In the summer of 1999, "real" sisters Maurrie Sussman and Becky Clarke sat on a drift boat in Montana, fly-fishing, happily celebrating catching an eight-pound Brown Trout.

Since that day, they've never told anyone who actually made that catch. They probably both want the "fish tale."

They were having such a good time and came up with the idea to start inviting a few friends to share their outdoor adventures.

An article about the sis- ters and some of these friends graced the pages of Country Living magazine in April 2002, thus expanding the idea into a sisterhood called "Sisters on the Fly," which to date, has a membership of almost 1,300 women across the United States.

It's all about the participating in outdoor adventures with their motto, "We Have More Fun Than Anyone. "

They represent no age, color, religion or political group. Ages of members are from 21 to 90, with the average age being over 55. Each member has her own sister number.

Marty Edmiston, sister 268 who lives in Mertzon, said "there is no age difference when we're all together. "

The group is set to visit Caney Cove Resort and Campground near Cedar Creek Lake today through Saturday.

Women who belong to this unique organization are from all walks of life. They're housewives, mothers, grandmothers, teachers, business owners, nurses, ranchers, and magazine publisher, to name a few.

Many of the women pull vintage travel trailers, often referred to as their "bedrooms." Most of the trailers were manufactured in the 1950s and '60s and are 12 to 24 feet long.

The exterior of the trailers are hand-painted cowgirl murals, and the interior would make any top western designer proud.

The trailers are named by their owners. For example, they've got names such as Texas Tacky, Bluebonnet Belle, and Cowgirl Cruiser.

Rhoni Fields, sister 625 of Weatherford, saw this old vintage trailer parked in a pasture, found the owner, purchased it and then "drug" it home with a tow truck.

A campout was scheduled in Oklahoma and she wanted to go, so her "Mister Sister" - that's what the husbands are lovingly called - adjusted the trailer so it could be pulled. It was gutted inside.

Fields' husband threw together a temporary bed, a piece of plywood placed on top of some hot-rod rims to keep the bed off the floor. It worked, but needless to say, she wasn't about to keep it as her permanent bed.

The trailer is a Scotsman Papoose, so she named it "The Papoose." After returning home from that first trip, her husband got busy building her a permanent bed.

When it was finished, they tested it for comfort when the trailer, having only two wheels and no jacks, tilted backward with a thud, with the back end of the trailer sitting on the ground and the front end reaching for the sky.

Neither one could hardly get up because they were laughing so hard. Everything in the trailer that was not anchored down was now on top of them. They escaped uninjured.

Cheryl Tanner, sister 796 and one of the Cedar Creek co-hosts who lives in Eustace, has never looked at maps before taking trips. She and several of the sisters were pulling their trailers, headed to a resort in Arkansas, when they reached the mountains.

Tanner thought to herself, "I will never go on another trip again without looking at a map thoroughly. "

She missed seeing the scenery that day, keeping her eyes on the back of the trailer in front of her, with white-knuckled fingers wrapped around the steering wheel.

After getting settled in at the campground and all tucked in for a good night's sleep, she began to hear thunder roll and see flashes of lightning.

And then it hit - a thunderstorm to top all thunderstorms.

She and the other sisters had their trailers backed up to the edge of a cliff with the river down below.

Tanner had a hard time falling asleep that night because all she could think about was getting blown off that cliff. She said she had visions of floating down the river in her trailer.

When the sisters travel cross country pulling their trailers, they always go caravan style so no one has to travel alone.

They use "walkie-talkies " to communicate with one another so every driver will know where each one is and where they will be stopping for gas, food, and breaks.

Sisters on the Fly doesn't just fancy fly-fishing, vintage trailers and shopping; they also have what they call Cowgirl College. It is actually modeled after the original Arizona CowBOY College in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Linda Brede, sister 250, lives in Rice and is the other co-host at the Cedar Creek Lake adventure. She gave some insight as to what Cowgirl College is all about.

Classes for the Cowgirl College are at working ranches in different parts of the country such as Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, where students learn to rope, brand, herd cattle, and ride horses.

Trips scheduled for 2010 include Boca Grande, Florida; New Orleans; Kaycee, Wyo; New Mexico; Colorado; Utah; Idaho; Montana; and Oregon.

Visit the group's Web site, sistersonthefly.com.