Camping in the Rain

Today's adventure took place: Gifford Pinchot "Balki" State Park

If you are old, like me, you remember Perfect Strangers a TV show from the 80's about a guy whose long, lost cousin from some small republic comes to live with him in New York City. The cousin was Balki Bartokomous played by Bronson Pinchot. So from here on out, we shall refer to the adventure as camping at Balki Park!

First off, I will state that cooking over an open fire is HIGHLY over-rated! My wife and I both have been "camping" when we were younger, in RV's and Pop-ups with things like refrigeration and stoves and propane grills. Whatever we were thinking when we decided that we would just cook over the campfire is beyond me. I nearly starved Friday! I think I lost half a pound, and was feeling flush.........


First item on the "things we need to buy for camping" list: Camp stove and Propane.


We stayed in a cabin with electricity and electric heat. No running water, no fridge, no stove. We bought some wood after we got to the park, but had a hard time finding good, dry kindling to get things started. I was up for campfire frolicing Friday night, but could barely toast a marshmallow with the little bit of fire we had. By the time the fire was starting to kick, it was bedtime, and so we had to spread the coals and hope for better luck tomorrow. Good thing we had PB & J for dinner!

The cabin was nicely appointed for it's lack of modern convenience. Fairly new and sturdy, the two older ones made a rush for the top bunks as soon as they walked in the door (it was only a couple of steps to the bunks anyway!). There was a nice table with a bench and chairs inside, a double bunk down low for Mommy and me, and a nice little porch on the front that kept us dry all weekend (more on that later). Outside was the fire ring with grill, a large picnic table and a Lantern hook (item number two on the list!).



Best quote of the night - "Wow, Look at all the stars" - The Rooster. (Even though it was starting to cloud up, he could still see more than a clear night at home). Whatever else happens, observations like that make everything so worthwhile and priceless.

More to follow soon..........

Happy Birthday Rooster

Today's adventure took place: Smedley Park

Thursday was The Rooster's birthday, so of course we went fishing for a few minutes. We made a quick run over to a small county park where the panfish are usually biting. He had one on the beach before I even got my rod rigged up, but then it was pretty slow. They just weren't biting. We saw a good looking Brown Trout cruising around, but couldn't tempt it.

We did find a spot at the end though that held this sunny and a bluegill - both over 7 inches. Not a bad take for panfish around here.

A good birthday present, except he didn't get to keep it. :)

Fly Fishing

Today's adventure took place: Ridley Creek State Park

I took The Rooster fly fishing for the first time on Sunday, and we both had a lot of fun. He had a couple of minor tangles, but I honestly lost more flies to snags (3) than he did (1). He was getting some nibbles, but couldn't set the hook, and struck out. (I managed to hook a small largemouth, which snapped the end of my leader off when I was trying to get my fly back. )

Not bad for an almost 10 year old. I made him read part of my first-time guide to fly fishing in advance of the trip, and it helped prepare him. He is excited that he can fish almost any type of tackle now (although knots are still my job). It was only about 3 months ago that I moved him from a trigger cast to a regular spinning reel, so it is another big jump.

Don't be afraid to let them try new stuff - the sooner the better. He has amazed me every time. The coolest part was the group of kids with spinning rods in their hands that were totally jealous of him standing in the Fly Fishing Only area - and amazed that "Kids can do it too"!

Notes to remember:

1. Knots are tough to tie mid-stream. Practice.


2. Bring a net for landing and un-hooking fish. Hemostats too.


3. Baby nail clippers - perfect for trimming tags (end of knot). Keep hooked onto the vest.

We may not get back out this year (unless we hit a warm stretch), but I am already looking forward to going again next year and seeking out new streams to practice our new skill on.

Knots

Today's adventure took place: on the web

After many frustrating attempts at a 'nail knot' when getting our gear ready on Saturday, I ended up making a knot that I pretty much hope will hold....

I found the following after the fact:

• Tip: Use an inflation needle (for balls and such) as your 'nail' and pass the tag through that! Genious!


• Animation: A great video that shows the knot step by step, with different color strings for the two lines - something I wish all tutorials would use.

Hope these help!

Hiking Ridley Creek State Park

Yesterday, the traveling party and I headed out to hike around Ridley Creek State Park. This time though, instead of the multi-use trail, we went "off road".

Without benefit of a trail map (didn't think to download one before I left, and the map on the multi-use trail is only of that trail), we headed out exploring. If you are familiar with the park, we started out @ the main trail entrance down off Bishop Hollow Rd, had a quick sandwich while I chatted up a fly fisherman. We put Boo-Boo in his pack, and headed off, going UP the hill at the point of the trail.

The first marked trail we came across was yellow, and I can't tell you how many times as we walked the m-u trail the rooster asked to climb on the boulder at the beginning of the trail. He and the girl climbed to the top, and we headed up the hill following the trail. The kids ran ahead, while K and I watched our footing and looked around. We followed yellow all the way up and over (a decent climb), til we met back up with the m-u trail. The trail continued with a left turn, then resumed on the other side of the road across from the water fountain. The kids were loving the adventure, and so we continued to follow.

Not knowing if we would come back to the m-u trail, and not really wanting to double back, we took a left turn when the yellow treail joined with white.

After a brief encounter with the m-u trail at the tunnel, we found a long meandering walk along the white trail. It merged with several others along the way, crossed the park road - twice - before finally returning us to the m-u trail above the excercise area @ area 17. A steep walk downhill, and we were back at our starting "point".

We took our time with 3 kids (2 walkers), and did it in around 3 hours. We didn't see many animals - human or otherwise - along the way, but enjoyed ourselves none the less. It was very hilly, but not too strenuous or treacherous - good exercise.

I was however attacked by a flying something, and took a painful bite on the shoulder (better me than the baby). K poured some cold water on it, but I'm not sure how we could've been better prepared for it - especially if it had been one of the kids. We brought no First Aid, and maybe need to consider it in the future for any hike, no matter how "ordinary" it is.

Any suggestions?

A Perfect Day

Today's adventure took place: Lancaster County

My oldest son, "The Rooster", and I had about the perfect day for the last day in August.

After waking up at the crack of dawn, I rolled over and went back to sleep til about 8:30. Then I got up, took out Elwood (our lab), made sandwiches, grabbed the fishing gear and headed west.

We made a couple of stops at *mart's to look for fishing and camping gear (found a great deal on stuff at one the night before, so we hit a couple on the way in hopes of more bounty.) Finally we hit the back country roads and enjoyed strolling along through the corn fields and cow pastures. We talked and ate powdered donuts (it's a weakness).

After a stop at a local rod n gun shop, where we chatted with the locals and picked up fly-line for a steal, we ended up at our "destination" around lunch time.

Muddy Run Recreation Area is a camping area and lake with fishing and boating next to a power reservoir. After dunking some lures without success (too many geese and ducks around), we headed around the far end near the dam. Here we found the baitfish, and saw the bass attacking them several times. The baitfish would be jumping out of the water, followed be a wake from the chasing bass behind it - exciting and frustrating to watch! We both tossed several bait options, but could not coax the bass into chasing out lures (methinks I figured out the right lure - a spinnerbait - too late). After a few hours of optomistic effort, it was time to head back home for soccer practice.

On the way, we stop at the roadside stand of an Amish Farmer where we picked up a Cantaloupe, Watermelon, 5 tomatoes as big as my fist and a dozen ears of white corn for $6.80. All of it fresh from his fields. Truly, Natures Rewards.

The area had changed quite a bit since my last visit, but it still felt the same. We drove down some of the back roads I used to travel regularly when my wife and I lived there, and remembered certain farms and curves in the road. The Rooster was amazed at the buggies, and the girls at the farm stand were amazed at him! We took our time, talked about how much we liked the area, took in the sights, enjoyed our time outside and brought home farm fresh goodness for everyone to enjoy.

It is so hard to be around the house and spend that kind of time with your kids, so it really was, a perfect day.

Encroachment

Today's adventure took place: Newlin Grist Mill

Nothing better than a mid-week trek to the trails.......

Last week, we all loaded up and headed over to a small local preserve, Newlin Grist Mill, for a few hours of quiet trail exploration. It is a place that my wife really enjoyed going to visit as a little girl, and we had been there a few years back for an impromptu birthday party.

Life never seems to live up to our memories. I was honestly disappointed at a couple of turns.

There is a pay-to-fish area - great for the kids, and, with no site fees, a great way to make money. I get that. However, the creek that runs through the property is posted OFF LIMITS - No Trespassing. The gentle creek is one of the real attractions there, and for it to be off limits was disappointing. No dipping of toes, checking for crayfish, nothing. Of course, the fisherman in me was dying to get a crack at the trout I could see from the bank! My suggestion would be to offer an annual catch-and-release, fly fishing permit for anyone wishing to fish the creek. It would bring in extra revenue (I would pay for one), and allow them to take down some of those ugly signs.

The most disturbing facet of the trip was the proximity of the McMansions. I was honestly mortified at the sight of the old cabin replica flanked by a McMansion not 75 yards behind it. The iron fence, the fake-wood deck, the radios blaring...argh! I go out into the woods to get away from all of that, the constant encroachment all around, and yet here it was, smack in my face.

We saw a doe up on a hill, spooked a rabbit in the brush, saw tadpoles and came across a frog. We had a nice walk. But the proximity of the (overbuilt) new development and the No Trespass signs all took something away from the whole experience for me. The trail itself was well maintained, but bland and directionless. It was an aimless wander and not one that I anticipate repeating.

Old books or nothing

Today's adventure took place: The Library and Bookstore.

As a group of nerds, library book sales are a family fieldtrip any time we hear of one. As an information junkie, I love reference books, my wife loves Stephen King books, and the kids are active readers as well, so a good time was had by all.

I did find a couple of books on fishing and the outdoors, and while they weren't new, they have so far proven to be very useful. One is a book on fly fishing with some good information about tackle, fly types, dressings and tactics, but not quite as comprehensive as I might like (again, I am an information Junkie - more on this in a future post). Another was a Bass hunters handbook, which I bought mainly to compare the tactics of today with the tactics from back in the day. The third is a look into the mind of the fisherman from an analyst's point of view. While technical at times, it is a good read.

The last book, and the treasure of the bunch (although the fly fishing book is a close second), is the everything outdoors book published by Outdoor Life sometime in the 60's. It is truly everything outdoors, from handling and cleaning of guns, to field dressing game (with pictures...eww), to tips for fishing, hiking, backpacking and camping. The section on camping is one of my favorites, as it has everything from building a fire and recipes, to tents and RV's. It is quite the retrospective, and fun to read about what was, at the time, state of the art. It is fun to see the old contraptions (for lack of a better term) that were designed for the nuclear familylifestyle that have since gone away. It makes me look at the different MP3 player accessories and specialty cooking gear of today and wonder how fondly we will look back at that stuff in 40 years......

The next day, we went to the big box bookstore to get a gift card for a birthday, and I had my own to use up, so again, family roadtrip. I was amazed at: 1) How difficult it was to find books on the outdoors. They were buried in an odd corner with sports books, heavily dominated by baseball and auto racing/collecting; 2) How few good outdoor guides there were - in both quantity and number of titles; 3) That most were geared toward the most extreme side of things or were Army field guides to survival, plants, etc.

There were more books on iPhones - quantity and number of titles - than on fishing, camping or hiking - maybe even combined. People have been living with, on and enjoying nature for hundreds of years, but there is more information available about cellphones than backpacks. Where is the accumulated knowledge? Boy Scouts? Or are the people out there keeping it to themselves? This is what I want to do with this blog - find the information on how to successfully get out and enjoy nature activities, and then share it so that the next person who wants to get out and try something new has a place to find everything they need to get out there.

Just leave the cellphone at home.