We pulled ashore onto the Island and unloaded the remaining gear at the south end. There was a big crew this trip and as I walked with my stuff, I quickly realized that finding personal space to set up my camp was tight. The prime real estate had been taken. There were tents,tarps,cots, lounge chairs,kitchen chairs,stools,tables,tv,generator,extension cords,the gazebo,Steamer trunk,handtruck,oil drums,wheel chairs,carpets,radios,electronic gear,stoves,grills,stockpots,coffee pots,expresso makers,utensils,knives,machettes,bags and boxes of food, coolers,tire rims,steel belts,not to mention all the usual crap we save in our "Public Storage " area. I did manage to hack out a small openning in the weed trees and vines to set up the tent cot and a kitchen chair. Now it was time to do a "Meet and Greet" of the various crew.

     Along with the usual crew of Captn Mitch,Kevin,Mr Heacock,Steve, and Ed..aka Ace(no one out there calls him that) there were a collection of pirates. The Everman clan was well represented with at least 5 maybe 6 guys.(I can't fully remember,my apologies if I forgot someone) The Evermans are Big. These are the guys you want on your side.Kevin's son-in -law ventured out again,which was a surprise as his camping endurance is limited. Even a surprise visit from a guy who had heard about our exploits from Star's End radio show broadcasts came out to the Island. I believe his name was Michael. He came prepared , although I really can't imagine he had any idea of the crew of idiots gathered there. Gotta give him credit for venturing out.

   The campfire was quickly growing and was a constant source of fuel consumption. There was no doubt that this weekend we would burn every spec of wood on the Island to fend off the cold.It was cold, tempertures dipped into the teens overnight with a constant wind chill. The kitchen was set up inside the Gazebo structure and was in full battle station mode. There was a full menu of food selections. Chicken,beef,pork loin,clams,bubba burgers,steaks,salsa, chips,baked potatoes with butter,smoked turkey drumsticks,sausage,bacon,eggs,coffee and plenty of beers and liquor.Pretty much standard pirate fare. The Pirates were settled in and enjoying the Industrial camping in the middle of no where but in the middle of everything.Being out on the River is always special, especially at night. Although its dark, its more like a different style of lighting. It never really gets pitch black like in the mountains,just dark.

    Some of the crew joked about us waiting for the Star's End program. It's a highlight of the trip to listen to ambient music in the Island setting. Host Chuck Van Zyl's voice announced: " You are receiving Star's End..." and at that very moment a giant 36 inch truck tire was thrown into the fire. Someone else announced..:" you are receiving carcinogens.." and the crew mustered a pirate type laugh. Everyone moved back from the fire as the BTU's increased to a fierce level,,except Mr Heacock, who was sound asleep wrapped in his Indian blanket only a few feet from the inferno. I'm sure that blanket is EPA approved for exposure to burning materials. He must have been dreaming about heat. As the program continued ,one by one the crew began to pass out and turn in for the night. Two radio's continued all night to broadcast the music, which along with the sounds of the River, creates a great sleeping environment.

   The morning welcomed the crew with warming sunshine and another flurry of cooking endeavors.Captn Mitch was working hard on making lots of coffee. He is infamous for his Island coffee. It always tastes great out there. Maybe it's from the coffee pot he uses. It was an old coffee pot, nothing fancy, the bakalit handle was now a melted blob and it had a small glasstop percolator. That pot had been brewing Island coffee for over 2 decades. This was to be it's last trip. Over time the metal had finally fatigued and a small pinhole appeared in its base. Sadly Captn Mitch carefully placed the faithful tool into the campfire.The furnace consumed the little pot and it is now at rest with the earthen ashes of the Island.Ok, sentimental moment is over,it was time to reload the stomachs and prepare for the NFL games. This weekend the Eagles would play the Baltimore Ravens. 

     The Eagles have had a bad streak of Island games. Two years ago McNabb injured his leg vs Tenn. and our record out there is not a winning pct. This trip was to be no different. The game flat out sucked. At halftime, coach cheeseburgler Andy Reid, pulled McNabb and placed in 2rd string QB of the future Kevin Kolb. Kolb reacted like a lamb to slaughter. The Ravens plucked the Eagles dead carcass of a team. Thankfully it finally ended. Kevin, a Dallas fan, reveled in our misery.(our revenge would be sweet later in Dec. hee hee hee) We tried to recoup and watch the 2rd game with the NY Giants vs Arizona. Apparently the Eagles lack of power football was countered by the generator. It sent a power surge to the tv set. Someone commented.." ..hey I think the TV's smoking.." Sure enough, the generator show a surge into the set and it caught on fire. (Our surge protector was smoked earlier and burned up) I gathered up the set and tossed it into the Island environmentally sound land reclaimation sector.

That was the end of our NFL pkg weekend, not to mention that the tide was at a dead low. No one was going anywhere for a few hours. Great, the Eagles stunk up the place, TV burned up, tides out, Kevin's fading into a stupor and Captn Mitch is burning every piece of furniture and plastic around. It was shaping up to a long night. I was counting the hours till dawn.

   Dawn did mercifully arrive and we downed fresh coffee and divivded up the remaining booty of food ,tools, and spirits left by the other pirates. We packed our gear and shipped out to the Jersey beach to make our last destination. The Diner. After taking a dozen parking spaces with the boat and trailor, we sat down and ordered breakfast. The waitress commented that we smelled like smoke. She had no idea.