The kids have been after me to try fishing… For the record, I am not an angler, and have never really taken an interest in it. But let’s be honest, it’s all about the kids, so I took it to task and we assembled some Zebco outfits:
It was a little too late and chilly for being close to the water, so the minions took to their bicycles instead:
After cooking up some fine BBQ chops, green salad, and cheesy rice, we decided to try and hike it off and headed toward the concrete bridge overlooking the river:
About the time we started meandering our way back, OG and Boyscout showed up with their respective familial units in tow. They quickly setup their camps and whipped up some supper, and I pulled out the propane camp fire for what would be an epic BS session as darkness fell around us and the supermoon took over:
Saturday morning, we were joined by Rottwheeler and his brother in his beautiful red LJ, and two of our mutual friends/coworkers; Kenny in his silver TJ Rubicon; and Mike and his son in their green/grey YJ. Kenny had to be back in Tri-Cities by early evening, so the plan was to run Kaner up to Lily Pond, run down 4W-617 to the intersection with Milk Creek, then run Lower and Upper Woodpecker to tie into 4W-694 and run over to the Funny and Moon Rock areas. From there we’d follow the ridge trail over to Gold Creek road and back down to Hwy 410. Lots of ground to cover, but the day was clear and bright, and the trails were in great shape even if a bit dusty for my taste. We made great time with no issues or drama along the way, allowing us to simply enjoy the views and the fact we had GTFO, and we arrived at the Funny Rocks right about noon.
We enjoyed another BS session, and then decided to root around a little bit on the rock formations. What happened next is a story to be told by someone else, but suffice it say the small time delay wasn't really an issue. There may even be pictures...
I took the remainder of the group over to the Moon Rocks while the aforementioned penalty clock was run out, and we played around a bit in the nooks and crannies of the area. I set the boy up as fire watch:
Eventually we rolled back down to the Funny Rocks area, and met up with OG and Boyscout up at the top:
From here we lazily meandered our way back to Hwy 410, taking turns with several drivers in several rigs:
Overall it was a fantastic day on the trail, and we had Rottwheeler, Kenny, and Mike back on the pavement and on their way to Tri-Cities by about 1530hrs. The rest of us turned West and headed back toward camp, stopping at Whistlin Jacks for some last minute sundries to further enjoy the evening.
Once back at camp, it was immediately decided that the river was the place we needed to be, so off we went. Some of us bathed, some of us fished, and some of us protected a beagle from a hungry farting carpet:
The evening once again brought fantastic BBQ grub, adult beverages, and great friends around the propane camp fire. I’m not sure what time we ultimately decided to call it quits for the night, but it was the perfect time…
Sunday morning we worked together to whip up a batch of man quiche that was beyond words. As it started to settle, the minions decided they wanted one more crack at fishing before we packed up and headed for home:
With much dismay, we broke camp and headed for the heat back home. There is a lot more to both the beginning and middle of this little adventure, but I’ll let the others chime in if they wish. In my opinion, it was the perfect weekend and I’d love to do it again. Maybe this weekend…
