By BARBARA
BARBIERI
A “bursting at the seams” crowd was on hand at the most recent Lunch and Learn gathering at Ouabache State Park as LaNae and John Abnet shared their adventures of “Kayaking the Wabash and Beyond” with those attending.
They began their program by John playing the guitar as LaNae led the audience in the daily song (DoWaDiddy) they sang as they began each day of their three and a half month, 1,591 mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico in 2015.
The adventure had begun in May of 2014 as the husband and wife did a year of preparation for the adventure. They were determined to eat healthy which led them to growing their own food on their 32 acre farm (Dead Orchard Ranch near Geneva) and LaNae learning to dehydrate food for the 720 meals she prepared. And John worked at assembling the kayaks and the gear they would need.
The dehydrated food packages were put into boxes by John to be mailed by a friend weekly to a post office along their route.
Their trip began in Ohio by a Turkey Farm’s drainage pipe on April 1, 2015 as they hiked the first day until the water became wide and deep enough for the kayaks. One of their early stops was at Bluffton’s Kehoe Park where at a chance meeting they were invited to be the dinner guests of then Bluffton’s Mayor Ted Ellis and his wife Marge. (Marge is a kayaker.) Also near this area of the Wabash they encountered the Herons Rookery between Bluffton and Markle.
They continued showing slides of the various stops on the journey down the Wabash river to the Ohio River to the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. Each day they traveled from 15 to 35 miles, starting early in the morning to avoid the heat during the day. Getting started in the morning would take about two hours to reload the kayaks after daily devotions, checking of the weather radar and the eating of breakfast.
LaNae has written two books about their adventures Titled “Paddling Edna” Part I and Part II, which were offered for sale with autographs.
Corner Depot Catering provided the cake desserts for the gathering. Park Naturalist Lydia Ade told of park events including the coming Weed Wrangle on Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. until noon.
Next Lunch & Learn event will be held on Thursday, June 13th, when Dian Jorday from the National Wild Turkey Federation will tell “All About Turkeys.” The programs are free but gate fees apply.
