After a rough start we finally concluded a productive work day and I can check two items off our “to do list”.
Bill Gee and a newcomer to the CCC, Shannon Robinson, arrived about 15 minutes before our planned 7:00 AM departure (Bill’s always early). While packing their gear into my truck Bill noticed a low tire so I fired up the air compressor and aired up the tire. We got in and found that the truck would not start. After connecting two vehicles with jumper cables we were eventually able to get my F350 diesel started. We got about a half mile down the road and the truck was running poorly and the check engine light came on. We turned around and limped back to my house and transferred gear to Bill’s truck but since his truck will only hold two people I followed him in my car. On the way down Bill allowed no time for breakfast and we only got a bathroom stop because he needed gas. So we made up a little of the lost time and arrived at about 10:30.read more
The attached document is an outline of the topics covered during trip leader training. Although it is mainly intended for those who are leading trips in Carroll Cave, the information is useful to anyone who participates on a trip.
This outline was created some years ago. It is still relevant, though a few items are dated.
Editor’s note – This trip report was written by Hou Zhong.
We had a late start because Terry and I did not have a four wheel drive. We parked our cars after crossing the ‘dry’ creek and before starting up the hill. Then we put our stuff on Cliff’s Highlander. Six of us showed up (three camped inside the silo the night before). We started around 9:00 a.m., and everybody got down the ladder around 10:00 a.m. We headed to downstream Thunder river and turned around just past the Forevers around 1:00 p.m. due to rising water.read more
Bernhard Arnold, Jeff Page, and Rick Hines departed Rick’s home in his truck Sunday morning for a long delayed work day at Carroll. We picked up electrical wire at Menards before hitting the highway. Our next stop was at Randy Bruegger’s home near Warsaw to load barbwire fence he donated. We soon received a call from Jamie Euliss. Jamie and Dustin Young had been on a Thunder River trip Saturday and stayed overnight in the silo so they could work cutting wood Sunday. The recent thaw and rains had left the pasture saturated. Their truck was stuck and they were hoping we could pull them out. So we made a stop at Walmart and bought a tow strap. We left the road and started up the hill to the silo but soon found we could not get up the hill. So back down the hill and over to Rusty Clark’s place to see if it might be possible to enter from the east. I knew Rusty was on vacation but when we saw someone working on his place we stopped. We met Mike, Rusty’s longhorn business partner. Mike said we were welcome to cross the pasture and offered to lead us with his tractor and also help get Jamie and Dustin out. We made it across the pasture but it was very soft and slick. Mike hooked his chain up and made quick work of pulling Jamie out. We gave Mike a tour of the silo and gave him some flyers to post to promote our open house and landowner cave tour. We are lucky to have great neighbors like Mike and Rusty!read more
The links below go to two press releases. The older article ran in the Ozarks news-Leader newspaper on 19 June 2003. The newer article was issued in February 2019 and describes the recent acquisition of land around the silo entance.
