Outing Ideas: Clear Lake
On a recent inventory-special “man trip,” hubby, his brother and friend gave true meaning to the word outing. They were not about to go to any casinos, planetariums, or to see a show at Konocti Harbor… no, they were headed into the great outdoors.
First they needed to acquire a permit for ol’ Tin-Tin. They pulled up to a store in Nice (pronounced Neece, like in France), and to them, it felt straight out of a scene from “Joe Dirt.” I’m not sure what this means, but they assured me this description makes sense. I’m just going to go with it. Oh, my hubby now says they drove from Nice to Lucerne which is the neighboring town. Hopefully I have this all straight now.
The burly shopkeeper asked them to bring the boat around. They pointed to the top of the SUV.
“You don’t need a permit for that,” he gruffly responded. “That’s just a car topper!”
Apparently, there are different rules for boating in Clear Lake than there were in Big Bear. The boys didn’t mind not having to shell out permit money this time. Soon they were off for some fishing adventures, hoping for some large mouth bass in their immediate future.
The men spent a lot of time on the lake hoping for a big catch or two. They got a couple of tugs on their line, but they ended up with some relaxation time and some irritating, elusive fish instead.
The next time out, they decided to get up really early… early for them, anyway. I think they ended up getting on the lake by about 7:30am, but even that wasn’t early enough for those bewitching bass. This time, they ventured into a slough (pronounced “slew,” you’re welcome) to explore and hunt down some fishy goodness. Hubby said it was a surreal experience, right out of Jurassic Park, except they were greeted by birds instead of raptors. Good thing… I hear those raptor claws are pretty sharp.
Since the fish refused to cooperate, the men aborted Plan A and set Plan B into motion. They found a friendly forest ranger and asked if there was a local shooting range or a place they could do a little target practice. Don’t git your knickers in a knot, now… Bambi and other woodland creatures were totally unharmed in this expedition. There was a far greater foe in the forest.
The men drove on Bartlett Spring Road, next to Tulip Hill Winery. The drive was a beautiful, scenic one along a ridge above the lake. There was also a bit of trepidation, as this was a very narrow dirt road. Courageous men that they are, however, the journey was of no concern. About 20 minutes later they pulled off the road and found a clearing a couple hundred yards away. It was then time to raid the arsenal and prepare to meet the enemy.
Be stealthy, now, men. The enemy is it hand. Ready… aim… FIRE!!!!
I am happy to report that everyone returned from this great battle unscathed. Oh, sweet victory!
And that, dear readers, is all I have to report.
Enjoy!
