Clear Lake Camping and Fishing

We just got back from a few big firsts for me...first time camping, first time sleeping in a tent, first time in a boat, first time swimming in a really cold lake, first time jumping out of the boat into the really cold lake, and the list goes on and on. I was a pretty good pup once I got used to everything. Here are a few of the pics from the trip.

It was about a two hour drive to our destination.  I was a good boy riding in the backseat except for when the life jackets came tumbling down into my domain.  Rosie used to hate that too.

Momma brought our boat along but we had to rent a second boat.  Here we are leaving the lodge to row across the lake to our camp.  I threw quite a fit leaving the lodge.  There were even people coming out of the restaurant to see what was going on!  I was shivering and shaking and whining as loud as I possibly could. I think they thought momma was a beatin on me but I was just a scared pup.  I know, I know, labs are supposed to be tough.

Momma loves me anyway!

My buddy Lee was glad when I calmed down.  Made it much easier for him to row.

I got used to it the next day although it was really, really hard staying put in the boat while they cast their bait into the water. I'm a retriever you know!

Oh and these things just about drove me crazy!  The Walker's would be proud!

The clan has a fishing trophy.  We didn't get to take it home this year because I kept momma busy in the boat while she was trying fish (right Judy?) :-)  Rosie has been memorialized on the trophy....I need to get on there too!

After the first two days I learned how to hang around camp and be a bum like the rest of them.

And I stayed close to the food cookin'!

I have my very own camping air mattress to lounge on. I chewed a hole in it before we went camping so that's why the arm sticks out.

Zoe taught me a few things...here she is tuckered out after her 4 mile hike.

She taught me how to be a dirt dog; Rosie taught her so she passed on some of her knowledge to me even though she doesn't like me very much.

I got to swim 3 or 4 times each day in the lake.  I wish I had my own lake in the backyard.  Momma forgot to take a pic of me retrieving my bumper way out in the lake...darn her!

Here we are back in the boat.  I got a little braver and went after a fish line and this really sharp thing got stuck in my paw pad.  I yelped like the dickens but they pulled out the hook before I stepped down on my foot.  Ouch!  Momma didn't get a picture of this as she was quite busy at the time.

After more than 2 hours of bugging Momma to get in the water, I finally settled down for a 2 minute nap.

Here's the clan...they are kind of stinky.  Judy won the derby again this year!

Nighty night in front of the tent!