Some suggestions for a lot of fun this weekend

What are they?

Well, before I tell you about my suggestions, you have to promise that if you decide to follow my suggestions and if you do enjoy yourself, that you will also promise to do me a favor in return.

Here's what I want in return:

Just call or Email my big boss, Barry Smith, here at the Nevada Appeal, and suggest that he give his Outdoors editor a nice pay raise.

Heck, who knows, it might work!

Here is what Don Q suggests for a fun-filled weekend:

-- Friday:

1. Go trout fishing at Winnemucca Lake, which is a large, deep, ice-cold, hike-in lake, located in the Mokelumne Wilderness Area of California.

To get there, take a combination of U.S. 395 and Nevada S.R. 88 and California S.R. 88, south from Carson City for about 41 miles to Kit Carson Pass.

From the large, paved, U.S.F.S. parking area at the pass, take the well-marked hiking trail for about two miles to Winnemucca Lake.

On your hike, you'll be hiking at an elevation of about 9,000 feet, so be sure to take it slow and easy. The air is thin!

About one mile into your hike, little Frog Lake will be on your left. Surprisingly, that small lake contains very nice-sized rainbow trout, up to about 16 inches. Don't be fooled by the lake's size.

Once you reach Winnemucca Lake, fish the far back side (behind the two small islands) for best results.

Here's how to fish:

From shore, fly fish with artificial flies, cast small red/white lures or fish on the bottom with Power Bait.

From a float tube, fly fish with various, small, artificial flies.

From a small inflatable raft (my favorite method), troll along the edge of the deep drop-off with small, silver flasher blades and nightcrawlers or small Rapala lures.

You'll catch: Eastern brook trout, up to about 13-14 inches and/or Kamloop trout, up to about 17-18 inches.

The limit is five trout, but you can catch and keep an additional 10 Eastern brook trout, if they are less than 10 inches in length.

2. At the end of your fishing day, hike back to your vehicle and take the short drive to Grover Hot Springs California State Park.

You can reach that very popular, natural hot water spa by driving back to Woodfords. At Woodfords, take California S.R. Nos. 4 and 89 to Markleeville. In the middle of "beautiful downtown" Markleeville, take the paved road west for about four miles to the park.

There are two pools at Grover's, one hot and the other cold.

The hot one is maintained at a constant temperature of 102-104 degrees.

The curent pool hours are 2-9 p.m. on the weekdays and 12 noon-9 p.m. on Saturdays-Sundays.

The cost is $2 per person or $1 for anyone under the age of 16.

That relaxing hot water is guaranteed to bring anyone's fun-filled day in the Great Outdoors to a perfect end. It does for me!

3. After soaking in the delightful hot water for about an hour, then end the day by having a tummy-filling dinner at your favorite restaurant.

At that location, leisurely enjoy cocktails and dinner and when done, return home, tired, full and content.

-- Saturday:

1. Sleep in and then have a leisurely breakfast at home or downtown.

2. After breakfast, head for Carson Street, pick out a suitable spot along the sidewalk and enjoy the huge, two-hour-long, Nevada Day parade that begins at about 10 a.m. There will be lots of bands, marchers, floats, vehicles, horses and politicians to watch.

3. After the parade, spend the rest of the day enjoying any or all of the various Nevada day activities, such as the rock drilling contests, beard contests, railroad hand car races, etc.

-- Sunday:

1. Sleep in again, and then head for South Lake Tahoe to enjoy breakfast at any number of its restaurants (my favorite is the raisin bread French toast and bacon at the Red Hut on the Kingsbury Grade Highway).

2. After breakfast, drive to Apple Hill, Calif., a great location for buying Fall season fruit and vegetables.

To get there, drive west on U.S. 50 towards Sacramento until you reach the Carson Exit, just before Placerville. Just remember to drive on U.S. 50 from Carson to Carson.

Apple Hill is actually the name of a geographic area of many different farms. That area's main attraction is apples, and lots of them!

You can buy them by the individual apple, the bag, the box or you can pick your own, right off the trees.

Those farms have green, yellow, red or black-colored apples.

You can select from a wide variety of different types including Rome beauty, Arkansas black, Braeburn, golden delicious, red delicious, Fuji, gala, Rhode Island greening, Jonagold, Jonathan, pippin, Paula red, Granny Smith, winesaps and Stayman winesap.

In addition, you can also purchase all kinds of tasty apple products such as cake, cider, doughnuts, fritters, juice, muffins, baked pies, unbaked pies, strudel, turnovers, etc.

If you are interested in buying other fall season fruits or vegetables, you can pick and choose from a wide selection of blackberries, blueberries, Indian corn, dried fruit, grapes, honey, jams, jellies, assorted nuts, peaches, pears, persimmons, plums, pumpkins, raspberries, etc.

And while at Apple Hill, you will find many different arts and crafts shops, cider mills, a rainbow trout fishing pond, several wineries, Christmas tree farms, picnic areas, pumpkin patches, etc.

3. Then, in the afternoon, on your return from Apple Hill with all kinds of bags of "goodies," just before the "bug station" at South Lake Tahoe, turn to the right and take California S.R. 89 from U.S. 50 to Hope Valley, over Luther Pass.

In Hope Valley-Woodfords Canyon, spend the rest of the day enjoying the combination of the late afternoon sunlight and the remaining, end-of-the-season, gorgeous Fall colors of the groves of Quaking Aspen trees.

Some of those colors are breathtaking -- especially, along the Carson River in Woodfords Canyon.

What better way to end a fun-filled weekend than that way!

-- Finally:

If you do all of these things and do not enjoy them, then to hell with it.

However, if you do all of these things and do enjoy yourself, remember to call Barry Smith.

Have a fun weekend!

-- Bet Your Favorite Pigeon

Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you which of all of those activities is my top favorite.

If he grins and says, "Heck, that's easy, it's fishing at Winnemucca Lake from a small, inflatable raft," he wins.