A WEEKEND GETAWAY TO TINCAMP

Mark was recently inducted into a fishing/hunting/relaxation camp in Potter County. This is the same camp my Uncle Roy belonged to and my dad (Reynold) went to many a times. My brother Tom has been a member for many years as has my brother-in-law Doc and his son Brian.

Mark and Steve went with the rest of the members back in June for a spring cleanup and they had a great time. This trip was just the two of us. It was a beautiful weekend and the drive was great. It's so neat to go through these little towns and then you drive a little bit and "boom" - the mountains are smack in front of you. There is a reason why they call it "God's Country".

We got there around 5 p.m. Friday and Mark was going through the steps of opening up the camp. When he turned on the water, there was a pretty good leak so we had to shut it off. "Great" he says "we're screwed". Well, no biggee, we can rough it and just sponge bath if we have to. Well after we got looking at the problem and then found the mini-hardware store inside, I was confident it could be fixed. We had to run to Gavelson for plumbers tape on Saturday, but be darned, it worked! (Mark says I'm a handy wife to have around).

The beds have a little bit to be desired (OK, a lot). I did noto sleep very well and was actually up before Mark. We made some coffee and decided to go for a little walk while the dew was still on the trees. It was actually pretty cool and I got some neat pixs. We then took a ride to Bush Dam and he showed me where the Illigs camps were.. We then went down to the store to see if we could get a paper, but they only have weeklies (which were now already days old). So we decided we would stay in town and have lunch. Well, they didn't open for another half an hour. If you have ever been in Cross Fork, there's not much to do unless the bar or the restaurant is open. So we decided to go back to camp. We got the water fixed so we could now get showers. It was a good afternoon just to kick back and relax. The neighbors from the camp above came down to see how we were making out with the water. They were surprised we even had any as their well was dry. They then invited us to dinner at their camp. The meal was delicious -- strip steaks, fried potatoes, cole slaw, home baked bread. It sure beat the sandwiches Mark & I were planning on having. We sat around the fireplace after dinner and had some great conversations. When we left, it was a little scary. We had a flashlight, but it is SOOOOO dark up there. I kept thinking the bears would smell the steak and be around. We made it back OK, but did hear a loud thud outside shortly after. We looked out the windows but couldn't see anything.

Mark fell asleep early Sat night so I found myself looking through the old photo albums and reading journal entries that have been posted for many years now. So cool!

We had a wonderful weekend. Mark told me he's so glad I like it up there. I really do. There's just this peace that comes over you as soon as you start up the mountain road for the 4 mile drive back to the cabin. The air actually smells different. The peace, quiet and solitude are what every person needs to experience. We hope to make many trips back.