swimjim
Master Diver
Posts: 1694
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:28 am
First Name: Jim
Location: Belgium WI

Fortune Pond Fall Colors Classic

Fri Aug 14, 2020 5:51 pm

Fortune Pond Fall Colors Classic. Join us at Fortune Pond in Crystal Falls Michigan, Friday September 25th - 27th. There will be Vintage diving going on and rumor has it there may just be hot chili for lunch on Saturday!

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SurfLung
Master Diver
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Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm
First Name: Eben
Location: Alexandria, MN
Contact: Website

Re: Fortune Pond Fall Colors Classic

Mon Aug 17, 2020 9:44 am

Reservations MADE!
We would never miss the Fall Colors Classic...
And ESPECIALLY not the SwimJim Special Recipe Chili!
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

SheriffDiver
Master Diver
Posts: 194
Joined: Sun May 29, 2011 9:07 pm
First Name: John

Re: Fortune Pond Fall Colors Classic

Wed Aug 19, 2020 7:18 pm

Got my room reserved. What fun would it be on Jim's Fall Colors Classic at Fortune Pond than to reveal a new colored wetsuit..... There might just be a Dolphin in the water too..... Got a new GoPro 7 so I can film again after drowning my GoPro 4 during the last trip. Can't wait for Jim's lunch. Yum!

swimjim
Master Diver
Posts: 1694
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:28 am
First Name: Jim
Location: Belgium WI

Re: Fortune Pond Fall Colors Classic

Sat Aug 22, 2020 5:13 pm

A little teaser for the Fortune Pond Fall colors classic

https://vimeo.com/300599941

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SurfLung
Master Diver
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Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm
First Name: Eben
Location: Alexandria, MN
Contact: Website

Re: Fortune Pond Fall Colors Classic

Thu Aug 27, 2020 2:19 pm


Beautiful Video SwimJim!
- Thanks for posting. It's hard to believe that was already two years ago. :)
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

h2operations
Master Diver
Posts: 107
Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2018 9:40 pm
First Name: Paul
Location: Coronado CA

Re: Fortune Pond Fall Colors Classic

Fri Aug 28, 2020 10:00 pm

Thank you for sharing, It was a cross between a recruiting video and the PBS special Alone in the Wilderness. After seeing it you made me calculate the hours it would take to get there. Really appreciate the share.

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SurfLung
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Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm
First Name: Eben
Location: Alexandria, MN
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Re: Fortune Pond Fall Colors Classic

Wed Sep 30, 2020 10:20 am

Photos and Dive Report
- Well, we hit the absolute PEAK Weekend on the Fall Colors dive trip to Fortune Pond. Highways all the way over were lined with brilliant reds, oranges, yellows and greens in all shades and degrees of brightness. Like a painters pallet.
- Attendance was surprisingly good. There were: Me, my wife Jill, SwimJim, Sheriffdiver Ron, Eric P and his brother, and a re-breather diver Mark.
- Regulators dove: SwimJim, Ron, and I all dove our Trieste double hose regulators. I dove both of my 50 Fathoms, Royal Master, and V2 Snark III. Ron dove his single hose Dolphin (with good guys outfit from Thunderball), UDS-1, Faux Royal Mistral, V2 Snark, and others. SwimJim dove a bit of everything, too.. Including a tech dive with his Kraken. Eric and Mark dove re-breathers.
- Thoughts in general: My Trieste worked fine... A little harder breathing than a DAAM but I found that if I felt out of breath, I could stop and catch my breath by breathing faster as long as my lungs weren't tired. My two 50 Fathom regs worked exceptionally well... I should dive them more often. Same with the V2 Snark III. And finally re-breathers... I always expect re-breather divers to be doing something extreme... LIke long, deep, decompression stop dives. But this fellow Mark just sport dives with his re-breather. In fact I buddied with him on one of my vintage dives.
- Final thoughts: SwimJim is the world champion Chili maker of Fortune Pond!
Image
Above: Eric P and his Brother w/Eric's Re-Breather
Image
Above: Ron SheriffDiver Cousteau
Image
Above: Ron SheriffDiver showing off his UDS-1 and yellow striped vintage style suit.
Image
Above: Ron SheriffDiver showing off his latest Thunderball good guys dive equipment.
Image
Another Look at the Coolness... :) (Sandals protect his sole-less booties)
Image
Above: SwimJim diving his Voit Swimaster Trieste II with Twin 72s
Image
Above: SheriffDiver Ron w/Earlier Thunderball Red Suit and theme gear.
Image
Above: SheriffDiver and SurfLung... Tank bottoms should be seen, fondled, and bootless!
Image
Above: Sheriffdiver and SurfLung
Image
Above: SwimJim and SurfLung
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Above: NewtSuit used to dive 565 feet down to recover the Ship's Bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald. Jill and I traveled
up to WhiteFish bay after Fortune Pond and visited the ShipWreck Museum. SheriffDiver Ron doesn't have one of these... YET! :)

- Thank you to my wife Jill for photography!
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

SheriffDiver
Master Diver
Posts: 194
Joined: Sun May 29, 2011 9:07 pm
First Name: John

Re: Fortune Pond Fall Colors Classic

Wed Sep 30, 2020 1:58 pm

I have to agree with Eben. Colors on the trees was fabulous!! My Trieste required a little bit more effort on breathing too. My Royal Mistral conversion was one of if not the best regulator I've ever used. Man did it breathe nice. I had some of my Jaws gear on too for one of my dives and I dove my silver wetsuit too. Was a fun weekend and Jim does make the best chilli.

swimjim
Master Diver
Posts: 1694
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:28 am
First Name: Jim
Location: Belgium WI

Re: Fortune Pond Fall Colors Classic

Thu Oct 01, 2020 6:54 pm

The colors were the best I have ever seen! The chili was good if I do say so myself. I managed five dives. Not easy for me these days. The old bod doesn't bend well and it's really hard to get my fins on. I got a couple regs tested. The Voit Polaris I bought from Allan and the the JET AIR project I got from Antique Diver. Both of those single stagers breathed great down to 100 feet all be it some what noisy. My Trieste is now tried and true and I used that on a scooter ride around the pond reaching depths past 135 feet. With help from Bill Tucker mine breathes really well!
All in all it was a great weekend spent with good friends. It doesn't get better than that!

h2operations
Master Diver
Posts: 107
Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2018 9:40 pm
First Name: Paul
Location: Coronado CA

Re: Fortune Pond Fall Colors Classic

Mon Oct 19, 2020 9:00 pm

Gentlemen,
Thank you for posting all of the great photos and intel. It did not look like anyone was forcing a smile in the photos!

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ScubaLawyer
Master Diver
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First Name: Mark
Location: Laguna Beach, CA

Re: Fortune Pond Fall Colors Classic

Mon Oct 19, 2020 9:30 pm

swimjim wrote:
Thu Oct 01, 2020 6:54 pm
My Trieste is now tried and true and I used that on a scooter ride around the pond reaching depths past 135 feet. With help from Bill Tucker mine breathes really well!
My Trieste breathes great too - Here's to Bill's secret skunk-works venturi modification!
"The diver who collects specimens of underwater life has fun and becomes a keen underwater observer. .. seek slow-moving or attached organisms such as corals, starfish, or shelled creatures." (Golden Guide to Scuba Diving, 1968) :D

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antique diver
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First Name: Bill
Location: North-Central Texas

Re: Fortune Pond Fall Colors Classic

Fri Oct 23, 2020 4:21 pm

ScubaLawyer wrote:
Mon Oct 19, 2020 9:30 pm
swimjim wrote:
Thu Oct 01, 2020 6:54 pm
My Trieste is now tried and true and I used that on a scooter ride around the pond reaching depths past 135 feet. With help from Bill Tucker mine breathes really well!
My Trieste breathes great too - Here's to Bill's secret skunk-works venturi modification!
Thanks guys... I'm pleased to hear they are working well! :D
The older I get the better I was.

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SurfLung
Master Diver
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Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm
First Name: Eben
Location: Alexandria, MN
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Re: Fortune Pond Fall Colors Classic

Mon Nov 09, 2020 4:09 pm

Spuds and Suds
- I thought I should add this. Every year that we go to the Fall Colors dive, we have trouble getting room reservations because of the "Spuds and Suds" event that is also happening on that same weekend. Well, this year I asked the revelers who were sitting in lawn chairs outside their rooms... "What's the big deal with Spuds and Suds?"
- They told me its potato harvesting time in the U.P (Upper Peninsula) and they are the best potatoes in the world. They are sold direct for $15 for a 50 lb bag and some people buy 10 and 20 bags. They told me the place to go is Johnson Potato Farm. So when Jill and I left for Whitefish Bay on Sunday, we got directions for Johnson Farm in Sagola MI and it was right on our route.
- We pulled into the driveway and approached the open door to a huge farm building. I gave a call "Hello?" into the darkness then noticed the sign said Closed on Sunday. So we turned around and started walking back to the car. Then we heard "Can I Help You?" and out walks the owner of the place Dale Johnson. Heck of a nice guy. Two 50 lb bags of potatoes for $30 and he even carried them to our truck. I tried to give him $40 but he wouldn't take anything more than the $30 price. Then we visited for about a half hour. We told him about our diving and he said he'd been to Cozumel.
- So, maybe next year we should call ahead and invite him to come diving with us at Fortune Pond.

- Back at home it has been only about a month and a half and we are already through one 50 lb bag, The potatoes are BIG and tasty. I've had them with a Steak, I've had them just for dinner... One potato with butter and sour cream is a full meal... I've had them split open with a can of chili and melted cheese on top... Let me tell you we have been eating a LOT of potatoes! :)
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

swimjim
Master Diver
Posts: 1694
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:28 am
First Name: Jim
Location: Belgium WI

Re: Fortune Pond Fall Colors Classic

Mon Nov 09, 2020 6:08 pm

The last time my Aunt and Uncle came up they bought a bag of potato's from that farm. They were really good! Maybe the annual fall colors dive will include a potato run in the future.

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