Lake Texoma Redemption

Panoramic View of Lake Texoma from the Boat

In October of 2009, Joe, Kristi, Denny, and Carol took a memorable trip to Lake Texoma.  Memorable for many reason, but probably most notable for the weekend long rain storm that put a minor damper on our adventures (refer to the original Lake Texoma blog).

As we were planning our return trip to Lake Texoma (Big Mineral Marina and Campground), we eagerly looked forward to all of those activities that we had to forgo the first time around. Our trip was planned for Friday October 15 through Sunday October 17 -- two wonderful nights on the lake.

Camper Joe had to work until 6:00pm on Friday night.  Mom (Carol), Dad (Denny), and I (Kristi aka Cutie Scout) decided to head to the lake early Friday afternoon to get set up and settled in.  We wanted to enjoy a few hours of daylight before the night set in.
 

Beach Front Camp Site

  I picked a nice lakefront camp site right on the beach while Mom and Dad checked into their cute little cabin.  Once the parents unloaded their car, they took turns holding the dogs leashes while the other would help me get my tent set up.  It was a bright and sunny day.  Once I had the camp site set up, we enjoyed the day, the view, and each others company as the afternoon slipped by.

As the afternoon turned into evening, it was time to get a fire started to get ready for dinner and brighten our campsite.  Dad volunteered to get fire started.  We gathered around the camp fire waiting for cooking coals to form while we talked and waited for Joe to arrive.





There is no better burger than a burger cooked over an open campfire.  Joe arrived just as we were eating.  Our camping troop was complete.  We all decided to turn it in somewhat early as we had a full day planned for Saturday.  Mom and Dad retired to their little cabin while Joe and I got the campsite and dogs squared away for the evening.

The next morning, Joe got the fire going again.  Mom and Dad joined us shortly.  We heated up some sausage and egg breakfast tacos.  Penny and Bronte enjoyed playing fetch in the lake with sticks and tennis balls.  Joe and Dad formulated their fishing strategy for our afternoon boat rental.

Saturday afternoon, we rented a pontoon boat for the afternoon.  We hoped to have some luck catching some fish while meandering around the lake.  It was a glorious and warm Saturday afternoon.  It was one of those last days of summer before the fall officially sets in.  We had coolers packed with beer and snacks for lunch.  This was also a first for the dogs, as neither of them had ever been on a boat before. 

We were up and down the lake casting and trolling for fish.  We tried all sorts of hooks and lures.  But in the end, I was the only one to catch anything -- I caught a 30 pound pit bull.  Penny (a natural retriever) thought the bright fluorescent green lure (with two tri-hooks) was a toy.  After many minutes of watching us cast it out and reel it back in, she finally found her opportunity to jump at it.  Needless to say, there were a few moments of panic, but in the end the hook was caught up in her eye brow and came free without any problems.

Before we knew it, our four hour rental was over and it was time to return the boat to the marina.  We truly enjoyed our time on the boat (despite catching only a puppy).  We changed our clothes, put up our fishing gear, and returned to the camp site for fellowship and camaraderie.



For dinner, we enjoyed rib eye steaks and baked potatoes cooked over an open camp fire.  After an eventful day, we once again called it a day fairly early.  This was a good thing, because Joe and I were in for a bad night sleep.  Just to recap, the 2009 Texoma trip was marked by an all night thunderstorm that nearly blew our tent in.  This time around was not quite as dramatic, but we were challenged with a leaky air mattress.  We must have woken up 4 times throughout the night to re-inflate the mattress.  Finally, just before the sunrise, with nature calling and sick of dealing with the air mattress, we got up for good.

Joe headed up to the cabin to use the restroom.  I decided to embrace my early rising to watch the sun rise over the lake.  Penny, Bronte, and I sat on a beach towel on the sand and watched the sky changed from blue to purple to pink and eventually to orange as the sun peaked over the horizon.



I noticed that fish were biting at the surface of the water.  When Joe returned from his nature call, I encouraged him to grab his fishing gear and throw a few casts.  I am proud to say, that a puppy was not the only catch on this weekend adventure.  Joe caught himself a striper!!  Sweet redemption...