River Day 12/17/2012

As you can see from the photos, the weather this week was nearly identical to the week before: rain, fog, temps in mid 50s.  So far it just hasn't felt much like December, never mind Christmas.

Jay wasn't able to make it down this week (Happy Birthday!) and instead picked up William at the airport in Charleston.  Ted, Kevin, Tim and I (Mark) all made it down for what is probably the last "regular" River Day celebration of the year.  It's hard to believe that 2012 is nearly gone.

Jay and Ted had delivered even more wood for the fire on Sunday this week, so there's a nice stack of stuff to burn that should last well into the cold months ahead, assuming the river doesn't take it.  It goes without saying that we had a great fire again this week, enough so that we were able to continue the discarded laptop recycling program.  Due to EPA regs, we probably shouldn't make that a habit.  From an artistic viewpoint though, the light show from those things is magnificent.

We did see a couple of the locals this week.  Leo spoke to us this week when the bus dropped him off; 1st time that's happened for a while (the speaking part, not the getting off the bus part).  And of course we had the weekly visit with Freddy.  It's always entertaining to listen to some of his stories.  Freddy had left us a little gift for the fire when we got down this week.  Amazing how much noise one aerosol can can make.  It was loud enough that he heard if from his house and used that as his cue to visit.  We'll let the smoke clear a little before we try that again.



Not a late night at the river, but a good one as always.

River Day 12/10/2012

River Day started out rainy this week, and when the rain slacked off, the fog moved in.  Temps were a little cooler than they were last week, but it was still unseasonably warm - mid to upper 50's.  Everyone was around this week to celebrate the holiday: Ted, Jay, Tim, Kevin and I (Mark).

It was a quiet evening and most of the activity was around the fire.  With the exception of Freddy, we didn't see any of the locals.  We've noticed for the last year or two that none of the residents had been putting up any Christmas lights like they used to.  Then we noticed that Leo had indeed decorated this year - not his house, but the utility pole with the electric service drop.  At least that way, extension cords aren't an issue.  Sorry for the poor quality of the photo (best I could do with a point-and-shoot), but I think it captures the spirit.

With the damp weather, the fire was certainly appreciated.  If I was to bet, I'd have to say we had the best one on the river.

River Day 12/03/2012

The first Monday of December felt more like late spring this week as the temps were in the upper 60's.  No jacket, short sleeve kinda weather.  Tim wasn't able to be with us this week, but Ted, Jay, Kevin, and I (Mark) all made it down to enjoy River Day.

Jay brought down even more wood for the pile in anticipation of the colder weather to come.  We're starting to get a pretty goodstack of wood going.  If the river cooperates and doesn't rise up and take it away, we'll be in good shape, for part of the winter anyway. 

I tried to do a little fishing this week, but it was a half-hearted attempt.  I really didn't expect much, so I didn't try for very long.  I'm pretty sure that I spent more time walking out to the rocks and back than I actually did fishing, but at least I gave it a shot.  There probably won't be too many more opportunities in 2012.

Not too much local activity this week, as usual.  Freddy visited and chatted for a while; I think he's on his way to becoming a regular.  The Raleigh Express made drop-off while we were there, or maybe more like a taxpayer funded beer run.  It may have even made two deliveries, unless it was a return trip.

All-in-all, a great way to spend a Monday evening as the year winds down.

River Day 11/26/2012

The last River Day in November was celebrated this week by the regular crew:  Jay, Ted, Tim and I (Mark).  Once again, we had great weather for this time of year; temps in the mid 50's with overcast skies.  Most of the evening we didn't even have to put on jackets.  The exception was the very end of the night when the rains that were forecast settled in.  It didn't matter at that point though, as the evening was just about at an end anyway.

Ted and I finally figured out why we have such a hard time beating the Harper boys at washer toss - the Harper Hex, as demonstrated in the video:

We didn't let the pressure get to us this time, as we finally won a series.

The river level was extremely low again this week, and even though no one tried any fishing, we did walk out on the rocks.  We had noticed that a lot of the rocks in front of the camp had a weird looking white coloration on them.  We have no idea what caused it, but it was neat looking.  I hope the picture shows what we were seeing.

Ted discovered a portion of a concrete block with a circle in the middle of it that we're going to try out as a "grill".  It had some moss on it, so we seasoned it a little by the fire.  We'll have more on that when it gets its first run.

We had a lot of scrap wood to burn again this week, and even though it wasn't a big fire (by our standards anyway), it was probably still the best one on the river.

River Day 11/19/2012

Another evening of great weather for this week's River Day celebration; mostly clear skies and temps in the upper 50's.  Jay, Tim, Kevin and I (Mark) all made it down to the camp, at roughly the same time for a change.  It was Ted's turn to miss due to work (gotta do it while you can).

Jay brought down a truck load of scrap wood, along with a few pallets.  In case anyone's wondering, old cabinets burn really well.







We had a "fly-by" early in the evening.  Someone in a bright yellow fixed-wing plane made a couple of passes over the camp, apparently just flying over the gorge.  It's something you don't see every day, so I did get one good picture of it.

"It's hot as $#!% out here!"

The river level was very low this week.  Jay and I took a little walk down stream and were able to get out onto a point that's normally covered with water and/or high grass.  The area was opposite a spot where we often fish.  Jay found an old lure hanging on a stump.  It didn't look like anything any of us usually fish with, but it was still a good find.

We played a couple of rounds of washer-toss again this week, and had a short visit from Freddy.  He didn't seem to appreciate our music, but you just can't beat traditional Christmas music, even if it is a little early in the season for that.

As for the fire...I think the pictures speak for themselves.

River Day 11/12/2012

Another really late post this week... Jay, Ted, Kevin and I (Tim) were able to make it down this week; Mark had to travel for work and was out of town. I was a little late getting down, delayed with work; some people just don't respect the Monday Holiday! It was a pretty uneventful night... the conversation was mainly about the recent Presidential election and our annual camping trip to Lake Sherwood; of course some family discussion is always a topic. This was the first Monday that I have been able to make it down after the clocks were set back, you can really tell the difference as it  gets darker so much earlier. The scenery at the river is really starting to take on that “winter” feel.  The weather was mainly overcast and it rained on us a few times.

We did get a visit from Mitch, the local Park Ranger; it's been a while since we've seen him. The rest of the locals were pretty quiet this week, not much activity. There aren't any pictures this week, mainly because nobody took any. We did however have the best fire on the river! All in all, as usual, another good Monday and certainly the best way to start the week.

River Day 10/29/2012

Okay, so this is a really late post...a week and a half late actually; but better late than never, right?

With the threat of snow (okay, a blizzard), there was no way we were going to miss River Day, even though the fall camping trip was just a couple of days away.  Jay, Ted, Tim and I made it down.  It was actually already snowing at the top of the mountain in the afternoon, but rain was all we had at the river.  Nothing heavy, just steady.

Even though it was a bit cooler this week, heat wasn't a problem - a nice combination of spicy food and a hot fire.  Jay brought down a crock-pot full of hot sausages (along with buns).  As for the fire, I think the photo speaks for itself.

Check the steam coming off Ted's right shoulder!

As a side note, even though the snow never materialized Monday evening, we all woke up to around 18 inches of snow Tuesday morning - Hurricane Sandy, WV style!

River Day 10/22/2012

Turns out that Jay has been right all along, it is all about the "p": politics and pigs, that is.  At least it was at the river this week.  Ted, Kevin, Jay, Tim and I (Mark) were all at the camp again this week to enjoy a warm fall evening on the New.  We probably could have safely worn shorts and t-shirts this week - temps were in the mid 70's and the sky was clear blue.

Most of the activity for the evening was spent around the fire talking about this weeks "p" topics; politics (or more specifically the upcoming election and associated debates), and pig roasts.  I'm pretty sure we didn't solve anything, but we seem to be all agreed on one of those issues, and had a little divisiveness on the other.  The discussion on both was animated (passionate?) at times, but never got out of hand.  It's nice that we can kick things around a bit, even when we don't all see things exactly the same way.  As the saying goes, that's why God invented chocolate and vanilla ice cream.

The river had that dark color that is typical for this time of year, and was inviting enough for me to try a few casts.  I didn't catch anything, but had to try; there may not be many more chances before the weather starts to turn more toward winter.

We were also able to get in a few games of washer toss again this week.  Ted and I were finally able to get in a win against Jay and Tim (it's been a long time coming).  We get into the games and the competition is always a blast.

Last but not least, let's not forget about the "f" for the week - fire that is.  As always, it was the best on the river!

River Day 10/15/2012

We had a full crew at the river this week to celebrate the holiday: Ted, Jay, Tim, Kevin and I (Mark) all made it down.  Except for some gusty wind, we had nearly perfect weather, especially for this time of year.  Temps were mostly in the low 60's.

I brought a lawn mower down, and Ted and I got the lawn in front of the camp cut, probably for the last time of the season.  It wasn't a big job, but will hopefully help Ron and Judy out a little.  We also made an executive decision to fund having the "blue room" cleaned out before the winter weather settles in.  We all enjoy the camp, so we don't mind pitching in to take care of the place.

After we got the lawn cut, we played a few games of washer toss.  Kevin and I lost two games to the Harper boys, but at least we made them work for it (a little anyway).

No one tried any fishing this week.  The river looked good, but it was just too windy to get out and try to cast.

For dinner we had some left-over chile from the annual cook-off at Wayne's World.  It was re-heated in a crockpot and seemed to take forever to get hot enough to eat, but I don't think anyone minded the wait too badly.

With the weather starting to cool off, the central gathering place was around the fire.  I'd say we had the best on the river, but I'm a little biased.  It was a nice preview to the upcoming winter fires.

River Day 10/01/2012

Just Jay and I (Mark) again this week for River Day.  It was almost a repeat of two weeks ago; cloudy skies and occasional rain.  The rain wasn't nearly as hard as last time, so we got to enjoy a longer time at the river.  We talked about trying to fish a few times, but never really got motivated enough to try it.  We also had a nice, but small fire going most of the time.

It was very quiet this week.  No activity around the camp, with the exception of Dawan (sp?) either picking up or dropping off a boat at his camp. There was a fairly large group of geese (gaggle?) hanging around in front of the camp for a while, but they took off up-river. Didn't see much of the locals; Dave getting off the Raleigh Express, and Leo riding off on his 4-wheeler.  With fall in full swing things have certainly slowed down. 

The trees along the river are really starting to show some color also.  I'm sure that within a week or two they'll be in full color.  Hate that I have to miss the next two, but I'm sure at least a few of us will get to enjoy the fall show.

River Day 09/17/2012

River Day was a bit damp, and short, this week.  Only Jay and I (Mark) were able to make it down, and the anticipated rain started shortly after we got there.  Temps were in the low 70's, with an obviously overcast sky.

We didn't get to do any fishing because of the weather, and hung out around the fire pit area most of the time we were there.  We did have to take refuge occasionally when the rain picked up inside the shed.

Sad to say that we also didn't build a fire this week, but as you can tell in the photo, we still had the best flame on the river!


 

 

Best flame on the river!

Enjoyed a good evening, with good company.                                                

River Day 09/10/2012

River Day was celebrated this week at the campground at the mouth of Glade Creek, along the New River.  Jay, Lori and Ted were camped in one of the sites there, so we met there for the holiday.  Tim and I (Mark) rounded out the group.

This weather this week was beautiful, but much cooler than it has been, probably around 70 degrees.  We've had a good bit of rain over the last few weeks, but the water level in the river was still pretty low.  We all (well, not Lori) tried fishing, but there are weeds growing all along the river bank from the water's edge, out to about 50 yards.  Every cast was certain to pull back a hook full of greenery.  That didn't stop us from giving it a shot, though.

Not too much activity going on, as the campground was nearly empty.  We did see Frank with the Park Service.  He was off duty and trying a little fishing himself.  From what he said, he was having the same kind of luck we were.

 

It was very quiet on the river this week, so the evening was pretty relaxing.  With the cooler weather, the fire was appreciated, and of course it was the best on the river

 

 

 

River Day (at Wayne's World) 08/27/2012

The Rivertarians all met at Wayne's this week, in preparation for the upcoming annual Pig Roast/Labor Day weekend.  Jay, Ted, Tim, Pat, Kevin and I (Mark) all made it out for an evening of wood splitting and stacking, as well as some vehicle relocation.  The weather was great for the evening: clear skies and temps in the low 80's.

Kevin brought his wood splitter down to the camping area, and while Pat mowed the grass, the rest of us got the pile of large pine and oak logs split and stacked.  Both Wayne and Jack came down for a little while for some supervision.

After that was done, the next project of the evening was to get Wayne's old dump truck moved from the camping area to the far side of his lawn.  The truck hadn't been started for a while, so of course we never got it running.  Kevin brought his truck over, and with some chain and a tow strap, he pulled the truck to the top of the hill.  Since the truck has no brakes, he then hooked up on the other end and let the gravity take over from there.  While it looked to be an accident waiting to happen, the truck got parked where we wanted it, without incident.

Of course with all the wood splitting going on, we felt compelled to build a little fire, just to clean up the scraps.  I'm sure it was the best one...there.

Not a bad way to spend a River Day.