My first fish

This past week has been odd for the Cove. Nobody has been here. Old tenants moved out and new tenants haven't moved in yet. So, Aaron, Dirk, Whitney, and I decided to go camping. We went up the Farview Canyon to Huntington Reservoir. When we pulled up the wind was so nice on the lake that I could only think about one thing: sailing. Little did I know that I'd have a new adventure this trip. (P.S. I love editing pictures with Picnik, but these are too nice on their own)We set the tents up in a grove of trees by the shore. Whitney and I shared a tiny tent made for 2 adolescents. It was a little cramped, but we felt safer sleeping in cramped quarters than we would have if we were alone.

As the evening fell the lake became glass smooth. Aaron and I gathered firewood as Dirk and Whitney tried out the lake for fish.
It was so nice to get away from all of the worries of daily life. Early in the morning I couldn't believe how beautiful it was to look through the trees at the sunlight reflecting off of the lake. I now understand what I didn't two years ago. Camping is amazing.
In the morning we jumped back in the truck and headed around to another spot on the lake. After the men taught Whitney and I how to cast, they tried fishing while we ate granola bars. There weren't any real bites, so we decided to move on.
We drove down the dusty desert road until we found another reservoir. I didn't bother to check for its name. We climbed down the rocks to the water's surface, but once again, no fish.


We jumped in the car again, and found the most beautiful little pond. I didn't expect Potter's Pond to be so gorgeous in the middle of the desert.
Not only was it gorgeous, but it provided us with dinner. Aaron and I were eating Limón chips on the way to our spot, and it was a good thing, because we used the bag for our fish. Dirk hooked a fish and then gave me the rod to reel it in. Once he got it off the hook, he handed it to me. I'm pretty sure that I dropped it immediately!
Lets just say, I was expecting scaly not slimy! I had never held a fish anywhere away from the coast. Gotta love that reaction huh?
Well, not only was I tough enough to grab the thing, but Whitney got tough enough to try to gut it.
Dirk was the master fisher. While he was teaching Whitney I took his fishing rod and tried my luck at catching one all on my own.
Aaron's rod wasn't very good, but he finally got a fish big enough for dinner.
This was my biggest fish. I was the only one to catch an albino, and I caught not only one but two! Too bad we already had four fish gutted, because this one was big enough to eat. After a little more catch and release, we packed ourselves back up in the truck and headed to our camp site.
Aaron and Dirk packed the trout in tinfoil with butter, salt, and pepper. I have never been more proud to eat dinner.
Looking towards our campsite.
Notice the fish in the hands.
This is on the dam looking opposite the lake. When the repaired the dam in 1988, the backhoe operator discovered a mammoth skeleton. After we chilled around our campfire and explored the area that evening, we decided to make an evening run to Walker's in Fairview. That drive became one of those moments that I always want to remember. The stars were beautiful that night and we were driving down the mountain roads with music playing. I did a lot of thinking that trip, and the midnight break seemed like one of those moments from a movie. I wish things in life worked out a little easier, but at the same time, it's the stress of daily life, relationships, and decisions that make trips like this perfect.

After we got back to the site we started up our fire, and I asked everyone repeatedly if there was a storm coming. Everyone told me no. We sat and talked until around midnight. It was a creepy evening. We encountered a couple waiting for two hunters to return around our campsite. They were still there when we decided to go to bed. The wind was blowing in all directions, but Whitney and I were cozy in our little tent. Around 2:00 am the rain started, and we could hear the guys getting their rainflys out. By that time the couple had left, and I can only hope that they found the missing hunters.

The morning came cloudy and peaceful. We packed everything up and headed back to Provo.