The following morning was a bit cooler and quite cloudy, which was not unexpected since the pre-trip forecast had indicated this would be our most likely day to see some rain. Therefore, after some tasty camp coffee to start the day we were encouraged to put up a tarp near the fire and it was then that we noted another way in which this campsite excelled with perfectly positioned trees to allow us to erect a taut tarp exactly where we wanted it. After this was acomplished we started in on the rest of breakfast--all the bacon and eggs we cared to eat.

Today was going to be a lay-over day with no specific plans, so after taking it slow over the morning meal with more laughs and more stories, we decided to think of something particular to do that might be fun. The flat water and near dead-calm winds beckoned for us to paddle some more so we decided to day trip about 1-1/2 miles south to the cascade that flows from Jasper Lake to Alpine at the portage between these two lakes. We packed a lunch and rainsuits before securing camp against the impending rain and then were underway towards the falls. Travis thought that while Wanda and Jenna paddled the three-seater, he'd fish from that canoe along the way to see if any of the residents of Alpine Lake were willing to join us at our evening meal. After about fifteen minutes he did hook into a nice northern and then almost immediately after that he also added a decent bass to the stringer. No other luck was had the rest of the way but we thought there was plenty of time in the day yet to add to our catch.

Upon arriving at the falls we were pleased to see them running pretty strong and enjoyed this scenic spot with a number of photos and the lunch we had packed. While there, we encountered a family of four that were all in one canoe but who still travelled through with almost miltary efficiency and precision. We also met a pleasant couple from California who said they were really enjoying their BWCA trip and having a great day in spite of the rain that had been threatening all day and that was now starting in. While some BWCA canoeists do their best to avoid seeing other humans and almost consider the trip "ruined" when they run into many other people, I always enjoy these brief visits with other travelers. I think it's fun to share about your common interest and experience and compare what's happening for each of you on your respective trips.

When we were done at the falls and started heading back to camp the rain had picked up just a bit but was still not not much more than a gentle shower. For a rainy day, it was still a pretty pleasant paddle back to camp, though an unexpected bath taken by Jeff and Rochelle when they dumped launching their canoe gave us a bit of a pause at the start. While they both got pretty wet, they fortunately did not get hurt and the end result was only yet another good story to share.

The rain ended about an hour after we returned to camp and Travis, Jeff and Rochelle then decided to go out for more fish. I tried casting off the point from camp for awhile but this proved unproductive. When those other three returned in the canoe they did not report much better luck other than a couple of sticks and a small bass that were caught and released by Rochelle. About 15 minutes later Travis was relaxing by the fire when he suddenly sprang from his chair and ran toward the lake after seeing a splash by the canoes. He knew exactly what was going on and it was too late--the resident turtle had found the earlier-caught fish on the stringer and had started chomping on the northern. Travis was able to beat the turtle away with a paddle but the damage had been done. After we had caught these fish on our way to the falls we were all pretty certain there'd be fish for dinner and we were right. It's just that we weren't the ones who got to eat them!

No fish meant that our freeze-dried back-up meals were going to have to serve as supper. They actually were not half bad and after eating them we once again enjoyed some more cameraderie and a sip of bourbon around the fire before calling it an end to our second awesome day on the water.