Beach Time

We had a nice day so we decided to go out in the boat. Each nice day we have could possibly be our last nice day of the season so we always have to take advantage of them. So this time we decided to go find a beachy shoreline somewhere (easily found anywhere here) and practice beaching the boat for the upcoming beach season (yeah, I know, it is months away, but one can't be sorry by looking to soon at the upcoming adventures) We also need to work on our pulley system. This will allow us to beach the boat, off load ourselves and then pull the boat back out to our anchor, where it will safely float away from the outgoing tide. No one wants to wait for hours for the tide to come back in and float their boat again.

So here we are with the boat on the beach, off-loading........

...and here is Troy, setting the anchor...
This is where the boat will happily float while we enjoy our time ashore.

This is what happens if you don't anchor out during the outgoing tide! (no this is not us! this is a boat that we passed on our way home. Their boat was light enough that they were able to get it back to the water.)

I guess I should admit that we had quite a comical time trying to figure out our pulley system. The more we worked on it, the more confused we got. And it didn't help that Troy was on the boat and I was on shore so we are calling out back and forth to each other, giving suggestions that made no sense unless you were the one giving them. So Troy would bring the boat back in, and we would try to untangle the progress. In the meantime, the tide is still going out. Within five minutes, it had gone out enough that now we are almost high and dry and it was all we could do to get the boat pushed back out to where it was floating again. After doing this a few times, we decided that we didn't want to tempt fate so we grabbed the kids and gear and jumped in the boat and took off before we were stuck for the next four to five hours. Just a note - this is not bad for the bottom of the boat. We only beach where the bottom is soft and there are no big rocks that will ding or dent or puncture the bottom. This is done by going in slowly with me hanging my head off the bow calling out bottom conditions and depth.

This is one of the many Forest Service cabins available for rent. They are in remote locations that require a boat to get to them. They are rustic, with only a wood stove for heating and cooking and an outhouse for....well, you know for what. Anyway, they are only $35-$45 a night and are so much fun to go to. No phones, no car horns, no clocks, no TV, no people, no interruptions. Unless a bear decides to visit the camp, which happens quite frequently. Which is why it is important to keep any food well cached inside the cabin and all garbage burned daily. And which is why you want to go with a trusty firearm and a dead aim! And a dog or two!!

And after a fun adventure, it is time to return back to the daily routine, back to civilization. And come up with the location for our next adventure.