It's no secret...I LOVE camping. And everyone knows...I LOVE Kern River. So what better way to spend last weekend than to go camping at Kern River! I think it's one of my favorite getaways because I've been going annually for YEARS with great friends...so it's tradition, familiar and holds classic memories. This trip was shared with only Dominic.
The main focus of the trip WAS to fish...and for me to get some more practice before our bigger backpacking/camping/fishing Bishop trip coming up in 2 weeks. Unfortunately, the river was RAGING. I mentioned I've been going to Kern every summer for years (about 9) and I've NEVER seen the river THIS high, THIS powerful, THIS fast. I mean, if you were to have slipped off a rock and into the water, you would have been swept away in seconds and drowned for sure. I usually take my inner tube and raft down it, but there's no way I would have made it longer than a minute before being thrashed. No thanks. I've already almost died in that river twice (in the exact same spot), I didn't feel like being rescued a third time.
Anyways, we headed up on Friday afternoon and hit about an hour extra of traffic from an accident. Blah. When we got there, we got a fire permit and ate at a deli I go to every year..mmm tri-tip BBQ sandwiches :) After, we drove up and down Sierra Way until we found a decent spot to set up camp (free, passed on the campgrounds). The rest of the evening was spent by the campfire, making popcorn over the fire, taking back a few beers and stargazing.
Saturday, after making yummy breakfast burritos, we drove around to look for a decent spot to fish but the water was so fast it was hard to find a calm pool in the water. We did enjoy some great views, though. Here's a pic from a road I have never been on, a new sight for me :)
We decided to try our luck down south at Lake Isabella. The water was definitely higher than normal (obviously, since the river feeds it). I got some practice casting my pole (is that the right term?) but no luck for either of us. The scenery was gorgeous, a nice breeze was blowing and the water was cool. The temperatures that weekend were in the low 90s during the day and upper 50s/lower 60s at night (which means NO long sleeves or pants needed).
Roxi LOVED diving into the water after a stick Dom was throwing. Usually, if it's thrown "too far" she won't go after it. She's timid when it comes to swimming. But this day, she was all about it...swimming further than we've seen (well, at least me). We were proud of her, and gave her all kinds of positive reinforcement :)
After the "energizer puppy" tired herself out in the lake, Dom and I had egg salad sandwiches that I had pre-made at home. YUM
When we headed back to our campsite, we took advantage of what was left of the sun and sprawled out on some big rocks right by the water (and ditched a few articles of clothing...since no one was around). We bathed ourselves at the water's edge...CAREFULLY. Man it was so cold...I got a brain freeze just from pouring water over my head to rinse out the shampoo and conditioner. We made BBQ chicken, cous cous, salad and grilled zucchini for dinner. S'mores for dessert :)
Sunday, breakfast burritos again (I made everything this time, my treat). We took down our tent asap before it got too hot. We stopped at a few spots by the river SOUTH of the lake on our way home to try to fish some more. Again, no luck...although one guy told us he saw another dude catch a big trout and a catfish. Oh well. Here, we're sitting up on a big rock over the river getting our lures ready.
Dom spotted this guy on the side of the road. He's poking it with a stick...STIFF! Dead. Crazy.
We made it home with decent timing...and some good color :) Actually, before getting home to unpack, we stopped by Jon and Noelle's house for a quick visit. A few people were over, helping with work and swimming. They have baby goats now! We made some PB&J sandwiches, had a beer, chit-chatted and headed home :) It wasn't the weekend we had anticipated, but we made the best of it. That's what life's about, right? :)
The main focus of the trip WAS to fish...and for me to get some more practice before our bigger backpacking/camping/fishing Bishop trip coming up in 2 weeks. Unfortunately, the river was RAGING. I mentioned I've been going to Kern every summer for years (about 9) and I've NEVER seen the river THIS high, THIS powerful, THIS fast. I mean, if you were to have slipped off a rock and into the water, you would have been swept away in seconds and drowned for sure. I usually take my inner tube and raft down it, but there's no way I would have made it longer than a minute before being thrashed. No thanks. I've already almost died in that river twice (in the exact same spot), I didn't feel like being rescued a third time.
Anyways, we headed up on Friday afternoon and hit about an hour extra of traffic from an accident. Blah. When we got there, we got a fire permit and ate at a deli I go to every year..mmm tri-tip BBQ sandwiches :) After, we drove up and down Sierra Way until we found a decent spot to set up camp (free, passed on the campgrounds). The rest of the evening was spent by the campfire, making popcorn over the fire, taking back a few beers and stargazing.
Saturday, after making yummy breakfast burritos, we drove around to look for a decent spot to fish but the water was so fast it was hard to find a calm pool in the water. We did enjoy some great views, though. Here's a pic from a road I have never been on, a new sight for me :)
We decided to try our luck down south at Lake Isabella. The water was definitely higher than normal (obviously, since the river feeds it). I got some practice casting my pole (is that the right term?) but no luck for either of us. The scenery was gorgeous, a nice breeze was blowing and the water was cool. The temperatures that weekend were in the low 90s during the day and upper 50s/lower 60s at night (which means NO long sleeves or pants needed).Roxi LOVED diving into the water after a stick Dom was throwing. Usually, if it's thrown "too far" she won't go after it. She's timid when it comes to swimming. But this day, she was all about it...swimming further than we've seen (well, at least me). We were proud of her, and gave her all kinds of positive reinforcement :)After the "energizer puppy" tired herself out in the lake, Dom and I had egg salad sandwiches that I had pre-made at home. YUMWhen we headed back to our campsite, we took advantage of what was left of the sun and sprawled out on some big rocks right by the water (and ditched a few articles of clothing...since no one was around). We bathed ourselves at the water's edge...CAREFULLY. Man it was so cold...I got a brain freeze just from pouring water over my head to rinse out the shampoo and conditioner. We made BBQ chicken, cous cous, salad and grilled zucchini for dinner. S'mores for dessert :)Sunday, breakfast burritos again (I made everything this time, my treat). We took down our tent asap before it got too hot. We stopped at a few spots by the river SOUTH of the lake on our way home to try to fish some more. Again, no luck...although one guy told us he saw another dude catch a big trout and a catfish. Oh well. Here, we're sitting up on a big rock over the river getting our lures ready.Dom spotted this guy on the side of the road. He's poking it with a stick...STIFF! Dead. Crazy.We made it home with decent timing...and some good color :) Actually, before getting home to unpack, we stopped by Jon and Noelle's house for a quick visit. A few people were over, helping with work and swimming. They have baby goats now! We made some PB&J sandwiches, had a beer, chit-chatted and headed home :) It wasn't the weekend we had anticipated, but we made the best of it. That's what life's about, right? :)
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