Another day, another Erie trip

 MARBLEHEAD, OH — When the opportunity arose for a two day Lake Erie camping trip, I packed the tent, hooked up the boat, and headed north for East Harbor State Park at Marblehead, Ohio. Instead of my usual solo escape, I had a crew of two who enjoyed the comfy August weather complete with all the mosquitos one could swat.

Mary Kayser and her trusty canine Chance joined me for a two night camping adventure at my favorite place to sleep under the stars. The oppressive heat that has gripped the Buckeye State all summer loosened its hold to the point that it provided fishing without a sunstroke by noon and sleep that actually required a blanket, … or two.

I wish the fishing had been as good as the weather. Our first day on the water at West Harbor was outstanding as far as the bass fishing was concerned, but the fish proved much harder to find on day two. However, this little excursion was more than a fishing trip. It represented the first time Mary and I had driven anywhere other than a hospital, doctor’s office, or a rehab session in two weeks.

Dr. Lisa Lowery diagnosed Mary’s knee pain as a “flap tear” in the meniscus of her right knee and then repaired the tear on Monday July 29. On Sunday August 11, Mary traded her walking cane and couch for the luxury of an inflatable mattress and two days of bouncing across Lake Erie.

The trip included plenty of highlights besides the occasional fish that cooperated. There was the boat ride to the Marblehead Lighthouse that we decided to curtail just past Lakeside because we wanted to avoid becoming a Coast Guard rescue headline. And there was the critter of the night that circled our humble tent serenading us with its curious voice. The much improved Catawba Township boat ramp facility on State Route 53 North made launching there an enjoyable experience too.

The lowpoint of the trip was the disappointing performance of the new tent that had been my birthday gift from Mary. The box called it the “big 3 SEC Tent” meaning it was large and could be assembled in three seconds. Supposedly.

“I thought it meant three sections,” was Mary’s comment that could well be the lead answer under the Jeopardy categories of “FAMOUS LAST WORDS” or maybe “READ THE FINE PRINT.”

The tent would have had room for one of my air mattresses if I had cut a hole in both sides of the tent for my head and feet exposing them to nature’s little drones we call mosquitos. Thankfully I packed my other tent that has plenty of room for two air mattresses and floor space for Chance to make a bed with the spare blanket. We used the 3 SEC tent (that I managed to pitch in three seconds and 37 minutes) as our garage for extra gear.

Three other stops made the trip memorable. One was dinner at The ‘Que, a barbecue joint at the intersection of Routes 53 and 163. Next was my obligatory visit to Fisherman’s Central, one of Ohio’s finest tackle stores. Rarely can you find the exact fishing tackle you need (want) at this time of the season, but Fisherman’s Central had the items I was seeking.

No trip to this area is complete without breakfast at Big Bopper’s. All the menu items are great and fixed to your preference. However, I do not go to Big Bopper’s for ‘Fed Eggs.’ I go for pie.

Pie are not square at Big Bopper’s. Pie are triangles. Delicious ones. While Mary was making two eggs, sausage, and an English muffin disappear, I ordered apple pie.

“Do you want it warmed up?” asked our waitress. All I could manage was a  Trigger-like nod. The excitement of warm apple pie about to hit the table sent me into a pre-ingested  sugar coma. Thankfully, the formal education at Grant Jr. High in Miss Eckler’s English class allowed me to speak clearly at the most opportune time.   

“Yes. And I’ll take a piece of apple pie to go as well.” I had regained my vocal composure just in time to ensure that I would be eating apple pie all day.

Mary was a trooper after having knee surgery only 13 days prior to our trip. Chance the Wonder Dog did not take a header off the dock into the lake like he did at Kentucky Lake. The community shower room at East Harbor was only slightly water inundated while the aroma of mis-aimed urine was just a faint distraction. And I caught some largemouth bass with plastic worms and crankbaits in shallow water like we all did before the advent of hypersonar electronic  devices that can locate fish at any depth. Now that evidence of water has been found on Mars, it’s only a matter of time until someone locates the bass up there with a forward facing sonar unit. Until then I enjoyed….

… another day, another Erie trip, and hopefully more on the horizon before the snow flies.