Gone Fishin'

My husband, our dog and I left on a Thursday afternoon in late July and went to the Altamaha River. We took our little john boat, food for a few days, some simple camping equipment, and headed to the Altamaha Park. We put the boat in, loaded it down with our things and headed out to find ourselves a piece of “prime” sand bar real estate. He is not from here, so I’m quite a bit more familiar with the area than he is.

Most people in this area that camp know that the best sand bar camping areas are often hard to get since so many people desire them. These are the places where almost everyone who has ever camped there has made some kind of improvement – someone built a table, someone put up a clothesline, someone gathered firewood and left it stacked for the next campers. Sure, there are a few people who do nothing but destroy, tear up and litter, but in general, those of us that camp this way always try to leave the area at least a bit better than when we found it.

When we got to the sand bar, we unloaded our supplies and readied ourselves for a nice weekend. I pitched the tent under a shady tree while he did most of the unloading; he got our fishing poles ready while I put together the “kitchen” area for our stay. We had purchased some bait at the park store, so the late afternoon was spent fishing a couple spots I hadn’t been to in a while. We got back to camp just before dark, which gave us time for a quick supper and a dip in the river before bed. It was clear that night, so we took the rain shield off the tent and enjoyed the stars and the nighttime breeze.

Early Friday morning, he got up a bit before me, had the fire going and my coffee water waiting. While drinking my coffee, I started working on putting together some limb lines to set that evening in hopes of catching a good sized catfish or two. My wonderful husband even made breakfast while I worked. And, get this - he did the dishes as well! Ladies, take notes here – being in the outdoors can often change a man! The only problem we had is something I should have known better than to do. I had left some of the groceries out in the open and the local raccoons decided they needed to get into our loaf of bread. From then on, I made sure everything was covered and out of their reach.

Off for fishing for most of the day on Friday. We went back to camp for a bit of lunch and a nap, then to the park store for some more bait. A small shower of rain had moved in and out and gave us the most beautiful double rainbow to look at on the way down the river. I managed to catch a couple good sized bluegills that we cleaned and put on ice, and he caught some small brim for baiting our limb lines. Just before dark, we set the limb lines and headed back to camp for the evening. After supper, another quick swim cooled us off and allowed us just to enjoy the sounds around us.

It’s odd how we never seem to notice the little things like how the sounds change from day to night. The sound of the day time song birds change to the sounds of the owls, frogs and crickets. The temperatures cool down a bit and the breeze begins to blow in the evening. Even the river seems to take on a slower pace. When at home, most people have a schedule of sorts that they follow and most everything follows the clock. We have a certain time to get up, to go to work, or to get the kids off to school. There is a certain time to eat, a certain time to watch something on television, a certain time to go to bed. When you’re out camping, you never seem to look at a watch. Time doesn’t matter. When you get hungry, you eat. Even without an alarm clock, when the sun begins to rise, the birds start chirping and the fish start jumping, you automatically wake up. When the sun goes down, you instinctively get sleepy and know it’s time for bed. With no electricity, no phones, internet, or television and suddenly, our bodies very quickly seem to revert back to the natural way of things. And it feels good.

Saturday morning found us checking our limb lines and fishing. No luck on the limb lines, but we weren’t too disappointed. After all, half the fun is in the anticipation. Later that morning, our dog decided she needed to protect me by fiercely growling and barking at 3 small raccoons that had climbed into some trees on the bank where we had tied up and were curiously watching us! After assuring her that they really weren’t going to attack us, she calmed down and again took her place at my feet. She’ll make a river dog yet!

We explored a bit for new places to fish, but eventually wound up right back where I started. Good thing, too, as late that evening I managed to land 3 nice bluegills, one of them a little over 10 inches in length! All the fish were cleaned and put on ice for a little fish dinner back home. We baited the limb lines again just before dark and headed back to camp. We spent the evening enjoying an over-the-fire cooked supper, just talking and enjoying each others company. Sometimes, I think all couples need this sort of thing every now and again. I think it kind of keeps us in touch.

Bright and early Sunday morning, we pulled all of our limb lines down to use next time. We went back to camp and began breaking down, cleaning up and packing up. One final trip back to the park docks, boat loaded, and the few minutes drive to get home. We got home about 10:30 that morning. We got everything unloaded, put away and then jokingly fought over who was going to get a shower first! River sand can get into the darndest places!

What a weekend! It was enjoyable, relaxing, and definitely economical, even with today’s prices. In these economic times, often it’s difficult for the average Joe to spend a vacation, much less a weekend doing something memorable with the family. The price of fuel has skyrocketed, slowing down the usual summer travel vacations to a crawl. People are getting laid off left and right, and those that do have jobs are working as much overtime as they can just to make ends meet. It seems there is less money, less time, fewer choices.

Why not consider the alternatives in your area, like a closer-to-home weekend or a day trip? There are so many things available right in your own area that are often overlooked in favor of a week long trip to the mountains or to the usual theme parks. Enjoy what you have and often take for granted or just don’t see. Just look around you – something for everyone, for every budget and every interest. Create memories. Take the kids camping or fishing. Go to local historical sites. Drive to the next town and browse through the antique or book stores. Go walking on a nature trail. Go for a walk in your own downtown and tell the kids how it’s changed since you were a kid. Be a tourist in your own backyard. Rediscover what has been there all along.