Man Camp 2010

[9dawgs]

Hello All, I haven't posted in awhile but I have been lurking every now and again to see what everyones up to. My sons and I had our annual Man Camp last month so I thought I'd post a few pictures. We didn't get as many as I would have liked but there are a few funny ones in the bunch. The rule was that you had to have facial hair to camp so I was in but my youngest Daniel who tried to grow a beard just couldn't make it grow. He did show with some peach fuzz though so he was accepted :>)

We camped at Chassawitzka River again this year but got started a little late. It was hot, humid and the mosquitos were relentless...did I say it was hot? But the river was amazing as usual. You can't beat a cool Florida spring fed crystal clear river on a hot afternoon. Enjoy the photos:

loaded up and ready to leave



around the fire


redneck facial hair...



lunch for some..I had a Bubba Burger with Cheese & Chili



more light play...it is actually a pretty accurate image of what the mosquitos were doing...


davinci man?


couldn't stand the pink & green hull anymore so I painted on some Florida Camo when I got home


I used 4 different colors and palmetto & ferns for stencils


I think it turned out ok


looked so good I decided to build a motor mount for my little 3.5hp Champion


bow


stern

Camp Lessons Learned:
1. Never camp in Florida after March...without a/c...
2. Deet 40% does not stop Florida swamp mosquitos...
3. Do not drive off with your Sport-Z tent attached to the bumper...
4. Do not wear wet swim trunks all night in Florida heat...

Canoe Power Lessons Learned:
1. 3.5HP is a lot for a canoe...
2. Canoe with 3.5HP is unstable without a load or another body in the front...
3. My awesome Samsung Rugby cell phone is waterproof!

[snapple]

Great to hear from you!
Love the pics! Canoe looks great! But the lessons learned was the best!

[Smiliesafari]

How long have you lived in Florida?????????????? You know those swamp skeeters drink deet for breakfast.

[mdmead]

Love the paint job on the canoe! Pretty neat ol' outboard for it too.

Thanks for sharing!

[astrozam]

Nice pics, good to hear you're still breathing, i'm liking the camo paint job as well

[9dawgs]

How long have you lived in Florida?????????????? You know those swamp skeeters drink deet for breakfast.

Haha, pretty much most of my life except for 23 yrs in the military... I know better too. My boys convinced me to go camping against my better judgement! It's all good though, we had a blast.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

Love the pics! It's great to see a family all together enjoying life. We will be doing our first camping trip this weekend...can't wait.

Camo paint looks great and the lessons learned made me laugh!

[kings-x59]

that is a hoot!
looks like a good time had by all...especially the mosquitos.
saw a rig like that on a canoe years ago, with a trolling motor.

[crash]

great lessons learned

love that van had it as my desktop background for awhile. Jen said; "you aren't doing that to ours are you?" .. LOL.. i can dream

[9dawgs]

that is a hoot!
looks like a good time had by all...especially the mosquitos.
saw a rig like that on a canoe years ago, with a trolling motor.

Yes, a trolling motor is the preferred power for canoes I guess. I wanted MORE POWER

I looked for canoe motor mounts online before I decided to build one myself. They cost anywhere from $100-150 plus shipping for what looked like cheap materials. Mine is made of solid oak that I had laying around my garage plus some mount bolts I had from an old broken trolling motor. The only thing I actually bought was $5 worth of lag bolts, nuts and washers.

The motor is a 1941 Champion 3.5hp that I've had for years. I rebuilt and repainted it. It runs like a top and pushes the canoe very well I just need to remember to put some weight in the front for stability! When I did my sea trials on it's first powered voyage I was in it by myself and went overboard when I tried to turn at almost full throttle...I grabbed the side and went for a ride until I could reach up and pull the plug wire off. The problem was with the bow so light I was running with a nose up attitude and loss stability. Never flipped the canoe though. I swam it back to shore. Next attempt will be in shallower water with my co-pilot Daniel up front for weight!

[9dawgs]

I got some more pictures. These are of our time on the river. The videos you'll have to click the link to view. They are of some trips through one of the caves. Stephen brought his waterproof digital camera that had a video function. Hope you guys enjoy


getting ready to launch


splash down


My son Zac in all his redneck glory.


My son Tim on the ascent.


Tim hanging from the tree like a bearded monkey.


Cooling off in one of the springs after a looong paddle..this spring was actually salt & fresh water (brackish), that's why the water was a little murky. In this picture from left to right are my sons Justin & Zac, my friends son Stephen and my daughter-in-law's brother Jesse.

Here are two links to the cave dive videos. They are both awesome

http://s185.photobucket.com/albums/x186 ... 010244.flv

http://s185.photobucket.com/albums/x186 ... 010245.flv

[6spd_monte]

Neat pictures and sweet videos, thanks for sharing!

[T.Low]

Ha! Great stuff, Jim! You sure there aint no gators in that there water?

[T.Low]

nothing like a good man camp to get a fellar to post again! Good seein ya and looks like a great time. Nice job on the canoe.

[9dawgs]

nothing like a good man camp to get a fellar to post again! Good seein ya and looks like a great time. Nice job on the canoe.

Haha! Yep, man camp gets your mind back in the right place to appreciate the good things in life. I'll try to be a little more visable on here. Life has been very busy lately. With the summer months approaching it's time once again to enjoy what we have here in Florida and the reason so many snowbirds relocate to the Sunshine State.