Friends, Fishing, Shopping, and Bears, What a Great Week!

Renita motioned me to stop as she watched the brush below us. She asked me, “Can you hear the brush breaking?” At first, I couldn’t but then I heard the snap of a larger branch, (thanks hearing aids), there was definitely something in the brush below. Sure enough, she spotted and pointed out the black bear’s head as it poked through the top of the berry bushes.

It was a great week. Our friends Bob and Nancy had driven from Kansas to visit us. Bob and I taught Science together and Nancy was a guidance counselor which meant that Renita would have to hear too many school stories.

The first night they arrived we had them over for dinner and ended up staying up late as we sat around the fire pit and talked of what we could do while they were here. Bob, of course wanted to go fly fishing. Nancy did want to go shopping and so a trip to Jackson and Alpine was in order. We also wanted to see if any bears were feasting on berries in Grand Teton National Park.

The next morning, I drove over to their motel room and picked up Bob. We headed to one of my favorite creeks where we hoped to have Bob catch a Bonneville cutthroat trout It didn’t’ take long before he caught his first ever, and after the obligatory picture and safe release we continued up the creek.

We hopped from hole to hole letting each other have a shot of having the first cast and we ended up having a great day. Nancy and Renita had spent the day crafting as Nancy had brought her materials from Kansas. She graduated from high school in 1969 and was in charge of making the decorations.

The next day Bob and I decided to fish the Greys River. We first fished the Little Grey and we ended up releasing eleven Fine Spotted cutthroat trout, (it’s another of the four native cutthroats in Wyoming. We then decided to fish the Grey River and stopping at an easy hole to fish, we spread out and begin to cast.

At first nothing hit but then I made a long cast upstream. I missed a nice fish and casting again a big fish rose and took my dry fly. I set the hook and knew that it was a large cut! Slowly fighting it in. I kept the fish in the water as Bob got my camera ready. Lifting the fish up he snapped several images of the eighteen-inch fish.

After the release we waded back, and it seemed like I could do no wrong! I caught and released four more nice cuts with an even bigger one measuring nineteen inches in length. I had called to Bob and suggested that he fish where I was at and as he did, he had several large fish rise to his fly.

The fish quit taking, so we headed up stream to several more holes. It was a bad decision as we never did catch any more fish. Hindsight is always better than foresight, but we had had a great day releasing eighteen fish.

Returning back to the ranch we learned that the ladies had had a great day shopping in Alpine. Renita had delivered a jewelry piece I had wrapped for our friend Barbara and she had picked up a shell for another custom order! They both did find some art items they could not live without!

On the last day of their visit we drove to Jackson and headed to our favorite bear viewing spot. There weren’t any along the road and I checked several berry patches. While there were berries, they weren’t quite ripe, and we wondered if we were too early.

Driving to the ponds, I got out the bear spry and we hiked in a way, looking for bear sign. We didn’t see many berries and we did not spot any bear scat. Renita walked to a clearing and suddenly waved for me to come over. She had spotted a grizzly bear walking across a meadow and I was so excited I forgot to turn my camera on, (later we talked with a park volunteer who stated that we had to be wrong as there were no grizzly bears in the area, I trust Renita's spotting as she has had years of experience watching black and grizzly bears).

The bear disappeared into a thick copse of trees and so we hiked further before Renita again stopped and told me to be quiet as she could hear branches breaking. I was getting nervous as it was the second bear in a short distance and so I started to watch behind us as we didn’t want to be surprised by any more bears.

The black bear seemed unconcerned as it was in berry heaven and we and watched it feed. The bears go into a feeding frenzy before hibernation and berries are a big part of their diet. Bob arrived and also watched the bear; Nancy had decided not to hike with us.

Lunch time arrived and we headed back to the car, where Nancy had been bird watching. We did not see any moose, kind of unusual in the area we were at, but perhaps the numerous bears had scared the moose and they were hiding in the forest.

We ended the day shopping in Jackson, after a nice lunch at our favorite brew pub. It had been another great day and a great week. Time with friends, fishing, and bear watching! Clear 

Busy Times in Star Valley, Golfing with Matt

The past few weeks have been a really busy time. One of my goals this summer was to work on my techniques for making better opal triplets and they are finally coming around. One of our new and expensive purchases has been a small of piece of Virgin Valley Opalized Wood. I have finally finished the first piece and it’s a stunner!

We have also spent quite a few days with our son Matt as he and I have started to golf on a regular basis. Our scores were dropping, which is good, so we decided to try golfing at Cedar Creek Golf Course. It’s a beautiful course nestled between houses and lined with trees and unforgiving rough.

I ended up losing a record number of golf balls, eight putted a green that was designed by Satan, (the first four putts went up the hill and then rolled back down past where I was standing), and set a record high score! Suffice it to say that we do plan on golfing there again, as it’s a beautiful course right at the foot of the mountains. The score is secondary.

The sunsets here have been spectacular, which is pretty typical this time of year. With all the western forest fires the clouds colors are brilliant. Luckily there have been no fires near us, and our skies remain smoke free and clear.

We sit out at night and enjoy the cool air as Jupiter and Saturn wheel across the sky. The Milky Way is visible in all its glory and the only downside has been the bright moon which blocked out this year’s Perseid Meteor shower.

We also wanted to share a picture of our fifth wheel that was taken by our neighbor Jo. She took the image before they left for the season and its really an image of why we love Star Valley and have made it our home. Thanks Jo! Clear skies

McDougal Gap: Crossing the Wyoming Range

There are three ways to bypass/cross the Wyoming Mountain Range. One is to head north to Alpine Wyoming and then drive up the Snake River Canyon. From Hoback Junction you can head south to Big Piney. Another way is to take the Smith Fork Road, (four-wheel drive for a bit), and then take the TriCounty road, again to Big Piney. The third way is to go to Alpine and then drive up the Greys River road till you reach Sheep Creek. There you take the McDougal Gap road to Daniel, Wyoming.

We have always wanted to drive to McDougal Gap and our son Matt told us that he had driven across the Gap on his off-road bike. He told us it was a good road and that we would have no problems driving the road.

Still we have been hesitant as unknown gravel mountain roads can often turn into muddy/rocky messes and are no place to break down. Our concern was unwarranted! Loading up the truck, (Renita did not want to take the new car we could have taken the car), we drove to Alpine and headed up the Greys.

Of course, the road was its usual washboard self and we bumped and bounced up the wide but rough gravel road. It was thirty-one mules from Alpine and the road did finally get better. Reaching Forest service road 10125, the McDougal Gap Road, we turned up it. It was only about nine miles up the road to the pass and while the road did narrow down a bit it still remained a good gravel road.

As we neared the Gap we drove between huge cliffs and reached a series of switchbacks. More rocks and less gravel caused us some concern, but it was still an easy but steep drive. Reaching the McDougal Gap, we passed through it and stopped at McDougal Pass. Mt McDougal stood to the north.

The Wildflowers were blooming, and we stopped to take some images before continuing down the east side of the pass.

A sign said that the distance to Daniel was only thirty-three miles and even though it would be longer we decided to continue.

A small steam appeared. The North Fork of Cottonwood Creek, and as it grew larger, we stopped to see if there were any fish. Of course, I had brought my fly rod, one should never travel without a fishing pole and I tied on my favorite dry fly. I climbed down to the stream and carefully avoiding beaver runs, (holes dug by beavers to break fly fisherman’s legs and ankles) I made several casts before a nice fish hit the fly.

Trying to set the hook, I missed the fish and then another. The fish were pretty small, and I continued to miss more fish until a larger fish hooked itself. Fighting in the fish I saw it was a cutthroat trout and after snapping several images, I safely released the fish. It quickly swam back to its hiding place.

Now I needed a Colorado Cutthroat Trout for my Wyoming Cut Slam application and we were in the Green River drainage so I hoped it would turn out to be a Colorado Cutthroat. Continuing to miss more hits, I finally set the hook on another fish but this time it was a small brook trout. The brook trout here are an invasive species that have displaced the cutthroats and so I considered myself lucky to catch a cut.

As we had no cell service I couldn’t check online to see if it was a Colorado Cut until we got back home and it turned out it was. So now I have my third fish of the award. Renita meanwhile had been taking more flower and scenery images and returning to the truck we headed further down the road.

As we reached the Red Desert, the ditches of the road were filled with purple lupines. We passed herds of antelopes and spotted the largest buck antelope we have ever seen. The antelope ran before I could get the camera ready and so we didn’t get a great image. The antelope had better keep running as hunting season is fast approaching and with its massive horns it will be lucky to survive this fall.

Reaching Daniel, Wyoming we looked for the walk-in fishing area on the Green River, but we couldn’t see the signs. It was too bad as we had hoped Renita could fish a bit and perhaps catch her third fish of the cut award, (the area where I had fished was solid willows and not an east place to fly fish).

After eating lunch on the Green River, we decided to head back home. It was an uneventful drive back with the only excitement being seeing the landslides that had closed the Snake River Canyon.

They had happened last week after a heavy rain and hailstorm and had even trapped cars but luckily no one was injured.

Today is a good day to rest as tomorrow its off to the periodontist…… Clear skies

Renita's First Bonneville Cutthroat Trout!

Renita had yet to catch a Bonneville Cutthroat trout and so we decided to head to one of our favorite streams and concentrate on her adding one to her cut slam quest, ( the Wyoming Game and Fish Department awards anglers a cut slam award to anyone who catches all four of the cutthroat species in the state of Wyoming).

It was a short one-hour drive as we crossed Salt Pass and after parking the car we donned our waders, fly fishing vests, deer fly proof hats, and tied on our favorite dry fly. I told Renita that I would not make a cast until she had successfully caught and safely released a Bonneville cutthroat trout.

Reaching the first hole she made her first cast and a nice cutthroat tried to inhale the fly. She was a little late and so she missed the fish. It would have been too easy for her to catch one right away. The fish did not attempt to take her fly and so we moved upstream.

I explained to her how I always tried to go after active fish, fish that were feeding and easy to fool with a fly. This meant that I was somewhat impatient and so we moved and moved again. She missed another fish but I don’t think that fish had really tried to take the fly and instead had merely bumped it.

Moving again several small trout chased her fly but they were so small hat they couldn’t take the large fly in their mouth. We continued to move, and Renita was almost in a Zen like state as she cast and cast, each time concentrating on the fly. A dimple happened, (you don’t always watch the fly but often set the hook upon seeing any rising fish), and she successfully set the hook!

Fighting the fish in I netted he fish and then quickly snapped several images before returning the fish to its home. It flipped its tail and swam back to its refuge. She had a successful release of her first Bonneville cutthroat trout!

Now it was my turn to fish, and we leapfrogged each other so we both had virgin water to fish. I set the hook on a nice fish, a fourteen inch and also was able to release a healthy fish. Renita moved to the next hole and unfortunately got into a snag. She pulled on her rod and her rod snapped in two.

The break wasn’t on the tip but was on the piece of rod just above the butt section.

A rod should not break there and we always keep our rods in fly rod cases, so it wasn’t her fault, ( I have a cousin who shall remain nameless who use to have lots of rod misfortunes). We decided to keep on fishing and take turns using my fly rod.

More trout rose to our offerings and we ended up catching and releasing six fish. We also missed more fish and too soon it was time to hike back to the car. Returning home, we talked of the day and how we now both had two of the four species. Now we both have to attempt to catch and release a Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout and a Colorado Cutthroat.

The award was meant to be a lifetime achievement so there is no hurry. That’s good as the two types of fish require us to drive over the Wind Rivers and perhaps fish Wiggins Fork and to drive to the Green River and hope for a Colorado Cutthroat. Clear skies

Kayaking the Mouth of The Salt River

The weather here has gotten hot. It has reached he upper eighties but at least it cools off in the evening and drops to the lower fifties and even the forties. The forecast was for more of the same, with the winds dying down. That meant perfect weather for kayaking!

Our friend Val wanted to float Palisades Reservoir and after talking it over we decided to float the bay where the Salt River enters, its mouth. We unloaded the kayaks and were soon paddling across a glassy expanse. We had paddled the area several years ago and had a good day of birding, so we headed to the flooded willows.

That time we had spotted cedar waxwings still occupying their nests. This year the nests were empty, and it wasn’t surprising as it was several weeks later. Still we were entertained by a great blue heron, who flushed as we neared. A flock of American White Pelicans flew overhead, but they must not have spotted any fish as they wheeled and headed back toward the Tetons.

The Salt mountains stood in the background, to the north we could see the Tetons, and the west was bounded by the Caribous. A mallard hen flushed before we could take a picture, which usually happens with birds that are hunted. We next padded to the mouth of the Salt River hoping to see a perching bald eagle. The year before we had seen an immature bald with one of its parents.

That time the eagles were calling to one another and if you have never heard eagles it a high-pitched screech.  It would probably sound a lot better, but I took out my hearing aids as water and hearing aids don’t mix.

We continued paddling along the west shore, Idaho, and drifted down the lake as the strong current of the Salt River took control of our kayaks. Finally, the drift stopped, and we just sat and enjoyed the lakes beauty.

Three hours is about as long as I can sit in my kayak, and so we decided to paddle back to the truck, load the kayaks and head back home. It was a nice day and a nice easy float. The next time we plan on floating the Salt. It’s clear now and it should be perfect for fly fishing. Clear skies

Our last Scheduled Show of the Year, Now its fishing Time

Our last scheduled show of this year was a local one. It was held in the Barn, which is a large well barn like log structure in our rv park. Its not really the crowd we aim at but we did okay for a three-hour show.

Two days later found us making another trip to Idaho Falls, this one for dentist appointments. It’s beautiful where we live but the remoteness means we spend a lot of driving time when we see doctors and dentists and this summer has been a real pain in the rear end.

As we traveled down the Snake River Canyon, we can mark the seasons by the colors of the crops. The barley is beginning to ripen, the potatoes are in flower, and the rapeseed, (used to make canola oil), has just started to flower.

There were quite a few drift boats fishing the Snake and we did see one angler fighting a big trout. Today we are heading back to Idaho Falls to another dentist appointment because the dentist had run out of supplies, (I am not kidding it was Prime Day), and they didn’t arrive on time.

Yesterday Renita had a hair stylist appointment and she let me take her car to a nearby creek, so I could spend an hour fishing. It was my first fly fishing of the summer and I had heard good reports. Nearing the steam, I spotted three other fishermen and I hoped they hadn’t fished the water I was going to wade.

It started out slow and I was pretty sure that the stream had been fished as I cast to three beautiful holes without any rises. On the next hole I cast to a cut bank and had a rise, but the fish slapped at the fly and I didn’t hook it. Three more holes and three more missed fish and I started to feel frustrated.

We are spoiled here as the fish are all native fish and so they are usually easy to catch. Crossing a fence, I stopped to put on a new fly, hoping that it might change my luck. On the second cast, a nice Bonneville cutthroat trout inhaled the fly and I was able to land the fish for a quick photo. Carefully unhooking the fish, the hook was in a safe spot for the fish to be unhurt, I released it and watched as it swam back to its hiding place.

A little further and I missed another fish before hooking and landing a smaller cut. Running out of time, I only had an hour, I hurried along the bank, only casting to the most promising spots. I was rewarded with four more cuts, all safely released, before it was time to walk back to the car.

Quickly doffing my gear, I was able to make it back to town with one minute to spare. Renita had gotten done early but she didn’t mind as it gave her a little time to shop. It had been a great morning, I had caught and released six nice fish, the first one was fourteen inches, and I had made it back to town in time!  Clear skies

Ps I mentioned our car and I don’t think we have told anyone that we bought a new Subaru Forester. Our thirteen-year old truck has 280,000 miles on it, and we will now be driving the car during our winter travels.

PPs If you ever come out here to fly fish be sure to be here from late July till September as the steams are usually clear and the fishing is excellent

A Wild Time in Cody, Wyoming

We finally finished rebuilding our slide in pickup camper and left for Cody, Wyoming. We are vendors there, at the Wild West Extravaganza. It’s our biggest show of the year and we had high hopes for a repeat of last year’s three-day show.

The trip there was a wildlife adventure! First a buck mule deer darted from the trees and stopped in the middle of the road. It forced me to slam on the brakes and the drivers behind me luckily stopped before hitting me. The speed limit was only forty-five and there were caution signs of wildlife on the road, (I was going the speed limit).

A little further a cow and calf moose decided to test my brakes, (there is a reason for the speed limit in the parks), and as we passed two stopped cars, with no place to pull over, Renita saw a huge grizzly bear! The rest of the trip was uneventful as we saw more deer and elk, but they all stayed off the road.

Driving down from Sylvan Pass is about as scenic as it gets, and the canyon reminded me of how lucky we are to live in Wyoming. Arriving at Cody we checked into our rv park and waited till five pm as setup didn’t start till six.

On a hunch we went to the setup early and sure enough the other vendors had started to setup their booths.

The next day we got up early and returned to our vendor tent, covering the tables and setting up our jewelry displays. People had already arrived, and chairs were set up along the parade route. The first day’s parade was small,

(the next two days parades lasted for an hour and a half. About the time the parade ended it started to rain and so we sat there hoping for some sunshine.

The rest of the first day alternated with rain and sun and the crowds were small. We were disappointed with the days sales and after some fast food we returned to our camp spot with rain, lightening, and thunder. We stayed dry, (our repairs seemed to work), and the next day we left early.

A much larger crowd had gathered for the second days parade, and it didn’t take us long to display our cabochons and finished jewelry. We have an advantage as we make all our pieces, including the rock lapidary. We also specialize in Wyoming jade and fossil and mineral pieces and we don’t have any competition, (that our shops niche).

After the parade the crowds passed through the vendor area and we were happy to be greeted by many new and returning customers. The returning customers were residents, and the others were tourists from all over the USA and the world. One man told us that he was from North Carolina and it had been his life-long dream to see Yellowstone National Park.

Our work was well received and we ha d a great day, even though we had intermittent rain. That night it rained, and we had a small leak along the front of the camper. Luckily the sleeping bags stayed dry and we had a cold but comfortable night.

The Fourth of July started with early rains, but the skies cleared, and the rain stayed away for the rest of the day. The parade was the same as the day before, but the crowds were huge, and we were swamped for the rest of the day. We had record sales as people wanted to have a keepsake from Wyoming.

Exhausted, we tore down, packed everything away, and returned to the rv park. After a late dinner, the fireworks started, and we were very close to the exploding mortar rounds and starbursts. Shortly after it ended the rain and lightening returned to add its own excitement to the Fourth of July festivities.

The next day we broke camp and headed home. There had been reports of a cub grizzly bear that had become abandoned by its mother and as we crossed Towgotee pass we saw the bear jam. The little cub was digging for roots and tubers and seemingly ignoring the crowd. It had grown since we last saw it but there is not much hope a wolves and boar grizzlies are in the area and both will kill such a small bear.

We left after a bit. It’s tough, to see a cub of the year, (coy), being abandoned by its mother. It won’t learn about berries, moths, and white pine nuts which are all important parts of a bear diet. It doesn’t have a chance or a very small one.

We arrived home and didn’t unpack till the next day. Our last show of the year is on July thirteenth and so now we can concentrate on fishing, hiking, and wildlife watching. Now if the rivers will only clear up and go down………. Clear skies.