Valerie and I headed up to Lake Guernsey after work Friday evening to meet up with her mom Karen, her mom's fiance Brian, Dan and Kristin. It was about a 3-4 hour drive up and we arrived at the camp pretty late into the night.
Arrival
When we finally arrived, everyone was asleep, but the torches were still lit. We woke up Brian and Karen and had a couple of lemondrop shots to celebrate our arrival. Karen was either very sleepy or had beat us to the punch on having a few drinks since even though the shot is called a lemon drop and involves biting on a lemon, she kept mentioning how good the oranges were. Apparently earlier in the evening she forgot she was at Guernsey and also forgot who Valerie was all together.
The Next Day
Valerie had been up to Guernsey many times before, but this was my first time. I was anxious to get out on the jet skis and get a feel for how they performed in the lake. I'd been on these jet skis before, but it had been on the choppy water of chatfield reseviour. The water on Guernsey was glassy and you could really go fast without having to worry too much about hitting a wave the wrong way and flipping the jet ski.
Relaxing at Camp
We spent most of the rest of the day just relaxing at camp. A battle between rap music and country music ensued on the stereo, but being the guest on the trip I didn't have the ability to stick up for my selections. It was fun to get to know Dan, Kristin, Karen and Brian better. Later in the day we took the tube out for a little fun.
Tubing
The funnest thing about tubing is not riding behind a jet ski on one, it's when the person driving the jet ski tries to tip you. It's good quality fun to grip onto that thing as the driver takes a 30mph corner and you have to hold on as you get whipped at high speeds around the turn. When you fall off you tend to skip a few times on the water before sinking below the surface.
Making Dinner
When it comes to making dinner at Guernsey, the resources are somewhat limited. The first night we were there it was Dan and Kristin's turn to make the group dinner. They made dinner with a combination of potatos, carrots and beef wrapped in tinfoil and cooked by the coals of the fire. It turned out pretty good though. We stayed up for a while around the campfire, but turned in somewhat early when it started to rain a little bit.
Getting Ready
The next day we woke up, had some breakfast that Karen made with eggs and green chilli, did a little jet skiing and then got ready for some cliff diving. Getting ready consisted of putting on suntan lotion, getting on the wetsuits and having a few shots and some beers.
Cliff Diving
There was a good starter cliff near our campsite that was probably around 15-18 feet tall. Dan and I began the festivities by diving off. Once we had a feel for the fall we started in with the tricks, from 720 to backflips to gainers. It was good fun. I landed a little off on a gainer and got smacked in the side. It was a good reminder to always land straight off the big cliffs.
More Jet Skiing
We filled the rest of the day up with jet skiing and hanging out at camp. That night it was Valerie and my turn to make dinner. I did my best with cooking steaks on the fire, but they turned out to be a little bit rare.
Up Late Night
We stayed up for a while that night trying to roast marshmellows and debate politics and smoking in Denver nightclubs. We tried our hands at some late night trivial pursuit and the game cranium. Eventually we staggered off to our tents and went to sleep.
Top of the Bluffs
The next day, Dan and I hiked to the top of the bluffs in Guernsey. It was a beautiful location that overlooked basically the whole lake. There was a cliff up there that must have been 150+ feet that the locals call 'the devil's divingboard'. They say the local kids jump off of it, but I have my doubts.
One Last Cliff Dive
Before we had to leave, Dan and Kristin were able to jump off of this larger 50-60 foot cliff. It was quite a rush just to watch. I was feeling considerably hung over and off balance so I bowed out of this one, but have become committed to getting it done before I kick the bucket. We had a good trip and I look forward to getting out there again sometime.
