Our First Hunting/Camping trip Oct 2009

First Day – The drive and setting up in the dark.

So originally our fist plan was to leave early afternoon so that we could get to the camp site and set up and Neil would be able to go out on at least one hunt that evening. But as always nothing ever goes according to plan. My dad had to have an angiogram that afternoon and ended up having a stint put in so by the time we made sure dad was ok, finished some last minute things we didn’t get out of town until after 6.

Gorgeous views driving up 44 through Shingletown and then across heading towards Susanville. There was a full moon and driving through the tress with the mountains and moon as the backdrop was amazing. Then there was the turn off, heading towards Chester and then to the campsite. Things started getting creepy. I usually don’t mind small towns but it was night and they seemed empty. Then they always have the creepy “Bates” looking motel where teasingly I said “Let’s stay there” but unfortunately and very oddly, there was no vacancy. Probably a good thing!

So we get to Chester, make the turn to head to the campsite and we go past a few homes and then we are out in the forest with trees and dark….nothing else. Of course I don’t like camping for many reasons and I quickly add this to my list. Being out in the middle of nowhere is not my ideal place to be. My mind started thinking bears and being attacked, it was becoming more and more apparent to me in that moment that I would go straight from the truck into the trailer and not leave unless ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

Arriving and setting up….Guess what? ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY came a calling soon. Neil couldn’t back the trailer up into THE spot he had to have without someone directing him. What? Are you kidding me? In the dark where there were bears waiting to eat me? At first I refused, but then Neil didn’t know what to do and I knew it was necessary. So out with the flashlight I go checking out every area around us before deciding I could stand in the back guiding him in with occasional glances with the flashlight around me to make sure the bears were just watching and not pouncing. Thankfully it was quick, cause Neil is good like that, and I was in the trailer getting in trouble for bouncing around while Neil was trying to level the trailer out. I tried to blame RJ (my 6 month old doxie) but Neil didn’t buy it. Oh well, I tried.

Going to sleep….sick again, something that is normal these days. Neil has the heater on 68 and I’m fine with it. When you are sick it seems like the cold air helps. We put RJ in his crate, where he sleeps every night and went to sleep. About an hour later, RJ is whining….”shut up RJ and go to sleep” was my answer…that lasted for about ½ hour before he whined again…again, same response from me. The third time it finally hit me, I was cold but it felt good because of my condition but RJ was freezing. I pulled him out of the crate and put him under the covers where he snuggled up to Neil and fell right to sleep til morning.


Day 1 hunting and being in the trailer…

Neil was gone before the sun came up….good for him lol, not something I want to do. He calls it fun?? Yea, ok. Lazily Kayla and I stay in bed til after 8, get up and make the beds and have our breakfast. We brought the lap top so that I could watch movies and I brought one book so that I would have something to do while Neil was hunting. I pull out the laptop to put a movie in and can’t get it to work. Neil shows up a few minutes later and I ask him to fix it and he figures out that the laptop won’t play movies. UGH, I was so looking forward to movies in bed….now what? This trailer is nice to have because there is a bed and a kitchen and a bathroom but it’s still small. Outside wasn’t as bad in the daylight but still not something I wanted to explore….another thing on my list of NOT liking camping is bugs, and there are a lot of bugs outside…and dirt!

So far Neil has not seen a deer, not even a doe….bummer! But he was stalked and attacked by a chipmunk (chip or dale, he doesn’t know which one) He was sitting perfectly still on a log…not moving (weird) anyways, the chipmunk spots him and stares at him then darts to the side, stares at him again and then comes in front of him, stops and stares again….then takes off to a tree beside Neil and waits…then pounces out and runs across Neils boot and runs away. Neil was very skeered…..I think hehehehe.

The shower…..is SMALL. It’s like 2 foot by 3 foot and you have to turn the water on, shut the water off and try and take a shower with a 2 gallon water heater tank?? (Actually I think Neil said it was 6 gal. but saying 2 makes this much more traumatic lol) Turn the water on, get in, can’t move…spray yourself and basically without going into details of my shower it was a cold one and not fun.

The waterfall….Kayla comes in from outside where she had been riding her bike and asks to go see the waterfall. I’m thinking woo hoo, something cool! So after my shower and getting ready experience in the 4x4 bathroom I asked Neil if we could go down there. He told me he thought it was just a creek but I wanted to go anyways, just to see. Of course when we get there…it’s a creek, no waterfall. But of course it was still pretty and RJ was having a good time running around and it was photo op time again.

So it seems like a lot of complaining and maybe some of it is because I really don’t like camping at all. But for the most part it has been very relaxing and nice. It’s chilly outside but the trailer has been staying nice and warm. I’m reading a good book by Karen Kingsbury and I even got to take a nap. Neil did take me to where he has been hunting just in case…I was worried about him being out there and me not knowing where he was. Not that I have a vehicle or anyway of getting to him but at least my cell phone works out here in NowheresVille and I could call someone I guess to help me. We saw Chip or Dale; I’m not sure which one it was. He came out and said hi but when we tried to get a photo op with him he went back in his hole and only stuck his head out for a minute so we could at least get a picture of his face. But chipmunks and squirrels are about the only thing Neil said he’s seen on this trip so far....bummer again!

Neil is back from his second round of hunting, or just sitting still in the woods for hours at a time….tell me again how this is fun??? Anyways, he didn’t see anything again and is pretty disappointed. But its dinner time and camp fire…good times. Kumbaya anyone?? Bar-b-que chicken, stuffing, beans (of course) and rolls….YUMMY!! At least the foods been good. It should be a nice evening hanging with my hubby, grubbin and sitting around the camp fire. One more time out for him in the morning and then were heading home. J

2nd Night…..I went to sleep easier this night and decided not to attempt putting RJ in the crate again and let him sleep with us, much better. When Neil woke up at before anyone else in the whole world would it was FREEZING in the trailer…propane must be out. Well, this was a discussion before we left on this camping trip for him to make sure that both tanks were full because if they were going to run out it would definitely be in the middle of the night when it’s the coldest. Did Neil get both tanks full before we left….NO, he said that one full tank was plenty. Sooooooo he was outside in the dark trying to switch out propane tanks (taking the one from the bar-b-que) but found out that the one that was on there still had ½ a tank. So he came in and messed with the thermostat and it started working….so off to hunting he will go. Some time went by, I’m not sure because I was sleeping but the heater shut off again. So I get up and fiddle with the thermostat and it starts working again…for a few minutes. Apparently something else is wrong and RJ and I stay bundled up in the covers until Neil came back. Luckily it was a short morning for him….still no deer…and he figures out it has something to do with the battery and he has to turn the generator on. BLAH, I hate being cold….but it all worked out.

Leaving……we packed up, hooked up and things were going as planned….then Neil comes running in the trailer and yells “COME OUTSIDE QUICK!!!!” Ack, I think something is wrong or maybe there’s a buck in the campsite??? Nope, it was snowing J Awwww so beautiful, and we left.

All in all my first hunting/camping trip with Neil was great. We had a lot of fun and relaxation. There were a few things I might have changed but all in all…..at least I wasn’t eaten by a bear!!! Whewwwww! A good time was had by all.

Thanks for reading my story….it’s something I will never forget!

P.S. We did kill something……….RJ, when I pulled out my finger gun and yelled BANG, he fell down and died J at least we got something! lol