A Tonsager Tribute: Harlan County Reservoir Rondevous

A summertime Nebraska trip is not complete without a trip to the lake. I remember spending most weekends on this lake most of the summer growing up. First I went shore fishing and bass boat fishing with my dad, uncles and grandpa. When I was 8, I had twin best friends with a boat and waterskis. They spent a few hours teaching me how to ski that summer and I was HOOKED!!! Grandpa bought a boat and a couple sets of skis by the next summer and we were all out there as much as possible taking turns skiing, tubing, swimming and fishing. BEST INVESTMENT EVER!!! I can't wait to invest in one of our own. A year or two after Grandpa bought his boat, Dad bought a jetski. AGAIN, BEST INVESTMENT EVER!!!! That was my life every summer until a coule years into college. The boys rode a few times over the past years until it finally died last summer :(

I make it a must to make a trip with the boys down to the lake each summer. We camped with my dad a couple summers ago and with my goal of 7 camping trips this summer, I figured we do it again. I didn't think it through too well. We were in a tent this time instead of the pop up camper. We were shoreline instead of in a campground in the coves. It was mid June instead of the beginning of June. It was a hot summer instead of a mild one. All these things added up to an impending disaster. Until the disaster hit, we had an absolute blast.....

We went to Turkey Days in Oxford and didn't get to our spots until late. Dad & Wayne had gone earlier in the day to scout out spots and drop off equipment. When we got there we quickly unloaded the rest before dark, then set up in twilight and by headlight. Then the men went night fishing while a storm rolled in.

We didn't pack the pack and play this time so Jakers just rolled around and explored until he finally crashed. Unfortunately he had already figured out the outside zipper so I had to outlast him and make sure he didn't escape. The other 3 boys went to sleep pretty quickly and Braden wanted to sleep in his new tent.

The view out our back window....

Apparently this is not enforced as it is a hot spot for setting up camp. Dad got there mid morning to reserve it and I can't tell you how many people drove up begrudged that the spot was taken...on a THURSDAY!!!

On the way down we had stopped at a bait shop.

The men fished for hours until the approaching storm that ended up "decaying" causing a HEAT BURST (explained below) which is a rare weather phenomenon which causes high wind. They didn't even get a bite possibly as a result of this weather!

So they tried to go out the next morning but the wind hadn't let up any and waves actually started coming over the boat! About that time GFP came around and advised all boats off the water. Bummer.

While they were gone the boys and I hung out on the bluff around the camp site.

They rode bikes and made secret paths and secret lairs while I put my feet up with some iced tea and some good reads. RELAXATION.

There was a tractor dredging and combing the beach. It got in a moist spot and got stuck!!! It tried for hours to get out and finally was rescued by another tractor. The boys loved watching.

Camping Food...

What to do when you can't boat....To the beach it is!!!!!

There was an epidemic of lady bug infestation.....only they were biters!!!! Ladybugs aren't supposed to bite, or be so many in numbers, so these were actually a vicious little beetle called Asian Lady Beetles (more info here)!!!! They were absolutely everywhere making them annoying and unnerving. I was actually getting grossed out and mad.

I went exploring the cliffs for fossils and arrowheads. No luck on the arrowheads this time, but I did find a few fossils and wrote my name in the cliff. My feet about burnt off in the hot sand.

Dad had bought a new water toy. A water trampoline. It was pretty fun. The wind kept blowing it around though so Dad and Wayne ended up holding it while the boys were on it. They started getting brave and doing flips off of it.

They also played "catch the kid" throwing the kids back and forth and flipping them in the air.

Then there was the skipping rock-a-thon

and sand castle building...

BEACH BUMS!!!!

Trying to keep the beetles off my baby!

When we got back to camp I didn't realize how long we had been out in the sun and in the water. The water acts as a mirror of course and sunscreen long wore off by the end of the first hour. I couldn't get enough water and ended up with second and third degree burns on my shoulders!!!!! We decided to pack up and head back home. Mom made us microwave s'mores and we put in a Natural Disaster movie instead. I felt like a party pooper, but everyone else was worn out and overheated as well.

On our way home we stopped at my aunt and uncle's house. We heard about storms back home in SD that I was sorry to be missing!!! The neighbors sent me some pictures....

We did haircuts and checked out the fire damage to Liz & Jim's garage from weeks before. They still question arson and are lucky to have gotten to it before it moved on to the house. Jake absolutely loved their puppies of course!!!