Camping with Friends

In April, some friends were gracious enough to allow us to use their truck to pull the camper from Richmond to the river. And they were crazy enough to stay in the camper with us for a 3 day weekend. This was the first time we had friends out to the river, and it was really, really nice to have some close friends to enjoy it with and a beautiful way to end Spring Break.

We went fishing the first day. The sun was shining but it was a little chilly, which is typical for early Spring in this part of West Virginia. Our friends brought some waders for the boys, so they were back and forth, in and out of the river, just exploring and having a blast.

In the distance are the boys fishing off a small island.

On the island looking downstream.

Waders are a really nice thing to have for 12 year old boys.

They built a bridge and helped momma across.

Due to the cold Winter and late Spring, the fishing was not as good as we had hoped, but we did have some luck.

Smallmouth Bass

 

This is a Fallfish. It is actually one of the largest members of the minnow family and can grow up to 18 inches.

When the boys grew weary of fishing, they found other things to keep themselves busy.

Target practice with BB guns.

The early Spring wildflowers were everywhere during this trip. See some of the pictures of them in this post: Wildflowers of the Cacapon River. 

We'll Take the Upgrade -- Supersized

We upgraded to the 1972 Coleman popup from the Eureka dome tent in 2002 after Jonah woke up one morning at the break of dawn, unzipped the tent door, and crept out into the early morning. His wet sock feet against my face woke me up. He had fortunately decided to come back inside the tent. We opted for something with a locking door to prevent future mornings of wet sock feet against our faces.

One wouldn't expect the Coleman popup to have much, and it doesn't, including a crapper, or hot water, or a refrigerator. It is basically an old canvas tent on wheels. But it is really awesome and retro, and we have loved camping in it. But again, no crapper or hot water. So this year we opted for another upgrade to a travel trailer. It might be the most I've ever paid for a crapper and a hot shower, but it was worth it!

2000 Wilderness 29Y leaving for the Cacapon River

And here it is sitting at the river. It looks small in this picture, but we think it is the perfect size. It is 29 foot long with a bunkhouse in the back. The boys get their own bedroom with two extra bunks for friends.

It was cold in the middle of April, but the camper has a heater that will run you out of it!

The camper in the middle of May, with everything looking much warmer.

And Stella loves it too...Its the only time she gets to sleep in our beds!

During our most recent trip, Rowan got out of the river, cold and covered in mud, and momma put him in the shower. He got out of the shower and said with a big grin, "I love this camper!"

Wildflowers of the Cacapon River

Here are some pictures of the early Spring wildflowers from our visit in the middle of April.

Trout Lily, with some Hepatica in the background (and our camper).

The Virginia Bluebells were everywhere along the river bank.

Spring Beauty

Golden Ragwort

Hepatica

Some unidentified wildflowers...

Dutchman's Britches or Squirrel Corn

We went back to our spot the third week of May. Here are some of the early Summer wildflowers that were blooming.

Dame's Rocket, which is an invasive species.

Columbine

Fleabane

Non-native Jiffy Pop wildflower

 There were many more but I kept forgetting to bring my camera!

Why I Work So Hard

The following is post that Stephanie wrote on August 26th, 2013 on her blog...

What is commonly known as a “red-neck feeder log”

I won’t kid you, there are some days (okay, many days) this summer where I see my kids long enough to throw some lukewarm chicken nuggets their way and make sure they brush before bed. That’s about it. Being a one-woman on-line store is tough business, it’s definitely more than just a full-time job.  However, all the hard work and long hours make it possible to have a few things that we have been dreaming about for quite some time. 

Recently we managed to purchase a little slice of heaven on the Cacapon River. Cacapon means “healing waters”, and man do I need them. I have vowed that we will go one week-end a month and completely unplug, not that we would have much choice since we can’t even get cell service.  So far we are two for two, and I thought I’d share a few photos of our trip this past week-end.

Behold, the river.

The two main reasons for everything I do.

I know what you’re thinking, but really it’s not as luxurious as it looks.

Here’s the on suite. Don’t be jealous.

Eat in kitchen is conveniently located…well…wherever we want!

Organic, free range fish.

Unique decorn

Central heat with cup holders.

Hip, retro design.

Wait! Did I show you the on suite?

Ahhhh….and a little slice of heaven all our own

First Trip to the New Property

On August 2nd, a few days after closing on the property, we loaded the boys and the dog in the mini-van and headed back to the Cacapon. The weather was overcast most of the time, and it sprinkled on us at night as well as a few times during the day, but the air and river were warm.

Home on the River - 1972 Coleman Pop-up

Before we even had the pop-up set up, the boys had changed clothes and were in the river. That was exactly what we hoped would happen. One of the major reasons we wanted a place like this was so that our boys had a place to go where they could just play and be boys and learn how to be comfortable in the woods.

The Boys - Exploring an Overflow Channel

 

 

 

Exploring the Main Overflow Channel

And once we had the camp set up and had a chance to explore the area, we quickly realized how lucky we were. It turns out that our property is the absolute last outpost of civilization. Beyond it is only woods and river. Being there feels as if we have hundreds of acres to ourselves. We didn't really understand this - how private and isolated it would be - when we bought it.

Before we made an offer on the property, I did a fair amount of research on the area. One of the Cacapon River's claim to fame is that it is the cleanest river in West Virginia. There are a variety of reasons for this, but the most obvious one is that the river is still surrounded by forested land without a lot of development. This means that the runoff entering the river is not carrying large amounts of silt and sediments. We expected the river to be clean, but what we found was water that was sparkling, almost crystal clear.

And the fishing... I have never before caught so many fish on the first cast. The first Smallmouth I hooked jumped out of the water three or four times before I landed it, putting on quite a show for my boys.

My First Cacapon Smallmouth

 

Exploring the Islands in the Stream

A little farther upstream we found a nice slow-moving pool. The sunfish were hungry for the little green beetlespin, and my son was able to catch a few of them.

 

Every evening we gathered around the campfire to dry things off and warm up. After cooking marshmallows, the boys poked at the fire as much as they wanted to. 

 

 

 Even after three days with no hot water or flushing toilet, we didn't want to leave. Although the fun was ending, it made the packing up a little easier when we remembered that this place was ours, and we could come back anytime we want! And we did, three weeks later...