A Prayer for a New Humanitarian Project:

Thank-you Dear God for your wonderful Holy spirit and your continued blessing for my good health and happiness. I address to you my desire to help my fellow human beings. Please God give me guidance through these difficult times to successfully develop a healthy nourishing biscuit to benefit those in need throughout the third world and those in need among our own people. There is so much need for healthy and nourishing food for those who are destitute and feel nothing but pain and sorrow continually. Thank-you Dear God for your continued blessings.

-Dacker Thicke

All Human Beings Have Three Things in Common

#1

Every human bring has a soul.

#2

We all have a personal desire for having good health, inner peace and happiness as well as being capable of feeling bodily pain as well as mental anguish and sorrow.

#3

 In our constant search for fulfilling our personal wants and needs we are ALL personally      responsible of systematically destroying this wonderful world we live in. Our search for          happiness inner and outer and our quest to escape from pain and sorrow has resulted in        destroying the world’s atmosphere causing us to be plagued with extreme abnormal wild        fires, floods, earthquakes tornadoes, hurricanes and extreme rains and droughts. All of            the above can be attributed to how we live our lives and the man made contamination of      the atmosphere. The atmosphere is required to create a normal and balanced ecosystem        which all life including us needs to be able to survive. We have destroyed the world’s              normal regenerative cycles which function much like the regeneration of the cells within        our own human bodies which culminates with our cells being completely recycled with          new cells every seven years. If we have destroyed the earth’s regenerative cycles is it too        late for us to reverse it? Can we come to our senses and change our future lifestyles and          be able to reverse the damage we have caused to the earth? What do the more intelligent        of us think?

                                          Is there hope for human kind?

-Dacker Thicke

RAPID INN

CHAPTER TEN:

THE CONCLUSION

We had narrowly escaped the moose encounter with our lives there are many stories of people loosing their lives when confronting moose especially when defending their young or if they feel threatened in any way we were damn lucky. True to Bob’s map and it’s directions we had an easy portage across flat ground and since we had no surplus food to hinder us with extra weight in no time at all it was time to put the canoe back in the water. I had even left behind the extra large pot we had found to cook the beaver stew I figured someone else might need it so I had left it at the portage by Rapid Inn for another traveller. When we reached the lake it was calm and mirror like the trees and sky reflected in it’s almost unmoving surface, no need for the outrigger here. We left that dry log that had surely saved our life in that windy lake crossing by the side of this the last lake we had to cross before reaching the Lands and Forests building.

It was a beautiful lake though we had many adventures on our 300 mile journey we were now both looking forward to getting back home so we put our canoe onto that calm lake and paddled across, it didn’t take very much time as there was barely any resistance or current it seemed and soon we were approaching the Lands and Forests building. We could see it from a long way off as there was a float plane attached to a dock and we paddled towards it as if it were a beacon from a lighthouse. I was excited about getting my car back and sharing our stories with the guys at the beer parlour. As we got closer to the dock we noticed there were a few people milling around on the dock and then we recognized the trader canoe and the three men I had shot at to scare away on that Island.

The men had opened up their heavy parcels and were taking out large furs for the examining eyes of buyers. I realized then and there that the men had been more scared of us at the time as they were trying to protect their furs. I thought for sure they were killers or criminals, I had been terribly wrong, they were just fur traders. We quickly collected our thoughts and realized that they had never seen me as I was hidden in the bushes and that Bob should put on his red jacket and hat which he had not been wearing when they saw him. We pulled up our canoe alongside theirs and there wasn’t the faintest whiff of recognition. We both breathed a sigh of relief as they had cause to report us since I had shot at them.

We went into the building and Bob phoned his waiter friend to come pick us up. I was watching Bob’s face as he spoke over the phone and it suddenly fell and his skin went pale, I had a sick feeling in my stomach as Bob looked directly at me, had a member of my family fallen sick or died? Bob hung up and approached me cautiously. It turned out there was a fatality, my poor model A, the negligent waiter had forgotten to fill up the oil (like I had specifically told him to do) and the engine had seized up and cracked the engine block. Bob told me the waiter had to get it dropped off at the dump, so that was the last I ever saw of my dear model A Ford. I tell you it was the first time since the end of the war that I wanted to use my gun to kill a man.

I found this picture of a derelict model A and I think it depicts my mindstate at the time.

Note to the reader:

I was curious about Rapid Inn as it seemed like such a dream to have found that place so I asked one of the land and forest officers and told me that he knew about the place but that they like to keep it under wraps and discourage people from heading there from that side of the lake but that they can’t stop people from getting there from the opposite side. We were damn lucky to have found it it seems. He continued on to say that the rumour was that a member of parliament had had it build with government money and being a bachelor when he died from a heart attack he had no one to will it to, then the end of the First War came in 1918 and no one knew of it, it became a ghost camp a building locked in time. The people that came upon it always left it in good shape but everyone tried to keep it as secret as they could. I was lucky to find it that one time but I never went back and never told the story to anyone until now. It has been oh so many years I hope it still stands and is still in such good repair.

Once was:                                                                                         Now as is:

Here is the novel I wrote about my wartime experiences the picture on the cover is what I would have looked like during the trip to Rapid Inn, If anyone is interested you can purchase my books on amazon.com or press this link.

http://www.amazon.com/Piper-Rear-Other-Stories-Life/dp/1484005759/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402696632&sr=8-1&keywords=piper+to+the+rear

-Dacker Thicke

RAPID INN

CHAPTER NINE

So near yet so far. We had reluctantly left Rapid Inn behind us to catch our breakfast on the river which we quickly did and fried up it was a delicious trout for some reason we weren’t able to catch any fish in the pool under the waterfall at Rapid Inn, perhaps too much current but we still carved our names into the outside log wall adding our names to that history. We had consulted Bob’s map after breakfast and found that we had just to paddle for about ten miles or so on the narrow overflow river from the rapids of the waterfall until reaching the lake we had to cross to end our adventure. Both Bob and I thought our adventures were at an end as we surveyed the high clay banks of the narrow river there was certainly no scenery here and we became quite bored. There was no vegetation as the clay banks of the river were nearly perpendicular to the river and it was far and away the most boring paddling of the whole trip, but hold your breath. We were about to experience a very real possibility of loosing life and limb mainly for yours truly. The river being narrow was also meandering and sometimes you couldn’t see what was directly ahead due to the winding of the river and sharp corners of the bank so we had no warning until we were practically on top of a moose!

We had rounded the corner and surprised him while he was munching on lake weed he was submerged but when he heard us coming he pulled his gigantic head out of the water, he had a tremendous rack of antlers and water poured off of them as he looked straight at us. We were on a direct collision course with the biggest bull moose I had ever seen both of us started back paddling but the current of the river was driving us closer to him and since the banks of the river were so steep we were sure there was nowhere for him to go but straight through us. The moose calmly looked at us and continued chewing some weeds from the bottom of the river as I struggled to hold onto my paddle and reach for my luger at the same time, it seemed to be somehow tangled in my belt or shirt I was too terrified to wrestle it loose quickly enough. I was thinking that this might be the end of me as I was the one in the front of the canoe, Bob would have a chance to escape as the moose would be busy trampling and drowning me. We were a bare few inches away when, to our great surprise the moose gracefully stepped onto the sheer bank it was at least twenty feet to the top of the bank and clay is notoriously hard and slippery to climb I guess that is for someone who doesn’t have hooves. He nimbly dug in his hooves and that life threatening moose got himself out of our way. He didn’t seem bothered at all by us as if we were merely ants to him and he had grown tiered of us and gone off to greener pastures. He climbed straight up and out of the steep clay river bank disappearing from sight.

Once the moose had climbed up curiosity got the better of Bob and he paddled back to the indentations the moose had made climbing the bank. He then got out and climbed the bank using the indentations as foot holds. I lashed the canoe to a log and followed him up. I found it quite easy to climb the bank thanks to the foot and handholds left by the moose’s hooves. Once over the top of the clay bank we emerged onto a plateau of flat land covered in low lying brush, one could see for miles in every direction but we couldn’t spot that great big moose anywhere. It seemed like some sort of magic trick either it had run off very far indeed or perhaps there was a dip in the land we couldn’t see there certainly weren’t any trees for it to hide behind. All I can say is that moose are mysterious creatures. All in all that was one of the biggest frights of my life right up there with that giant cave of bats Bob and I had found on this trip although this incident was certainly a brush with death. We climbed back into the canoe we talked about how with our trip almost at an end we came within a few inches of certain death. I couldn’t have known then that I would indeed live long enough to be a ninety year old man, it was a close one and we laughed over the excitement of it all. I can tell you that we paddled on much slower around those river bends and I made sure my luger was very handy.

We consulted Bob’s map once more and saw we were indeed very close to our destination we simply had one last portage to go and then a final lake to cross it was a big one and if there was a high wind when we reached it we may have to use our homemade outrigger but that’s a story for another day.

Stay tuned for the conclusion of Rapid Inn will we make it back in one piece? Are there more adventures awaiting us? You’ll have to come back and see!

-Dacker Thicke

RAPID INN

CHAPTER EIGHT

We came upon the most beautiful log cabins we had ever seen. From the outside they looked perfect. The logs were clean of bark and shiny with shellac, the picture windows and doors were made of tinted glass and there were lovely hand carved seats in front of each building. As we got closer we saw even more delightful details; there was a path paved with decorative tiles that ran from the pool at the bottom of the waterfall all the way to the cabins and as we got even closer we saw a hand carved sign above the door of the first cabin that said ‘Rapid Inn”. We soon realized that what we thought at first was two cabins was one cabin with two wings. Bob and I could only sit and stare in utter amazement and of course listen as the cabin being so close to the waterfall seemed to be accompanied by the music of rushing water which I can still hear when I think back on the memory of that place.

Eventually Bob and I remembered to return to our canoe which we had lashed to the side of the bridge and pull it out of the water as we wanted to further explore this beautiful place we had found. When we returned to the cabin which seemed to us to be a slice of paradise in the forest completely unexpected like an oasis in the desert. On the side of the main building we saw many names carved into the wood logs stating when they had visited and where and what kind of fish or game they had caught, the list was long and stretched back to the early 1920s when I was born. Later when we left Bob and I also carved our names in the log I suppose they are still there to this day if Rapid Inn still stands that is and I do hope it still exists as a welcome sight for sore travel weary eyes.

Up to this point we had not tried to open a door as that would have been trespassing but the carved names and the name “Rapid Inn” made us wonder if this building were here for the use of travellers. Bob also stated that he had not seen any new names carved since the start of the War. We tried the door to the main building and both the well oiled screen door and main door were unlocked so we went right on in. We were speechless at what we saw when we entered, it was the most beautiful and well appointed kitchen either of us had ever seen it was like walking into a kitchen supply store.

There was everything a chef could dream of: The beautifully tiled floor matched the spotless tile countertops and above those were hand carved cupboards of utmost beauty, there was a massive chrome and metal wood burning stove that was highly polished and had copper cooking vents. There were every type of copper and steel cooking pots and frying pans as well as a large butcher block equipped with every type of knife and saw. We didn’t look into the cupboards and drawers as we were eager to explore the rest of the cabin.

We entered the other wing through the outside entrance which was also unlocked and the sight that greeted us was like one of us had rubbed Aladdin’s magic lamp. The first thing we saw was the welcome mat which said “To clean feet,” and a shelf to place our shoes on. The floor was artfully designed block hardwood which was polished to a high shine and was almost blinding, we promptly removed our shoes and placed them on the shelves provided. We each travelled in different directions as we explored.

I was astounded to discover the radio set and a gramophone winding unit with a cupboard full of what I am sure  were priceless classic records. There was also a large bookcase with a complete set of encyclopedias and classic literature. In the dinning room was a large table and a giant hutch filled with complete sets of glass and plate of every design and shape imaginable, in the drawers were row upon row of cutlery and of course an assortment of crystal wine glasses and I’m sure much more than I can even remember.

I could hear Bob yelling to me about the discoveries he had made so I ran over and joined him. There were eight separate bedrooms each with it’s own sink and lavatory facilities, the rooms were small but well appointed and each had a comfortable bed decked out in fine linens so much so that we decided to sleep on top of the covers so as to not have to wash and iron the sheets before we left. We also found some amusing old tymey night shirts which gave us both a laugh but were very comfortable to sleep in, of course we washed and ironed those before we left. In the main room was a large marble and rock fireplace big enough to roast a pig in. I am glad to say that even though we hadn’t marked the floor we waxed and polished it before we left so as to leave the place in exactly the same spotless condition we had found it. We were very sad to leave Rapid Inn the following day but the fishing had not been good and were hungry so we set off downriver and you’ll never guess what happened along that river, Guess you’ll have to keep reading!

-Dacker Thicke

RAPID INN

CHAPTER SEVEN

When I left off in Chapter Six Bob and I had to turn back from a large lake as it was a particularly windy day and the waves on the lake were quite big. On our first attempt our canoe kept tipping from side to side and taking on water so we returned to the shore. Bob was more experienced with canoes and he found a solution to our problem. He retreated into the forest and came back with a six foot long dry long that was quite light and easy to carry. Bob attached the log to the side of our canoe with two thick branches at each end, you might have seen boats with these attached or even canoes, they are called outriggers. When we tried to cross the lake the outrigger kept our canoe more stable and we were able to finally make it across.

Once we were across Bob’s map indicated a large stretch of narrow river with numerous lengthy curves with no rapids but a large waterfall. After the waterfall the river would continue it’s winding path and lead us to a final two mile portage to a large lake and across to our destination the department of lands and forest docks and marine base from where Bob would call his waiter friend to pick us with my car. I have to say I was a little sad our adventure was going to come to an end but we carried on paddling on the winding river. We heard the waterfall long before we saw it. We were forced to portage around the fall for fear of going over. When we consulted Bob’s map we saw two intersections of portage trails marked by a blaze indicating two routes to the other side of the river. We discussed it and decided to take the path that stayed closest to the waterfall as from the sound of the rushing water, it was a big one and we curious to see it so we took the shorter path that bore right and led to the waterfall. Had we taken the left trail we would have missed a sight we would never forget for the rest of our lives.

The trail took us on a steep decline for a quarter of a mile which was hard to negotiate while carrying a canoe over our shoulders and then through very thick wooded brush. We were always within earshot of the waterfall but had yet to lay eyes on it. Then a clearing opened up from the trees and we saw a very sturdy wooden bridge which stretched over the run off from the falls and provided a spectacular view of those waterfalls. The path was close enough to the falls that the mist from the water rose into the air and when the sunlight hit it it was like walking through a rainbow. The falls were wider than they were tall and fell over bare rock so the current moved very swiftly. I thought to myself it was a good idea to portage around it before the current got the better of us as we surely wouldn’t have survived if we accidentally went over.

After we crossed that bridge we saw one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen; two magnificent log cabins like the structures you would see at the centre of a rich estate they looked absolutely perfect and a comfort for our sore eyes as we had been living rough in the bush for days on end. The cabins were made of peeled logs with a shiny shellac finish that seemed to glitter in the sun. We had finally come to Rapid Inn.

To be continued soon…

-Dacker Thicke

RAPID INN

CHAPTER SIX

We happened on an abandoned mine site that appeared to have been abandoned for a number of years previous. We were lucky to find this place and it yielded two of the biggest surprises of my life. The first was very lucky indeed. We sat down on the little rotted dock that had been left by the miners and the second the bait touched the surface of the water as large mouth bass would snatch it up, I mean it was just ridiculous. It became boring very quickly we kept throwing them back in until we caught one of the largest fish I’ve ever seen needless to say we ate very well that night. I have never seen before or since a expanse of water yield such a bounty.

When it came to cooking the fish we didn’t even bother to descale it we cut the fish down it’s back along its spine making two large fillets we then simply held the skin and it separated from the flesh very easily. When we fried these massive fillets it was some of the best fish I’ve ever had. The second surprise was a little more sinister than the first. Bob and I decided to do some exploring around the site. We came upon a door that was locked it sided into the hill and we thought that maybe it was the entrance to a cellar where there might be some leftover cans of food. The door was made of logs and very heavy Bob finally managed to wrench it open after some hard pulling and jostling. The lock was old and rusted and came apart as he swung it open to reveal…

Millions and millions of bats! the most terrifying high pitched screaming sound drove us back before we even got a look at them. We finally worked up the nerve to look and we saw a million pairs of eyes starring back at us from the dark the were all hanging from the ceiling huddled together I shudder even remembering that sight of screaming eyes and flapping leathery wings. Bob crawled forward on his stomach until he was able to get close enough to shut the door. We both ran away from that door screaming and shaking. I confess I had difficulty sleeping that night knowing that now that dark hoard was streaming through the sky above us doing God knows what. Probably eating mosquitos now that I think about it.

We left that place as quickly as we could. The next portage was the longest we had to endure on that trip. Our walking trail led us through numerous marshes and clearings where we encountered a large variety of game. We especially saw an abundance of partridge. Bob was so skilled with his rock throwing at this point that he could knock down a partridge with one hand still holding the canoe. We had many tasty meals of partridge and rabbit along that path as we had to pause quite often to relieve the constant pressure on our shoulders from carrying the canoe.

We were very happy to find the next lake on our map as the strain on our shoulders had become unbearable. We were unlucky to come upon the lake on a very windy day, the waves on the lake were almost as high as the ocean we had difficulty paddling over them and got so much water in our canoe that we had to turn back and try to find a way to get over those wave.

That’s a story for another day though check back for Chapter Seven of Rapid Inn.

-Dacker Thicke