I Never Kid

“So, let me just say that the scenery here is everything you said it would be. What a gorgeous drive, Unc!”

“You like? I had a feeling you'd agree.”

“And those fish down there were HUGE! And the Sinks? I mean, the river just runs into the cliff and disappears!”

“Yeah, and you ain't seen nothin' yet! The fun's just about to start! Look up the side of the hill.”

“Holy shit! Switchbacks?”

“Yep! We're about to go for a bit of a climb. No worries, though, the Suburban has plenty of power to haul the camping trailer up, but if we run into anyone coming down while were in one of those turns, it could get pretty interesting. Speaking of which - ”

“Damn!”

“Hah! Guess I should've kept my mouth shut. Hi there! Will your pickup squeeze by us okay? If I can pull forward just a few more feet, I can give you more room to get by the trailer. Perfect, thanks!”

“Want me to jump out and guide you, Unc?”

“Nah, we're okay. Just sit tight and don't look down. Haha!”

“Yeah, you just had to say it, huh? Damn, that's a steep drop!”

“Sure is. The trick is not to drop. Thanks again, sir! Have a safe trip down!”

“Please, tell me there's not much more of this!”

“One more right turn, another left turn, and we'll be on top!”

“Good. I need to pee!”

“Hah! Okay. There's a campground not far ahead, unless you want to wait until we get to ours.”

“Um, no, I think I'd better go.”

“Okie doke, we're on top. There's the first campground.”

“Looks busy.”

“It's a popular area. We're just here for the restroom, though. Go ahead, I'll wait 'til we get to the lake.”

“Be right back!”

“All good?”

“Yep. Thanks!“

“No problem. Still plenty of time. I used to rent a boat at the lodge, but since we've got mine loaded on top of the pop-up, we'll be fine.”

“I still can't believe you got the boat and motor as cheap as you did!”

“Yeah, I got really lucky, and it's perfect for these lakes up here. Especially the one we'll be on, since the little seven-and-a-half horse outboard is allowed. They don't let you use anything over ten here.”

“Cool! Think we'll get on the water today?”

“I figured I'd drive around to the dock, unload the boat and leave you with it for a minute while I unhook the trailer at our site and then drive back down and park right beside the dock while we go out. I'll grab one of the turn-out campsites just outside the campground, and the boat will be fine at the dock overnight when we're done. We'll use the lock and chain, and the Rangers keep an eye on things at night, too.”

“Man, there's a lot of people heading out of the campground!”

“Yeah, that's one of my favorite things about this place. Most of the traffic is day trippers that drive up from Lander with their families and leave about four o-clock or earlier. Here we are!”

“Good Lord, what a pretty lake! Water's pretty choppy, though.”

“Yeah, but just trust me, Nephew. You're about to find out my favorite thing about this place. There we go, she's on the water. I'll tie it off, and if you want to you can go ahead and get the outboard swung down and the tanks hooked up. See you in a minute!”

“Okay!”

“Ready to go?”

“All hooked up and idling! Still some waves, though.”

“Oh, you're gonna' love this! Want to take us out? Just keep the bow pointed into the chop and head out to the middle.”

“Cool!”

“Okay, this is good. Just shut it down. No, no anchor. Just let it drift. Now, wait and watch.”

“Holy shit! The wind quit!”

“Yep. Get your fly rod rigged up. Have you got a size 16 Blue Dunn? Here, I have a coupe of spares.”

“Damn, the water's like glass! And look at those circles!”

“Yep. Pick one and drop your fly into it.”

“YES!”

“There ya' go! I've got the net ready. Not bad, Nephew! Sixteen inches! You can catch 4 more Rainbows twenty inches or less, then you gotta' quit. I'll be casting the other direction.”

“Man, you really weren't kidding about this place!”

“I never kid about fishing, Nephew!”

***

Author's Note: Although this place exists, I've never taken my nephew there. This is exactly how I imagine it would be. Maybe one day...