We arrived at Lake Billy Chinook at about midnight and set up our tents. Staker and I shared a tent while everyone else had their own tent.  I think the reason Staker insists on sharing a tent with me is his phobia of Bigfoot.  Since we picked him up at the airport, all he has been able talk about is his desire to be the first person to capture the monster on film.  Staker told me he has a suspicion that Bigfoot is just an “out-of-focus” creature and that is why no one has been able to get a good picture.  Garret insists that an “out-of-focus” creature cannot exist.

Aaron learned the cost of staying clean; he got a ticket after his first set for soaping up on the swim step while the boat was moving.  I started getting called “Rabbit” because of that movie Super Troopers and Garrett’s obsession with quoting movies.  We built a rope swing on a bridge and everyone could do it except Jeff. He kept on dragging his lanky legs through the water.  There was this fat kid at the rope swing that kept yelling “fatso” at his mom.  It was ironic, we laughed.

We hit the road around 5 P.M. and headed to Aaron’s parents’ house in Grant’s Pass, OR. On the way down we got pulled over because apparently the Armada’s mirrors are not wide enough to tow the Malibu.  Staker had to take a field sobriety test because the cop thought he was drunk. He passed with flying colors.  About three hours into the drive, Staker made the executive decision to stop at Crater Lake.  For those of you who have not been, go.  It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.  We watched the sun set as a sliver of the moon rose. There is still a fair amount of snow left around Crater Lake, so the guys decided to grab their wakeboards and ride down.  Mikey managed pretty well, Aaron did alright, and Jeff ate shit – he’s from Florida. Check out the Photos. Nice.

We got to Aaron’s parents’ house and everyone was stoked to sleep in real beds. The funny thing was that the beds we were sleeping in were in 5th wheel campers inside of a garage.  We slept well and woke up early to head back to Lost Creek.  I was able to shed my title “rabbit” for the afternoon because I was not a rookie as far as Lost Creek Lake goes.  I even knew where we could stop to get Red Bulls and milk shakes.  Everyone was stoked.  

We stopped on shore to do interviews for Pull with the guys. When we got on the shore Jeff stumbled upon a huge footprint in the mud.  As soon as Jeff announced it to the crew I saw fear come over Staker’s eyes.  He grabbed on to a tripod and was ready to defend himself.  While we were filming interviews Jeff could have sworn he saw the beast.  Staker turned but was unable to capture the creature in focus. Staker seemed more than a little shaken up. We left him on shore to film while the guys hit some double ups in a little cove. Shortly after Staker needed to change into some board shorts.  We did not ask why.

Minus an out of focus shot of Bigfoot, we got some great footage.  Mikey landed a toeside frontside 900 – it was huge. Post film session we grabbed some Applebee’s for Aaron’s 24th birthday.  We shared our stories with the hostess and she was a bit skeptical but the pictures on Jeff’s phone made debate nearly impossible. Tomorrow we are off to Shasta.