Hey Hall of Fame Family,
I hope this blog post finds you well! Here at Hall of Fame Outdoor Company, we just wrapped up our first ever Rough Riders Weekend! We organized a camping trip for the 8 of the boys, focusing on 'riding rough'. Everyone slept outside in a tent or hammock, nobody had cell service, and all meals were cooked on a campfire. It was a weekend of fishing, shooting guns, sharing laughs, and telling lies around a campfire. Everyone had a great time!
Everybody going met up around 7 before heading to the campground, a famous place in my family called Wildwood. Paul and I got thank you packages for everyone who came, including a water bottle, some fishing lures, and a shooter of whiskey. We ordered pizza for dinner to eat before we left, but it wasn't ready on time... Thanks Domino's. We got our pizza nearly 30 minutes late, but it was still tasty and people enjoyed it. After dinner, the trucks were packed and we hit the road. We arrived at Wildwood just before 10 pm, but no one had issues setting up their tent or hammock in the dark. Everyone drank beers, told stories, and laughed into the wee hours of the night.
The next morning, I woke up to cook breakfast on the fire. Bacon, eggs, and bagels. It can be tricky to cook bacon on a campfire, but I think I've gotten better over the years. Our friend Joe was "quite impressed" with the quality of breakfast, especially since he had never eaten food cooked on a campfire. After breakfast, we gathered up our fishing rods and headed to the biggest lake at Wildwood, Canyon Lake. We fished from the dock for bluegill, catching about 6 in 20 minutes. Throughout the morning, we had been hearing thunder, but the skies really got dark as we were fishing. By 11 am, it was pouring and we all were headed back to the camp for shelter. The rain lasted about 4 hours, but we didn't let it dampen our spirits. Everyone laughed and got to know each other underneath the covered pavilion at our camp.
By the mid afternoon on Saturday, the rain had let up. We decided to fish a little bit longer, as we still had some bait left. When we got back to Canyon Lake, Paul and I showed everyone our favorite hiking spot before fishing. We adventured down the spillway and it's tiered waterfalls, showing the guys a rugged area of Wildwood. When we got back up and to the lake, a couple guys caught a few more bluegill before we ultimately decided to stop fishing and hit the gun range. We went to the shooting range at Whetstone Conservation Area, and this part was easily everyone's favorite activity. We brought a SKS, Scorpion, Ruger, Over/Under, a Remington deer rifle, a 1911, a Sig, and a cowboy style revolver. Everyone took turns shooting each gun, and we spent a few hours at the range. It was cloudy, but the rain held off the entire time. It was such a fun time shooting with the boys, easily the weekend's highlight. Unfortunately, as we were leaving the range, our 1997 F-150's battery died and had to be jumped. Nobody had cables, and Paul had to travel 30 minutes to the nearest truck stop to buy some.
We got the truck back up and running and headed back to the camp for dinner. Everyone was starving! I quickly started a fire with what dry wood I could find, and burgers were on not too long afterwards. It was hard to cook in the dark, and a couple burgers got overcooked. Everyone said they were good and had two or three, though! The night continued with more beer and whiskey consumed around the campfire, and even more laughs and comradery were shared. It was a great day, despite the rain!
On Sunday morning, we ate a Costco muffin breakfast. I think everyone was tired by Sunday morning, maybe a little hungover too. Paul and I packed up the camp as quickly and thoroughly as possible while people broke down their tents. Before I knew it, the first Rough Riders Weekend was coming to an end. I didn't want to leave! We packed up the camp and said our goodbyes to Wildwood before heading home.
The first ever Rough Riders Weekend was a success! Everybody had a great time even though it rained. The fishing and shooting range were definitely highlights of the weekend! Stay tuned for updates on the next Rough Riders Weekend, and we hope to see you there!
Tight lines,
Erik Hoffman, Hall of Fame Outdoor Co