Departure and Arrival

Doug flew down to Burbank Airport on Wednesday afternoon and I picked him up on the way home from work. We made a few quick stops to get critical supplies - a fishing license for me, a sleeping bag for Doug, and plastic cocktail glasses and cigars for both of us - and headed home to pack and prepare. After the kids were asleep and Katy was home from her reading group meeting, we went and bought groceries. What did people do before 24 hour supermarkets?

Thursday morning we got up and packed the Mighty 1992 Ford Probe that would serve as our transportation for the trip. All the gear, food, wood, and camping accoutrements fit handily in the large hatchback space, and we were on the road by about 10 AM. The drive to Kings Canyon basically involves heading up California's Central Valley, taking a right when you get to Fresno. We cut off a corner and headed through Visalia instead, stopping for lunch at In-and-Out.

After lunch I drove us through downtown Visalia looking for a fly shop I had heard about. I needed some trout flies and advice on how to fish the Kings River, and this place has a good reputation online. We were both surprised at the downtown area - pretty nice looking place, really, with your standard complement of shops, cafes, and breweries - even a couple Starbucks. We suddenly realized we could have had a beer with lunch. Curses!

Twenty minutes and thirty dollars later, we were on the road again, stocked with what I needed to succeed on the Kings River. Or so the clerk told me.

Getting down to the floor of Kings Canyon was mostly uneventful, with some delays due to road work on the way into the national park. It really is an amazing drive, alternating deep forest with the scrubby hillsides typical in the California mountains, with huge granite cliffs coming up around you all the while. We found a campsite about 4 in the afternoon and started getting set up.

As we were tired from all the driving, Doug prepared martinis for us to enjoy while we baked potatoes over the campfire. Doug introduced me to a new variant this trip - the Rockefeller martini. A Rockefeller includes a dash of Angustora bitters in addition to your favorite gin/vermouth ratio. The bitters add a gingery flavor to the drink. After the potatoes were done I grilled our steaks on my newly-reseasoned cast iron grill. Dinner was followed by cigars, conversation, and then the 20-foot stumble to our tent. We both slept well - but not as well as we would Friday night.


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