Photo by billophoto.com
The 1970 Gold Cup was once again at Mission Bay San Diego, California. Miss Budweiser had a new driver this year with Dean Chenoweth as the new pilot. The race was won with an average speed of 99.562 MPH. This would be the first Gold Cup for Dean Chenoweth and Bernie Little’s Miss Budweiser. They would win in1973 at Tri-Cities, Washington with the average speed of 99.043 MPH. Dean Chenoweth retired in 1974 only to return to the Miss Budweiser 5 years later to continue his winning ways. With a change from the Rolls-Royce Merlin to the much more powerful Rolls-Royce Griffon (both WWII surplus aircraft engines), 1980 and 1981 would be 2 more Gold Cups for Chenoweth and Little. The race in 1980 was run, for the second time, at Madison, Indiana with an average speed of 106.932 MPH. The race in 1981 was run at Seattle, Washington with an average speed of 116.932 MPH. With 25 unlimited hydroplane race wins, Dean Chenoweth lost his life in the Miss Budweiser in 1982 Columbia River.
Miss Budweiser (1970 & 1973) specs:
Engine: Rolls-Royce Merlin
Owner: Bernie Little and Tom Friedkin
Miss Budweiser (1980 & 1981) specs:
Engine: Rolls-Royce Griffon
Owner: Bernie Little
Letterbox Time!
The Troll of Belle Isle
The posted coordinates will bring you near a special bridge. It is ornately decorated and is home to the Troll of Belle Isle. From this bridge, you will need to look for the Troll Trail, which will bring you to his starter home.
One day the Belle Isle Troll decided to take his lunch bucket and go look for a Bald Eagle. It had been said that a Bald Eagle was seen on the Isle. He headed westerly down the Troll Trail. The Troll noticed that the water level was high in the canal. It had been a very snowy winter and the snow melt was flooding the Isle.
At one point on the trail, he found a small neighborhood of houses belonging to a group of Sparrows. He asked the Sparrows if they had seen the Bald Eagle on any of their flights about the Isle. They told him that they had seen the eagle, and were fearful as one of them had almost gotten eaten. They were not coming out of their houses until the Eagle left the area.
The Troll continued along his trail until he spotted it; a young Bald Eagle. It was perched across the canal on a lone, long branch that stuck out of a tall dead tree. The tree appeared to have caught fire some time ago as it had black marks all up the trunk. The Troll froze when he saw the magnificent bird. The Eagle was looking about, and when he saw the Troll, he took flight. It circled around, once then twice. The Troll began to feel like trouble was coming and began to run down the trail. The Eagle swooped down near his head. The Troll was sure that the Eagle was not after him, but his lunch pail. The Troll frantically looked left and right for someplace he could hide his lunch pail. With the canal to his right, he decided to stay away from the water. Then he spotted the perfect place. After he stashed the lunch pail, the Eagle circled one more time and flew off. The Troll was excited that he was now in the small group that could say they saw the Eagle of Belle Isle.
Belle Isle is the 102nd Michigan State Park. Like all state parks you will need a Recreation Passport to be on the island.
All caches placed at Belle Isle State Park by the Belle Isle Cachers, or Rattrak, are here with consent of the support of the DNR supervision for the island.