Lake Almanor, CA
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[/media-credit]We took the drive around the west shore of Lake Almanor to find our destination. Majors Outpost is located at Plumas Pines Resort off Highway 89 near the town of Pratville. We spotted the big green tent we were told to look for on the beach and the kids immediately turned into high gear. We could see wake boards stacked up and two of the SeaDoo watercraft were waiting on the beach. We had booked a ski boat first and later we would be jet skiing while the remainder of our family reunion party would be cruising on a patio boat we had also rented for the day. Jet skis had been much of the talk around the campfire the previous night. The older kids were going on the ski boat and they loved that idea. A little something special for the teens!
The young, the old and the adventurous members of our group had all packed in the van for this morning’s adventure. We chose morning for the flat water our veteran skiers wanted. They would not be disappointed. The lake stood amazingly still, as silhouettes of the mountains nearby shone as photographs across the surface of the water.
A young man named Jared began loading our stuff into a wagon, to take out to the pontoon boat while I signed up with John, who I had met earlier on the phone. Customer service seems to be the focus of this business from the initial phone call to the wagon ride back to the van after our adventure was over.
I would be getting my training from Joe, who was just returning from picking up a client on the other side of the lake for their weekly boat rental. I was a little nervous about the actual operation of the boat, but after the comprehensive lesson from Joe, I was ready to go. Wake boarding seemed to be the popular sport with our teens, though as John explained, we were welcome to any equipment we wanted for our adventure: tubes, wake boards and skis were all-inclusive in the price. We took advantage of the wake boards and the tube. Even the never-before wake boarders were looking like pros after all the tips they received from the staff at Majors Outpost. It was the highlight of the trip for our big kids, so far anyway. They dazzled the crowd of family who watched and often cheered from the family pontoon boat in the distance.
Soon the pontoon boat had drifted out of site. They wanted to cruise near the shores and check out the beautiful homes on the water, stopping now and then so the smaller kids could jump in the water for a swim. Little 4-year- old Jake jumped in the water and climbed up and down the ladder the entire time the boat was anchored. We knew these kids would sleep good tonight.
The so-far status of “the highlight of the trip” was soon to be surpassed. We spent the next four hours taking turns on the Sea Doo watercraft. Time allotments for each kid had been mapped out well by one of our more organized teens, so all ages that wanted to ride got an equal share. Small kids on when the adults rode and yes, we had quite a few adults lined up for this mission. Talk around the fire that night was all about the amazing feats performed that day, and yes, all those little ones drifted off to sleep a little bit earlier than the night before.
Editor’s note: Majors Outpost is located on the West Shore of Lake Almanor at Plumas Pines Resort. See all their offerings at MajorsOutpost.com or call them at 530-259-2727.
