There was a "human convergence at trout camp this weekend with Floatman (yes, I said Floatman! LOL! A little ribbing humor there!) being the first on the scene having the advantage of Saturdays free from work. I met him early in the driveway and he departed shortly there after, leaving my driveway with a fresh load of more bricks and arriving at Trout Camp sometime around 12:30 -ish, I wondered, did he recognize her? (How's that for a way-too-long sentence?)
The scenary had changed a great deal since his last visit. An almost "grand resurrection" of the forest had occured within the past week, as signs of life had returned and the dead and barren hues of brown and black were replaced with a bright green landscape. I received a jubilant cellular phone call sometime near late afternoon from Jim. It seems that Verizon can cut through the mountaineous range and endless swaths of wilderness and provide coverage where my phone could only hope to get a single bar of signal. What's up AT&T? He seemed to be enjoying himself, the local tavern and the impromptu meet & greet with the regulars! He was quick to make me fully aware that he had arrived and was making new friends while I worked. How nice is that?! LOL!
The 6PM work whistle blew and I raced home, packed the last remaining camp items, disconnected the charging cord from the camper and loaded the family up. We were off! Ok...with that sentence it may have seemed like we got there lighting quick and the drive was over in a blink of an eye, but let me tell you that this was simply not the case! I had the other half of the load of bricks neatly stacked in the Mountaineer along with WAY too much gear! Did I not say that we were just staying overnight? We're staying a day and a half people, not to next fall! With all that mass, driving fast wasn't part of a sane driving strategy. Coming home was another story! Our arrival was announced to Floatman long before the headlights of the truck could be seen. Sound has a tendency to travel further at night, there was no surprising anyone due to our SUV's low gear screaming and the uphill struggle resonating off the mountains and valleys. I'm sure we made enough noise to notify everyone on the mountain top of our presence. Here's the best part, that is if there were ANYONE else there besides us!
Pulling in, we found we were being guided in by Jim's waving lantern. I guess we had made enough racket coming up the road that taxy-ing us into place like a plane that just landed was appropriate! After a quick game of shuffle the trucks, all the bricks were piled near the fire and it was time to pop up the camper. 
I had gone over and visualized the plan of attack a dozen times. I thought I was being thorough, but it may have been a bit unfair of me to expect the 22+ year old pop-up leveling feet to elevate the camper from the current slope to a level gradient. There was a lot of travel (almost a foot and a half) that needed to be covered. I struggled and my temper got the best of me. This was a test of nerves and I was losing. One of the many inconveniences of short trips on Saturdays that I must work is that camp setup is usually performed in the dark which just makes things go that much slower. I instructed the wife and everyone to head down to the local pub and leave me to finish this task by myself. My daughter stayed behind and watched the stars. She was so quiet that I had to ask if everything was alright? It was dark and I didn't expect her to hang out on the mini-deck by herself without company. After 1.25 hours leveling the #*$&^ camper and a bunch of help from my daughter to pop up everything, we met the rest of the crew at the base of the mountain to grab some grub. Thoughtfully, my wife was nice enough to order my Bubba and I some "to-go" burgers and fries which became "dine in".
The local establishment serves some great food and beverage and, as one would expect in a small town atmosphere, they are willing to go above and beyond to take care of their patrons. Even though the kitchen was closed, we were still able to get served. Just one of many small confirmations that this ANF property was a good choice for us all. After finishing our food, we made the short drive back to camp and gathered around the fire. I had to replace some clothing layers as the nighttime temps were supposed to hit a low of 38 and seemed to be sliding there quickly! The fire was re-stoked and within only a few rootballs was throwing off some heat to warm our frontsides. Floatman and I stayed out for a little while longer and then sometime around 12:30AM called it an evening. The family was nestled into their sleeping bags with noses frozen. Did I say it was chilly? 38 degrees is not warm! LOL!
The next morning we awoke to some fire grill toasted bagels and cream cheese along with a glass or two of OJ. Jim and I worked to fill in the areas around the original bricks with more donated from a fishing friend of ours. We've got a mish-mosh of different sized bricks surrounding the fire ring now. What's those two words that drive me nuts to hear? It looks "eclectic & whimsical"! Aren't these the words that the design people throw around at a drop of dime because they can't find anything else to describe "odd, unusual, peculiar"? Anyway, it works for now and I suppose we'll be hauling a few more loads of freebies when the time arises.
Sunday was a noisey day at Trout Camp. Today was the day that I instructed my two children in the seriousness and enjoyability of marksmanship. We began with a $20 Walmart spring action BB gun and paper targets and progressed to firing (with close supervision from Jim and I) a .22 rifle. Nick enjoying himself and I was sure to remind him that he was using something that could seriously injure someone if thought of as a "toy" and not respected. He reminded me that he was paying attention when he stated on more than one occassion, "safety on, safety off, firing" when holding the rifle. He did, however, slip a little by shooting his BB gun down range but off the lane of our target when I was helping him. The penatly he paid? No more target practice until next time. Next up was my Bubba, she was hesitant, but I convinced her that she had nothing to fear as long as she followed my directions. Firing the .22 long rifle is just about as easy as a BB gun, it just commands more respect. After a quick overview of loading procedures and safety precautions...she was slamming the bull's eye on the targets. She's a great shot and took to it nicely. So much so that I found myself loading magazine after magazine to keep pace with her enthusiasm. Sweet!
I fired off a clip in my glock and reminded myself how much I love this weapon! I hadn't fired it in about 10 years, but she's been by my side for many trips into the wilderness. The kick and power reminded me that I had made the correct choice in purchasing protecting and piece of mind.
I've included some photos for your viewing pleasure.
