Friends
Enjoy Vintage Machine Ride to Stay at Even More Vintage Camp
by Claire Lynch
Colebrook Sentinel
March 16, 2010
It was the revival of an old North Country tradition last weekend, as three area natives and one favored southerner struck out on antique Bombardiers, through eye-popping views of East Colebrook to the old Harold Davis Camp on Diamond Pond. They moved along at what was best described as a putt-putt rate of speed, arriving safely two hours later for a night of card games, venison and chicken, fresh vegetables and fruit, and good conversation.
Colebrook native Mike Bean and his southern belle wife Valerie of Peachtree, Ga., now hold the camp formerly owned by the Davis family. Dave and Louise Lufkin of Maidstone joined them on this trip back in time and Dave, a 25-year collector of antique Bombardier snowmachines, provided their auspicious chariots.
The machines dated back to 1965, but Dave's 1964 ride came equipped with a single front ski. One mint-condition 1965 model he trusted to the care of Valerie. The family garage in Maidstone is so full of Dave's machines, Louise noted, that her car has to stay outside in the cold.
"Dave did pretty well as the leader of this wolf pack," said Valerie. Looking like a wolf man in his fur hat and gloves, he smiled widely as they glided past the bemused SnoDeo crowd at Coleman State Park. Valerie and Louise took a ride on the helicopter, and saw a total of six moose on the ground below.
A tour of the old cabin reveals a history extending back more than 100 years. At the entrance is a picture of Harold sleeping in a chair on the front porch with his trusty dog at his side. The cabin itself and the beds inside are made of logs taken from the surrounding woods.
Deer mounts line one wall, each labeled with the year it was taken, and on other walls are photos of other successful hunting and fishing adventures. One impressive rack holds a fishing pole aloft, and black shades are a reminder of the war years.
In this year, which has seen a return to the deep snows of long ago in the North Country, so much snow has fallen that the camp has become almost encased in white. Mike spent part of the morning reattaching the stovepipe as snow on the roof quickly sent it to the bank below. No problem, he said, now that he has become something of a professional in snow removal at the Bean home in Colebrook. Even though he has made his permanent home in Georgia, he still knows how to climb on a roof and get the job done.
On the front porch are racks stemming back even further, including moose and elk, and inscribed signatures of the many guests who stayed at the camp for fishing trips and getaways. The names include L. Lynn Cutler and wife, August 6, 1912; Ralph M. Jones, a proud Colebrook Academy alum who stayed there in 1915; Harold and Ruth Haynes who honeymooned there, but didn't catch any fish in 1931; and Agnes Beecher in 1989.
This camp is a place where more than one restful soul found a peaceful spot on the porch, and it has now provided Dave, Louise, Mike and Valerie some great memories of a weekend well spent.
A party of four climbed aboard antique Bombardiers last weekend for a two-hour trek to the old Harold Davis camp on Diamond Pond: Dave and Louise Lufkin of Maidstone (left), and Mike and Valerie Bean of Colebrook and Peachtree City, Ga. Dave, a collector of antique Bombardiers, provided the chariots, and Mike provided the night's accommodations. (Claire Lynch photo)