Sandy the Corn Snake

Our corn snake Sandy just shed her skin last night. She has grown so much in the 14 months that we have had her (March 1, 2011 blog entry). Back then, she was about 2 feet in length and her body was about as wide as my little finger. Now, she's over 3 1/2 feet long with a girth that is wider than my thumb. And she's not even two years old yet.
Photos of Sandy

Trout Fishing at Forestville

Trout Fishing Forestville photos

Andrew and I had a great time trout fishing on the Root River and Forestville Creek. On Saturday, we drove the 120 miles to Maple Springs Campground (right outside of Forestville State Park) and joined friends Bee and Robbie who had had been camping and fishing there since Friday. They had already caught a few trout earlier in the morning. We headed to the nearby Root River and had a great time catching brown trout. Andrew caught one on his second cast; he ended up catching 10 trout including a nice 14 incher that he released (the protective slot for this area is to release all trout 12"-16" in length). I caught 6 fish and the two us brought nine home for eating. Robbie fly-fished and also caught 6 fish. Bee found a great spot where he landed 3 fish in the protected slot length. Not only was the fishing great but the scenery was beautiful. Though the morning was overcast, it was so enjoyable to walk along the small river, look for areas in which to cast, and wade through the chilly waters (I wore my dependable Teva sandals while Robbie had waders and Bee and Andrew wore rubber boots).

We came back to camp and fried up 8 delicious trout for lunch, then headed to fish Forestville Creek which runs alongside the campgrounds. We didn't fish too long because the weather was turning stormy. Bee, Robbie, and Andrew each caught a trout in the small pools of the creek. We walked upstream to see where the creek flowed out of a small cave in the surrounding hills, then headed back as it started to rain and thunder. As we trudged through the forested area, a long flash of lightning lit up the woods and the thunderclap shook the ground, making us all jump (and quicken our pace back to camp).

Andrew and I headed back home a while after that. Andrew considers this one of his best days fishing. Next time, we'll camp in the area also, probably at Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park which is just down the road. Maybe we'll even take time to visit Mystery Cave if Andrew can give up a couple hours of fishing time.