Hic est September, to paraphrase my poorly retained high school Latin.
Late August light.
In the Yukon, September is fall. Let’s face it, fall starts in August with the change in light, the turning of the leaves, and the descent into cooler, wetter weather.
I grew up on the east coast, where fall was a riot of multicoloured leaves and cool evenings but warm days through into October. I remember walking the Clyburn valley one late October weekend with the temperatures above 28°C.
That extreme a temperature is not going to be found here. By September, we tend to be rainy and cooler. Currently, it’s trying rather hard to rain and 10°C.
This time of year is a reminder that those chores that need good weather are needing to be done soon. Any painting, siding, etc., that you’ve put off should be moved up the to do list rather soon. I will not be going this weekend for Labour Day, since I wouldn’t get a site this late and I have things to do that a long weekend allow me to approach with plenty of time, and according to the forecast, plenty of good weather.
However, I do have a fondness of fall camping. Actually, it’s a fondness for fall lake trout fishing with camping thrown in to season the adventure. It’s rather nice to go a lake close to home and commute this time of year. It’s still relatively light to make early morning drives a lot safer and there are campgrounds within a one-hour commute from home.I have a friend who, along with her husband, doesn’t even start camping until the Thanksgiving Day weekend in October. I’m considering extending my season until the end of October if possible this year, myself. And, with that in mind, I probably won’t miss summer that badly.
So, all things being equal, I’ll probably be out camping the weekend coming after this one. After all, there is wine needing to be consumed around a campfire, marshmallows needing roasting, and fish needing to be caught and fried up. Keep that in mind, since we do like company…
The second camping trip of the year commences! Again, we headed to Fox Lake for a bit of “out of town” and a bit of fishing if the weather was to work out. It would be a bit of a broken trip, since I had to come back into town on Friday. To do this, my daughter drove out with Clara’s truck so I could come back in.
Our first day was a lazy one. I drove out in the motorhome with the cats. We tried a new experiment with bringing them in separate carriers. This was not a successful as I would have liked, since the soul rending meowing from Furball made it hard to concentrate on the road. However, we did make it to the lake without incident.
Our site for the weekend.
We spent most of the day setting up, since we brought far more stuff with us this time. Eventually, we settled down to sleep, with the cats settling for the upper bunk, at first. Darcy did show up several times for a head bump and to make sure my beard was appropriately groomed. Clara’s cheeks apparently needed washing on several occasions through the night. She did finally head back up to the upper bunk and fell asleep with on her sooky blanket with her stuffy. She may be Daddy’s Little Panther, but she’s Daddy’s little baby, too.
June 11
Day 2 was a lazy day. I didn’t bring the boat out since the forecast was quite windy for Wednesday and Thursday, and I thought I would wait to bring the boat Friday. It was gusty most of the day and so far, I haven’t had the awning up except for a few hours today.
We used the occasion to have a lazy day. Several naps were the high point of Thursday, since the joy pf camping is saying, “Screw it, I’m going to read or lay down for a while.” Even the cats jumped into the schedule with full abandon.
I have noticed we seem to be using more water than budgeted. This may take some consideration. We had a late supper, and eventually settled down to sleep. Yes, this did involve some more beard grooming, but this has become a nightly ritual.
June 12
We woke early, so I could go back into town, get my knee X-rayed, get the boat, and do a bit of shopping. It is obvious we are using way more water than I had hoped with the original plan of staying until Sunday. The grey and black tanks are also 2/3 full. We need to work on water management better. I did bring back another large water jug in case we run out. Filling the grey and black tanks is a small issue compared to having no water at all. Yes, it sounds a bit odd parked next to a lake but giardia is not my idea of a fun time.
Furball was pretty desolate on the way home, so I decided we should try putting them in a bigger, single carrier. We did that when I took them to the vet but they hissed and howled at each other and I figured Darcy was going to murder poor Furball in his carrier. The handle on the carrier broke, so we took it back and bought two single carriers. We put them in the bigger one and Darcy was hissing in less than five minutes. I think there’s no way I’m going to win on this so we’ll try using the bigger carrier for a while. They did drive to Whitehorse from Port Alberni in the same sized carrier so this shouldn’t be an issue.
We got back around supper time and it was quite windy, blowing hard from the north with thick white caps. I held off launching the boat until after supper when the weather turned rather calm. I had the boat tied to the dock and it was shortly after that the wind came up again, and again from the north. I took and potential plans of a late night fishing trip on dead calm water, like it was the previous night when we went to bed. I went back to the dock and checked my lines three times before going to bed. I did cheat and make sure I tied it bow into wind at the dock.
I will certainly say one thing. I’ve seen several different cloud formations this weekend. The clearing sky to the north at midnight this evening was a bit odd looking, for sure.
Clouds.
June 13
The wind was as bad or worse today. I checked my lines earlier in the morning and retied them. I managed to wear away some of the dock, the boat was bouncing so much. There seemed to be no indication it would die down anytime soon and I spent a fair amount of time thinking of hauling it out and taking it home, rather than waiting until the next day.
The wind at Fox Lake.
I did make one minor goof. We brought all of the cats’ leads home and in forgot to bring them back to the campsite with us. All there was left was a short leash in the truck. This meant you could only take one for a walk at a time, meaning there was much unhappiness from the one left behind. This ended as part of the windy weather, since neither one was out for long before crying to go back into the camper.
We did discover that friends whose cottage is next to the campsite were there for a bit and we dropped in after supper, and after I had pulled the boat. This was not an easy task, although the wind wasn’t the problem. Someone in their infinite wisdom parked their boat trailer in front of mine. I had to wiggle it out by hand and the language that may have accompanied the task was not for all audiences.
By the time the boat was fully put away and I put a fire in, the lake had calmed down considerably. I wasn’t totally surprised since it had to stop blowing eventually. But, it was after 10 PM and I wasn’t turning around and relaunching the boat, only to have to take it out again tomorrow morning anyway.
Suffice to say, the lake turned a little nicer, although not nice enough to justify throwing the boat back in…
Nice sunset looking north.Midnight, looking south towards town.
June 14
We got up early today. We opted to skip breakfast (actually I skipped breakfast, since Clara got up earlier than I did), and got the two vehicles packed up to head back. We still need to figure out the organization of the camper a bit. This was done under the watchful eye of Furball who figured something was up. Darcy was too wound up to care until I put her in the camper for the drive home. Since Clara took the truck, I put the carrier in the passenger seat so they could see me while we were driving. This started with Darcy grooming Furball, followed by Darcy hissing and spitting at him 30 seconds later. I told them to settle down and, oddly enough it did. They were both asleep in two minutes and stayed that way most of the way home.
All in all, a nice weekend despite the lack of fishing. I’m sure I can find a chance to fix that situation in the near future…
Well, my parts request just took a funny turn today. I got an email from Rapala this morning. The email was forwarded including a previous mail from someone else in Rapala to send a parts diagram. The part of the email directed to me asked for my mailing address, including a full address if I had a PO box.
I responded with my address and then thought for a minute. Couldn’t they just have emailed me a PDF? I thought about emailing back suggesting that after work.
I actually got off work early. A water main was broken and they had to shut off the water at work. We all got sent home and the college was closed. I checked my email to send a request that they just email me a PDF if possible. What I got was this:
Hi Doug, Mailed out one MGII reel. Final warranty/replacement. Kind regards,
Mary
I was a wee bit surprised. I would have been quite content with repairing it. Suffice to say, I’ve repaired enough reels in my time. The reel was less than a year old, but I never even mentioned warranty.in my emails.
So, I may not give Rapala huge marks for ongoing maintenance help, but they do score well in the customer service area…
I’ll admit to being spoiled. Over the years, the reels I’ve owned have tended to be Penns, Daiwas, and Shakespeares. Reels take wear and tear and occasionally need repairs. In the case of all three manufacturers, all you have to do these days is go to the corporate website, find the parts diagrams online, and order the parts.
In those halcyon days before the internet, all reels came with parts diagrams in the box. This is why I’m spoiled.
Last year, I bought a rod and trolling reel combo as a “pick your own birthday present” thing. I decided it was time to step into the next century, or the current one at least, and get a trolling reel with a line counter. I picked up a Rapala combo from Canadian Tire.
Now, less than a year later, the reel basically fell apart. The level wind stopped functioning, as did the line counter, and the reel jammed. I took it apart and found a number of pieces cheerfully floating around, enjoying their newfound freedom from those restraints that kept them in the places where they were previously located. Such exuberant freedom cannot be tolerated, so I reassembled the parts in their appropriate position, reassembled the cover, and immediately watched the results of them escaping again. Some retaining piece, not contained in the reel body and located somewhere undiscoverable, is not there.
Going online to the Rapala site was useless. I couldn’t find a parts diagram. Actually, I couldn’t even find the reel on the site by its model number. So, with their somewhat limited Contact Us link on the page, I asked for a parts diagram so I could order repair parts.
Credit where credit is due, I got a response in about 12 hours. However, the request was for the parts I wished to order. How do I know this when I don’t have a parts diagram? I suppose I could have asked for the doodad that goes on the end of the whatchamacallit, but figured I should probably point out that I need the parts listing to order the parts I need. I’m still waiting for the response.
At this point, I’m thinking that the rod is quite nice, and the reel, useful for nothing else as is, did come with a lot of really good fishing line…
Camping on Labour Day has become a family tradition in our household. This was a bit odd, in that I was the only one who went out this year.
I’ll admit, it was nice to get out at least one more time this year. At this point, our weather can go pretty “iffy” but I’m still holding out hope for more fall to come. Camping can be quite nice this time of year. There’s no bugs to speak of and the weather can be pleasant if you’re prepared for the odd nippy morning. And, with the leaves changing, particularly at higher elevations, the scenery is wonderful.
Fall fishing can be good, although this weekend was not spectacular. I went to Fox Lake, and despite the normal trend over the last few years for Fox to pick up after Discovery Day and Kusawa to tail off, the fishing was a bit sparse.
My choice off campground was based on more than fishing. I have found, over the past years that Fox Lake has become more of the family campground, while Kusawa Lake campground has become party central. Kusawa can be downright noisy through the night, and the YTG camp officers can’t be everywhere all the time. It’s not as bad as the government campground at Pine Lake, though…
I did get one lake trout: small, about 2 lbs. What struck me as odd this year is that the surface temperature of the lake is quite warm, 55° F throughout the entire weekend. I usually see it about 49° or 50° by this time in the fall. That probably explained why the fish were still down quite deep in the water column. Most of what I saw were hanging around clouds of bait fish in the 60 – 90′ range. Trying to get a line down that far, without snagging the bottom at the same time is not easy.
I had a few complications. My relatively new (bought late last year) Rapala trolling reel fell apart. The line counter quit earlier this year, and I hadn’t fixed it because you can’t even find a parts diagram online. The level wind crapped out this weekend.
Fortunately, my 20+ year old Penn was also in the boat. I did put it on my good rod and used it. Its one issue is that the clicker isn’t working, but I do have the online parts diagram from Penn and will check to see which one of two possible parts needs replacing. My 10 year old Penn 190 also needs a bit of repair, but both of these are off season repair plans. When winter comes, a little diversion that makes you think of spring coming is perfectly good, right?
The weather was a bit strange. It followed the progression of sunny, sun showers, cloudy with showers, just cloudy. Repeat as necessary. There was a slight interlude with a bit of hail with the sunshowers at one point while fishing Sunday afternoon.
I’m not ready to put either the camper or the boat away yet. The issue with the camper is freezing temperatures and when the local sani-dumps close up. I may fix that issue since I’m calling our plumber tomorrow to see about having a dump attached to the house sewer system. Putting the boat away usually doesn’t happen until some time in October. The Environment Department is planning to keep 10 campgrounds serviced until the end of September, and they usually are available without services until the end of October for the hardy.
I will say one thing about the fall. I’m not the biggest fan of what it portends in the future, but it is damn pretty…
Did you ever start one of those little jobs that seem to multiply into big ones? That’s how my Sunday has gone.
I ordered a part for the inflatable boat, a Mercury HD, in the spring. The drain vent, which has a sliding handle that is used for draining the inside of the boat, had to be replaced. The handle broke off mine last year, and I had to order one since there were none in stock.It seemed to take forever to come in. Apparently it did in June, but no one called me to say it had until I called in late July. And, with the road trip, I didn’t get a chance to put it in until today.
The handle is a necessity, since you can drain the boat simply by running up to speed in the water and lifting the handle. The water runs out of the boat but the valve prevents new water from entering if you’re running. Without it, you have to take the boat out of the water to drain it. Given the amount of rain we’ve had this year, the ability to drain it is handy.
Here’s the issue. To remove two of the three screws in the vent to take the old one off, and to put the new one on, you have to take off the outboard and remove the floorboards. Anyone who has helped me do this before is probably gnashing their teeth and rending their clothing as they read the last sentence.
The floorboards are a bone of contention with the boat. When I first bought it four years ago, the salesman said, “Until the fabric stretches a bit, you may find getting the floorboards in a bit difficult.” If that was difficult, what is a hardship to the guy? The first time took four of us 4½ hours and my grandson wouldn’t talk to me for a week.
That being said, I did get the job done, after about two hours. Actually, it’s almost done since I have to go out in a few minutes and drop the motor back on it. It was “a bit” frustrating replacing the floorboards, but since I only took one piece of the five out, it was easier than it could have been. I also had another job to do. Since they haven’t been out of the boat in two years, cleaning underneath them seemed an important thing to do. Blech.
So, once again, the little fish killer, which Clara named, “Ruatha,” is ready to go back to work. This is important, because I’m developing a craving for smoked trout as I sit here…
I went to Fox Lake yesterday in hopes to get a bit of fishing in on the weekend. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that there was some function going on at the picnic shelter at the campground.
There were more than 40 cars parked in the shelter area and around the boat launch. More than a dozen were actually parked in the approach to the launch itself.
Launching the boat would be difficult, although not impossible. However, there would have been no place to park the truck and trailer after getting the boat into the water.
I haven’t got the faintest idea what was going on. However, I must admit it’s a bit selfish to block off something supposed to be for a specific purpose for some other reason.
Oh, well. I suppose it was also a nice day for a drive…
It’s a beautiful day, warm but not too hot, a light wind, and sunny. It’s a perfect day to do some more yard work. I did fill some of the knots in the top railing of the back deck and went down to the hardware store to pick up some sandpaper to sand and then, prime them.
I also have a few other things to do. One of those is painting the shelving unit that was on the deck so it can go somewhere else, as well as painting some of the deck chairs I have been thinking of completing and staining for a while.
With the perfect conditions, there’s only one thing to do. If you’re looking for me, I’ve gone fishing…
Another Labour Day weekend has ended, or at least, will have ended officially when I go to work this morning. This tends to mark the end of summer for us.
Frost on the picnic table at Fox Lake campground, Yukon, Labour Day, 2012.
The weather has already started changing. It is windy, “fall-ish,” and there was frost on the picnic table at the campsite yesterday morning. This morning is quite windy and dark and the leaves are changing. In short, it seems that summer is truly over.
That being said, there is nothing wrong with Fall. The colours are vivid and make our stunning scenery even more attractive to just sit and enjoy. Fall fishing can be quite good, although dressing warmly is a necessity. The coho should be running so both fresh and salt water fishing are an option. And, the camper does have a furnace that is more than capable of heating the inside to a toast temperature for those late season nights, even if it is capable of sucking the battery dry quite quickly as well as it is capable of generating warmth. I’m not that worried since I bought a new generator last week and recharging is a relatively easy task.
We traditionally go camping on the Labour Day weekend. We missed out last year because I was still in the hospital following surgery, so getting out was an important point this year. Also, our summer was somewhat shortened by my heading out of town for an extended period following the death of my father and that was followed up by a bit more surgical repair work. We went to Fox Lake campground (N61º W14.6 135º 27.7′) on Friday evening and came back yesterday afternoon. I got some fishing in and the new boat has finally had a fish in it. I caught four lake trout, although two of them went back into the lake to get bigger. I’ll put them in brine before going to work this morning and will throw them on the smoker tonight after work. Smoked trout is a tasty treat.
But now, I must remember that Labour Day weekend is followed by labour. Classes officially start today, although I’ve actually had two courses running for the past two weeks. And, with the official start of classes, I must make the transition from wearing my belt knife to wearing a Blackberry in it’s place and thinking of classes rather than this…
Well, I’m taking a hiatus from fixing the camper. I have to admit, it has been frustrating. The new tank is installed and is perfect. However, trying to repair the water lines has driven me to distraction.
I thought I finally had everything in place yesterday. I pressured the system up and had one small leaking connection. And, obviously, the nut on the compression fitting hadn’t been snugged up properly. So, I tightened it up, and no leaks! Oops, sorry, no leaks at that fitting. However, where the water line joins the hot water heater now gushes water out faster than all get out. There’s nothing quite like the spray of water under pressure.
So, I’m taking the tools out and cleaning the camper. The battery is charged and I think I’ll spend my day getting it ready to take out for a couple of days. I’ll just pack water containers and worry about getting the last connection fixed later. There are places to go, things to see, and fish to catch. I think I’d rather spend my time camping rather than fixing the camper for a little while…
Doug Rutherford 