River Day 01/27/2014

If the tint in the photos this week looks blue, that's because it was - blue cold.  After some earlier discussion to the contrary, Tim and I finally made the call that we would go to the river after all.  Jay wasn't feeling well, and Ted had to work, so we weren't sure at first if we'd make it down.  Thankfully, good sense prevailed.  Pat also made it down after making the trip from Oceana.

The entire last week was cold, and there was probably 4-5 inches of snow on the ground when we got there.  There was even a good amount of ice on the river in the shallow areas and eddy pools.  Temps for the evening were in the upper teens, with the expected low to be below zero as the night went on.

We got our weekly visit from Freddy.  No critters this week, but we did get to hear about some of his conquests, along with the one about the "one that got away".  Happy hunting.

We were anxious to get a good fire going, and it didn't take us long with all the wood laying around.  We also had some good pieces on the pile that we've been accumulating, so we didn't have to do much foraging.

Despite the cold weather, it was a good evening on the river.  Glad we decided to go ahead.  2014 is starting out good; so far we've been able to celebrate River Day every Monday since the first of the year.  Hope we get to keep it up.

River Day 01/20/2014

Even warmer temps this week for River Day - right around 50 with clear skies.  It still felt pretty chilly out, so most of the time was spent close to the fire.  Speaking of the fire, this week's took some time getting going, so we gave it a little boost, a late Christmas present you might say.

Pat brought his discarded Christmas tree down for the only proper disposal, and recycling, of cut wood allowed on the river (our piece of it anyway).  Kids, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!  Thought I'd throw in a little PSA there:

I know we've said it before, but watching these videos makes you wonder why we put live trees in our houses, then drape them with electrical wiring.  Quite a sight to behold.

The block of ice that we propped up last week held out as predicted (by me), so I got to keep the quarter that Ted and I bet last week.  With the cold temps forecast for the upcoming week, keeping ice around the camp definitely won't be a problem.

Freddy came down as usual, probably to make sure we discovered his "trophy".  Might be getting a little morbid, and gamey.

Participants this week were Pat, Ted, Jay, Tim and I (Mark).  Another great River Day and a good way to start the week.

River Day 01/13/2014

Big difference at the river this week - temperature wise anyway - about a 40 degree difference!  Temps were in the mid 40's, with a little rain toward the end of the evening.  Jay, Ted and I (Mark) made it down; Tim had other obligations and wasn't able to make it.  Freddy was able to stop by for a while and he brought the past week's grisly "catch" with him (don't ask, and don't expect any pics!).  No fire disposal this time; they went downriver.

Not much going on this Monday, just hanging around by the fire.  As much as I enjoy winter at the river, it was nice having warm feet this week.

We did discover a pretty large block of ice floating in the bucket by the blue room, so we propped it for a little ice sculpting.  We have bets at to whether or not any of it will survive until the following week (if you can call a quarter a bet).

Tamarack in ice!

As usual, we had a great fire going, despite the warmer weather.

Sorry for the late post, but at least I made it before the next River Day!

River Day 01/06/2014

The first Monday of the new year turned out to be a record - record cold that is.  The temp on the dashboard of my Jeep showed 14 when I got there, and 6 when I left (3 by the time I hit the top of the mountain).  With gusty winds, the wind chill was well below zero. We had steady snow, but it didn't accumulate much because of the wind.  Nevertheless, 5 brave (?) Rivertarians all decided it was a good idea to celebrate the holiday: Jay, Tim, Ted, Pat (yes, Pat), and myself.

Needless to say, the bulk of all activity at the camp centered around the fire...closely.  With the wind blowing like it was, it was hard finding a spot to stand where you could get maximum heat, and minimum facial hair damage.  Those sudden flare ups could wreak havoc on a mustache.  Pat brought down a few items to add to the fire which were greatly appreciated by all, plus we were able to add to the woodpile from the debris that was left behind by last week's high water.

Pat also brought some Corona's to drink, along with a lime.  After the lime was sliced up to put in the bottles, the wedges were left on top of the beer box.  The beer didn't freeze (well, a little slushy anyway), but the lime pieces did.  At one point he got one of the lime slices into a newly opened bottle, where it promptly froze up the neck of the bottle, making a nice little plug.  It was a photo-worthy moment.

Freddy came by to say hello, and to show us his trophy kill, which promptly ended up in the fire.  And he had the nerve to say we weren't right.  No stories this week, it was too cold for him to hang around long enough to share any.

Despite to brutal cold, it was a great way to start the week, and 2014.