Fourth of July weekend, Deb and I finally decided to take a river trip that we had been discussing for about a year and a half. We decided to camp overnight, on the river, with our boat! We use to love going camping, we love boating, let's combine the two. When we were contemplating the modifications and equipping the boat, this was one idea that we really wanted to keep in mind. We wanted to to have options for it's use. Not to mention a night away form the house and kid's is just what the doctor ordered (or at least should be!). So with our goal in sight we began preparations on Friday. Now Friday would have normally been a boating day, no doubt, but we wanted to take a day off, prep and stay out of the sun before going camping the next two days.
We did need to load extra gear such as a 3 man tent, 2 beach chairs, bedding, extra clothes and food. We packed and distributed the extra weight to our satisfaction and we were on our way Saturday morning at 10:00. Rather than leave our trailer and vehicle overnight, we enlisted the help of our son Rob. We had him drive with us to the ramp. We launched the boat, and Rob drove the trailer back to the house. Of coarse we forgot to give him the key to unlock the trailer from the SUV when he got home, but a better plan next time! So with Rob and the trailer on it's way home, Deb and I set out to pick out a spot. We had come across a couple of areas that had shown obvious evidence of overnight camping. We had even passed a few in the time we've spent on the river, so we headed towards those areas. Trying to take all of the factors we were looking for in our location (un-posted, secluded, and did I mention secluded). We finally settled on a bank north of the Sagamore Bridge. That's all I'm going to say, so I don't incriminate myself any further. We decided to not fully setup camp there until later in the day. We did decide however to break out our faithful blue grill and have some breakfast, and relax the morning away under the cool shade of the trees. We quickly realized just how good a find this new area was. As we had never stopped here before, we didn't realize what we were missing. The beach was sandy, with small pebble further from shore. The bank was just high enough to come level with the hull, making it easier to embark and disembark. The area above was relatively flat with patchy grassy vegetation. A bit of poison ivy here and there but if your careful. . . Most of the area that we were camping on, was under the light shade of the trees. It was about 20' at it' deepest to the waters edge, to about 4' at it narrowest, and spanned about 50' in width. Behind us was a steep ridge that rose about 75' or so. We were impressed with how few bugs were flying around us, but knew when the sun went down we would have to take refuge. We set up our chairs, broke out the ole Coleman grill, and cooked up eggs & sausage, with toast, V-8 and coffee. We even had fresh strawberries, thanks to Deb's menu planning. With breakfast eaten and cleaned up, and mid-day wearing on, we decided to do a bit of boating. We started out by heading further north into Nashua. Along the way we spotted a few boys doing what they do best at that age on a river . . .
climb up rickety sticks of wood, held on by rusted
nails, up a 30' rotting tree, and swing from a shredded rope into the shallow water below. Oh to be invincible again! After waking up from trying to remember what it was like to be 16 years old, we continued into Nashua, and started our slow drift back toward Lowell. During the day we stayed north of Lowell for the most part. We knew it would be a busy boating weekend, and we really wanted some peace and quiet. We did enjoy some natural company such as the Blue Heron we typically see, as well as that Bald Eagle nesting just north of Vesper Country Club. We have had really bad luck getting a postable pic of that eagle, but we'll keep on trying.
The sun was starting to get lower in the sky, and we decided to head to our site, and get set-up. It didn't take us too long, and we were sitting back with beers in hand watching the occasional boat pass by. Some noticing us, and others merely passers by. Eventually there was no-one left but us. After dinner we decided to take an evening cruise, and watch the sunset. This is something that Deb has wanted to do for some time, but I'm always too cooked by the end of the day to stay out any later. I have to say, I had forgotten how beautiful it is at sunset on the water. The water was like glass, and the sky clear. We traveled at about 5 knots. We didn't travel too far from our campsite. Not so much because we were afraid for our things, but because we wanted to be able to find it in the dark. It was a great ride, and one that we will be doing again soon. Back at camp we tried to stay out a bit more, but the bugs were getting bad. So we retreated to our tent, for some privacy and . . . well we were away from the kid's!
I have to say that the sounds of nature did keep me awake a good portion of the night. The next morning we awoke to the sounds of what seemed like a million species of bird, and slapping fish. There are also a few things that we need to remember the next time we go camping on the river. One is we need to make a strap to connect the boat cushions together. That is what we used as a mattress, but they wanted to separate. The other is the dirt! I didn't care that we were dirty (although we did rinse off in the river). When we took the cushions out of the tent, they were filthy! So Monday I will have to take some time and hose everything off and clean up for the next time we see you on the river!
And just for the record, we left our campsite as clean as when we arrived. We cleared of any evidence that we were there, with the exception of our footprints, and a few buried treasures!
Later that evening around 6:30 pm, our next door neighbors and friends Juan and April, joined us for a late night cruise. They have been hearing us talk about camp, but have never been there yet. We relaxed on the beach, had a few beers, a few laughs then decided to take cruise down river. No-one goes on the boat without an opportunity to pilot, if they want to give it a go. They had a blast, and found out what it is we are so drawn to, but it was getting late. And with that comes dark water. There was no moon that night and so I high tailed it back to the ramp to drop our guests off, while Deb stayed back at camp to get a small fire going on the beach to help light my way. I have to say that is was the first time on the river, on a moonless night. The bugs were unbearable! They were as thick as soup. Not fun while your traveling on a boat! The fire worked out great and I once again back at camp. A few toasted marshmellows and it was time to call it a day. The next morning I took a look in the boat and there we dead bugs everywhere! So I spent a bit of time cleaning the stiff pest from the decks.
