We’re going to Lake Almanor!

So I’ll be out of town for the whole week. I’m leaving tomorrow for 6 days with the parents, sisters, in-law, niece and nephew up in good ol’ NorCal–the real NorCal–at Lake Almanor.

Lake Almanor is about an hour’s drive east of Chico, so I’ll be in my old stomping grounds yet again. I love it so much up there! When I’m in the mountains I feel my soul at peace. And Lake Almanor is such a beautiful mountainous area–the nearest town, Chester, is right on the water. There’s a lot for me to do up there.

Hiking trails are everywhere (the ones I’ll be using will be right next to the creeks). Countless creeks and streams flow into and out of the Lake, and I know every one of them. I’m going to be a fly fishin’ mofo every day. My sister Becky and her husband Heath love to fly fish too, so I’m really looking forward to finally sharing my secret fishing spots with someone. The fishing isn’t bad from the lakeshore either: I’ve seen some really big trout pulled out of that water.

There are a few golf courses up there, one is right against the lake shore. I haven’t played it yet, but I will this week with my dad, Becky, and Heath. Deborah isn’t much of a golfer, so I doubt she’ll want to go. Mom has never swung a golf club in her life.

I chose not to bring a tent this time. I’m going to sleep outside under the canopy of stars next to the fire. When I was a kid I’d sometimes sleep outside while camping in Yosemite. I remember thinking, “Look at all these stars! I don’t see hardly any at home, but up here there’s so many!”

I suppose we’ll swing into Chester every day for something or other. There’s some museums in town–a railroad museum and a lumberjack exhibit somewhere I’ve always wanted to go to. For Mom there are tons of antique shops all up and down the main street. In the afternoon we’ll go to one of the burger joints for a frosty cone, and we’ll sit on the deck and watch the bald eagles fly and swoop over the lake.

The thing I like best about Chester is that it retains that small mountain town feel. You won’t find any Wal Marts or McDonald’s up there. It’s all Mom & Pop places. Even the gas stations are locally owned. For about the last 4 years I’ve tried really, really hard to shop at Mom & Pop stores. I like to support small business men and women–I have a particular disdain for big business / corporate America. So this is my little protest. At any rate, I’ll be free in Chester to spread my dollars all over town with a clean conscience.

I wish Chester and Lake Almanor could remain somewhat of a secret, but the truth is that the Hollywood types are in on it. The Govinator has a cabin up there, and can sometimes be seen driving his Hummer around town. Rumor has it that Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford have places up there as well. With the new ski resort and the thousand or so condos planned (already sold out) I’m sure it won’t be long before Chester and Lake Almanor turn into an exclusive area =( Wait a minute, why am I telling you all this?

So I’m really looking forward to this trip. I’m know I won’t be able to sleep tonight. When I was little I’d get all excited the night before a trip and not be able to sleep. And then I’d be so tired on the drive that I’d sleep the whole way. I guess that worked out pretty well, haha! Now that I’m all grown up… I still get all excited the night before a trip, and I’m still not able to sleep!

Be back on Saturday…