continue down to another fun spot
called ox-bow, but we rarely did.  And even then, only a few of us.  So,
we'd hike back to camp, which was only about a mile away because of the 
curves and turns of the river.  We'd walk up the hill (mountain for that
part of the country) picking blueberries along the way.  It was a lot of
fun.  
   well, that's all for this installment.  more at some other point in
time.  

WWW
Dominick V. Zurlo
Eagle Scout '87
blacklisted '88

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