Avoid the Rush & Start Your Christmas Shopping Early This Year!

It's been an awful long time, I know. But I have been really busy since having been laid off from my day job. I've gone back to school to finish up my degree (lot's of homework), and I've been getting my website ready for the Christmas Shopping Season. I know it may seem a bit early to be talking about this, but you all should know that I'd like to help you reduce the stress of your Christmas shopping this year by suggesting these three things:

• Start early


• Shop Online


• Check Out Nor Cal Outdoor Supply!

Just Follow this advice and I promise that you'll experience the following rewards;

• You'll be able to take advantage of the best selections,


• You'll find some great prices,


• and instead of fighting the crowds, traffic and nasty weather, you'll be able to relax around the fire this Christmas season.

Getting Over The "Bump" in the Road

Well, I know it's been a while, but I have had a little "bump in the road" I needed to get over before I could get back to doing what I do.

You see, I recently became another statistic to the economic times we are all experiencing. A few weeks ago, my position as Environmental, Human Resources and Safety Manager was eliminated. No notice, no heads up, just BAM!! and here's your last paycheck. So it has taken me a while to get some things worked out so that I can focus more on what it is I really want to do. And that is to develop the Nor Cal Outdoor Supply website into what I have wanted it to be from day one. Now I have the time, I have a clear image of what I want to do, and unless I go belly up some time in the near future, I have the means to get some really cool stuff going on the website.

The last couple of days has been spent mostly getting a layout and color scheme figured out that fits fairly with my vision. Now I am going to start working on adding a lot of really good, usable content that anyone looking for information about outdoor recreation in Northern California will be able to appreciate. It will take me a little time, a lot of research and hard work, but I am confident that when I am done doing what I want to do, I will have one of the best outdoor related websites out there! Go check it out at: http://www.NorCalOutdoorSupply.com!

I'll be back with updates very soon!!!

My Top Five Fishing Equipment Items

So, I was just wondering if other people had the same taste in fishing gear that I do. I mean, there are certain brands that most people are loyal to, and I am no different. Here are my top five favorite fishing gear brands and why I like them:

1.

Fenwick Rods
.
I like Fenwick Rods because I have always liked the action, lightness and overall visual appeal. I have been using Fenwick Rods for as long as I can remember.

2.

Shimano Reels

Shimano Reels have never let me down. They have a great feel to them, they are dependable, and there is a wide selection of styles to match any kind of fishing you do.

3.

Berkley Fishing Line
.
Berkley has been around forever. The variety of line types makes them a favorite choice amongst even the most demanding fishermen from the beginner to the pros. If you can't find a Berkley Fishing Line to match your demands, they probably don't make it.

4.

Shakespeare Ugly Stik Tiger Rods
.
I use the Shakespeare Ugly Stick "Tiger" for my Ocean Fishing and I really like that it is light enough to feel the "little bumps", yet has a backbone that will hold up to those "Monster Fish" that are out there waiting to be caught.

5. And lastly, anything with a
''Roland Martin

or
Bill Dance


endorsement just because they are my two favorite fishermen ever!

Now if you all the sudden feel like you need to updateo r upgrade your fishing gear, you can click on any of the links above, or just come on by Nor Cal Outdoor Supply and check out the huge selection of Fishing Gear.

Closing CA State Parks Is Not The Awswer!

I have been seeing news about Mr. Schwarzenegger's plans to save money by cutting funding for State Parks. This is outrageous! How is cutting State Parks going to help our economy? By all means, they need to find ways to save money, reduce expenditures and develop revenue, but why would we want to eliminate one of the best things California has going for it?

I have seen what happens to the local economy when popular camping and recreation areas get closed. It's not a pretty site. One local town just north of where I live was so dependent on the revenues generated from people spending their vacations in a nearby public camping area, that when it was closed down, many of the businesses have also had to close.

State Parks are a great vacation option for those of us who can't afford or don't want to spend our hard earned money vacationing at Disneyland, Hawaii or Vegas. They also give many people a low cost means to escape the rigors of the daily grind for a few days, which many of us need to experience just to get our spirits rejuvenated.

So, I just think that we all need to take at least some action against this absurd notion that our Governor has by going to this link to the California State Parks Foundation and sign their petition.

Got an opinion about this subject? Feel free to comment on this post. You can also visit me at Nor Cal Outdoor Supply to find out about other Outdoor Recreation In Northern California.

Some Camping Tips & Suggestions

Everyone loves to go camping right? But not everyone knows how to prepare for a camping trip, so here are some helpful tips & suggestions that might help make your camping adventures more fun and relaxing.

Make a list of the stuff you need on your camping trips and use it.

• It's too easy to get distracted when you are packing for your camping trip, causing you to forget important items.
• Keep your list updated - Your camping list is a reminder of the stuff you need to take on most every trip, but it can also help you to eliminate stuff you really don't need. If you find yourself taking along items that never get used (excluding emergency preparedness items), then remove them from your list. Likewise, if you discover items that you need to add then do so.

Plan your meals ahead of time. It will make cooking time much faster & easier for you if you know what you are going to cook and already have all the ingredients you need.

• Make a menu and a grocery list of all the items you'll need to prepare them. This will save you lots of time and money because when you go shopping for your groceries, you won't be just haphazardly throwing a bunch of stuff in your cart. When it comes time to cook, you'll be more organized, and you won't have a bunch of stuff left over that might spoil or go to waste at the end of your camping trip.
• You can even pre-cook some items, package them up in zip lock bags so all you'll need to do is just heat them up on the cook stove or campfire at meal time.
• Plan meals that include foods that need little or no preparation like soups, beans, hot dogs..., well, you get the picture. Less cooking time means more time for relaxing and doing the things you came camping for.

Make Campsite Reservations.

• If you are going to be camping at a popular destination during peak times (especially on weekends & holidays), making a reservation in advance is a smart move. Otherwise, you would be very lucky to find a campsite available on a Friday evening. And even if you do get lucky enough to find any vacant sites, you can bet they are not going to be your first, second or third choices. Many of the larger, more popular destinations (including National Parks, State Parks and private campgrounds), allow you to make reservations in advance.
  
• If reservations are not an option, then your next option, If you know someone who lives near the destination, you might be able to convince them to go out a day or two ahead of you and secure you a spot (there may be specific rules against doing this, but if you can do it, it will assure that you won't be stuck looking for a place to pitch a tent in the middle of the night upon your arrival).

Make sure you have any licenses, tags or other permits you'll need with you.

• If your trip is going to involve fishing or hunting, make sure you don't forget any tags, licenses, or permits that you will need. There's nothing that will screw up a good plan faster than getting to your destination out in the middle of BFE and realizing you left your license on the counter at home!
• You might want to add these items to your master list so you'll be riminded before you pull out of the driveway.

Check your camping gear before you leave to make sure that it is all still usable.

• If you haven't been out since last year, you will want to check out your camping gear to make sure that the rats didn't eat your sleeping bags or put holes in your tent. The mantles on your lantern may have broken and need replacing anyway (another item to add to your list). Batteries still good in your flash lights? check 'em out to be sure, and throw a few extras in your gear just in case.

Have a plan for some specific activities to participate in during your camping vacation.

• Plan your trips around participating in specific activities like fishing, or swimming, hiking or boating. This will help you know what specific types of gear you might need. Plus, you won't get bored after your first day of sitting around camp with nothing to do (although this may be the specific activity you plan around, and that's fine too!).
  
• Do a little research into the surrounding area to see if there are some things you might like to do on your trip. A lot of places have stuff to do in the area that you might not know about that would add to the fun you have on your trip (like river rafting, a jet boat ride, or a day hike to a hidden lake or stream full of fish just waiting to be caught!).

I hope some of these things might help you enjoy your camping adventures. I will be adding more helpful tips and suggestions to this blog and on my website, so be sure to check in every now and then. If you need gear for your camping or backpacking, you can find everything you need at Nor Cal Outdoor Supply. Go check it out!

Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment on any of my posts.

The Sun Comes Out On The North Coast

Well, after three days of solid rain, the sun finally came out and we were able to hit Samoa Dunes for a little Quad Riding.

My oldest Son Bert just bought a new Can Am DS450X and needed to get a few hour break in time, so we rode until we hurt! We had a great time, and when it was all said and done, I could hardly move.


If you live on the North Coast, the Somoa Dunes recreation area is a pretty good spot to spend the day riding through the dunes or cruising up and down the beach. There is a good spot to off load your bikes, picnic tables and fire pits for barbecuing. There are some decent trails to test out your Jeep or other small 4X4 on, and there's a rock garden called "Mini Rubicon" that you can try too. Check out some pictures here.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Outside Again.....

Man, just when I thought it was safe to go outside again, Mother Nature decides to reminds me that it's not quite time yet! I even took a couple extra days off from my real job this week to enjoy doing something other than work, and low and behold, I am pretty much stuck indoors!

I bet it's dumped over an inch af rain already and it's not showing signs of letting up. The forecast calls for continued rain through the weekend and into next week. Oh well, guess I'll work on my website, watch some movies and stay warm by the fire for a couple days.

My oldest son Bert just bought a brand new Can Am DS 450 X Quad and he's ready to go break in the engine, but I don't think that's going to happen this weekend either. My Brother is on his way over with his Quad and we were planning to hit Samoa Dunes tomorrow if the weather breaks for a few hours. We'll keep our fingers crossed!

If we ever do get some decent weather here some time, I am going to start doing some of the stuff I like to do as often as I can, because it's been a long time since I've taken many weekends off to do anything fun. I have been really working hard at getting my website set up. Now that it is, I can take some time to enjoy life again.

Please Disregard Previous Post

Boy, for someone who is supposed to know a lot about fishing, I really screwed up in my last post. I knew stream trout fishing season was coming up, and when someone ( I won't mention names) called and said lets go to Eagle Lake on May 2nd, I assumed that that was opening weekend. I didn't even think to go to the regulations book and double check the season dates.

So, needles to say, we won't be at Eagle Lake this weekend, and stream trout season actually opened last weekend. This just reaffirms good reasoning for keeping a copy of the latest regulation booklet handy.

Speaking of the regulations booklet, I tell you, the darn thing is really not very user friendly! You just about need a lawyer to decipher the language just to find out when & where you can fish, what you can catch and how many or what size restrictions apply, and what day of the week you need to just stay home! I mean come on you guys, make the regulations a little easier for us normal people to understand would you! (like that's ever going to happen, ha!).

I don't know, maybe I just need to spend a little more time going through it, but I really think that the regulations are getting more confusing than ever. It's like the people writing the regulations just don't give much thought to whether or not people can make sense out of them. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this would be a good topic to research. Maybe, I should spend a few hours going through the regulations and then be able to make a better judgment of their understandability. Or maybe I'll go blind and crazy trying to figure them out! I'll give it a shot and then I'll be back to post my assessments.

Meanwhile, I challenge anyone to give us some tips on making the regulations easier to follow. If you don't have a copy handy, you can pick one up at your local Fish & Game Office, Sporting Goods Stores, or if you want to check them out right now, you can go to the Department 0f Fish & Game website and browse around a PDF version. You can also find a link to them on my website at www.norcaloutdoorsupply.com

Eagle Lake Trout Better Look Out!

(correction to below post) Oops! I totally messed up and mistakenly stated that Eagle Lake opens on May 2, 2009. The actual opening date is the Saturday preceding Memorial Day (May 28). And Stream Trout season actually opened on April 25th. Well, that's what I get for listening to someone else instead of just looking up the regulations myself.

On Saturday, May 2nd, there will be thousands of fishermen hitting their favorite creeks, rivers and lakes in pursuit of various strains of Trout. I will be at Eagle Lake enjoying opening day of Trout Season.

I wonder if I am looking forward to being there so much in anticipation of catching a few of those football sized Eagle Lake Rainbows, or is it the fact that I will be meeting my three brothers there for a "guys only" week-end of Camping & Fishing? Or, maybe it is just the thought of getting away from work and out of the Humboldt County Fog for a few days with my two sons. That's what I am really looking forward too! Even if I don't catch a single fish (which I know i will, because I know how to catch fish at Eagle lake), I will still have a great time. I love Eagle Lake. It is one of my favorite places to camp & fish.

Opening week-end may not be the best time to go to Eagle Lake because the campgrounds fill up and getting your boat launched can be a major undertaking if you don't get there early enough to beat the crowds. But it can also be quite entertaining just to watch the chaos. One year year we were there opening week-end and on Saturday morning we witnessed one of the funniest things I have ever seen.

We had to camp in a wide spot right by the boat launch and we watched these guys come hauling down the road going way faster than they should have been going, and when the hit the speed bump just before you turn into the Boat Ramp Area, their boat and trailer came off the hitch and went straight down to the lake. That was pretty funny, but what happened next was hilarious! You see, they didn't even know what had happened until they pulled in and made a wide sweeping turn to back their boat into the lake. They started backing down the ramp and then all the sudden they realized they didn't have a boat! Now that was funny!!! I just wish I had filmed it. It would have surely been a winner on Americas Funniest Videos.

So, here's to all you fishermen and women who will be out there on the rivers, lakes and streams next week-end. The best of luck to you, and maybe we'll see you out there on Eagle Lake. Keep an eye out for us. We'll be the one's in the blue Sylvan Boat catching all the fish (ha, ha).

If you haven't already stocked up on gear for your trip, you still have time with some of our quick shipping suppliers on Nor Cal Outdoor Supply

Here 's a couple of quick links to get you to where you can get all the gear you need.

• Camping Gear at Basspro.com
• Fishing Gear at Basspro.com
  

It's Always Good To Be Prepared

You know, I'm a guy, & like most guys, I find it a bit insulting when someone tells me I gotta do something. There's nothing that will make me "not" do something faster than having someone tell me I gotta do it!

So when I know I gotta do something, and I'm just getting ready to do it, and my wife (or anyone else) comes along and says "hey, you know you should.....", well, that's it. Now I gotta find another way to do whatever it was I was going to do until she (or whoever) came along and told me I had to do it!

Like when you're getting ready to go camping for the week end and you're thinking "hmmn, maybe I should make a list so I don't forget anything" and your wife comes along and tells you you should make a list of all the stuff you need so you don't forget any important stuff. Wow! Now what are you gonna do? Easy enough, you just reply with "I don't need no stinking list" and go about packing everything you can think of except..... the camp stove, sleeping bags, and dang it, I know I threw that tent in there somewhere. Have you ever had this happen to you? Yeah, I thought so.

So after this happens for the third or fourth time, you secretly make a camping list and the next time you are getting ready to head out for the week end, you use it, you check everything off as you load it up, and then you double check it once more before you leave the driveway! And what happens next could be considered a modern miracle: You actually enjoy the drive to your destination because you're not constantly having to reassure your other half that you didn't forget anything, you actually get to eat food cooked on your brand new cook stove that you bought two years ago, you'll sleep warm & cozy in your practically unused down sleeping bag, and when you wake up in the morning warm and dry because you actually had a tent to shelter you from that spring shower last night, you realize how good it is to be prepared!

Spring Is In The Air!

Today is April 14th. In most areas of the world, spring is in full swing. The grass is beginning to grow faster than you can cut it, flowers and trees are in bloom, and the winter's coldness is fading fast. Spring Fever is knocking on my door!

I got my first assurance that winter was on it's way out a couple weeks ago. The sun was out & it was actually warm enough to be outside in just a tee-shirt. I spent the day working around the yard, mowing the grass (okay, I had one of my kids mow the grass), cleaning up some of the debris left in the yard by several winter storms that tried to uproot several tall fir trees surrounding the house. When the day was done, I had felt a sense of relief that some of the chores had been done.

It was time to move indoors for the evening and I went to work on my website for a couple of hours. I came to the Nor Cal Outdoor Blog and started reviewing the posts I had put up over the past couple of years. I was not too happy with the content I had been posting and decided it was time to do a little more spring cleaning. Spring is a good time for new beginnings and I felt that now would be the appropriate time to clear out the rubbish on this Blog and begin anew.

So it is with this fresh, clean slate that I begin not just a new chapter in the Nor Cal Outdoor Blog, but a whole new book re-written from page 1. I am now inspired to attempt what I had originally intended to do with this Blog. And that is to provide inspiration for others to get out and enjoy the benefits of being an outdoor enthusiast, information that may be of assistance in their pursuit of outdoor adventures, stories about my own adventures, and opportunity for all who happen upon this Blog to learn about a few of the many Outdoor Recreational Activities in Northern California.

So, with Spring in the Air, it is time to get out and enjoy Mother Nature! Take a day hike, spend a week end Camping or Backpacking, go out and get some mud on your tires, or go catch a fish or two. Come back here when you get done and share your experiences with us. Tell a story, send a picture or two, or just drop by and say hello. Until next time, have a great adventure!