Our Safari

I woke up to the hum of mosquitoes clinging thickly to our bedroom window screen. And I was very thankful for our bedroom window screen!
I thought I heard cows bellowing but maybe it was just a nightmare! I hope so ~~not being able to see any cows anywhere is good. I really do NOT feel like moving cows today.I have these plans and they do not include cows.
Saturday found us helping Larry. A fly fisherman that helps the fishing guide out here. Larry is a local man and some day I will tell you more about Larry but right now we will go back to the story of helping Larry move the fishing camp. ~~Above the ranch here the Baezaeko River (and yes that IS how it is spelled) runs into the Blackwater River. The fishermen on this fishing trip had their camp across the river from where the two rivers meet. A lovely wilderness spot in a small clearing right on the river bank. Now to get to this lovely spot MOST people take a quad or a horse in. There is a trail that is a kind of quad road. You have to drive up the steep hill that is beside us about 1 mile and then turn into the bush. So that is what we do. Larry wanted us to bring the dogs but we just brought Nellie dog. She trustfully jumps in the back of the truck and off we go on our Safari trip. No guns just a fly fishing rod, a shovel, and an ax. Up the steep hill into the bush and onto the "road". Thankfully someone had gone through and using a power saw had cut their way through the blowdown. And there is a lot of blowdown. We are in Larry's 4x4 pickup. Not reccommended for the faint of heart. Over the stumps, boulders, leaning sideways in the truck as we go sideways down a "hill" more like a ravine.Squeeze through trees that are close together. If paint jobs mean anything to you I would suggest you wouldn't want to do this. Over bumps and through holes up the other side. Can you see the road Larry asks Dennis as we top another steep hill and have to wind through some trees but the trees are tight together and fitting the truck through them will be a challenge. The road in the meantime has disappeared from view and from under us as it is steep up and turn the corner(?) and down again just in a quick turn. Dennis is looking out his window, Nellie is in the back sniffing the air. I am cramped into the back seat with a spare tire behind Dennis whose seat will not stay forward so it is squashing my legs. Its okay Larry if you go a couple feet to the left the truck will be back on the ground so taking the "upper" trail through those trees we go and so on. Meanwhile I am thinking this is what Dennis and I did or rather Dennis did and I was with him and whatever other buddies were along with him back when we were teenagers. I am also thinking of our sons who would love this "challenge". I say to Dennis and Larry that maybe all new drivers ought to learn to drive on this road first. They nod YUP! We make it in all of us greatful that it had not been raining lately as I doubt we would have gotten in actually we wouldn't have gotten in. Larry backs up to the camp gear. I am watching and spy some wires hanging down under the truck and wondering if they will be okay going back down. So I ask Larry if those wires by the back wheels are going to be okay?? Wires what wires he asks me. Just those ones by the back tires Larry. He looks at me and crawls down to look. OOPS those wires are the brake lines and they are now broken. Dennis tells Larry to check the emergency brake Yup have some of that and one brake at least that is grabbing. We load up the gear. Larry had thrown in his line and caught a pretty little rainbow trout. It comes along with us. The gear fills the back of the truck and Nellie can fit in behind it. The pretty little camping spot that is set up for whoever wants to use it either for fishing camp or hunting camp is soon left behind as we head back down to the ranch. The trip down is done in 4low and with the use of the emergency brake and fancy driving techniques we find ourselves back at the ranch where Dennis plugs off the brake line with a nail. (one of his favourite tricks) Then down through the hay-meadow to the cow trail that leads to the beach where the Nazko runs into the Blackwater. The fishermen will float and fish all the way down the Blackwater and find their camping gear there on the sweetest little sandy beach. A wonderful swimming hole. I can hardly wait for some hot weather and free time to go swimming oh and fishing too. There is a huge eagles nest in one of the ancient cottonwood trees with eagle droppings all over the bushes we have to walk through carrying the gear. It is like a jungle going through there. But I did find quite a few wild gooseberry bushes and they are starting to ripen so here's hoping there will be enough to do something with. The camp gear did all get down to the beach and Larry tried fishing some more while we gathered up a five gallon bucket full of fresh water mussel shells to crush up for the chickens. I waded for awhile and Dennis sat on the beach in the sun and sand. Larry fished out three suckers and the eagle circled over head that is low overhead wanting those three suckers but not sure what to make of the three humans. We came back up to the house for coffee and Larry drove himself home. Another one of those laid back Saturday mornings over with and time to get back to work.

The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD,
Searching all the inner depths of his heart.
Proverbs 20:27

Off to feed chickens
God Bless you with a great day!
Roxanne