Summer Fun

June was a busy month; lots of volleyball (4 days a week) and 3 fundraisers…no sympathy wanted or needed but when June 28^th rolled around Vickie and I put Indiana in our rear view and headed west for the Show-Me-State of Missouri. 8 days of fishing, camping and relaxing was just what the doctor ordered for the two of us.

If you have ever traveled much or hauled a camper, you will completely understand when I say that I am much like a long tailed cat in a room full of rockers while en route! I won’t go into the horrors that we have had over the past decade coming and going from Missouri, but suffice it to say that I know how to use a fire extinguisher…something I hope you never have to do….but an item that I hope you have handy when you need it; for sure not one but two extinguishers saved our camper and Suburban one sunny March day a few years back when our transmission blew…then proceeded to catch on fire! This trip out was the smoothest we have had and by 12:30 Missouri time we were in our spot at Bennet Spring, camper set up…and I was working on putting together all of my fishing gear, by 1:30pm CST I was waist deep in the cool clear waters of the spring.

Through the years I have written several times on Bennet Spring; relax I won’t bore you again…but will say that for the dollar, it is as much fun as a family can have! I kind of feel like it is a home water of mine and know much of its holes, eddies, riffles and runs. I decided to move upstream towards the falls in section 1; grabbed my 5 weight TQR rod with my Ross Reel, tied on a cream colored trout candy and eased into a pool that was vacant. I hadn’t stripped more than a couple of times when I felt the sharp take on the other end. It caught me off guard and with a late and weak strip set didn’t make a good hook up…seconds later the nice rainbow came unbuttoned…ah, but there was contact. I kind of figured that this would be the fly, however 30 minutes later I hadn’t had another strike and decided to give one of my pet flies, a bitch creek nymph, a casts or two. Magic…all I need to say is that by 3pm I had landed about a dozen nice trout; kept and cleaned three and was making my way back to the camper.

Vickie made us both a quick sandwich and I was sitting beside the camper thinking…”What a great day this had been”, when I looked by the tires and noticed drip, drip, drip, etc….I knew this was not a good or normal sign, quickly finished my meal, made my way in and under the kitchen sink and found the hot water line was spewing water. It was at this point that the day took a 180! If you have ever tried to work on a camper, everything is smaller and our sink was one ridiculously tight space, too small for my hands…and at the time I figured too small for any pair of hands. People who are good with their hands are high on my list; a couple years back we had an issue with our air conditioner…on a day that was over 100 degrees! I had called a local camper whiz kid by the name of Glenn. On that day he had us back up and running in just a few minutes…so, I decided to give Glenn a call for back up on the sink issue, knowing that I also had a water heater problem…and in about an hour Glenn was at our site. It was confirmed, Glenn has the “touch”! While I waited for Glenn to show…I took the sink apart, finally exposing the hot (red) line. When Glenn arrived the fix was quick and easy (the correct tool always go a long way). It took us (mostly Glenn) about an hour to completely re-do, tighten and drip proof the sink and in that time I could see that I was watching an artist…honestly, he was so knowledgeable about campers that it amazed me. I snuck in several questions (which he graciously answered) and then had him change out the element in our water heater….knowing it had to be on its last leg! The moral of the story is that if you are ever here, in the Lebanon area and need help with your camper, give Glenn a call at 417-664-6462…you won’t be disappointed.

Some folks I know would fix the sink, etc…themselves, come hell or high water; while I like being able to do things on my own,  and regularly do…turning it over to the pros when you are hours away just seems like a smart idea. I also have this idea that things like this are what make the world go round. Either way you approach it…either be good at fixing things in small spaces or know someone that can.

Camping and traveling is truly one of our favorite things to do together. Our time in Missouri and even a few spots in Indiana are special. There is certainly something unique about waking up with the birds while having a running stream or calm lake not far away that makes for a better sleep. I have to agree with my mom…eating a meal that has been prepared or simply just eaten outside…makes the food taste a whole lot better. I hope that this summer will produce a load of fun times for you and your family; grab your camping gear and get going as we all Enjoy the Great Outdoors.