Reflections

Some thoughts as we pack up today to head home tomorrow after 9 weeks away. Even though we're only 4.5 hours from home, it seems a world away. Camping, traveling and fishing are ways to redirect, reconnect, and reestablish and we leave satisfied with our entire experience. One of the things we like best about traveling is the coming and going - it's energizing to go away and satisfying to return home. We will both be very busy with family and our various committments, and, of course, planning the next trip. The birth of our second grandson is much anticipated this fall.

We caught: gobies, white perch, yellow perch, white bass, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, channel catfish, sheephead, steelhead, brown trout, and salmon, with varying degrees of success and are totally satisfied.

The temperature was varied: cool, warm, hot. The seas varied: eerily calm, calm, pleasant, choppy, rolling, and rough. The wind varied from zero to 65 m.p.h. during a severe thunderstorm in Ohio (remember that, Jay?!). Precipitation varied from none for a few days to frequent thunderstorms to a couple of storms where we had 4-5 inches in a very short time.

The food was good: grilled at our site, chicken BBQ (3 times!) from 2 chicken places, Szechuan shrimp (twice!), an excellent dinner with Jim, Sheryl and Trenton in Pulaski, and a good Italian meal here in Oswego. Oh, and - lots of salmon :-)

Salmon fishng was by far the most exhilarating. Your adrenaline spikes when the rod bends and pounds while the line screams out. Then the strenuous part starts - I had to hold the rod with both hands! After a bit they start swimming toward the boat and you have to reel at top speed. Luckily, salmon tire quickly and usually calm down except for that final flip and surge near the boat just when you're ready to net them. Some of the ones we caught were too big for our net! Once they're lying in the bottom of the boat or safely released you begin to shake as the adrenline wears off, and you realize that your heart has been pounding from excitement and exercise. All in all, it's a memorable experience and one that we hope to repeat in a couple of years.

This trip was also memorable because for the first time in five summers away, we were joined by family: Irene, Kaj and John Althaus, Jason, then Sheryl, Jim, and Trenton. These were times to treasure. Hey, you're all welcome to join us at any point during our travels :-)