Traditions

I'll be writing more about traditions at a later date, I need to stew on that topic for awhile.

One tradition we have is stopping off for ice cream.  The kids like blueberry and down in the lower valley west of Marblemount is a good stop!

And the blueberries are in season right now!

New Article in Bellingham Herald

Doug Huddle is an excellent writer with the Bellingham Herald.

In todays edition he wrote an article about Tom and Ross Lake Resort and the resurgence of the Wild Ross Lake Rainbow Trout.

Here is the link to the half page article.

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/07/23/1539716/outdoors-ross-lakes-rainbows-are.html

I admire writers and photographers for newspapers and magazines.  They work to deadlines often in stuffy offices.  They deal with bombastic editors.  They have to come up with story ideas on subjects that they really could care less about........ "Ms Gertrude Hannibal - of the Lector Hannibal's - is hosting a luncheon and fundraiser for the Human Society,  the menu will feature a fine selection from her collection of carpaccio recipes..........."


Meanwhile, I get to visit Ross Lake, pick and choose what to blog about, meet people that are on a holiday in one of their favorite spots on earth (why else do so many return year after year), and sit out on the deck drinking coffee watching the sunrise.  I can hear their voices in the office, "should we get him more coffee?".

"No, no, don't disturb him - he's thinking about what to write next!  It will probably be brilliant!"


Lucky for me they don't hear what I am thinking because my typical thought process seems to go something like this when I have writers block:  "If I sneeze really hard with a mouthful of coffee and it comes out my nose, will some of the caffeine be absorbed through my nasal cavities?"


So as you probably already surmised, not a lot of deep thought goes into some of these posts - but I do like to sit out on that deck pondering my caffeine addiction, I do like to hang out with my good friends the Barnett's, I do like meeting all of you and I do like writing and photography.

I do sometimes wish I had an editor.

I do like to read good writers writings..

Check out Doug's writing on the link provided.

Cheers

Grande Ronde - a Beautiful River

Had a blast drifting and fishing on the Grande Ronde River in extreme south eastern Washington.  One of North America's finest steelhead fisheries.

Hot temps, family, good friends, good wine picked up on the way from some excellent wineries and by the way - hot fishing.

Trout and Dolly's were biting on Joe's Hoppers, smallmouth bass were slamming a deer hair mouse with yellow feather tail.

But even tho fishing was hot sometimes you just have to serve that inner child and jump off a cliff or two.  No, that was not me doing a back flip -that honor belonged to Jake who was showing off successfully to the niece.

I am a master of the belly flop.

By the way, it was interesting casting fly's from the sit on top ocean kayak while drifting backwards through small rapids, trying to maintain a hold on to the paddle while the legs straddled the waterproof camera case to keep it from shifting around.  Ended up casting backwards, sideways, left handed, right handed, under handed, overhanded, under the arm pit, around the neck......

It was fun just dinking around with the son on his first fly fishing experience.

Fishing a deep hole on the Grande Ronde

Jake launching a 50' back flip

Niece Jenna giggles through whitewater

Mackenzie riding her breast cancer pink Ocean Kayak in the clear, cold waters of the Grande Ronde 

Dylan surfs a small hydraulic

Brother-in-law Bob carries one of the little one's, the family dog and lunch 

in his old beater canoe - casually chewing on a cigar

Over several days and several car ferries we drifted approx. 25 miles roughly between Troy, Bogan's Oasis and Schumachers Landing.  From Schumachers it was an approx. 13% grade road that would have been a bit sticky if wet or slick.

Next time we will either float the upper wild river portion starting in Oregon and possibly end in Troy, or continue down to Heller's Bar where the Grande Ronde joins the Snake River at the lower end of Hell's Canyon.

We were a motley crew.

On the lower drift we had the river to ourselves and everyone was able to hoot and holler the afternoon away - songs and laughter bounced off the canyon walls. Teasing over past mishaps were casually, offhandedly discussed.  Casually??? Yeah right!

The drive home was long and tiring but the next morning I woke up chuckling to the image of Bob going thru the whitewater casually shaking droplets off that soggy old stogie.

Families, friends and little adventures - the good life.

The Pacific Northwest - we live in an interesting and beautiful part of the world don't we?