Rick & Mic Gone Fishin ><(((*>

right place ~ right time

2010-09-29T23:10:00.002-06:00

(this is a continuation of the previous post)

This was one fish that I wanted to land! I thought of how big the fish was when it jumped out of the water and that I had a truly barbless hook, but a big hook and I kept the line tight. Thank goodness I'd gone to 4X tippet. The fish ran and I was able to reel it in, then it ran again, and again. I wanted to get this one to the net so I took my time. But I don't like to keep a fish on the line for too long so I gently brought it in as quick as I could. I was so thankful Rick was the one netting it. I trust him more than anyone. I brought the fish close to the shoreline and he kept the net in the water inching closer to the fish from the tail. He quietly crept up on the fish and scooped it up! My adrenalin was racing! This was a huge fish! A fat fish! A beautiful brown trout!

The fisherman with the big camera was there and had photographed me while I was fighting the fish. And he'd gotten a couple shots of Rick netting the fish. He introduced himself as Phil Savoie and said he was a photographer. What? Thoughts were running through my head about getting some photos of this fish on our point and shoot Olympus and here was a photographer! What are the odds? Were the stars aligned? I'd finally hit a jackpot.

Phil the photographer 'set the stage' and encouraged me on how to hold onto the big fish. And it took me a while to get a grip on it. Usually I can get my hands around the fish, but this one was big and I didn't want to miss a few photos like this. Phil had said a couple times "What a hog! And you got it on a dry fly!" which seemed to increase my stress of getting the photos. I was anxious to get some good photos. Phil said to use one hand to hold the tail and the other hand to lift the front of the fish, but I couldn't get my left hand around the tail section of the fish! We all wanted to quickly get the fish back to the water so I tried and tried and finally we got some photos. Phil's camera was one of those powerful DSLR, a Canon I believe, and it took multiple shots at a time. Click, click, click, click, over and over. Unbelievable I kept thinking. What are the chances that a professional photographer would be fishing next to me when I landed such an amazing fish?!?! And such a nice guy!

We finished with the "photo session" and made sure the fish was healthy and ready to return to the currents. After we released the fish we started talking with Phil and asked how we could get copies of the photos he'd taken. He told us he would return in a few days and bring us a disc with the images. I'm still thinking "UNBELIEVABLE!" I asked how we could every repay him and he said "How about 3 PMD's, 3 crane flies and we'll call it even?" I opened my fly box and gladly gave him flies. Phil gave us a business card and told us he'd worked with National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Planet Earth, and many other networks and organizations. I had my Droid phone with me and as I was 'recovering' I looked him up on the Internet. He has an amazing website at http://www.philsavoie.com/ where you can see many of the projects and films that he's accomplished. The next day he emailed me a few of the photos and said he'd return to fish with us in a couple days.

Phil had come from Bozeman to fish the river and although he wasn't working he'd brought along some of his photo equipment. In between fishing he was busy taking photos of bugs. Phil is also a biologist and was as interested in the bugs as he was in fishing. In fact, I think the bugs held his attention more than the fish. Rick volunteered to collect insects as Phil fished. As Phil packed up his equipment he gave me a preview of the 380 photos he'd taken of me and the big brown. I couldn't stop thinking "Amazing luck!"

When Phil returned a few days later he brought the disc with about 60 photos and we gave him a small box of more flies. He asked that if I post his photos on the blog that I give him photo credit since that's how he makes his living. I'm more than happy to do so. He told us about a huge fish he'd caught years ago while in England and that someone had taken photos of the record-breaking fish for him. He even showed us a photo of his very large trout. He said I was a nice lady and he was happy to help me. I guess all the years of me giving away flies, helping others to fish, and taking other people's picture was coming full-circle. For the rest of the morning Phil fished and I spotted rising fish for him. Rick again collected insects and Phil told us about some of his on-going projects and future plans. I'm still thanking my lucky stars that he decided to fish next to me.

It's what some would call the fish of a lifetime. I like to think I have a lot of lifetime left and more memorable fish to catch. Tight lines Phil! Hope to see you on the river again.

(all photos in this blog post are courtesy of Phil Savoie, © 2010 Phil Savoie www.philsavoie.com)

big flies ~ big fish

2010-09-26T21:55:00.004-06:00

We'd gotten to the river around 10 AM and Rick waded upstream. I stayed in my usual spot since there were a couple others on the river. Soon another fisherman came in downstream from me, not close, but a good distance away so as not to crowd. He was close enough that I heard him say to me, "the crane flies look like hummingbirds!" and I thought that was a good observation. I hadn't really seen many fish in the hour we'd been there, but I kept after it, hoping for a fish to smack the fly. I was fishing with a crane fly on a truly barbless hook, not a hook that had been crimped. Totally smooth, giving the fish a good chance to get off if I hooked one.

I moved upriver a few feet and kept looking for a rising fish, but saw nothing. Tossing the big crane fly causes my tippet to get twisted into knots. Every few minutes I have to stop to unwind the line and make sure the line is not knotted. I had finished out my tippet section with 5X, but decided to remove it and re-attach the fly to the 4X.

Although I didn't see fish rising on the surface, I knew where the fish should be holding. Not to be a know-it-all, but I've seen the river at low water (no water) and I know where the rocks are, where the deep holes are and the unseen snags. I've fished the river for years now and I can read this short section of the river. I was scanning left and right for a fish, but all I saw were crane flies - acting like hummingbirds.

Out of the corner of my eye, just upstream, I saw the smooth water swirl from underneath. There was no splash, it didn't disturb the surface. I knew it wasn't a swirl caused by an underwater snag. I knew it was a fish. It was in the current or feeding lane, a foam line and I turned slightly towards the swirl. There is a huge snag there, a natural place for fish to hang out and catch bugs floating by. I needed to cast upstream of the fish and avoid getting hung up on the snag. I gently tossed the big crane fly upstream of the swirl and to the near side of the current and let it float. Nothing. As it ended the drift I retrieved it and cast again, this time letting it float in the middle of the current. No false casting, just picked it up and laid it down. The big fly floated over the area and again nothing. I carefully gathered the line at the end of the drift and for a third time placed the fly at the far side of the current, getting it upstream of where I thought the swirl was, but not on the overhanging branches. Immediately the fly was gone, taken in a big slurp by a fish. No big cannonball splash, it just disappeared and my line flew to the right. I tightened up the slack by hand, getting the line on the reel and the line streaked off to the left. Then it stopped. I knew the fish had run underneath the big underwater snag. Then the fish came out of the water, jumped into the air giving me a view of it's broad side and I could see how big it was!!! And there was no further movement. The line was hung or twisted on the branches underwater.

What to do? I had the line tight on the reel and could feel the fish was still on the hook. I looked upstream and saw that Rick was watching me. He was quite a distance away and I motioned for him to bring our big boat net. In the meantime (this all happened within seconds, but seemed like many minutes) I was wondering if I should take a chance and give it slack or pull it tighter. I knew how big the fish was, or so I thought, and knew I couldn't give it slack. This sometimes works, but I thought not this time. I gently pulled the line tighter, just a little, and the fish was un-snagged and swimming downstream like a mad fish!

I think it was as I hooked the fish that the guy next to me asked, "Madam, may I take your picture?" What? Yeah, I guess so. You want to what? I was too busy trying to keep the fish on the hook that I thought "What? Where's he from? Is seeing a woman fish something new?" But he was a nice guy, very polite, and I said "yes" concentrating on my fish and he went off somewhere. I was concerned about this fish and as Rick arrived I said "It's big and this may be a fish that I have to chase downstream." I made my way to shore, backing in from the middle of the river and the other fisherman returned with a camera. The fisherman with the camera said to Rick "I asked your wife if I could take her photo. Is that alright with you?" Rick said yes. I wondered who this guy was because he was so polite and when I glanced at him I could see he was serious. His camera was big, with a very big lens. This guy was really wanting to take some serious photos. Now I just needed to bring the fish to the net.

(continued)

Crane Flies Flyin'

2010-09-22T22:19:00.000-06:00

We'd seen the crane flies skittering on the water for the past week or so. And I'd played around with them for a couple years so I knew they would attract the fish. I'd caught a few fish last year with them and enjoyed throwing the big flies. Sort of like big grasshoppers or foam chernobyl ants. A size 10 fly is much larger than a size 20 fly. (I prefer casting 20's.) The fish smack 'em with a lot of gusto, usually making big splashes and lots of noise. Like devouring an entire meal compared to a bite of food . Even when not seeing them you can hear the take from across the river. I was looking forward to trying the big crane flies again this year.

Most serious fishers get on the river early to toss crane flies, but we'd seen them all day long flittering about. They can be twitched, drug across the water or floated with a dead drift. The fish like them all different ways.

Story behind the photo?

2010-09-03T13:00:00.002-06:00

You better believe there's a story behind this photo!

Montana traffic jam

2010-09-02T16:38:00.019-06:00

Happy September everyone! Can you believe we are nearing the end of summer!?!?

While on our travels through the Big Hole River valley, we had to wait for the local traffic to clear at the intersection.

This is enjoyable gridlock traffic. The kind I could spend hours in, watching the world go by.

These are truly hardworking people with hardworking dogs and horses, moving their cattle to another pasture.

Legendary Big Hole River Valley

2010-09-01T22:49:00.001-06:00

Not too long ago we decided to take a road trip to see and try our luck on another river.

World famous and one of the most popular rivers in the area is the Big Hole River and since it is so near we thought we'd spend the day exploring.

The drive through the Big Hole valley was a beautiful drive and my photos don't do the area justice. It took us all day to make the loop, about 160 miles.

We stopped at most of the river access points to look around and fish of course. Most access points have large parking areas, boat access, picnic tables and restrooms.

The Big Hole River is legendary, a fabulous fishery, in a scenic valley. We ended the day with dinner in Melrose and then returned to Maiden Rock to fish out the evening.

Good results for a cold morning

2010-08-29T16:22:00.000-06:00

After we three walked to the river and the guys found their spots, I backtracked to the corner and watched downstream with hopes to see a rising fish. Maybe two if I was lucky. Tom had fish around him, but it was very difficult to see with all the white foam and the morning glare. He could see the water rings, but not his fly. I told him to change from a sallie to a PMD since that was what I saw floating by.

Rick went upstream and hooked a couple I found out later. He got cold and soon went to watch and help Tom. Tom got his sleeves wet when he had to reach for his dropped glasses, and then he got cold. They both wanted to quit when it started to sprinkle.

I had quickly spotted a riser when we arrived and after a few casts I hooked and landed it, a nice brownie with vibrant spots and a touch of blue on the gill plate. I had to change flies a couple times, but the old standby sparkle dun #18 did the trick. It might have been cold, but this warmed me up.

Cool & drizzly wet

2010-08-28T23:21:00.000-06:00

We're having a little bit of a cool spell with temps dropping down into the low 30's at night and the highs barely getting up to 60 during the day. This is the NOAA Hazardous Weather Warning just posted =

WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA TONIGHT AND INTO SUNDAY. AS COLDER AIR ARRIVES...THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR SNOW OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...MAINLY ABOVE 7500 FEET SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. HIGH TEMPERATURES ON SUNDAY WILL BE AROUND 20 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE.

We all know how wrong the weather forecasts can be. I think I'll wait until tomorrow to tell Rick or he might start packing up to head south. Way too soon to leave. The fishing is just getting started, even if we do have to put on long underwear under our waders and break out the winter jackets. What's a little snow as long as it doesn't stick around too long.

I did joke with the guys this morning that if it rained it would be snow. Oh well, lets go fishing!

Underwater video of 5 pounder

2010-08-27T21:39:00.004-06:00

As Logan and I released the nice 5 pound rainbow, it stayed right between his boots and I was able to get a couple photos and a short video.

(click on the play arrow if you want to see the video)

It was good fishing with you Logan and we hope you are doing well.

first time I've weighed a trout

2010-08-26T21:41:00.001-06:00

I think this might be the first time I've weighed a trout. We sometimes will measure the length and on rare occasion we've measured the girth, but we don't bring a weight scale to the river. Our friend Logan has a fancy net with a scale built into the handle and when I landed this one he said "Good-on-ya! Let's give it a go." It weighed in at just 5 pounds and took a tiny size 20 nymph.

More and more people are asking about the weight of a fish as opposed to how long it was. We might have to get one of those nets from Australia, but it was a little pricey. Years ago it used to be that landing a 20" fish on a #20 fly was a big accomplishment. It still is.

Now I'm eating fish bugs!

2010-08-25T23:00:00.001-06:00

I took an unplanned swim a month ago and saw what the fish see.
Today I ate what the fish eat.

Not the first time a fisherperson has eaten a bug, but this was not my intention. I've read about fishermen who've eaten large golden stoneflies, the big juicy ones, for fun, and probably after having a couple cold beers. This morning I was just walking along the river minding my own business, obviously talking, mouth open and a mayfly flew in and I swallowed it. It sort of stuck on my throat and made me cough and I didn't taste it, so don't ask. I don't think it was the medium size sallie stonefly either, thank goodness.

The mayflies are such a small, delicate fly. At times there are so many of them in the air, like clouds. So light and delicate, dare I say pretty? It makes me wonder why the fish are not overly excited to eat them this summer. I did.

Where did the dry flies go this summer?

2010-08-24T23:49:00.002-06:00

And where did summer go? It's already approaching the end of August and this summer was very different than past summers in Montana. Almost unrecognizable. The weather has been warm and sunny, but just recently. The river has been high and cold, it seems all summer. The PMD's have been few and far between. The dry flies have been almost non-existent. But anyone who knows me knows that I like a challenge.

On my fingers is an example of a real bug and a fly tied to imitate it. I've taken more of an interest in the bugs this year because the usual hatches have not happened as we expected them to.

For the past few weeks, the few rising fish have been on the far side of the cold, high river, causing me to wade out farther than I should. The guides in the drift boats float past me and ask "Are there fish rising over there?" I'm obviously throwing dry flies yet still they ask. Sometimes I say "no, just practicing for when they do start rising." Not having the masses of dry flies has caused us to resort to nymphs when nothing else is happening on the surface, but that's been OK. The few days we've had clouds roll in the mayflies and sallies hatch and the fish rise to the top, sometimes just for 20 minutes or so.

While I might be chucking nymphs, I'm looking for ripples or noses, any indication that a trout is near the surface. Still hoping to have some serious dry fly action.

Mending works!

2010-08-21T00:13:00.001-06:00

Ok! Enough about mending! But I had to show what a little practice will do for improving your game.

Mending 101 course given by Mike Bias

2010-08-20T00:03:00.002-06:00

How fortunate am I to have a friend like Mike Bias? I've been lucky to float with him and his daughter twice this summer and I've thoroughly enjoyed it each time. I love to see Mike on the river with his clients because I can imagine how much fun they must be having. And I love that his daughter likes to fish also. Today she even took the oars for a short distance and did a great job putting us on fish!

Mike wears many different hats - and what a hat it is! Really, he is the Executive Director of the Big Hole River Foundation, a biologist and hard working fishing guide. If you ever need a knowledgeable guide to help you catch fish, give Mike a call or send him an email. He provides helpful advice on fly casting and setting the hook = thus his website http://setsetset.com/

Rick and I have known Mike for years, since our days in Last Chance, Idaho where Mike was head guide for Hyde's Last Chance Outfitters. I remember we floated with him years ago at the Chester Backwater and he tried and tried to teach me how to mend. Mend, mend. Mend the line. He was so persistent and so patient at the same time. I've tried over the years to be a good mender so my fly drifts naturally and yet it still is a skill to be worked on.

Today I reminded him of that trip and I asked him to help me. He watched and gave me some exact pointers that should help me with floating my nymphs. I need to point my rod tip at the indicator and give it a good twitch. I'll be the one practicing my mending - cast, point, twitch. Cast, point, twitch. Cast, point... set set set!

Mending and more mending

2010-08-18T23:08:00.000-06:00

Wow! It's been a month since my last blog post! Where has the summer gone and what have we been doing? A couple of you have asked where we've gone to and I'm way over due to write something. Anything.

After my "trip" into the water on July 15 and floating a short distance doing a vigorous backstroke for my life, my arm froze up and forced me to visit a local doctor. I was OK for about 3 days and then Yammo! my arm did not want to be a part of any command my brain tried to send it. It hurt like nothing I'd ever felt and after checking the Internet for a diagnosis, quickly got into a local doctor. (When we've needed to see a doctor while on the road it's always such a good experience! More on that later for those of you with trepidation about traveling and needing medical help.) I saw the doctor the next morning and she thought it was rotator cuff! Oh my! Not what I wanted to hear. Withing minutes I had x-rays that came back normal (yipeee!) and within the hour I was in physical therapy! Unbelievable medical service in such a small town! Love it and wish "they" could be my primary physician care all the time. Oh well, back to the physical therapist who worked her magic on my shoulder that wouldn't move. Pain scale of 1-10 and I kept thinking 20! What a pain it was! I went home to the motorhome and did my homework exercises and when I returned a couple days later I was doing a little better. I completed 2 weeks of physical therapy and I think I'm about 95% back to normal. Oh yeah = thank goodness it was my left shoulder so I could continue to cautiously cast my fly rod. I did my exercises on the river with our long handled fish net and reached and stretched and hopefully the tiny bit of lingering tenderness will go away.

When you cast a fly with a fly rod you want a natural drift so the fish see your presentation as a real bug floating downstream. When you throw your line out there on the river, with all the currents wanting to pull it here and there, you need to "mend" the line upriver so the fly doesn't start water skiing. So while I was mending my shoulder, I was also mending my fly line and catching fish during my healing. What a great way to re-cooperate.

Thanks to those of you who sent emails and messages asking about us during our silence. I'm hoping to get back into the routine of blogging in between fishing and enjoying life.

Now I know what the fish see!

2010-07-15T23:22:00.001-06:00

It's been years, but given the odds, it was bound to happen.

Lessons of the day:

Why you should wear a wading belt.
How much water can YOU get in your waders?
Really - how cold is 54 degree water?
Float trip without a boat is not as much fun.
Why I carry a waterproof camera.
Taking a face-first dive from a bowling ball size rock.
Why I should fish upstream of Rick.
The view from under the water is quite different than from the shoreline.
Now I know what the fish see.
I always wondered if Rick would hear me yell. Yes. And he would have caught up to me. Eventually.
Didn't panic.
I realize I float really well.
Learned how much water a chest pack will hold.
Quite refreshing on a hot day. Glad it wasn't May.
Water rescue by Kelly, the Park City, Utah Fire Chief. Later he tells me he's never had water rescue training!
Will I get sick if I swallowed the river water?
First words I said to Kelly & Stacy as I float by, "Save my rod!" Then Stacy said "Spoken like a true fly fisher."
Need to dry out the flies or the hooks will rust.
New way to wash my shirt.

I think the river is warm enough to wet-wade, sans waders. Tomorrow freedom!
This wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't wearing rubber pants that hold water. And boots that became as heavy as cement shoes. But I do float well.

Team PaddleFish in the Texas Water Safari Race

2010-07-10T11:35:00.001-06:00

The Fly Fish Chick, aka Christine Johnson, is participating in the 260 mile paddle race in Texas. She's not in the race for the fame and glory of finishing in first place! She is in the multi-day race to raise money and awareness for Rett Syndrome. Christine has been training for the race for more than a year, only to have the June event date delayed by heavy rains and flooding. She didn't let the postponement deter her determination even though it meant rearranging schedules and vacation trips for many people.

The race must go on and today the race has started! The Fly Fish Chick and her new race partner have cleared the first 3 portages and are well on their way to surviving this 100 hour race. Clearing the dams and rapids will be the tricky part of the race. It will finish on Wednesday I believe.

flyfishchick blog
Fly-Fish-Chick on FaceBook
Track the progress of Team PaddleFish on the map
Team PaddleFish on FaceBook
Austin TV interview with Christine
Even on Twitter http://twitter.com/TheFlyFishChick

Christine is an avid fly fisher as is her boyfriend, the Professor. More on how we met them later.
Go Team PaddleFish!

Fish Firecracker

2010-07-06T13:58:00.001-06:00

The 4th of July night time fireworks show was spectacular, but earlier in the day we had gone fishing and I'd caught a rainbow trout that had such brilliant pink color I said to Rick, "This is my fireworks!"

A bit corny maybe, but the colors on this fish were so bright and distinct.

2 kids & 3 cameras on the 4th

2010-07-05T22:57:00.000-06:00

While the families with the boys put on a great display of fireworks, I had 3 cameras ready to capture the nighttime festivities. I had the Droid phone with the camera, the Olympus SW1050 and the Nikon Coolpix P80. The 2 boys along with the 3 men kept the sparks flying and I had a challenge to keep up with each fountain, torch, spinner, and bottle rocket being lit. But what fun I had watching them and trying to get a few shots in focus. It's not often that I get to try out the fireworks setting of the cameras.

These 2 are from the Droid phone camera

These are from the Olympus

And these are from the Nikon

We had a yummy BBQ. Eric, the camp chef, made homemade jalapeno poppers wrapped with bacon and dinner was shish kabobs, rice, corn on the cob, fruit and all the trimmings. Good food and great friends. Even though we had to fight the ferocious mosquitoes for a while (the worst yet), it was still a fantastic 4th of July.

Small Potatoes & Dandelions

2010-07-01T13:01:00.003-06:00

As the weather warmed up the wildflowers started to bloom. Here in the campground the dandelions looked like a pretty carpet of bright yellow flowers. And I love the large puff balls of white seeds that they become. As a kid I liked to pick them and blow the seeds into the wind. Now I like to photograph them.

But when you're an adult you see dandelions as an intrusion into your lawn. And so the owner of the campground sprays the dandelions to keep them in check. And as an offer to help the campground owners with some of their yard maintenance, Rick volunteered to spray the intrusive pretty yellow flowers that become seeds spreading in the wind if left to their natural cycle.

Visitors from Idaho brought the campground owners boxes of fresh potatoes and they shared them with everyone. I wondered if they would taste different from the store-bought potatoes and they did. They were fantastic! Not only fresher tasting, but they are huge! Which reminded me of the saying "small potatoes." I wondered where the saying came from so I had to look it up.

small, insignificant; small or insignificant in quantity comes from the Irish potato famine from 1845 - 1849, as potatoes was the main food source in Ireland. Used to describe the small surviving potatoes that were picked.

I told Rick that for spraying the weeds he wasn't working for small potatoes. He was working for big potatoes!

Life is a highway...

2010-06-27T22:48:00.002-06:00

Sometimes life is a busy interstate highway ~ which we try to avoid

Sometimes life is a scenic back road ~ which we prefer

Sometimes life is a gravel road ~ more of these if only we had a jeep

Tom Cochrane music video on YouTube

It's not all about fishing

2010-06-25T19:14:00.000-06:00

I think I'm finally getting used to just living here in Montana. We've been coming here for years for a fishing vacation, with the sole purpose to fish - and have fun. This is our 3rd full summer in Montana with our motorhome and I think it's really hit me that I'm not here to fish each day until I drop. Or until Rick drops. I think today was the first day that I just relaxed and chilled. Although we did go fishing.

The past few days have been great fishing and we've spent some long days on the river. We're non-stop fishers once we hit the river and start casting. No lunch, usually no potty breaks, no sitting out an inning to watch the others play their game, pretty much fish fish fish for 7 hours. I say it's a good thing Rick likes to fish because he'd be bored and lonely since I'd be fishing all day.

I planned to get to the river a little earlier this morning, but we visited with a neighbor camper and took some photos of one of his lake flies. Rick didn't have many chores this morning so we pulled on our waders and walked down to a deserted river around 11:00. It was overcast with high clouds and we fished almost by ourselves for a couple hours. With it being overcast it was impossible to see where the fish were sitting on the bottom. We like to sight fish even when nymphing. Not being able to see the fish is less fun and like casting with my eyes closed. Truly hit and miss. More miss today (hooked a few) and we both decided to call it quits early, but we left the door open to return later in the day if the sun came out.

Once back at home (motorhome is home), I put a pork roast in the electric roaster, fixed a snack of smoked trout from our neighbor, and just chilled. A storm rolled in and the sky darkened with clouds that promised wind, lightning, thunder and rain. As I'm writing this Rick is reading another book, but only after having tied some more flies. Flies that I'm sure we'll use tomorrow morning when I plan to be on the river bright and early. Some things don't change = tomorrow I plan to have fun and fish, in that order.

Another good day

2010-06-24T23:00:00.001-06:00

Good fishing, talking with old friends, making new friends, sharing fish tales, and a great place to live. Again it was difficult to concentrate on serious fishing with so much going on around me. A couple times during the day we watched an eagle circle overhead and I wished I had the big camera with the powerful zoom lens. The picture is not good, but I have to include it. All I usually carry with me in the water is the waterproof Olympus SW 1050 and it doesn't have the best zoom. I took a couple shots, but stopped to just watch in amazement as it flew around in circles.

A family of merganser ducks came swimming up the river and they were so cute to watch. When they crossed the river the momma duck made the ducklings race across at high speed probably afraid of them being eaten by a big brown trout. Rick could see them racing back and forth across the river and thought it looked like a school of anchovies hitting the surface. When the ducks were across from us on the far bank they were diving for food and coming up with small fish. Then they would chase each other around trying to take the fish away. So cute to watch.

Now back to fishing. We're at a time when the conditions change by the hour throughout the day and flexibility is key.

A friend floated by that we hadn't seen in a long time. Mike Bias, Executive Director of the Big Hole River Foundation, biologist, and long time fly fishing guide, anchored his Hyde boat and we had a good catch-up chat. Check out Mike's webpage to contact him and see some of the adventures he has to offer. http://setsetset.com/ Mike was fishing with another acquaintance, Guitou Feuillebois, and yes they were catching lots of fish. It was our good luck that Mike's clients had cancelled at the last minute and he offered us a couple yummy sandwiches, chips, salad and dessert that were meant for the absent anglers. Thank you Mike! Not only did the absent anglers miss out on a good meal, they missed a great opportunity to fish with a very experienced guide. We'd met Guitou (Ghee-two) last year and we'd shared some of our flies with him. He returned the favor and gave us a few of the flies they'd been using. I like sharing the good times and good fishing with friends. Yes, it was another good day.

Click on the start arrow at the bottom left corner of this slideshow window.

the Banker & the Fisherman

2010-06-22T13:29:00.002-06:00

I stumbled on this parable while cruising the Internet. It struck a chord in me and when I read it to Rick, he liked it, too. So I'm sharing it with you.

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman replied, "only a little while."

The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The American then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life.”

The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats and eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”

“But what then?”

The American laughed and said that’s the best part. “When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions.”

“Millions. Then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

Who are you, the Banker or the Fisherman?

(Photo from one of our trips to Mexico)

Summer is HERE!

2010-06-21T22:25:00.000-06:00

We've had a cool, wet, long spring, but I think it is finally summer here in Montana. I'll happily take 66 degrees over 106 degrees.

We've started to have afternoon thunderstorms with lots of lightning. Temps of almost 70. Gorgeous pink and orange sunsets. We've seen the PMD's start to hatch. Yipeee! Fish near the surface. And I've been bitten by my first mosquito! All sure signs that summer is here. And the fact that it's June 21st, the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.

Oh Deer!

2010-06-18T13:41:00.032-06:00

While on the river last week Rick noticed a deer on the edge of the river quite a distance from us. We were just looking around, not fishing, and I had my big Nikon camera with the more powerful telephoto zoom. I saw the deer, but could really see it after I took a couple photos. It was way upriver and we watched it cross the river.

There were no fishermen in sight and the deer took it's time and meandered along.

Just a couple days ago I was fishing towards the far bank, pretty much by myself, when I caught a glimpse of movement in the bushes. I stopped fishing and watched as a small deer, possibly the same one we'd seen upriver, made her way slowly towards the river. Rick was upstream from me, but he noticed that I'd stopped fishing and I motioned to the deer. Being farther away, he could clearly see it, waved at me, and continued fishing. I didn't want to scare it by casting and I was very happy to watch it wander along the upper bank so close to me. I carry the small Olympus 1050SW waterproof camera in my chest pack just for these times.

See what I mean about being distracted? I just have to stop and watch when an eagle flies in circles over my head or when the osprey hovers above the river before diving straight down to grab a fish. We stopped and watched as the the momma otter moved her babies one-by-one from their little cave-home in the riverbank up into the grasses. Even the red-breasted robin pulling worms from the mud is wonderfully distracting. Love it!

Just one more...

2010-06-17T10:56:00.002-06:00

We'll leave after one of us catches another fish.

Another five, ten, fifteen more minutes.

You're not really that hungry are you?

We'll quit when either of us hooks another fish.

Just a couple more casts.

I'll fish my way out.

That one didn't count.

Let me know when you're ready. I'll just sit here.

Almost heaven

2010-06-16T22:52:00.000-06:00

Almost heaven. Real close to paradise. Nearly nirvana.

How fortunate are we that we get to live in Montana and pursue our dream of fly fishing the entire summer in such a glorious place?

Today, although crowded most of the time, I really enjoyed myself and realized that everyone is here to have a good time. Some are driven to catch the biggest fish that they can. Some are here for the companionship. Some are here for the peace and tranquility of the great outdoors. Hard to find tranquility when it's crowded, but everyone was cordial, some were helpful, and a few were very friendly.

We made new friends and saw many old fishing pals that we hadn't seen in a long while. Because most of the other rivers in the area are "blown out", there were a ton of people here hoping to catch the fish of their life.

There were so many people upstream that it looked like a free casting clinic was happening.

It was sort of a slow fishing day for me, probably because there was a lot of activity going on around me. I was distracted, but mostly by the muskrat, river otters, and colorful song birds that live on the river. Not even the fish could keep my attention for long. It's wonderful being here.

Ups & Downs

2010-06-08T01:20:00.000-06:00

What a day of ups and downs. We walked to the river (up) around 11:00 and found at least 3-4 boats at the ramp. That immediately meant a crowd from the beginning (down). We chatted with the guides for just a couple minutes as they set up their clients to fish just above the put-in area. We walked around the bend to find another group of fishermen, but not as many here as there were way upriver. (up & down) OMG there were a ton of people on the river! Like it was opening day! They sounded like they were cheering at a football game every time someone hooked a fish. Very distracting. (down) We separated and tried to find a spot without crowding someone else. A few of the fishermen went to be with their guides which opened up a couple slots and we started chuckin' & duckin' (up). Rick was a-ways upstream from me and I could see that he was hooking a number of fish (up), yet I was skunked for what seemed like a loooong time. (down) I eventually hooked a fish and played musical chairs with others for a spot as the guides floated away. I kept telling myself "Self, don't be grouchy, enjoy the moment" and I did. I love being on the river. (up)

A number of guides floated by, some anchoring but most continuing on their journey. I ended up in a good spot (up) very near a guide I know (Travis) who was teaching a newbie how to cast. I hooked a few fish, some taking my flies and I asked Travis if he'd like to move his client into my spot and he happily said yes. I wanted to do something nice, to feel good about helping someone. I even gave Travis a couple of Rick's secret tiny green nymphs since he didn't have any. After a little while I saw the newbie land a fish for a photo op. It put me in a better mood and I felt good. (up)

By this time the large group from way upriver moved next to us since they were being crowded by a couple more groups. (down) Although they were nice enough, they were very loud. (down) I prefer the peaceful rippling water sounds to the shouts and yahoos. (down) Rick convinced me to fish closer to him in an area I don't usually fish. That was fun and we love to fish together. (up) We were both hooking fish and tried to be very quiet about it so not to attract attention. Why do people think the only fish in the river are the ones we're catching?

Around 3:00 people started to leave the river and we were basically left alone. (up) I think there was one other guy fishing nearby when we both hooked and landed fish at the same time. (up)

We worked our way down river toward the boat ramp and saw a couple fishermen using spinning rods to drown worms. (down) They weren't catching any fish (up) and we moved out of their line of sight.

After we caught a few more fish we decided to call it an up day. It turned out to be a really fun up day. I'm looking forward to fishing tomorrow and hopefully a little more open water.

Every so often...

2010-06-05T13:06:00.000-06:00

Every so often I hand over the camera to Rick and he gladly snaps a photo of me having fun while fishing.

Grip & Grin

2010-06-03T23:24:00.000-06:00

Rick & his fish

Mic & her fish

I carry the camera in this family.

Success

2010-05-27T01:34:00.001-06:00

This fish

is not the same as this fish

or this fish

Clouds = Bugs = Fish

2010-05-26T01:29:00.002-06:00

Bad weather DOES NOT mean bad fishing.

Just the opposite.

Maybe you can see the fly hooked in the fish's nose. Do fish have a nose?

Another fly tie try

2010-05-25T01:01:00.001-06:00

Here's another attempt at trying my hand at fly tying.

I tied a few and fished with this fly and it caught fish, lots of fish!

It was so exciting and so rewarding!

I like the feeling it gives me to know that I succeeded in tricking these (obviously hungry) trout.

Rick has been so encouraging. I just need to ignore everything else around me (especially electronic devices) and concentrate on tying. Repeat after me...

Snow Day!

2010-05-24T12:08:00.004-06:00

We'd been looking at the weather forecast again so we knew the snow was coming. I was even looking forward to it. (I keep telling myself that watching the weather is a part of being retired and needing to know that the weather will be good so we can do "whatever we want", not a sign of getting old.)

We know it's the end of May and it's only going to get warmer. Not like last October when we got snowed in and realized there wouldn't be an "Indian Summer," that winter was upon us and not going away.

After having the snow come down Saturday and Sunday morning, it cleared on Sunday afternoon and we went fishing. The snow had melted, the sky was bright blue, the white clouds puffy, and no wind. The fishing was great because it seemed the fish wanted any of the 3 or 4 different nymphs we were tossing to them. It didn't seem to matter what color we tied on - olive, black, tan, green, pink or orange - they wanted the flies. There was another couple on the river who waded upstream and eventually our friends Stacy, Kelly and Clark showed up and fished nearby. A couple boats drifted by with clients and everyone was happy for such a good day on the river.

First in the net

2010-05-22T01:57:00.001-06:00

We fished the day after opening and there were fewer fishermen on the river. We asked a fellow camper where all his friends were and he said they got really drunk last night and were spending most of the day sleeping. I thought "Oh, that's too bad," but didn't really mean the thought.

The fishing was better without all the crowds, that's for sure. (Tiny dark nymphs for anyone curious about what the fish were eating.)

Sitting on the Sidelines

2010-05-21T01:57:00.000-06:00

We had a great opening day and we didn't even fish! We had a nice, leisurely morning, played with the dogs, talked with the other campers and took care of personal business.

We took a little walk along the river to see what everyone was doing and we saw what we expected to see. LOTS of fishermen trying to catch fish. Some were catching fish and some not.

There were worm dunkers and fly flingers. They were lined up elbow to elbow, squeezing out each other, vying for the best spot. A group of 8 directly downstream, another 10 spread out upstream, and another 8 or so right in front of us. I'd say most were from far away, not locals.

We witnessed the first, but guaranteed not the last, argument between fishermen about river etiquette. A verbal fight I think only because there was a small amount of deep water separating them. Really too bad there were a few young children who witnessed the name calling and swearing. But like I said, we had a great opening day because we did not fish the frenzy.

Day Before Opening

2010-05-20T15:37:00.005-06:00

This is what we saw when we walked along the river on the day BEFORE opening day.

It was so peaceful and quiet.

The only signs of life were in the water and overhead.

All natural and all good.

Settled for the summer

2010-05-15T22:57:00.000-06:00

We arrived Wednesday at our Montana summer home and boy is it good to be settled for a while! I love traveling in the motorhome and seeing the sights, but it's nice to know we'll be here for the summer.

The river looks great, perhaps a little low for opening day, but the flow was kept higher than normal throughout the winter. We're hoping the higher winter flows resulted in a successful spawn and more and bigger trout than summers past.

We're seeing lots and lots of fishermen arriving for opening day. They're setting out their waders and assembling their rods. From a distance they even seem a little giddy with anticipation. We're still debating if we will fish on the first day. We both agree that we don't want to bump elbows, or worse, get hooked by some wayward worm on a hook. We'd both rather avoid the opening day ~~fishing~~ fishermen frenzy.

I finally tied one on

2010-05-05T00:14:00.005-06:00

Yes, I really tied one on! Not the first time I've tied one on, but it could just as well have been it's been such a long time. It's been more than 20 years since I tied one on! And I did it twice today!

My first flies in more than 20 years! After many months of saying I should, would, could, I did.

I tied one sparkle dun or compara dun and one green scud.

Rick was so patient, encouraging and a great teacher.

I've watched him tie flies for 34 years and I used to tie, so it was like riding a bike. I just need to get the feel for the thread, spinning the fur, dubbing, and especially proportion.

And I'd like to get a magnifier so I can see these tiny fake bugs the size of rice! Just think how good I'd be if I could actually see what I'm doing!

Oh, I know I need lots of practice to be anywhere near as good as Rick is, but he says with practice I can be a good fly tyer.

Lord knows we have enough tying materials for both of us to last a lifetime!

A River of Asphalt

2010-04-23T01:17:00.002-06:00

As I drove in the rain on Highway 101 from Tillamook to Seaside, I felt I was navigating a river. The road was wet and with a lot of imagination I was on the river. I took it at a slower pace than allowed by law and pulled to the side to let the "jet boats" rip past us. There weren't many vehicles on the road; and in fact, there were more headed south and I wondered what they knew that we didn't.

I looked for color changes on the surface of the asphalt that would indicate a change in depth, like on a river. I looked for smooth, shiny places that would indicate a change in current, or water running across the road. I looked for rocky spots that would cause our land yacht to porpoise like a, well, like a porpoise. Thank goodness for those new Koni shocks, but it was still a bumpy ride.

The wind was not blowing at gale force and I was comfortable with the hills disguised as ocean swells. The bridges and tunnels were thankfully taller than our tallest "mast" although I still feel the need to crouch down a little in my seat when I see 14' clearance signs. All in all it was a good voyage and we made it to our safe harbor in time for lunch.

Say "Tillamook"

2010-04-22T02:18:00.000-06:00

We couldn't be so near Tillamook without stopping in for a couple samples of both cheese and ice cream! We bought small blocks of smoked cheddar, habanero jack, and smoked black pepper white cheddar. The habanero was spicy good in a quesadilla.

I was going to correct the color on these photos, but thought it was appropriate for the occasion - the manufacture of cheddar cheese. They have a nice store to buy all things cheesey and a popular cafe where you can get, well, grilled cheese sandwiches and more. They have a large parking lot big enough for RV's if you're just passing through and want to visit.

The Air Museum is nearby if you are into air museums. We didn't visit, but I liked the photo with the snow in the background.

Views from the road

2010-04-21T01:13:00.001-06:00

On our way back to the campground we stopped a few times along the road to look at the ocean.

It was getting late in the day, maybe 6 PM or so. The off-shore storms made the waves brown and foamy with the sand being churned up - we called it "broil-y".

Why would anyone shoot a lighthouse?

2010-04-20T13:03:00.000-06:00

I get my interest in lighthouses from my mom. When she was a child her family would visit Cape Hatteras on the east coast as part of their vacation. As Rick and I have traveled along the coast we've stopped to visit the old lighthouses when possible. Some we get to go into and up the spiral staircases, some we only get to walk around the outside. When you get the chance to go up inside, take it. You see some breathtaking views of the ocean and coastline that probably won't be available forever.

We were very sad when we visited the Cape Meares Lighthouse because it was closed to visitors. We were able to visit the Oregon state park and walk to the lighthouse, but not tour the inside.

Back in January vandals shot out more than a dozen upper windows of the lighthouse and damaged the irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind, 1890 Fresnel lens. The current cost to repair the damage is more than $550,000! Two men have been arrested and charged with the crime, but it's hard to understand why anyone would shoot a lighthouse. Another senseless crime. Sad to see such a sentinel standing on the rocky coast, put there to keep ships and sailors safe, now with it's windows shot to pieces and boarded up. Sad, but worth the trip to see the lighthouse.

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_181.php

Sunday drive to Cape Meares Lighthouse

2010-04-19T21:17:00.010-06:00

We took a drive in the CR-V north on Sandlake Road and Cape Meares Loop up to the Cape Meares Lighthouse. Not Highway 101, but the curvier, tighter, I-don't-want-to-drive-the-motorhome-here, scenic road. Of course it was a little rainy (when does it NOT rain in Oregon?) and there weren't many other people out driving in the rain. When we got to the big, empty parking lot at the end of the road there was only one other car.

There are a couple vista balconies built right at the edge of the parking lot that took my breath away! Yep, I'm a little bit afraid of heights, but the views are fantastic looking north and south at the Cape Meares coastline. You could see the waves crashing against the rocks. We walked down the paved path to the beautiful lighthouse and the ocean.

After spending time at the lighthouse we made our way back to the parking area and then we took the muddy path to the Octopus Tree. Tradition handed down by the Indians is that the eerie giant, a Sitka Spruce, is a burial tree shaped when it was young to hold canoes of a chief's family. Archaeologists have found evidence that the Indians who lived along these shores placed their dead in the trees in canoes.

Branches of a forest tree normally reach straight upward, toward the light, but those on a burial tree were forced, when young and pliable, into a horizontal position beyond which they grew upward. Once the pattern was set, the tree might grow to a great size but always kept the shape, as did the Octopus Tree. Burial trees for many years could be spotted here and there in the virgin forest. The Octopus Tree is more than 60 feet at its base. No one can tell its age without counting the rings. Some theorize it could have been a young tree at about the time of Christ, but no matter how old it is, the prehistoric tree is amazing to see.
(Details of the Octopus Tree from capemeareslighthouse.org)

Pretty neat! And more scenic vistas.A very nice way to spend a Sunday.

The Cape Meares Lighthouse has been closed for awhile and I'll tell you why in the next post.

Every Day is a Beach

2010-04-13T20:25:00.001-06:00

I feel sort of like I'm in Montana, where we fly fish everyday and I try to find something other than fishing to talk about. But why fight a good thing.

Cape Kiwanda at Pacific City, Oregon. You can see the huge sand dunes in the distance.

No, we're not fishing, but every day we're at the ocean and there's not enough space on this blog to post all the beach pictures I take. I don't get tired of stopping to take pictures just like I don't get tired of fly fishing all summer.

More of the Oregon coast.
Just another beautiful beach.

Another hummer at the rain gauge

2010-04-09T01:53:00.002-06:00

I wasn't sure there would be many hummers this far north this early in the year.

I put the feeder on Rick's window and took these photos from across the room. I also replenished the sugar water so it wasn't diluted.

Rain Gauge

2010-04-07T01:16:00.001-06:00

Our stick-to-the-window hummingbird feeder has become a rain gauge.

We noticed that it is filling up rather than receding. In the first couple days the hummers loved it and we had 3 or 4 birds fighting over it.

Seems the water is running off the large awning on the motorhome and dripping right into the feeder. It's become diluted so they aren't fighting about it anymore.

I am the Bug Slayer!

2010-04-06T01:35:00.001-06:00

Bugs!

One of the annoyances of driving a motorhome is keeping the bugs off the glass and the front of the coach. When you stop you don't want to look at a swarm of bugs that failed to get out of your way - you want a nice view. I would not trade our large windshield and the view it gives us. It is so big and tall that Rick takes the responsibility of cleaning it when we stop for a couple days. (Thank you for keeping me off the ladder!)

I took this photo while Rick was cleaning the front of the motorhome and it looks like the seagulls overhead are setting up for a bombing run!

Rogue Nation

2010-04-05T01:21:00.000-06:00

Newport, Oregon is home to the Rogue Nation Brewery. We took a walk out on the fishing pier and just had to find out what Rogue Nation was. We'd never tasted it before so we were curious.

They offer tours, tastings and lunch with a fabulous view of the marina.

Newport Bayfront

2010-04-04T01:08:00.000-06:00

We visited Newport 2 years ago, but cut the trip short because of my gallbladder surgery. Yipeeee to getting that done! I feel great now and can eat clam chowder without pain! I loved the marina and bayfront and wanted to see the fishing boats again. I was on a mission to find live Dungeness crab and we did.

We thought about borrowing crab traps from the TT park and getting a crabbing license, but when we found the fresh crab for $6 a pound we'd found dinner. We'd gone crabbing years ago when we were on the east coast and we'd gathered oysters, mussels and clams while staying on Quadra Island off Canada so not a big deal. But this was easier. We just had to walk on the pier to the boat for crab this time.
We boiled the big guy (2+ pounds) with a little sea salt and it was so yummy with some melted butter, rice and a salad. I'd say it was better than the snow crab we get at the Vegas casinos! We're going to take a trip to Garibaldi and get some more. Gotta have more crab.

Hot clam chowder at the beach

2010-04-03T02:24:00.001-06:00

If you want a taste of good local food, ask the locals. They know where the good food is, not the tourist traps and fast food joints.

After talking with a couple locals, we had a unanimous recommendation to try the Chowder Bowl in historic Nye Beach. It is a lovely area with many motels and rental properties on the cliffs overlooking the expansive beach.

We had the fish tacos and the fish and chips. Our dishes came with a cup of yummy, creamy, butter-topped clam chowder, garlic bread, 3 large pieces of lightly fried cod, tasty chips, coleslaw and 3 large fish tacos! For less than $20. Eating out is not our usual routine, but it was really good.

Is it just me or do the Oregon beaches go on and on forever?

There were more people than I would expect for this time of year, but then we realized its the beginning of Spring Break in Oregon and families were taking advantage of good weather and enjoying every moment.

This is looking north from Nye Beach and Yaquina Lighthouse is in the distance. We climbed to the top of the lighthouse in 2008.

Oregon travels

2010-04-02T01:59:00.001-06:00

It seems my goal on this trip has been to get to the Oregon coast. As the weather got warmer we left California, leaving SoCal and family behind. We made our way up I-5 with a quick stop near Lake Shasta. That was snow-covered Mt. Shasta in an earlier post. As you drive north it just POPS into view like I'm wearing 3D glasses. It is so white against the dark forests and the blue sky. It just appears and it is amazingly huge!

We took a left turn at SR 138, then SR 38 and made a beeline for Florence, Oregon. There is a Thousand Trails Preserve there (South Jetty) and not many people at this time of year. The parks and campgrounds are much busier in the summer so spring and fall are a good time if you want to avoid the crowds. But I'm beginning to understand why there aren't many people here. With no crowds at South Jetty we choose the same site we'd had 2 years ago. It faces the morning and afternoon sun, a good idea when the temps are in the low 50's. We'd given up a few days at TT South Jetty to stay at Pacific Surf, but we enjoyed our 4 nights. Its a friendly park.

I've gotten in the habit of watching the 10-day forecast for planning travel days. We made it to Thousand Trails Whaler's Rest and had a couple of nice days to walk on the beach and through the park.

Looking again at the weather, we picked a nice day to travel an hour north to Thousand Trails Pacific City. We plan to stay in The Tillamook area for a week or so. Seems like we get 3 days of rain to every 1 sunny day. Savor the sunny days!

April Fools

2010-04-01T01:02:00.002-06:00

Looks like snow here in Cloverdale, Oregon, but it's just pea-sized hail.

Just when the sun comes out and I say to Rick, "How about a little walk while the sun..." it starts to rain again. This latest big storm has brought hail everyday. It doesn't stick like snow, but looks "cool" with temps in the 40s and 50s. As long as the hail is small and not big enough to dent the car or break the skylights in the motorhome, I'm OK.

What sun?

2010-03-31T01:36:00.004-06:00

I love our interior sun screens, both for privacy and for blocking out the hot sun. When we get to our destination we always put them up in the big front windshield and the driver side window. However, being in Oregon there isn't much sun. It's got lots of moisture, just not much sun. I don't think we've hung up the screens since we entered Oregon. We want to let all the sun and natural warmth in that we possibly can. Having a small electric heater keeps us warm and toasty.

Privacy is not an issue for us (we could close the curtains), partly because we are in a secure campground and there are no close neighbors that we feel we need to hide from. And I'm doing a pretty good job of obscuring the view on my own. It seems I get the urge to make chili or soup on these cold days, totally fogging up the windows. I tell Rick having some moisture in the air is good for us. No more dry heat for us.

If you're interested in some nice interior sun screens for your RV contact Tim & Crystal at http://www.rvsunshades4less.com/home.html. They also sell Sea Eagle inflatable boats!

Newport, Oregon

2010-03-30T01:39:00.001-06:00

This would be a nice place to take a summer vacation.

Newport, Oregon

There is a lot of history in this region and interesting sites to see.

This is a great place for local fresh seafood.

Great for fishing and crabbing.

Lots of history and interesting places to visit.

Plan a trip to Oregon!

Think about it!

Here we are! Hint #5

2010-03-29T01:23:00.003-06:00

Beach-combing.

Scenic coastlines that go on and on.

Lighthouses on the jetty.

Driftwood.

A couple years ago I stumbled upon someone's Internet story about staying here. For 2 years I had hopes that we would be near it and able to find a way to visit.

More than a few months ago Tim Cooke, the service manager at our wonderful RV dealer, Guaranty RV, sent us a note and an invitation to stay at Pacific Surf Motorcoach Estates. Unexpected and unbelievable! We were planning our Spring 2010 itinerary and when I looked at the maps I realized that we would probably be in the vicinity. Knowing that plans can quickly change, I hesitated to make a firm reservation at my dream location. When we were a month away I sent an email to the broker, Scott, and asked about availability. He said we were early in the season and it would be very possible. When we were about 2 weeks away I looked at the weather forecast and I could see that there would be a window of sunshine between weeks of probable rain. So we rearranged our Thousand Trails reservations and picked 3 sunny and bright days to spend at this remarkable "campsite". It was wonderful and I challenge anyone to find a better view from a motorhome!

Where are we? Hint #4

2010-03-28T03:07:00.004-06:00

"She flies with her own wings"
is the state motto.

Where are we? Hint #3

2010-03-27T01:56:00.003-06:00

It's sunny so that might throw you off the "trail."

Nearby are sand dunes and a jetty.

Looks like we're camping in a tree cave.

Where are we? Hint #2

2010-03-26T04:53:00.003-06:00

Stairway to heaven.

Where are we? Hint #1

2010-03-25T04:21:00.012-06:00

The photos in the prior post about driving in the rain were taken by Rick as we traveled north on the Grapevine, I-5 or Tejon Pass. So this photo is taken north of Los Angeles. Where is this?

Driving can be fun

2010-03-24T18:20:00.001-06:00

I did not like driving to and from work. I did not like the traffic. I did not like the roads.

But I ~~like~~ love driving the motorhome! I love driving in the rain and even the icy, almost snow. I love that I can drive where and when we choose. And I love where we go because its not to work!

I don't like driving in windy conditions, but being retired allows us to stay put and wait out the wind.

Not in hiding

2010-02-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

We've gotten calls and emails asking if we are in the wit-sec program, running from the law, or just in hiding. Hah! We're just retired! And up to our ears with living.

We don't have enough time in the day to do all we want to do. How did we ever get it all in when we were working? I know how... we were up at 4:30 AM, driving from 5:45 til 6:30, in the office until 5 PM, home by 6:30, and in bed around 10. Okay, 11. Too much driving in bad city traffic, too much time indoors in the office (almost never going outside, even for lunch), too little sleep, and no time to do nothing. (how did I get by on so little sleep?) Now we have time to do nothing if we choose. Thank goodness we worked together or we would have seen very little of each other. Now we are busy, busy, busy and thoroughly enjoying it. Very minimum stress and mostly good weather. (I'm in the periodontist waiting room & not wanting to look at the stock market, but that's about the only stress we have right now.)

With retirement comes no schedule to adhere to. Up at 7:30 (or so), breakfast when we want, driving when and where we want (will it be highways or scenic back-roads today?), and 9 hours of sleep if we want. Rick has a saying...2-2-2. Drive 2 hours, arrive before 2 PM and stay put for 2 days. It's not always like that... sometimes it's 5-5-5, but still, it's good and it's what we want to do, when, how and where we want to be.

So, no, we are not in hiding. Just taking a break from blogging. Having a home on wheels gives us the freedom to follow the sun or run from it, whichever it is. I know I need to catch up on our activities and adventures. We've done a lot and been to lots of places since leaving Montana in October. Just lovin' life and each other. More later.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T09:57:00.002-07:00

With ice or straight up?

2009-12-23T08:14:00.001-07:00

A friend called the other day while driving from Texas to Colorado. He was on his way to pick up his son and then they were going ice fishing! Ice fishing! I know a lot of people like to ice fish, especially when it's winter and the only way to satisfy that craving for fishing to to cut a hole in the ice, but those 2 words don't go well together for me. I like to fish without ice. See, I like to wet wade and having ice on the water is just too much for me to handle. I like it when the water is at least 56 degrees.

Anyway, Eric wanted to know what we were up to since we sort of dropped off the blog world and weren't reporting in. I thought I'd do a quick update on a recent fishing excursion. Lucky for us, here in Arizona during the winter the ice is rare.

Our nephews came to visit last month and the 6 year old was like a typical eager little boy wanting to fish. We took them to the local urban lake where Fish & Game had just finished stocking catfish and had started stocking trout.

When the nephews are older and we're on a stream we plan to introduce 'em to fly fishing, but for now we had to "stick" with the garden hackle variety of store-bought worms. On the first day of the urban lake fishing they caught a nice little bass and let it go. The next day they caught a crappie and a good size trout (for an urban lake). This time the fish swallowed the worm-fly and a neighbor fisherperson wanted them for dinner so we gave them up. However, we were able to share with our young nephews that we put the fish back to live another day whenever possible.

The older boy was very interested in the fishing adventure, but the 3 year old was easily distracted by the other kids playing in the playground and wanted to feed the ducks more than he wanted to wait for a fish to bite. Sort of like me when the osprey flies overhead or the deer wander down to the river bank, it's easy to be distracted.

Although Rick cast the line out most of the time so the worm had a good chance of finding a fish, he let Josh practice casting and soon realized that he was pretty darn good. He'll be able to cast a fly rod some day soon.

We were just as thrilled with our days of fishing as our nephews were. We look forward to the future when we can share fly fishing in Montana with them.

Happy Friday Fish

2009-12-04T03:41:00.004-07:00

is that a smile? Does this look like a happy fish? Sort of looks like a smile.

He's happy 'cause he knows I'm going to let him go free.

Friday Fish Friends

2009-11-27T03:28:00.001-07:00

So many people would ask us if we had the fish named and we'd say "Yes, they're our friends."

Here's one of our Friday Fish Friends

Friday Fish on my Mind

2009-11-20T03:23:00.003-07:00

I try to take time on Friday and remember the good times we had on the river. Actually, I think about the good times everyday!

Fall to Winter to Summer - Huh?

2009-11-16T10:00:00.004-07:00

Back in October we saw the leaves change from green to yellow, orange, gold, and red. Ahhh, the changing of the colors! There was a crispness in the air and it was beautiful! Everyone was anticipating colder weather and better fishing.

Soon after we had the colder weather and a couple days of snow, followed by many more days of snow. Lots of snow in fact, but we had a small window of opportunity to head south away from the freezing cold snow and we took the opportunity. We knew that the snow was not going to go away and if we wanted to escape we'd have to get going. I was a little sad to think that we'd be leaving.

The snow was unreal! It was an eerie sight looking out the windows at midnight, like we were on another planet. A moonscape. And when the sun was shining, it was like a field of sparkling diamonds had been scattered. Having never been in that much snow for that long, I thought it was magical. It was so quiet with the usual sounds muffled by the deep frozen white pillows. Beautiful to look at, but no fun to walk on the icy paths. And impossible to drive in. We were "snowed in" for a couple days and that was an odd feeling. I wondered what it would be like to spend the entire winter in such conditions.

This is how we usually spend our winters. Back in Arizona where the only thing sparkling is the sun.

Another FINe Friday Fish

2009-11-13T03:11:00.001-07:00

What a 'fin'e fish! Fine! Fine! Really Fine!

Friday Fish 'Fin'-d

2009-11-06T17:28:00.004-07:00

What a 'fin'd!

Settled in

2009-10-31T23:07:00.002-06:00

I think everyone has called, emailed or stopped by to see that we are once again home in Arizona. Settled in for at least a little while. And it sure is nice to be here. The place looks good, the community had a spiffy upgrade over the summer, and the weather can't be beat. Arizona has got to be one of the best places to spend the winter.

But yes, I'm still going to talk about fishing. And a little on living in the motorhome.

Friday Fish ~ Tiny Fins

2009-10-30T02:04:00.001-06:00

With a 3 weight fly rod on a small stream, even these fish are fun! And there are always a few surprise fish hanging out in the deeper pools. This is a great way to let beginners get the feel of catching fish on a fly rod.

You just can't yank them out of the water or the little guys go flying over your head into the grass!

Rio on the Rio

2009-10-29T13:39:00.003-06:00

It's a good feeling when you get good customer service. And such was the feeling when we needed help from Rio Products.

Rick had purchased a new Rio Gold fly line and had used it for a while when the tip of the line started to separate. Like the outer coating was separating from the core. Since it was only the first 16" or so of the line we thought it couldn't be caused by moving through the ferrules of the rod so we called Rio to see if they would replace the line. The company has been in business for a long time and we knew they stood behind their stuff. We'd used their fly fishing products for years and knew many fishing guides who also did. We called the company and immediately spoke with a gentleman who asked us to send them a note and a piece of the bad line. He understood that we were fishing, apologized for any inconvenience and said if they found it to be something wrong with the line they would have a new line out to us in a couple days. And he was correct. Without any questions we had a new line in our hands in just a couple days. This is truly great customer service.

Rio Fly Fishing Products

I'd been looking at another line for next year, made by another company, but I think I'll just stick with what I know is good and reliable. And with a company that stands behind their products. Thank you Rio!

Missin the Fishin!

2009-10-27T23:22:00.000-06:00

I miss the fish!

Ahhhh... the warmth

2009-10-25T05:20:00.004-06:00

We've been in Las Vegas at the Thousand Trails park for about 2 weeks and it's been wonderful! Warmer than Montana, not as hot as Arizona. The weather has been in the 80's and we've been thawing out from the snow and ice. This year LV has been our transition spot on the way north and south. Not surprising to see some our neighbors here from our home community. You can tell from the photo that it's one of the most popular TTN parks. Lots of trailers and motorhomes!

We're not big on gambling, but we've been trying our luck at the seafood buffets. We enjoy the Friday night seafood buffets and the Sunday champagne brunch buffets with the main purpose of finding crab legs! Rick said the Wizard, Time Bandit and Cornelia Marie need to go back out to sea for more crab and restock the buffets!

This has also been a good time to reorganize the motorhome. Not that we needed to do much, but it's nice to be able to pull out some of the stuff and decide if we're going to leave it in Arizona or take it to Goodwill. I made one trip with an armload of old t-shirts to the Goodwill store right next door. How convenient to have it close by.

It's also been a time to clean. Rick took the Fantastic Fans apart and cleaned them and I did the windows inside and out. I definitely don't like to go any higher than the second rung, but I ventured up to the third to reach the tall windows outside. I still had to ask Rick to get the highest spots. I emptied the refrigerator and cleaned it now instead of having to do it when we get home. Because of the bumpy ride it develops little black marks from the cans rubbing and I like to get rid of them. Rick was able to take the fishing gear out from the basement storage bays and repack it. I used the cleaning product "Eliminate" on our shower and it looks brand-sparkling-new. (Thank you Harry!) The hard water leaves spots all over, but "Eliminate" gets rid of it with little scrubbing. Rick also checked the motorhome fluid levels and the tires. Tomorrow the rugs will get a good shake and I'll clean the tile floors thoroughly. It's more convenient having water and electric hookups while cleaning. It's also cooler here than in AZ. In between the cleaning we've been walking, solving jigsaw puzzles and reading. We both love the puzzles - especially the 1000 piece puzzles.

We have a few more days here, a couple more buffet meals, and then we'll continue our journey south.

Friday Fish - Or eel?

2009-10-23T04:38:00.000-06:00

This rainbow was 23" long, but my goodness, was it skinny! The head was very large and out of proportion to it's body. It reminded me of the moray eels of the Florida Keys, not a Montana rainbow trout!

Travel days

2009-10-18T06:33:00.002-06:00

I love driving the motorhome!! It is so easy to maneuver, has lots of power to get us up the hills, it's comfortable and so convenient to have our home where we go. Driving 400 miles each day for 2 days wasn't bad at all. Of course having Rick there to navigate me through the traffic and detours helps a whole lot! It just wouldn't be fun without him.

For most of the first day we were lucky to be looking out the windows at the snow rather than in it. We'd left more than a foot of the cold stuff in the campground and know from the weather reports that it's been snowing there since. We got out just in time! The scenery on the trip was beautiful and the roads were clear. We don't have chains for the motorhome nor would I like to be in conditions that required chains.

One snowy evening, October 4th, as we were thinking about leaving the campground, I noticed very slow traffic on the interstate and Rick got up to see flashing lights of a snow plow right out front on the highway. We then saw a jackknifed 18 wheeler in the highway median and saw him put on his emergency flashers. I called 911 to report the accident and it seemed we might have been the first to call it in. He probably slid on the icy bridge and thankfully didn't go over the bridge into the river. It was hours before the truck was pulled out of the median. A big reminder to travel when conditions are good, if possible.

We traveled from Montana to Salt Lake City and stayed overnight at Cabela's in Lehi. The next day we did another 400 miles and made it to Las Vegas. The Thousand Trails park here is close to the strip, but once inside the campground you can almost forget you're in the city that never sleeps. You don't hear the street traffic so much, but you can frequently hear sirens responding to some emergency.

As we drove through Utah we once again ran into the army of large orange traffic barrels. Not actually "ran into", but they were lined up like soldiers for miles. I have a theory about the orange barrel-size cones of Utah. My theory is that someone at the Utah highway department has a relative in the cone manufacturing business. The cones stretch on for miles, often with no construction or workers visible. This year they didn't bother me as much and we actually had some good laughs about the miles of orange.

As I said, the 2 travel days were good, except for the gusty winds in the St. George area. It was pretty bad for about an hour and I'd have to say the wind is the least fun when traveling in a high profile vehicle. I'd even take a constant wind rather than gusts that hit you from the side. But we made it fine and Rick said I did a good job of staying within my lane. It did seem that every other car gave me lots of room and never stayed close by for long. The wind calmed down before we got to the Virgin River Gorge, a beautiful canyon between St. George and Mesquite. The Gorge is quite astonishing the first time you go through it.

'Fin'-ally! Friday Fish

2009-10-16T17:16:00.002-06:00

Finally! After 2 dozen casts in the feeding lane, you ~~think~~ know it's a perfect drift, over and over again, you're starting to doubt the pattern and you're ready to look for another riser. Just when you relax and don't think the fish wants your fly, it rises up and takes it. 'Fin'-ally!

Snowy River

2009-10-11T11:32:00.000-06:00

I walked down to the river early in the morning after it had been snowing all night and could hear the swooshing sound of snow falling off the bushes along the riverbank.

Later I could hear the melting snow drip from the bridge and every so often a large chunk of ice would dislodge from the bridge and land like a canon ball in the water.

Early one morning Tom Smith had a couple fishing clients on the river and later in the day Andy Bennett, also of Backcountry Angler, had a couple guys catching fish. The freezing temps didn't keep them from enjoying their fishing vacation. (If you're looking for a fly fishing guide, look up Andy. A really nice guy who's on a river every day.)

I saw one or two others in up to their waist, braving the cold temps, hoping to hook a big one.

I thought about digging out the waders and setting up the fly rod, but decided my last fish had been caught and released.

What a magical place.

Friday Fish 'Fin'-ale

2009-10-09T17:16:00.002-06:00

A great 'fin'ale fish.

This was the last fish of the season.

It was cold, about 5 PM on Friday afternoon. Rick and I were fishing about 10 feet apart from each other, sharing flies, trying to figure out exactly what they were eating. I moved just downstream from Rick, getting a little closer to some rising fish. I floated my dry fly under the log snag. My fly disappeared under the structure, I tightened my line, and had this fish on the other end. I can still hear Rick's words, "Thank goodness. Keep it on the line, I'll get the net." And once we released the fish he said, "Ready to go get warm?"

Missing it already - the fish, not the ice.

We'll be back in 6 months.

Final moments of our "summer" in Montana

2009-10-08T23:24:00.003-06:00

Motorhome spinning it's wheels.

I hate to think that it could slide down the hill into the river!

Just needed a little tug to get him going.

Deep snow drifts up to the picnic tables and trailer doors.

Lasting memories.

The snowbirds have escaped!

2009-10-07T18:18:00.001-06:00

We made it! We waited until noon, when the temperature got above 32 degrees and the ice was soft, but we made it out safely! I warmed up the engine and Brent had made a couple more passes with the tractor, plowing up the ice. No problem, no sliding, and no spinning wheels. We know the next time the forecast is for 3 days of snow, we're heading south with the geese!

I'm sure all of you (especially Tom & Jo from Alaska) who have grown up with the snow, think we are crazy. It's just snow. But when you're not able to drive either of your vehicles without being towed out, that's crazy.

If I didn't have to leave, if I had planned to spend the winter in Montana, that would be another story. Just like we were able to watch the seasons change from spring to summer to fall, I would have loved to see winter through to the end. I would love to see the trees shake off the cold and come to life in the spring. But we needed to go and we have a couple travel days ahead of us.

I'm not done with stories from the river. We're going to miss Montana. I hope I find some time to share my memories and I hope you check back soon.

So this is a snow shovel?

2009-10-06T11:31:00.001-06:00

This is a snow shovel!

We spent Monday preparing to leave. It was still snowing, but we packed up what we could in hopeful expectation that it would stop snowing and on Tuesday it might even melt enough for us to drive off the site, up a 150 foot incline and onto the paved campground road.

Rick brushed snow and ice off the sides of the motorhome and we dreaded pulling in the 2 slide-outs. The slide awnings didn't look quite right and we were afraid the awning toppers wouldn't roll up as they should. We called the Service Manager of Guaranty RV, Tim Cooke, in Junction City, Oregon and asked for his advice. He talked us through some possible scenarios and we proceeded to retract the slide-outs without any problem.

What did help is that Rick went up on the roof of the motorhome and brushed off more ice and snow that had accumulated on the slides. (As a side note, the good folks at Guaranty RV are friendly and knowledgeable and we hope to visit them next spring - just for fun. Thanks for being there for us when we need you!)

On Monday, Brent, the campground owner, drove his tractor with the plow and sort of cleared the dirt roads. Rick used the big blue snow shovel and cleared around the car and the motorhome and around the campground buildings. He also dug down a little further on the road to be able to see the dirt in places.

I thought if I could get the motorhome going at a pretty good speed while "launching off" the site, I might be able to make it up the incline by staying on some of the dirt patches. However, the dirt road was still mostly thick ice, about 12" thick. Brent got aggressive and tore it up with the skiploader.

Brent had to pull out one motorhome that got stuck attempting to leave their site and it helped me to see how easily he was able to dislodge the other guy. With more dirt showing, my confidence returned because I didn't want to be towed out! It's either get going up the hill or slide backwards down the hill.

When will it stop?

2009-10-05T21:52:00.007-06:00

I woke up at 3 AM on Monday morning and walked around the motorhome, looking out the windows to see everything in the campground COVERED with fresh, new snow. It looked really deep with lots of drifts. The wind had been gusting and the powdery snow had formed dunes throughout the campground that looked to be 3 or 4 feet deep. It was up to the height of the picnic tables. It was eerie, yet beautiful. Like a moonscape.

I climbed back into the warm bed (yes, with the heating blanket on) and could not go back to sleep. I was worried about the unpredictable weather and afraid it wouldn't give us a break. Rick eventually woke up and I told him I was concerned that the snow would not melt on Tuesday and we would be "stuck" for another week or maybe more. All winter? Rick assured me that the road would be plowed, that the snow would melt enough for us, that the motorhome could take the cold, and that we would get through it all in great condition. After that I was OK and able to get back to sleep. The problems in my mind were eased.

Rick woke up around 7 AM and he too was amazed by what he saw outside. No one had yet spoiled the pristine snow with their footprints and he wondered how deep the drifts were. He took a few photos before the sun came up in our little valley. The dog, Clover, saw Rick through the windows and came running as he was taking the photos.

Although we told the owners we would try to stay until they returned from their trip, I know in hindsight we should have left before this second snowfall. Knowing now how much snow we've gotten. Knowing now how cold it can get.

We are loving the beauty of it and we are learning about living in our motorhome in freezing weather. What a great experience we've had here, seeing spring turn to summer, skip through fall, and come smack-dab into winter, all in 5 months.

Sunday snow

2009-10-04T21:29:00.000-06:00

It started snowing again on Saturday. It was forecast. It was expected. But every time I looked at the weather internet site it seemed to change. And not for the better.

Now it showed that it would snow heavily for 3 days, with possibly a small window of clear weather on Tuesday. But then Wednesday should bring more snow, and Thursday, and Friday still more of the white stuff. In these 3 days we will probably get more than a foot. I hope the warm Tuesday forecast doesn't disappear.

The temps are about 32 during the day with overnight lows in the 20's. Tuesday should bring us high temps around 40 and once the campground roads get plowed by the owner it will hopefully melt enough for us to drive the motorhome. The campground roads are dirt and they are on an upward incline to the main road. Just a slight hill upward to freedom. With snow on the uphill road the cars slide around a little. The 4x4 trucks have no problem, but we all know the motorhome is not a 4x4. And we don't have chains.

I haven't watched the weather this much since we lived in the Florida Keys and we'd watch the hurricanes form. We have plenty of food and propane. No worries about surviving a week or more, but I wonder what the very cold could do to the motorhome. So far it has performed perfectly! ( I give most of the credit to Rick for keeping it all working as it should.) No problems with any of the systems and with the electric heater, the propane furnace, and the electric heating blanket we are staying toasty warm. Lets just hope things continue to go smoothly here and we don't have some emergency reason to leave. 'Cuz it would be near impossible to leave in our vehicles.

Hindsight is 20 ~ 20 DEGREES!

2009-10-03T22:10:00.000-06:00

Actually, it was in the low 30's, but the chill factor made it feel like it was in the low 20's.

One day of snow was fascinating & amazing! A nice experience. Beautiful like a winter wonderland. But we've stayed at the campground for a few more days and we're getting MORE snow! I mean MORE SNOW! And the wind has been fierce, blowing at 25 mph, gusting to 35 mph according to the internet weather channel.

At midnight it was 37 degrees and tomorrow is going to get colder, all the way down to 31 most of the day. It's supposed to continue snowing all of Sunday and Monday, but then Tuesday is supposed to bring us warmer temps. Hopefully warm enough to be able to complete packing and move south to sunshine.

The campground owners will be home on Monday from their 3 week trip and we will no longer be watching over the campground. We think the weather will give us a clear window of opportunity and we will be able to make our escape. We hope.

'Fin'-tastic Friday Fish

2009-10-02T01:12:00.005-06:00

A 'fintastic' day on the river!

Cloudy, cold, with a chance of BWO

2009-10-01T22:49:00.001-06:00

This isn't June or July. It's not 90 degrees. This is the fall and the mayfllies are small.

We had about 24 hours of snowfall and most of it has melted. We have a good chance of SNOW again in a couple days, bringing a probability of BWO. (Blue Wing Olive for the non-fly fisherpeople.) I won't bore you with details of bug hatches, but just know that temperature and weather conditions affect the life cycle of the bugs that trout eat.

During the snowfall, another camper here saw me out on a walk (yes, in the snow) and asked me to come see the river boiling with fish. He didn't understand what was happening below the water's surface and I tried to explain that the sudden change in weather had prompted the BWO's to hatch and the fish were going a little crazy. When the fish are on a specific bug the fishing can be terribly challenging. The fish key in on a certain insect and you better have what they want, be it larvae, pupae, emerger, or adult.

In the morning there is a lot of white foam on the water, like an unmixed cafe latte with lots of whipped cream. It's been tricos and midges on the menu for the past couple weeks, with a few sulphur mayflies sprinkled on top like cinnamon. The white foam makes it almost impossible to see your fly floating on the surface. But somehow the trout can absolutely, positively make out the REAL flies from the REEL flies.

These photos were taken prior to the snow storm.

Snow, Glorious Snow!

2009-09-29T22:29:00.005-06:00

Wet, cold, white, freezing, crunchy, slushy, frosty, icy, slippery, crystals, drips, brrrr, snow!

Mother Nature did not disappoint!

Having a day or two of snow is fun and beautiful! (Not sure about months of it though.) I spent a lot of the day walking around the campground taking photos. This much snow, so up-close, is quite different for us.

We woke up to a winter wonderland of bright white snow. It came a few hours earlier than forecast and came down most of the day. The surrounding hills are still white and will probably stay white for a few days. We will be here for another week or two and we may get another snow storm before we head south.

The dogs loved playing in the snow! They romped, jumped and rolled around in it. I know they will be able to take months of the snow and we won't. We'll be heading south to warmer 'clims' before the snow sticks for good.

Anticipation! Excitement! Longjohns!

2009-09-29T14:50:00.006-06:00

I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas!

Why? It's supposed to snow! Wow! Snow! Yipeee! Snow! Brrrrr!

It'll only be cold for 24 hours and then it will warm up again so really no big deal. But for someone from Arizona and southern California who never sees snow, this is exciting.

I'll be really disappointed if everything doesn't turn white.

The photo is from last year on October 14. Yikes!

Tricos, Tricos Everywhere...And...

2009-09-28T22:24:00.001-06:00

Just don't inhale!

After a slow start and a later than anticipated arrival, the tricos came off in full-force a week or so ago. And they were really heavy in the air for the first couple days. (click on any photo for a larger image)

Just about the time word spread to the fishermen that it was a hot fishing spot, the wind picked up and the next day wasn't so great. The fishermen who eventually found a spot on the river were expecting a great trico hatch, but were dissappointed and frustrated. I heard more than one say, "I thought this was a dry fly river!" Of course you have to be flexible to whatever happens on the river and be ready to switch to nymphs or whatever else the trout are eating - if you want to catch fish.

After a day the wind died down, the weather was right, and the tricos came back and the word was spread

once again that the fish were on the surface at 10:45 AM. But then the river flow was increased by 50 cfs and the tasty bugs didn't show up as scheduled and the fishermen who had bought a ticket and were expecting a show were once again frustrated.

The one thing consistant with fly fishing is that the bugs are not. The water flow is often controlled by undetermined factors and the fish do what they want. You have to be observant and a little knowledgeable about a trout's diet.

If you don't tie flies (or live with someone who does = lucky me) you should visit the local fly shop and ask them what you need in your fly box arsenal. Be prepared to be flexible.

Friday Fish - Stubbed Toes

2009-09-25T01:06:00.001-06:00

Fish don't have toes!

This fish has a stubbed nose because it digs in the rocks and gravel to find bugs.

(Click on any photo to see a larger image.)

Cold & Windy, With a Chance of Fish

2009-09-20T22:54:00.020-06:00

Although the weather is cool, crisp and windy, AND the river is rising, the fishing was pretty good. I have to admit I've taken Rick's advice and I've been nymphing for 2 days now. It was difficult to change from throwing dry flies, but watching Rick catch 10 fish to my 1, it was an easy change to make. He has always been able to go between dries and nymphs, but not me. I LOVE to dry fly! So yesterday I took a lesson from Rick and tried to "nymph sight fish" by finding fish feeding on the bottom and cast my nymphs to them. And it worked! Today it worked really well!

We have a couple friends camping close by and we were happy to give them flies and take them to the spots we love to fish. Logan (79 years young) brought us fresh corn right off the stalk, fresh home-grown tomatoes, fresh peaches and a nice bottle of red wine. We enjoyed the goodies and I hope they enjoyed the fishing.

'Fin'-icky Friday Fish

2009-09-18T10:44:00.003-06:00

Finicky fish eating tiny bugs. Believe me, finicky and size 20 tiny.

Tiny Bugs or Dust?

2009-09-17T22:43:00.002-06:00

It looked like dust blown against the river bank, like sawdust, but it was tiny bugs. Bug Dust!

This will only mean something if you fly fish. Or if you are afraid of bugs.

Fish Candy

2009-09-16T21:40:00.001-06:00

As the fish and I transitioned from nymphs to dry flies, I kept putting my nymphs into a small box with divided cubicles. Not a very organized way to store them. In fact, it made it near impossible to see and retrieve a nymph = IF I needed one. Which I didn't. So they kept piling up, forming a big clump of fur and feathers attached to sharp, yet barbless, hooks. Ouch!

A little pile of fish candy

One day I decided to put the nymphs in their own box and the dries in another box. This is the result.

How long will they stay in their place?

Happy Fish Day Rick!

2009-09-15T00:10:00.002-06:00

Fly Fishing Fashion

2009-09-14T22:57:00.001-06:00

You don't have to dress a certain style or have a high-priced fly rod to have fun and catch fish. In fact, it's better that you don't look like the catalog model for Simms, Columbia or Patagonia.

Now, in my wiser years, I realize that the sun is the enemy. No more tank tops, no more hatless days, no more skimping on the sunscreen, no more wanting a dark tan. Now it's treated fabric clothing offereing 40+ SPF protection and a good sunblock. I've worn the same long sleeve sunblocking shirt most of the summer, a wide brimmed hat, along with sunblock everyday. I've not wanted to wear different wading shorts because the brown high-water mark is etched into whatever you wear. I'll use this picture of Rick as an example. The flowing river water directly hits our left leg most of the time so that side of our shorts usually has a darker mark from the muck in the water.

This little cowgirl was fishing with her father and thoroughly enjoying herself. She was stylish and cute and she could cast a fly rod. It didn't matter what she was wearing.

I'm now in search of the perfect cowboy hat.

Friday Fish on Sunday

2009-09-13T18:05:00.003-06:00

Ooops! I was kinda getting in the habit of posting a fish foto on Friday and liked the idea, but somehow when I took a little break from blogging I missed a Friday or two.

So here is a Friday fish on Sunday. Out of water and in the water.