The goonch: An old school party barge pontoon, completely stripped, reassembled and painted camo (of course - we do live in Wayne County). Think Huck Finn. No motor, no steering wheel, just pontoons and plywood. Named after some man eating catfish in China. Enter in Greg Hook, Ben Parker and Sam Metzler. EWHS graduates, UNC and NCSU alums, married men and some of my husbands best friends. Greg flew home from Boulder CO where he is on Young Life staff to spend a long weekend with the boys. They need/crave adventure. This is where the goonch comes in. The gonch and the Mighty Neuse together - a hard to resist combination! Let the fun begin!
The goonch has been living in our backyard for a long time. I wanted to put a step ladder to it and serve cocktails on Thanksgiving. It looks the same today as it did then. The grass under it is redneck tall. I was excited to hear it was coming out of the yard. Well until this...
in our effort to get the goonch out of the backyard - we forgot to account for the total yard saturation...Bryan's car stuck down to the frame...good times
the enormous hole and mess left
props to the minivan that pulled that suv out of the yard!!
The adventure is about to begin! Have a mentioned that the river is moving FAST! Good for a boat with no motor. However, it may be hard to steer this sucker and the water is up as high as I have ever seen it. Plus the goonch has never actually been in water since we have owned it. Hope it floats!
tail light of Ben's brand new truck. the goonch pontoon busted the light in a tight left hand turn. I may or may not have been driving...so glad Ben already liked me.
getting ready
the goonch meets the water
so far so good! Loaded down
they are off...6:45 PM Friday Night. Whitetail Landing. The Neuse River is MOVING at flood stage. Hope they fit under all the bridges!
amazing...what they woke up to
Ben, Greg & Sam
the tent
the Mighty Neuse
the goonch in all her glory!
what maneuverability...
Mom - please note the life jackets in the back...safety first for us Hancocks (please disregard the fact that they are not wearing those jackets and the complete lack of rails or sides to the raft - how did they distinguinsh the edge of the raft with the black water at night??? )
the lawyer
the men
the burn barrel
What we did while "Huck Finn" rafted the river...
Noah & Mills get in on the Seven Springs Ramp action. Sat afternoon 5:00pm.
how many horsepower does Bryan have?
getting her back on the trailer
20+ miles and the goonch conquers the mighty neuse!!
