Another Perfect Day

I couldn't have picked a better out-dated magazine to take with me on this weekend's adventure if I'd known the contents beforehand. Saturday heading to work I got a call that our friends weren't going to be able to join us for the weekend, leaving our site alone until we were back up early Sunday morning. I was worried about the campground rules, turns out I should have been more worried about campground thieves.

The article above is from Mountain Bike Action, a magazine I don't typically get but while shopping for dinner and breakfast items I took a pass at the magazine isle for some light reading for camp. It was the only mountain bike (or any bicycle) content they had so I grabbed it and moved on. Fast forward to Sunday morning. H. got off her night shift and headed to bring the horses in while I packed up the car. JD, having seen my bike get loaded without him all week, wasn't about to get the snub again and sat vigilant in the back of the car during the cargo loading process.

A little over an hour later we were back at our campsite. Everything looked normal with the exception of the missing ENO hammock. We'd set it up and used it Friday in a perfectly shady and breezy spot overlooking the lake next to out tent. Perhaps the rangers came by and took it down due to the "everything must be on the gravel" rule. It wasn't until I rounded the front of the tent and saw my mallet, jersey, and tent bag outside the tent and the door open that I realized we'd been looted. Sleeping pads, bags, and our ratty camp towels all taken. Along with the hammock. Naturally the neighbors "saw nothing." Even our blue dog tie out was swiped. Seriously?

We talked to the ranger and campground manager but really there wasn't anything to be done. They offered some rental stuff from the store, we thanked them, but opted to make do. We weren't sure we were going to stay anyway, being pretty pissed. A few minutes later while discussing what to do, we decided to not let it ruin the weekend and make the best of it. We set up camp with what we had - two dog beds and a small blanket - and went about unpacking the car. H. and Dish took a nap while JD and I took advantage of the cool, yet sprinkling weather and headed for 15 miles of sweet, sweet singletrack. The tree canopy was protecting the overly dry and dusty trail all too well which at least was some good news. I almost turned around after the first few miles, still fuming about our luck. By the time the rollers started, I was just enjoying being in the woods riding with JD. We stopped and cooled off in the lake before turning around, head cleared and attitudes adjusted.

When we returned, we found H. up and making lunch - southwestern corn soup - and getting ready to play in the water with Dish. Unfortunately, Dish hasn't been doing well and is living on borrowed time. We were a little worried about how he'd do this weekend, but wanted to try to have one last good weekend with the old man. He loves to swim like JD, which is why I made sure we got a site close enough to water that we could carry him down if need be. The cooler weather and the change of scenery must have been good for him because he was getting around well and didn't puke a single time in the tent. He wasn't able to go on the trail rides or the hikes, but he was having a good time playing guard dog again and, I'm happy to report, nothing was stolen while he was on duty.

Later H., JD, and I took a walk around camp. We ambled our way to the little store and I gave H. some money to pick us out an icecream treat. We sat on the picnic table and ate while JD sat forlorn, wishing he'd gotten a treat too.

"Look what I can do"

Later we burned a ream of paper and half a roll of shop towels until we finally were able to make fire (Ivan you were missed) and chilled out around camp. Around 8pm we could hear the jams coming across the lake from the band hired to entertain the campers for the night. Perfect music to relax too and drift off to sleep in the breezy, cool night. (Excluding the bursts of "who's your daddy!" being yelled from the drunkards in the next camp site waking us up every few hours late late into the night)

"Pancakes are just a vessel to get syrup into your mouth" - H.

Up early with the dogs, though it was me waking them up for once. The temps had dropped to the upper 50's overnight and the wind had kicked up. Neither of them really wanting to step outside in the cold. Eventually they came around and we took a short walk along the beach. I love overcast, windy, and cool days on a beach. Mostly because I love wearing fleece jackets in cold weather with wet feet, but also because it reminds me of vacations in Minnesota as a kid.

After our walk we began preparations for breakfast. Planned menu called for pancakes with blackberries, bananas, and maple pecan granola. Only I forgot to get out the granola and the first few pancakes (due to the wind and double burners going) were more pan-wads than pan-cakes. Eventually it all came together (thanks to H.'s coaching) and breakfast was served. It was also enjoyable to be up early making just enough noise to enact a little revenge on the late night howlers. Payback is a bitch and best served up with camp coffee and pancakes.

Waterdog.

So why was the article so fitting? Well, first off it was from April 2011 and still on the newstand as if it were the most recent copy (purchased Saturday 9-3-11), secondly the Mac Attack article describes a day gone awry from the moment he woke up until the moment he got on the trail. Nothing was going right yet he still pressed on despite setback after setback until taking a pb&j break high above the treeline he realized it was really just another perfect day.

That pretty much sums up our weekend perfectly. It was a long Holiday weekend interrupted by work, our friends weren't able to join in the fun, my magazine was 6 months out of date, our campsite was looted, the weather switched from a sunny forecast to a mostly rainy one, and we all had to huddle underneath a small blanket to keep warm overnight, but despite it all, it was an amazing time spent with my family. I wouldn't have changed a thing.