Keuka Lake
8:40 PM
I was right. It was Sean’s 12th birthday that we went camping.
Man, what a time it was. I picked him up at about 1:30 and we hit the grocery store. We were given the task of beer (30 pack Genny Light), steaks (5 pack, strip steaks), eggs (2 dozen), steak sauce (generic), ice (2 bags) and Gatorade. We had the cooler packed and were on the road by a little after 2. As I said, it was an awesome day. The sun was out in full effect and we jammed the tunes as we drove. Pete Yorn started us off and then we needed a little more umph and Sean put in Great Big Sea. I don’t know them, but I liked them.
We arrived to Keuka Lake State Park at about 3:15. Our Mapquest directions were not the best and we lost our course, but we made it with the aide of my mega atlas. We didn’t have much time to unpack. Joe, his dad, his sister and her friend were at the boat launch, waiting for us. I went into a smelly bathroom and did an impressive routine of not touching the floor with my bare feet as I changed into my swimsuit. We were on the water with an old school boat that hummed like a champ.
Joe and his family had been vacationing at Keuka for many years. They pointed out a lot of the houses and said they’d rented there or someone in their family had. Most of us are taught about the Great Lakes in school, no matter where you live. They are huge. I am staring at Lake Ontario as I type. But unless you are from New York or love wine, you probably don’t know much about the Finger Lakes. I can’t tell you a whole lot of facts or anything, other than on a map (SE of Rochester) they look like fingers. In person they are beautiful. There are many wineries on them and the water is warmer (and cleaner) than that of Ontario.
We tooled around in the boat for a while. I had my hat on, my shades on, and my shirt off. The sun felt good on my shoulders. The water felt better. We stopped and jumped off of the boat. I floated around for a while soaking up the nature. There were a lot of cottages on each bank, but the trees above them and the crystal clear water made the views spectacular.
The girls tubed for a long time, with older brother Joe throwing them off with his boat driving. His dad got him back when he went on.
We were on the boat until about 6, and then it was time to unload the car, set up the tents, and eat. And eat we did. The steaks were great. We had tons of juicy corn on the cob and some baked beans. We also sampled the Genny Light a bit.
Darkness came and so did the cool. I went from a bathing suit with sandals and no shirt to socks, sneaks, jeans, tshirt, long sleeve t, and fleece. It made for good campfire weather. It was fun to hear the different conversations. There was the teenage girls talking in their code. Joe and Sean reenacting Chris Farley parts and all of us laughing. And Joe’s dad and I talking about work and politics. The stars were out as well. It couldn’t get much better than that.
I hit the hey at about 11 and buried into my sleeping bag. We had an early wake up call for fishing. And fish we did. It took some time to get licenses and bait, but we hit the exact spot Joe talked about. He knows his water and fishing. We dropped anchor at 100 feet, yes 100 feet deep. Sean was the first to drop the line. In an amazing 60 seconds he had a 4 1/4 pounder. The boat was abuzz with excitement. He had never caught a fish that big before. He was psyched. A good bday present for him.
Joe took the fish off and gave the reel to his sister. She dropped the line and within 4 minutes her pole took a huge bend. She screamed in excitement. Big brother helped her reel in a 5 1/4 pounder (We weighed them at the marina). They were the biggest fish I’d seen.
OK, I am late for Sean’s party.
The sun came out, we got hot, we went to camp, cooked 24 eggs, bacon, and sausage. We took down our camp sites. Joe and family went back on the boat.
I took Sean to his first horse track experience. We had the first race, but got greedy. We had the first 2 horses down, but tried to do a trifecta. We stayed for 3 races, picked all the winners, but none of the 2nd or 3rd. No cashed tickets.
I dropped him off. I took a nap. Then a badly needed shower. Ate dinner. Here I am typing. And now finishing to go to the party. Out.