Thursday, November 8, 2018

Rising Sun, Maryland Keep safe!

Fruitville Pike, road I grew up on turns into Prince Street. Straight thru into Lancaster, Pa. Prince Street goes straight past Willow Valley, Pa. Straight for more miles, you cross the border between Lancaster County PA. and you cross to Maryland. When you come to a T in the road, you turn right.

Left takes you to Rising Sun Maryland. Yes, another 1/4 mile race track. I never raced there. After turning right you travel about 2 miles and you see Conawingo Dam.

A two lane dam. Very high, and on the right side the water was about 15 feet from the roadbed. This dam was the electrical provider for a thousands of buildings, and houses. You traveled the length of the dam, and there was a hill to go up. About 1500 feet past the end of the dam was a road to the left.

There was a park, with picnic tables, and a parking lot for picnic parking, and tours of the demos that made electrical from the falling water. The road started to turn toward the water below.

Several houses were on the road. When you got to the bottom of the road, it turned into a parking lot. The dam was about 80 feet tall. There was a front open roofed area with vending machines with fishing supplies. About 10 stationary grills that you supply the wood or charcoal to cook your fish. With the vending machines was a big counter to clean your fish. Drinks, everything for cooking fish, spices, oil and several things I never knew you need for fish.

We usually got there about 2 AM, parked our bikes and rapped with the people. from the parking lot there was an angled drop of about 16 feet to the waters edge. Lots of flat rocks near the water to sit on while fishing.

About 20 years before this the fish could not get up the dam. People started a ruckus about all the dead fish at the high side of the dam. Try as they could, they tried to get past, and died trying. The Electrical Company put in fish ladders between the dam and the picnic area. The ladders were right beside the roofed vending machine area. The fish were put back in this side, the low side, and hungry.

Fishing was very good. A lot of us bikers were offered fish sandwiches. When they were kids, we gave them a couple bucks. The parents always refused money, they just liked to fish.

In April 2002, Mary bought me a new Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad, yes, she is a KEEPER! It is a bagger, like a Cadillac. Yes, I now enjoy comfort over performance. I am 70 now!! LOL

The end of summer 2002 Mary and I decided to go to see the old fishing hole again. When the kids were young and we had a pickup camper we took them there late at night. We started up the hill, turned to the right past the picnic tables. Past the several houses, and saw the big parking lot again. Memories flooded back, when we saw the parking lot again, memories of bikes, then our camper hit me; BUT there was a big surprise.

There was a heavy chain fence with a guard house with 2 guards. I forgot it was after 911 ! We got caught with our pants down again. It will not happen again! The dam if destroyed, thousands of lives would be wiped out in the flood. We are not so trusting. We can no longer go anywhere we want. There are now cement barriers protecting the White House and many other places. 

It is sad the things we must do to keep safe. Now with the killing with guns is troubling, but we will never quit doing what we can do. I wish I could have taken my grand children down for a fresh fish sandwich. But we will do other things.

We give up a lot for safety. The dangerous things I did at 18 years old, I cannot do now. Since my hit & run motorcycle accident, I lost a lot. Titanium left shoulder and knee. Bad concussion, damage to the left part of my brain. Tests showed my short memory brain cells not getting good blood supply.

Marcy checks everything I write. I have trouble spelling and punctuation, Doctor giving me pills for better blood flow. Some memories coming back. I have sticky notes all over the place. Never caught the person that tried to kill me. I do not hate that person, I feel sympathy for that poor devil. They probably suffering a lot of guilt.

No comments:

Post a Comment