Into The Wild

We went camping with Cindy and Michael. We were up past 6000 ft. The weather was cool and the camp area was gorgeous. Cindy and Michael are avid campers.When I was packing for the trip, I told Tom that we needed to stop and buy some plastic forks,he said we have plenty and handed me a box with "forks" in there. When we got to camp and sat down to eat, Cindy had brought a couple, she is an avid camper, and I had only 4 in the box I brought. So, we learned how to eat spaghetti and pancakes with a spoon.This area was so delightful to the eye. CLick on each picture and it should enlarge.There were a few little butterflies along the path.Your not going to believe this but....We went for a walk along the creek Sabbath afternoon. I have a thing for sitting on a rock in water. I think that I might be a Mermaid in my next life. Maybe because Mermaids always look so curvaceous with their long silky hair flowing down their side. As we wondered along the creek, Michael found a large rock out in the middle of the creek. Cindy told me to go out on the rock and she would take my picture. As I scanned the area for a path, I had to crawl up onto a log, okay I can do this, if I fall, well I would hit some rocks, okay that might not be a good idea for a woman-in-my-shape. I can do this..I proceed to climb up onto the log, when I walked a few inches, I noticed there were two more logs to walk across before I reached the rock. I asked Michael if there was a different route on the other side of the rock, he said there was. I wasn't about to walk out on that rock and then have to come back over the 3 logs. So I cautiously turned around and went back up the log to shore. As I was walking around another rock and heading to the other side, Michael thought he would meet me and show me the path. When he jumped down off of the rock he disturbed a Meat Bee nest and they decided to have a snack. He began to run up on shore and was yelling. Cindy thought he was playing a trick. Well, he wasn't. He had several bee bites on his arm and legs. "I want to go home now." So, we turned around and headed back to camp. Okay, so I settled for a picture on a log. When we arrived back at camp, Cindy walked to the Grounds Supervisors trailer to see if they had a first aid kit. Michael had never been stung by a bee so she didn't know if he was going to be allergic to them. The supervisor didn't have any Benadryl or anything for bee stings but she knew of a good remedy. I had read somewhere that a banana peel was good, so he gave that a try. It gave me some relief when I had poison oak. Cindy and they supervisor arrived on a golf cart. She was carrying a paper plate with an unlit cigarette on it. She pulled the filter off took the tobacco out and poured a little water on the tobacco making a paste. She dabbed each bite with a little. Unbelievable, but the next morning you couldn't even see the bite. It did give Michael some relief too. The lady they got the cigarette from walked over, they were camped right across the street from us. We were expressing our unbelief in the remedy and she responded, "hey if they can kill us just think what they will do the bee sting." She had a good point. Sunday morning Cindy and Michael left early to take a shower. You had to drive 7 miles or so to go to the next town where they had a store, showers, laundromat, restrooms. I declined the shower, knowing we would be going home soon. Besides, the price of a 5 minute shower was $3.00.While they were gone I munched on some Pop Tarts, watermelon and peaches. When they returned Cindy asked if I was going to eat breakfast, I told her I was full. So she said she needed to fix Michael some breakfast. All we had to eat was either Pop Tarts, fruit or pancake mix. She decided to fix him some pancakes. I got my griddle out and some Pam, you need Pam because everything sticks to the griddle. She heated up the griddle, poured the mixture on and waited a few minutes. When she was ready to flip the pancakes, she said, "They are sticking!" I asked her if she was certain that she sprayed the griddle, she said "Yes". Well, Michael walked over to the table and, jokingly asked her if she used "this" as he picked up the can of bug spray...guess what...she had. Cindy is an avid camper.A new form of Pam. Problem is, it doesn't work as well.Before we left camp, we wanted to see where you can camp right by the water, so we walked over to "Walk In Camp." You carry your gear to the camp sight but leave your car up on the hill. You have to carry your food back up to your car each evening and then bring it down in the morning. Don't want to attract any bears during the night...right?Picturesque surroundings.Tom, immersing his feet in ice cold water.Here is a picture of the stream as it flows down into Donnell lake.Our last stop, before heading home, was this vista point. Known as Donnell Lake. History Time: John Bidwell was a native of New York. He became a major leader of American settlers to enter California. Looking out over the valley, one wonders how they were able to cross over this rocky, sheer canyon, in covered wagons. I added a video of running water, so sit back, close your eyes and enjoy.