Abigail took her maiden voyage this past week. Abigail (Abby for
short) is Alene Creager’s new 19-foot tent trailer. She bought it
off of Craig’s List, and she and Abby left Gilroy early Friday
morning with her mom, 75-year-old Alice.
Abigail took her maiden voyage this past week. Abigail (Abby for short) is Alene Creager’s new 19-foot tent trailer. She bought it off of Craig’s List, and she and Abby left Gilroy early Friday morning with her mom, 75-year-old Alice.
“When I bought the tent trailer, part of it was wanting to take my mom camping at least once,” Creager said.
By 10:30 a.m. they had reached Clark Fork on the Stanislaus River (north of Sonora), made camp, set everything up and were eating lunch.
“After lunch we went fishing for rainbow trout. My mom limited out fairly quickly, and I caught four (limit is five per day, 10 in possession).
After my mom limited, she was my fish caddy, taking the fish I caught off my hook and putting them on the stringer.”
Creager is still using the rod and reel she got for her high school graduation. “I love my pole and reel!” she said. “My three kids (all in college now) used to argue over who was going to inherit my reel … I went on eBay and managed to get each of them one (they are no longer made). This way I don’t have to worry about them knocking me off for my fishing equipment!
“We went back to camp and started a fire,” she continued her story. “Then I made a marinade for the steak I’d brought, and we put it to ‘soak.’ When the fire was hot enough we grilled the steak and some corn my mom had wrapped in foil with butter, salt and pepper.
“The next morning we got up, put the coffee on to perk (we got it ready the night before and set it on the stove in the trailer), had breakfast and headed out to fish. We stopped at the ‘secret fishing hole.’ Over the years, my family has named every favorite fishing spot – ‘Grandmother’s rock,’ ‘The secret swimming hole,’ ‘The muddy path,’ ‘The Brookie spot,’ etc. Having such names helped us always know where each person was.
“We now had 18 fish in possession. We talked about finding someone to give some fish to. That afternoon we drove to Dardanelle’s Store for ice. When the kids and I used to camp, we’d go and get ice cream bars at Dardanelle’s and sit on the porch eating them. I love that place! My mom asked them if they wanted fish and they said yes, they’d love fish! We gave them five.
“We went back to camp and started a fire for dinner. We wrapped the fish in foil with butter, salt and pepper and put them on the coals once the fire had burnt down a bit. Yum. Another night we made ‘Boy Scout Dinners.’ My stepdad was a Scoutmaster, and I had grown up camping with the Scouts.
This was one of the favorite meals from their guidebook. You put a patty of hamburger meat on foil, top it with slices of red onion and chopped up potatoes and carrots, and cook it in the coals of the fire. I love these things! Add ketchup and mustard and you have a great meal (and it’s even low fat!).
“After dinner we sat by the fire and talked, as we did every night. This had been something she and I shared in the past. I remember as a 5-year-old, her fishing beside me and helping me get my snags unsnagged. My mom and I are already planning our next trip. I’ve decided this is the summer of Abigail and Alice. I hope it is only the first of many summers of that name.”
