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Camp life

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Thanks guys. We are extremely happy. After preparing the kids and pretty much accepting that she was a goner, we went to bed last night emotionally exhausted and were almost asleep when another friend of ours from camp called the house after trying both our cell phones which were off. She said her son and daughter in law were out and saw her but she wouldn't come. At first light, I drove out with an arsenal of her favorite squeaky toys. I pulled in at around 7:15am and as soon as I pulled up she came running out from underneath the camper scared and starting to run. I quickly shut off the truck and got out calling her very softly as that generally works and she stop and cowered in place then slowly crawled her way towards me as I called to her.

We I spent a bit of time comforting her before driving back. We did a full check and found 2 ticks on her and a small scratch by her mouth.
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chowderman

Well-known member
I suspect the pup will not be dashing off again - and will be on your lap for years and years and years to come . . .
dogs are way too smart to do a dumb thing twice . . .

we've had several rescue pets - once they learn to trust you, there's no going too far away.
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Lol. We keep saying that she learned her lesson and won't do it again until the next time.

Seriously though, she has always been spooked and clingy. Now, even more so.
 

m1west

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Lol. We keep saying that she learned her lesson and won't do it again until the next time.

Seriously though, she has always been spooked and clingy. Now, even more so.
Been my experience that if you get one that runs off, generally they will always do that. My dog is 7 and never goes un supervised for that reason and a couple others like mauling anything he comes across.
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
On a side note while we're still sidetracked about honey. I did a little research and think I know why she runs like the wind. She's not a purebred obviously but....
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NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Back to camp life. 🏕

We are in final preparations to head out 3.5hrs northeast of here to Burroughs lake for the long weekend opening of walleye season. I have been going every year since I was born pretty much. Same pit. Same lake. Our 'merican friend from Michigan is coming up as well. He has been coming 60+years in a row. I first remember him from when I was about 7 yrs old playing baseball in the same pit where we're going tomorrow.
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
We came home yesterday after a great weekend of camping and fishing. The camper worked great despite a dead battery the first night. The fishing was excellent. 5 people fishing yesterday in 2 boats. Limited in 20 minutes.
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NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
The water levels are high this spring. Normally that culvert is exposed about 3ft down. The week prior, the water was over the road.

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Where we launch the boats off the side of the road. My boat is a deep 20ft with a 150hp and I can slip it right off the trailer. Who needs a dedicated boat launch.
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NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
We have been going to the same clay pit every may long weekend all of my life camping and fishing walleye at Burroughs lake in northwestern Ontario. My dad had been going there since he was a teenager. My grandfather brought him there. The pit we camped in was always full of Americans who came up every year as a group. Over the years, we became friends which grew into a life long friendship for one in particular.

I remember when I was about 6 or 7 years old, this feisty American jumped in and started playing baseball with my brother and I in that pit. It was always us and the Americans. Over the years less came until only one was left still coming. I remember that day playing baseball with Bobby. He worked in a factory in flint Michigan until he retired at age 51.

A little background on Bobby. He lives his life alone and simple. He loves the outdoors. It was this love that bonded us together. I remember as a child everyone around the fire pit chatting away after a great day of fishing and one by one they all went to bed until it was just Bobby and I. For years, it was Bobby, my dad, and I going mainly with whoever else in the family came. Dad passed away in 2021. Now, it's been just Bobby and I. Every year, I shed a tear 😢 as he pulls away knowing that he is slowing down considerably and one of these years not too long from now, I will get that call at the beginning of May as he always does and he'll be almost in tears as he says he can't make the 12 hour trip up.

I'm now 46. He's now 81. He first started coming in 1961. We've been friends a very long time. We traveled to southern Ontario a couple years ago and decided to go through Michigan just so we could stop to see him. He is a great friend and will truly be missed when he can no longer come. And I know that day is coming as my wife and I had to nearly lift him into the boat. But as long as he can make it up, I will be there.

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For comparison, this is a picture of my dad, me, my stepson who is now in his early 20s, and Bobby.
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NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Good thing there is a limit, you would have that lake fished out in a week

The fishing was unreal. It's a morning and evening fishing lake where the prime times are 9am to around 11:30am and 7pm until dark. You can still catch them but it involves patience and work to just catch a limit. There wasn't much challenge. You're allowed 4 fish and only 1 over 18". We caught a few smaller ones at first but after 20 minutes we had limit and were fishing for size. I spent most of my time after 20 minutes sorting through the live well tossing back smaller ones as my wife and son kept reeling them in. We were back at camp cleaning fish at 12 noon. And it's a 10ish mile trip across the lake to get to the river.
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
At the time when I originally built the fence surrounding our site, I didn't have 4x4 posts out with me so I framed it sorta like an interior wall and screwed it down to the deck. It was wobbly as heck and I got tired of hiding behind a 5ft tall wall. We need it for the dogs so I redesigned it and tore out the old fence this morning and got to work. I started with proper 4x4 posts and lag bolts to secure them to the deck then attached 2x4s to screw the fence boards to.

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The new gate and fence is 3ft tall. I repurposed the old gate as a mini deck for the laundry rack to sit on.
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NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
I've been at camp since Thursday. We're going back tomorrow. Since my back has been out of commission, I've been hanging out at the camper by the fire experimenting with cooking on cast iron both on the fire and over the BBQ. The pan worked great this morning. I just preheated it and gave a light coat of olive oil and let the eggs cook with the lid down. That flat top on the BBQ also works great for frying though I haven't tried eggs directly on it yet.


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EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Careful with that cast iron cooking, it can become a passion. My wife still cooks with cast iron cookware that she had in college 55-years ago. My SIL belongs to a Dutch oven cooking group that meets once a month at a local State Park to cook lunch. Anyone can eat, you just leave a donation. The Rangers eat for free and they're all there. It always amazes me just what you can cook in a Dutch oven over a charcoal fire.
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
I've been working on rebuilding the fence along the camper this summer after the dog identified all the places she can escape. 🤣 I looked at my inventory of supplies this morning and determined that I had just enough wood here to do it so I took it apart and moved it back about 5" closer to the camper. One more project done. I still have to figure out something under the kitchen slide. I did have to steal 3 fence boards from behind the wood shed but those are easily replaced.

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NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
I just spent 6 hrs rebuilding the front gate and fence AGAIN!!! We decided that we wanted an archway over the entrance with something to block the full evening sun.

I basically just swapped out the shorter corner post with a taller 4x4 and another 4x4 on the opposite side. Everything is secured with 6" lag bolts.

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While I had the fence disassembled, we hauled out the huge picnic table as it served it's purpose but we regularly only have 3 kids coming out so a smaller table will allow more deck space.
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NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
We're up to our old shenanigans again. This time we decided last week to book 3 nights mid week this week at rainbow falls provincial park near Rossport on the north shore of Lake superior. It was a light rain yesterday when we arrived after a 2.5 hr drive and we got out late afternoon so we just stayed inside playing board games with the kids. We have our 3 youngest who aren't so young anymore. We also brought Honey along. This time there were no issues. No flats. I was prepared this time with 4 new tires on the camper fully inflated to proper specs and a brand new spare on the camper and an older spare in the back of the truck in case of a catastrophic double blow out. I even went through my Jack's and wheel wrenches making sure that I had the correct ones for both truck and trailer. That's all part of the 7 P's. Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

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