Grandpa's Camping Trip, Part 2

(Continued from the last post.)

So the 2nd day of camping was the planned fishing day.  My father had reserved two fishing boats at Big Lake and the plan was to spend the entire day on the lake.  I, however, don't have a fishing license, nor do I have any desire to fish, so the plan was for me to hang out back on shore.  I had books to read, a notebook to write in, and keys to the car if I decided to go back to the campsite or exploring.  What I planned to do was go for a run (camping is no excuse for missing exercise, in my book).  What I ended up doing was sitting in the front seat of the truck while K slept in the back seat.

K was seriously unenthusiastic when it came time to go fishing.  It surprised me, because fishing was what he had seemed most excited about.  He'd slept well enough (better than me and B, for sure) but he said he was too tired and he didn't feel well.  So Grandpa, Ryan, Bryson, Braden and B went out on the lake, and I skipped my run to stay with K.  At first I set a chair out next to the truck so at least I could enjoy the fresh mountain air.  But then it started to pour on us (a thunderstorm came in) and so I ended up reading in the truck for two hours.

Mid-morning my father returned to see if K was up to fishing yet, and K woke up feeling somewhat better and a least a smidge more enthusiastic about getting on the boat.  So I sent K off with Grandpa and B, and I finally set out for my run.  I tried at first to run on the trails along the lake shore but that sucked.  The trails were terrible and muddy and hardly seemed to go anywhere.  So I gave up and ran on the narrow two lane road that connected the lake and multiple different campgrounds.  It was a very challenging run-- with hills and an elevation difference of about 6000 ft. from what my body is used to.  But it was blessedly cool-- right now at home, even when I get out to run at 5am, it is miserably hot and humid.  About halfway through my run I had made it to the far side of the lake and stopped to use the restroom by boat launch.  By the strangest coincidence, I ran up to the bathrooms only to find my 8 year old nephew standing outside and waiting his turn.  Ryan's boat had docked for a bathroom break.  I got to chat just a little with Braden (and scare Ryan, who could hear us from inside the bathroom and wondered who on earth Braden was chatting so freely with) and then headed back onto the road to work my way back to the other side where the cars were parked.  The best part was about 4 miles in, when I passed a very buff shirtless dude who was getting something out of his car at his campsite.  "You're making me feel guilty!" he shouted, when I waved at him.  "Seriously!"   Hey, the middle-aged, pudgy woman gasping for air and feeling like she was going to die was an inspiration to the clearly-in-shape younger guy!

The fishing boats docked for lunch and we enjoyed sandwiches and chips just in time for another downpour.  This time, everyone holed up in the cars, hoping it would pass quickly.  It did-- and they were able to go back out on the lake.  Thank goodness, because it was that last stretch of fishing time when K struck gold!  He got a bite!  He was actually able to reel it in and land it himself, his very first fish:  a 2 lb 2 oz cutthroat.  It was huge!!  It was awesome!!  And K's day was made.

That night we had dinner and then the boys all went to go driving and looking for elk.  B and I were left at the campsite to keep the fire going.  This is when I learned that I suck at fires.  If I end up stranded in the woods, even if I have a lighter and newspaper and a fire starter log, I'm probably going to freeze to death.  B and I had several panicky moments where I put a new log on the fire only to have the fire practically smother.  By the time the guys came back, our roaring fire had dwindled to a smoldering glow with a few licking flames, but at least it wasn't out!  I guess I should consider it a success.

Friday night we had a thunderstorm in the middle of the night and a good deal of rain.  (Supposedly there were wolves howling again, but I slept through them this time, thank goodness.)  Fortunately, the rain storm didn't have much wind, and my four cans of scotchgard must have been good for something because our tent didn't leak at all.  I did have to make another middle-of-the-night harrowing trip to the outhouse, where I pictured serial killers following me outside the glare of my flashlight and lying in wait just outside the outhouse door.  Yes, ridiculous, but I managed to freak myself out enough that I had to screw up my courage to venture back out of the outhouse.  It's silly-- if there was for some reason serial killers roaming the campground looking for victims I doubt we would have been safe in our tents, but as soon as I was back inside and had zipped up the door I heaved a huge sigh of relief.

I blame the pitch black night.  It messes with your mind.

We were really lucky in our rainstorms though.  The rain stopped before we woke up so that when it was time to make breakfast and then to break camp we had plenty of sunshine.  I actually managed to get out tent down and stowed away with B's help and all our stuff packed up in good time.  (Again, we beat Ryan and his boys, boo-yah!  Possibly because Bryson was off trying to hunt chipmunks with a slingshot.)  We got on the road by about 10, making it in Show Low right around 11am.  Here we had lunch at a yummy BBQ restaurant with my aunt and uncle, who have a summer home in Show Low.  I ate way too much-- not the best of ideas, because I still had to face the car ride down the mountain, which included the Salt River Canyon (lots of sharp twisty turns).  Before we left Show Low I made a hasty run into Walmart for some dramamine and passed it around, since B and K and I all get car sick.  It must have worked, because even though I even had a moment of praying desperately that we would just please survive this, my babies are in the car and just let us survive this as my father raced into the start of the canyon switchbacks at double the posted speed limit, nobody in my family got sick.  And we didn't crash, so blessings all around!

The final little pit stop of our camping expedition was a stop back in the desert for the guys to do some shooting.  They had a target launcher and a variety of guns.  I, however, was tired and sweltering.  B and K didn't want to shoot either, so eventually my father just sent us back home in one of the cars (they came to drop off all our gear when they were done).  The best part was when I opened the door, and S flew into my arms.

"Mommy!" she shouted and gave me a huge hug and a kiss.

It's nice to be appreciated.  Maybe I should take breaks away from home more often!