Day 5 | Saturday, May 25

Sorry we didn't post pictures yesterday, but we didn't get home until 10:30 pm last night and had to leave at 6:30 am this morning! I hope you understand :) So here's a (slightly) belated post of what we did yesterday.

Our big event yesterday was going to a rendezvous hosted by Uncle Pooge's Diablo Buckskinners Club. A rendezvous is kind of like the Civil War reenactments that we go to, but the theme is mountain men, Indians, and fur trappers. Instead of a battle reenactment they have "shoots", where participants compete with their rifles and muskets. They also have tomahawk and knife throwing competitions, and even a shooting competition with a mini "fort". Some people stay in tepees or tents, and others use "tin tepees" (campers).

Arriving at the rendezvous

Pulling in. Aunt Carole and Uncle Pooge were a little disappointed because it looked like a smaller turnout than previous times. It thankfully ended up being only 3 less registered shooters than last year.

A "primitive" camp, where every thing visible is as authentic as possible. Michaela's style :)

The field with archery targets.

Us with our mountain man uncle.

Aunt Carole and Uncle Pooge

Uncle Pooge took us out to the shooting range so we could learn how to shoot his guns, most of which he's built himself! Here he's showing Emily how to fire his short barreled 45 caliber flintlock rifle, which is patterned after an 1840s gun. This one weighs about 6 pounds and was used by his daughter when she was younger in competitions.

Loading the gun

Practicing aiming, and using the double set trigger. A gun with a double set trigger has two triggers. The one closest to you pulls harder and is set first. This makes the second trigger very sensitive to go off.

Emily shooting an 1840s rifle for the first time!

This time the gun misfired.

Not this time!

After Emily shot a couple times she handed the gun over to Michaela who proceeded to hog it. We didn't count, but she must have shot over 20 times. What can we say? She likes guns :)  (And yes she has the bruises to prove it) 

Learning the correct and safe way to load the gun.

Ready...

Aim...

Fire!

And again...

And again...

You get the idea :)

After awhile, Uncle Pooge let Michaela try out his longer rifle that weighs about 10 pounds.

See that small green target in the field to the right? It was about 25 paces away and what we were aiming at.

Michaela kept hitting really close to it, but she couldn't see to hit it. Finally she did and knocked the target over!

Uncle Pooge and Michaela went to set the target back up, only to discover that she had been aiming at a milkweed the whole time!

She had actually hit it twice before cutting it off through the stem.

We nicknamed her the "Milkweed Killer". She was a slightly happy in case you can't notice...

Heading back to camp with our prize.

After taking a break back at camp we went to practice knife and tomahawk throwing. It took a bit to catch on, but we both managed to "stick" the knife and the tomahawk at least once.

Looks like Michaela was a little excited...

Em rocks! (the knife is waaaay harder to throw than the tomahawk)

Look Ma! 

Ta da!

After the target practice we headed over to the pot luck supper. We were starving and the food was yummy, including the rattlesnake!

After a hard day of shooting, knife and 'hawk throwing, and dining on rattlesnake, we're now a force to be reckoned with! :) We got home at 10:30 pm, dirty and sweaty, but happy! :)

 -Michaela and Emily