River Day 02/21/2011

After a two week hiatus, Jay and I were able to go down to the river this week; everyone else was either working or otherwise MIA.

You'd never guess we were still in the middle of winter with the weather we've had over the last few days, and Monday was no exception. We had a couple of instances of light rain, but the temperature stayed around 60 the whole evening. It was kind of nice getting to wear light weight jackets again and not have to bundle up like Eskimos. All of us have enjoyed the winter weather at the river this year(I think), but when it starts warming up like this, then you're in spring-mode and ready for the cold and snow to be gone.

We both took advantage of the break and tried fishing on an off for most of the evening. The water level was down a bit for this time of year, and unlike the air, hasn't warmed up much yet. We gave it a good try, but still came up empty handed. I'm sure another three weeks or so will change that, and trying's always fun.

Not too much activity around the camp this week. We saw a couple of the local guys, but everyone and everything was quiet. We even kept the fire down to a respectable level this week, but as I'm sure you've guessed by now, it was still the best one on the river!

River Day 02/07/11

We might still be in the middle of winter, but we had nice, mild weather at the river this week. Temps were in the low 40's and the rain that was forecast held off until the end of the night. Jay, Ted and I (Mark) were able to make it down.

Jay tried fishing for a while (twice), but we're still a few weeks early. Oh well, you can't catch anything if you don't cast.

I forgot to mention it last week (or take a photo) but we've added to the furniture around the fire; kind of a rustic easy chair. Who knows how long it will last, but for now it's pretty comfy.

We had a quiet evening; nothing much going on around the camp. Even though it was warm, we still had a great fire going; probably the best one on the river. So we're giving a special thanks to this week's sponsor: the Ohio State Pallet company (see the label in the photo).

River Day 01/31/2011

With the warmer temps and longer days, it won't be too long until spring. And that means fishing "season" is also right around the corner. Jay and I decided to get head-start and both bought our licenses earlier today. I think the goal was to get our money's worth by being legal for every month. Whatever the reason, I (Mark) tried to fish a little. I didn't spend much time at it, and didn't get any bites, but at least I can say I fished in January.

We were a little surprised that the river wasn't any higher than it was this week. All of the snow that we've had over the last several weeks has all but melted away, and the ground is saturated. If you check the pictures on this blog from this time last year, we were preparing for a flood. The level now is actually a little lower than "normal" for this time.

As always it was a great night at the river; Ted and Tim were also down this week.

And I'm pretty sure we had the best fire on the river.

River Day 01/24/2011

Even though there's been a River Day celebration (by some of us anyway) every week since the first of the year, this is the first post for 2011. Hope everyone didn't think that either River Day, or this blog, had been canceled.

Due to personal illness, and family illness, Jay and I (Mark) were the only one's able to make it down to the river this week. Temps were in the low to mid 30's so it wasn't too bad. There was still a little snow on the ground along the river, and as you can see in the pictures, there's still a bit of ice in the shallow areas. The river level is actually down a bit for this time of year.

The highlight of the evening was probably watching one of the locals fixing his dinner on his charcoal grill. Jay asked him if he was cooking for all of us, but didn't get an answer - at all! Oh well, God only knows what he was cooking anyway.

Another great night at the river!

River Day 12/20/2010

This was the last River Day (referred to as "Monday" by non-Rivertarians) before Christmas and everyone except Pat made it down (maybe 2011 will be better for him!).

Although it wasn't snowing this week, there was a little more snow on the ground, and there was more ice in the river. The temperature was also a bit warmer this week (upper 20's) and the wind wasn't blowing nearly as bad as the week before. I guess the locals don't like the cold weather much because we sure don't see them much when it's like this.

We hung around long enough to see the full moon come up over the mountain across the river. There was supposed to be a lunar eclipse as well, but we didn't stay for that.

As usual we had the best fire on the river; maybe on ANY river. Hope the pictures do it justice.

To everyone who reads this blog, Merry Christmas from all of us!

River Day 12/13/2010

It was definitely winter time at the river again this week; we not only had snow on the ground like last week, but it poured snow most of the night. The temperature stayed just below 20 degrees while we were there, but with the way the wind was blowing, I'm sure the wind chill was much lower.

The eddy pool in front of the camp where we usually fish when the water's up was frozen up this week. Jay tested the ice with a few rocks, but it wouldn't have held a person.

We didn't have any problem finding wood for the fire (the best one on the river, by the way) but the pallets Jay picked up on the way down really kicked it up a notch (maybe three notches). The river had apparently been up again and left a few convenient pieces for burning.

Those at the river this week were Ted, Tim, Jay and I (Mark). We were all bundled up pretty good in preparation for the cold, much like last week. I've been told that in the picture of the four of us from last week that we look like escapees.

Didn't see much of the locals this week; guess the cold weather keeps them pretty much inside. I am a little disappointed that they haven't put up their Christmas lights this year. The two directly behind our usual spot have put up at least one string of lights for the past several years. Guess they're not in the Christmas spirit yet.

River Day 12/06/2010

Well, you know the old saying: "Sometimes you get what you wish for"? Last week I commented that I was looking forward to the snowy nights at the river, and that's just what we got this week. It snowed for most of the weekend and there were a couple of inches on the ground at the river (several more at the top of the mountain) and the temperature was in the lower 20's when we got there. I didn't think to check what the temperature was when we left, but it got down to about 12 in Beckley.

The river had been up due to the rains last week, so there was a good bit of firewood laying around. There were also a few pallets brought down, and that certainly helped. As you might imagine, most of the evening was spent very close to the fire, which was probably the best on the river.

I took a few random photos that really show show the difference between this time of year and the middle of the summer (check some of the earlier posts). Of course I always try to get a picture or two of the fire, and I was able to get a fuzzy shot of a Great Blue Heron that was feeding just down-river.

Jay, Ted, Tim and I made it down this week. We only have a few more Mondays this year and I hope we can all make it for all of them.