As promised, here are some excerpts from my personal journal while on my first fishing trip to Canada. We went to Lake Kipawa in Quebec Canada, about a 12 hour drive. We left Thursday June 28th after work and stayed until Tuesday July 3rd. We arrived at home at about 2:30 a.m. on July 4th.
Day One – I am on a fishing trip with Todd Kandel and his son Nick and John Troyer. Todd & John are in my small group at church. The more I reflect on life, the more I see it as an adventure that is constantly changing. I need to continue to stay faithful in my daily walk with God. If I can stay focused on God He will direct me and give me the wisdom I need to follow Him.
End of Day One – The Perfect day, almost. Today I caught my first walleye and my first lake trout. I caught a total of three walleye, my limit is six per day. We cooked the fish and ate them, wow is walleye good! It rained and stormed a while, so we took a nap before heading back out. We saw a complete rainbow across the lake. This is an amazing, beautiful place. God is Good!
Day Two – Today was cold and wet. The fish were not biting, so we went exploring around the lakes, bays and rivers. Eli is the guy that has the cabins we are staying in and he is leading us around the lake. We have two boats, Eli’s son and friend are with us as well. They are leaving Sunday. Eli is a great host.I caught caught two more walleye, but we did not keep them. We got caught in a downpour and had to cover ourselves with a tarp in the boat until it stopped. This is really a great place. Several times throughout the day I had to smile to myself as I took in the scenery.
Day Three – Today was windy and cold and the fishing was not that good until evening. I caught three more keeper walleye. I am glad I brought long sleeved shirts and long pants. Overall it was a good day. I am reminded how good it is to relax and have fun. I have not been keeping track of time, no watch, no cell phone, no radio. We eat when we are hungry and sleep when we are tired. Today John caught a 21″ walleye, the biggest yet. I have learned a lot on this trip so far. Like how to tie a proper knot for your jig hook, how to fish with leeches and jigs, how to cook fish and even drive a boat. All this fishing has brought back memories from when I was young and loved to go fishing. This may be a new hobby!
Day Four – Today we hiked to the top of a lookout over the lake. It was about a mile or more up hill, but was it worth it. The view was incredible. From up there we got the perspective on how large this place is. It reminds me how small we are in this huge world. Even though we are small, God knows us and loves us, WOW. I am listening to “Everlasting God” by Todd Fields, “We will wait upon the Lord, our hope our strong deliverer, You don’t grow weary, Your the defender of the weak, You comfort those in need.”
I also have been reading “This Beautiful Mess” by Rick McKinley. I am reminded that we are called to care for this world we live in and the people in it. Taking care of the less fortunate and being responsible to the earth were themes in his book. God is still working on me, pruning some of the bad branches and cleaning up areas in my heart that are not good.
We just finished eating supper at 11:45 p.m. Fish, potatoes with onions, garlic butter and cheese. John can sure eat. He ate a bowl of cereal and finished off some other stuff after eating the fish and potatoes.
Day Five – We got up early (5:30) to get out and get some fishing in before we leave at noon. It was a fun morning. The fish were biting and we were pulling them out left and right. John & I have been in one boat for all five days and Todd & Nick have been with Eli in his boat. Todd was catching the most fish, but Eli is close behind. We all have caught a lot of fish. After fishing for about four hours we head back in to get cleaned up and packed. Cleaning up means getting into the lake and soaping up. The water is a little cold, but I really needed it. After packing up and cleaning up, we are off on the trip home.
On the way home we discovered a great place to eat. Webers on Hwy 11. WOW, they have the best cheeseburgers. This place is right beside the road with a walkway across the Highway. There was a line out the door the whole time we were there. This was a great Canadian Cheeseburger experience. I also got some ice cream and coffee, the coffee was amazing! As you walk into this small place someone came down the line and took your order and collected the money before you got to the register. The music was turned up (Classic Rock) and the employees looked like they were having a good time, even though they were slammed. You could watch them grilling the hamburgers and putting it all together. I loved it, I wish I could have eaten more.
Overall this was just a great experience. Thanks to Todd for driving most of the way and for putting this trip together. Thanks to John for the entertainment and being my fishing buddy. It was fun to get to know Nick a little better and spend time with these guys. John summed it up by saying this is the first vacation he had that he did not think about work one time. He was able to completely relax and have fun. I think that went for all of us. I can’t wait to go back.