In June, the Kampers set out on our maiden trip to Camp Kernville. And boy, what a trip it was – thanks to the hard work of the wagonmasters, John Puckett and Virginia Grindley, who were able to secure waterfront RV spots for the kampers, that included Patty Bauman and Jimmy Miller, Jim and Kathy Moye, Rik and Shirste Gessler and Alan and Trisha Ito. Jim Porter and Sherri Jones and Sharon Diaz (along with John Puckett) stayed locally at Jim’s cabin and joined us for our activities. All of the kampers had views and access to the beach on the Kern River, which was moving quickly due to the winter snow storms. We sat on the beach and watched many rafters shoot the rapids and come through right in front of us.
Wednesday night, for those who arrived early, Virginia pulled out burgers for the group and everyone else grabbed whatever they have in their RVs for sides. There was much discussion during dinner about the best way to get to Camp Kernville – through Mojave or Bakersfield – but we realized that everyone arrived safely, so the choice was left to the individual drivers. Kathy and Jim showed off their new Bay Star motorhome – the same model as Rik and Shirste’s RV, which is named “Beauty”. The Moyes have dubbed their new RV the “Beast”.
Thursday, with the gang all there, we sat on the beach and enjoyed each other’s company and the river from under our shades at the beach. Most left for dinner at Ewing’s in town and had a great view of the canyon and river, as well as a tasty dinner.
On Friday morning, Jim, Alan and John left for some fishing at the lake. John caught a keeper, Jim caught a fish, but threw it back since it was small, and Alan caught a stick. After returning back to camp, games of Ship, Captain and Crew were played. Shirste, the midnight queen because she rolls double sixes so often, won a triple pot. We all knew that Rik had clean clothes, because a dryer sheet fell out of his sleeve during the games.
While playing games, the wind grabbed one of our Easy Ups, and was carrying it away. Luckily, we were able to chase it down with the help of some of our beach neighbors. The guys knew we could repair the broken arm, but there was not a roll of duct tape to be found between our group. But C-clamps and twist ties did the trick and we were able to mend it for the time being.
Friday evening, we headed up for a tour of Jim Porter’s place; great patio with wonderful views of the lake. After cocktails, we headed over to the Elks Lodge in Wofford Heights, a short drive from camp and Jim’s. We enjoyed the Friday Fish Fry and joined in for a 50/50 drawing. Sherri Jones won $62. The night’s entertainment was Karaoke and Jimmy and Patty could not resist. Jimmy had the dance floor crowded with a couple of tunes. Even Sherri took the stage to belt a song out.
On Saturday, after a lunch of hotdogs and sides contributed by each RV, we had our 50/50 drawing and Sharon won $45. The Gesslers won the free campout. After which were more games of Ship, Captain, Crew, as well as Left, Right, Center and 3’s Away. Jimmy and Patty’s friends, Katrina and Dave, from Bodfish – about 10 miles away – joined us for the afternoon. Dave was the person who taught Jimmy omelet making, which he uses on two Sundays of the month at our Kamper Breakfasts. Katrina joined us at our games and won a nice pot or two, while Dave and Jimmy spent the time catching up. Saturday was a quiet night, since some of us had to get up and leave on Sunday.
For those who stayed through Monday, we treated to a walking tour of Kernville by Jim Porter, who knows all the spots to hit. We had a great dinner at a local Mexican restaurant and walked along the river on our way back to camp.