Lake reports good holiday weekend

 Don Coultis balances the jet ski as his grandson, Mitchell Trible, 12, prepares to ride the waves at Marion Reservoir. Campers, boaters and fishermen flocked to Marion Reservoir for the Labor Day weekend, and according to officials, all of the campsites were filled.

Bill Maple, gate attendant volunteer at Hillsboro Cove, said the three-day holiday was ?perfect? with respect to weather and conditions at the reservoir.

For many seasoned campers, the yearly trek to the Marion Reservoir was one of the best they had seen in the recent past.

Others who hadn?t been boating or camping there for awhile, said it was good to be back.

For the Tribles and Coultises from Valley Center and the Railes from Maize, this year was particularly special for one of the family members who just got his boating license.

Mitchell Trible, 12, said he completed an online course so he could drive a jet ski by himself.

His grandfather, Don Coultis, was there to make sure the jet ski was mechanically sound for his grandson?s maiden voyage.

In addition to the jet ski, Lance Raile brought his boat, but daughter Devynn, 10, said Friday night wasn?t without problems.

?We got stuck out on the boat,? she said. ?It broke down for five hours.?

Lance said it was no more than about two hours.

?We were about one and a half miles out and the battery died,? he said, adding there are a lot of bugs out at night.

One thing he said he didn?t realize was that the park rangers will help in those type of situations.

Judy Coultis said she and her husband used to come to the reservoir all the time.

?I am not sure why we stopped coming,? she said.

Other family members enjoying the boat ride Monday included Brandi Trible, Caden Raile, 12, Mariah Trible, 15, and Miranda Trible, 17.

Another group of seven friends also experienced a first.

Evan Stucky of Moundridge said he had just gotten a boat two weeks ago.

?This is its maiden voyage,? he said on Sunday. ?It didn?t run when I bought it and it turned out being just a fuse.?

Other than Evan, who said he attended Friends University, his friends all went to Bethel College in North Newton.

His other friends were Jared Kaufman, Kelsey Suderman, Caitlin Heller, Jacob Stucky and Spencer Suderman.

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