R & R

I will be on vacation for a week or so, so posting will be light... LOL, who am I kidding - posting will be non-existent! No electricity, no phone, no computer... yep, no posting. And that's the good news. The bad news is I won't be reading, either. For those interested, read on. All others - see you in a week. Each year at July 4th, my family gets together for a campout on our family owned campground in Northern California. What with travel time and all, we are left with several days of food, fun and games. Here are some photos of previous camps. A view of part of the camp itself. Yes, the large trees are Redwoods, Sequoia Sempervirens. Out of sight to the right is the South Fork of the Eel River. Speaking of the river, one of the annual activities is a float down the river. This photo was taken from the normal put-in point, about two miles upstream from the camp. At this time of the year the water level is low, so even though this is now classified as a Wild and Scenic river, there is no whitewater. That is, unless you create it yourself. Conditions range from wide, shallow riffles a few inches deep, to narrower, faster riffles, a foot or two deep, to slow, languid pools, excellent for swimming. Of course, activities such as the above generate a large appetite. Division of labor is by consensus, with some cooking: And some waiting... But we all eat! And don't forget the nightly campfire tradition: S'mores! (chocolate and hot, fire-toasted marshmallows sandwiched between graham crackers) And even though we're way off by ourselves, and have no need to display our patriotism, we don't forget who we are. With a few exceptions, these annual gatherings turn out well. As long as California doesn't experience 'The Big One!' while we're there, I anticipate that everyone will be happy. Two of the large 'quakes a couple of weeks ago were very close to this location, but we're far enough inland that there are no worries about tsunamis.