The trip to Cinder Hill Campground at East Lake has become an annual tradition for the Crawford family.  And for good reason – the Newberry Caldera is a beautiful place and East Lake is quite fun to fish.  Our favorite campsite was all reserved and as the school year had just finished up, our trip Eastbound was a perfect way to kick off summer.

I’m an early riser, which works well with angling, and while the girls would sleep in we had some quality time out on the boat in pursuit of East Lake browns.  The mornings were filled with clouds of chironmids swarming above our heads and big rainbows sipping bugs on the surface.  Kokanee were keyed in on the nymphs, and while the wind stayed down for a few hours it was wonderful.

Evenings were spent around the campfire and bellies were filled with sugary treats… and maybe a little bit more fishing as the evening hatch paid a visit.

We hiked to the hot springs on Paulina Lake, but amazingly the water is still too high for the springs to be exposed – which surprised me with such a low snow pack this year.  Regardless, the views were worth the walk.

And one of my favorite moments of the weekend was playing some softball next to the lake on Sunday evening.  The weekend crowds had gone back to the grind, and we were left behind to soak up the solitude and sun.
  
  Fish were caught, but most definitely not epic fishing – but the memories caught this weekend are what it was all about.  I can’t wait for the next trip Eastbound.