Weather remains windy and cool, it's really been a pretty lousy Spring, so much for Global Warming, right, Horse's Ass Al Gore? Sam and I will be doing our last regular season Spring game tonight at Sherwood Fairview...contest between 2 pretty good teams that are still left in the tournament, Fairview vs Paulding. Then it's off until May 31st unless something comes up tournament wise.....The Summer ACME and American Legion season begins full bore in June.
I see Bush apologized to Iraq for a Army Sniper using the Koran as target practice...our Bible comes under assault every day in the US and this idiot(Bush) wants to say "I'm sorry" to these clowns....the Army guy should have used it for toilet paper after shooting the rag.
OK, enough of that, back to the Mushroom hunt.
Saturday May 17, 2008
_________________
Despite the old guys being somewhat(or a lot) hung over, we headed out around 10AM for the second day of our Mushroom Hunt. A half hour or so into the hill climb, Clint and the youngest Pearson, Guy, became separated from the rest of us. You have to realize this State Forest is deep woods, with trails and hills that wind through out the area. Our camp site is located some 4 miles south of the town of Mesick. In these woods you can become lost or lose site of your partners in a minute or less.....and we did. The 4 of us in the main party had little luck, coming up with maybe a half dozen Morels. I was concerned about my back(and to be honest, the shape I was in from not working out much the past 6 months because of the back issues), so I decided to work my way back to camp....we all 4 agreed to take a less hill ridden way back, and arrived about Noon. You can usually follow you shadow back towards your camp later in the day, but at noon, with the sun high in the sky, not so easy, carry at least a compass or cell phone...Clint and Guy had neither.
We relaxed for about and hour when Rick and the 2 remaining boys headed back out to hunt for more Morels...I would wait back at camp, cook some Brats, smoke a cigar, and wait for the two lost souls, Clint and Guy.
Rick called on the cell about an hour into the second trip out to see if they had shown up, I tell him, still no show on the missing...15 minutes after Rick's call, and declaring Clint and Guy lost...here they come. 4 hours after heading out, getting lost, and walking who knows how many miles, they had found a well traveled road, just outside the Mesick town limits....and caught a ride back to our camp site. Lessons learned, take cell phone, take something else(at least a good compass) to help find your way "home".
After hearing the "war" stories of the trip gone sour, we all made several more runs out in the next few hours...Clint and I each out on our own stayed within shouting distance of camp, plus with the sun settling farther down in the west, it was easier to get your bearings, and make it harder to get lost. Sad to say, not many more Morels were found, Clint did get a few, as did the others(PRH getting shut out)...making a grand total of 60 or so.....it appears, with the cool and wet Spring, we had been a few days early....but next weekend would be Memorial Day, and the crowds would be outrageous, so our timing was directed by the need of being with fewer hunters to compete with, in the woods.
The rest of the evening was spent around the camp fire, eating burgers, dodging a few rain drops, and resting...very few beers were consumed the rest of the weekend, we(the older guys) were still "washed out".... and we were all in the sack by 10pm.
Sunday May 18, 2008
_________________
Up at 6AM we were, to break camp, clean up, pack up, and head into West Cadillac to have a BK Breakfast...I had not had a cup of coffee(the guys were drinking hot tea) since Friday and needed a shot of Joe....ordering a large cup of "Turbo" Coffee at Burger King....that to go with my Enormous Omelet sammy. Done there we filled up the vehicles at $3.94 a gallon and headed out...Clint and I would split with the others at Lansing...we headed down 127 back to Celina, and Rick and the boys down I-469 to 69 to Auburn, Indiana.
Great weekend of fun, despite, too many beers on Friday night and Saturday morning, and too few Morel Mushrooms...Clint and I figured out, between beer, food, gas, and whatever else, it came down to about $15 bucks a Morel....of course they sell for over $100 a pound, so, what the Hell? All-in-all another good time, and we will plan, God willing and gas under $10 a gallon, on being back next year....next years weekend starts a few days later on or about May 22nd....hopefully if the spring springs right, we can hit the mother load! We hope to spend an extra day, and will bring along our fishing poles...Clint and Guy are avid fisherman, and at least the 3 of us will hopefully drop a line and catch a few.
Had fun guys, thanks for another load of memories!
back later>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
photos-left to right/top to bottom---First 3 photos....4 wheel drives are a must, and we don't mean those SUV's the wife drives....they don't make it, you need a man's 4 wheeler to get though this stuff. Next, Clint, then Guy and Rick Pearson, the first night.....Saturday's high sun....this trip saw as much sun as the previous 2 trips combined, and when the sky is high, it doesn't help if you are lost...but it does make it much more pleasant to be so(lost). The hills, this one doesn't do justice to some of the major rolling hills, which I avoided as much as possible. Grilling my Saturday noontime meal...then breaking down the camp on early Sunday morning.
I see Bush apologized to Iraq for a Army Sniper using the Koran as target practice...our Bible comes under assault every day in the US and this idiot(Bush) wants to say "I'm sorry" to these clowns....the Army guy should have used it for toilet paper after shooting the rag.
OK, enough of that, back to the Mushroom hunt.
Saturday May 17, 2008
_________________
Despite the old guys being somewhat(or a lot) hung over, we headed out around 10AM for the second day of our Mushroom Hunt. A half hour or so into the hill climb, Clint and the youngest Pearson, Guy, became separated from the rest of us. You have to realize this State Forest is deep woods, with trails and hills that wind through out the area. Our camp site is located some 4 miles south of the town of Mesick. In these woods you can become lost or lose site of your partners in a minute or less.....and we did. The 4 of us in the main party had little luck, coming up with maybe a half dozen Morels. I was concerned about my back(and to be honest, the shape I was in from not working out much the past 6 months because of the back issues), so I decided to work my way back to camp....we all 4 agreed to take a less hill ridden way back, and arrived about Noon. You can usually follow you shadow back towards your camp later in the day, but at noon, with the sun high in the sky, not so easy, carry at least a compass or cell phone...Clint and Guy had neither.
We relaxed for about and hour when Rick and the 2 remaining boys headed back out to hunt for more Morels...I would wait back at camp, cook some Brats, smoke a cigar, and wait for the two lost souls, Clint and Guy.
Rick called on the cell about an hour into the second trip out to see if they had shown up, I tell him, still no show on the missing...15 minutes after Rick's call, and declaring Clint and Guy lost...here they come. 4 hours after heading out, getting lost, and walking who knows how many miles, they had found a well traveled road, just outside the Mesick town limits....and caught a ride back to our camp site. Lessons learned, take cell phone, take something else(at least a good compass) to help find your way "home".
After hearing the "war" stories of the trip gone sour, we all made several more runs out in the next few hours...Clint and I each out on our own stayed within shouting distance of camp, plus with the sun settling farther down in the west, it was easier to get your bearings, and make it harder to get lost. Sad to say, not many more Morels were found, Clint did get a few, as did the others(PRH getting shut out)...making a grand total of 60 or so.....it appears, with the cool and wet Spring, we had been a few days early....but next weekend would be Memorial Day, and the crowds would be outrageous, so our timing was directed by the need of being with fewer hunters to compete with, in the woods.
The rest of the evening was spent around the camp fire, eating burgers, dodging a few rain drops, and resting...very few beers were consumed the rest of the weekend, we(the older guys) were still "washed out".... and we were all in the sack by 10pm.
Sunday May 18, 2008
_________________
Up at 6AM we were, to break camp, clean up, pack up, and head into West Cadillac to have a BK Breakfast...I had not had a cup of coffee(the guys were drinking hot tea) since Friday and needed a shot of Joe....ordering a large cup of "Turbo" Coffee at Burger King....that to go with my Enormous Omelet sammy. Done there we filled up the vehicles at $3.94 a gallon and headed out...Clint and I would split with the others at Lansing...we headed down 127 back to Celina, and Rick and the boys down I-469 to 69 to Auburn, Indiana.
Great weekend of fun, despite, too many beers on Friday night and Saturday morning, and too few Morel Mushrooms...Clint and I figured out, between beer, food, gas, and whatever else, it came down to about $15 bucks a Morel....of course they sell for over $100 a pound, so, what the Hell? All-in-all another good time, and we will plan, God willing and gas under $10 a gallon, on being back next year....next years weekend starts a few days later on or about May 22nd....hopefully if the spring springs right, we can hit the mother load! We hope to spend an extra day, and will bring along our fishing poles...Clint and Guy are avid fisherman, and at least the 3 of us will hopefully drop a line and catch a few.
Had fun guys, thanks for another load of memories!
back later>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
photos-left to right/top to bottom---First 3 photos....4 wheel drives are a must, and we don't mean those SUV's the wife drives....they don't make it, you need a man's 4 wheeler to get though this stuff. Next, Clint, then Guy and Rick Pearson, the first night.....Saturday's high sun....this trip saw as much sun as the previous 2 trips combined, and when the sky is high, it doesn't help if you are lost...but it does make it much more pleasant to be so(lost). The hills, this one doesn't do justice to some of the major rolling hills, which I avoided as much as possible. Grilling my Saturday noontime meal...then breaking down the camp on early Sunday morning.
Finally, our resident back yard Robins continue to feed the brood, and they are growing quick...I expect them to be flying by early next week.
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4 comments:
More great pictures and great stories. Love it. Want one of those dawgs, covered with those beans. Now I'm hungry. was gonna get the woman and have a salad for lunch, but that plan may just be derailed. I see a meatball sub in my future.
It's all political correctness, Pat, the Koran thing that is.
Like the new big picture at top!
I thoroughly enjoyed this series Pat. Man, I'd love to do that sometime, but what I want more than anything is one of those sausages and some of those beans! Man...that and a beer would be the best!
seems like a lot of effort to go through for some mushrooms. I mean, I like camping and all, but I don't go hunting for fungi when I go.
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