Eden

 After 4 straight nights of rain with a 5th tonight, I'm crashing in a hotel in Craig CO.   A daily passing thunder shower is one thing but we're talking 4-6 hours of continuous rain each night.

Hot shower, restaurant food. Olympics-  nice change.

I had an awesome campsite at Vaughn Lake for two nights.  I was so taken with it, I thought I might stay for weeks.  Build me a little cabin with a porch do I can enjoy the View!

My campsite at Vaugh Lake.  I imagine this is what the garden of Eden looks like.

 [ASIDE] My first encounter with the Yampa River was a complete bust: trickle of water in a hot valley with practically no public access.  Upon further review,  those are the headwaters.   The good stuff is further downstream.   I will give it another go tomorrow. 

Eden continued:

Description said "you can fish for rainbow, book, and cutthroat trout.  So I got myself down to the lake pronto but it was one of the alpine lake disappointments.  They might have said you could also fish for tarpon or lobster.

Bound for Craig CO

 3 days or so in Flat Tops Wilderness Area, no cell coverage,  go figure.  🤔

I Tried a series of alpine lakes including Wall Lake near Trappers Lake.   2.5 miles each way, switchbacks up a cliff face.  11,000 ft elevation,  zero fish. 

View from Trappers Lake which had a devastating wildfire.   I hiked up the "wall" just about dead center. 

 Up on top, Wall Lake.  Terrain is flat, not many trees making a person with a fishing rod a target for lightning.   Ducks but no fish in any of the three ponds I tried.

 Extreme volatility in the weather.  Bright and sunny in the morning,  lightning by noon.  Daily occurrence up there.   Very scary as you are so much closer to the clouds.

From top as the trail starts down the cliff face.  Complete change in the weather. Clouds are way closer and can have lightning, hail, rain.

Hailstones leftover from the previous night's storm. Would torn my topper to pieces 

 Out of 7 alpine lakes above 10 000 ft I've tried so far, only 1 has yielded any trout but all of them are beautiful. 

Yampa River next

 

Public fishing access to rivers is relatively rare in Colorado.  This is one for the Colorado River near Kremmling is called Sunset Point.  The sign urges fisherman not to fish in the late afternoon when water temperatures are highest.  Hmm, late afternoon...like near sunset?

Going to Yampa then to Trappers Lake next.

Turns out, the river is not visible from the parking lot.   If you follow that road, this is what you see.  Amazing how there can be a trout River right in the middle of a desert.

Got a 21 inch brown trout at Sunset point this morning. best of the trip so far.  Used hopper dropper  nymph but don't tell my brother!

CR Gives one up

 Fished the Colorado River in Byers Canyon this AM.  As before, zero rises.  I tried a fuzzy bown nymph-ish thing I'd seen in a video and presto!  14 inch brown trout.   That was it for the session.   Very fast current so. I didn't wade it.

Incredible campsite last night in the Arapaho NF.  Top of a nibble had been cleared of trees.  270 degree view of mountains,  lakes etc.  All spoiled by heavy smoke from wildfires.  Even the stars were muted by nearly full moon and smoke.  On a clear night it must be dazzling .  Coyote pack howled and yipped just before dawn. 

The descent to Byers Canyon on FS 253 was a complete terror.  Deep galleys carved into roadbed and super steep grades with loose rock made for white knuckle 4WD experience.   I needed every feature the Taco offered.  Not repeating that route anytime soon.

Remind my brother Alan that nymphs DO NOT WORK except when they do.

Meadow Stream

 Got up early today with a plan to scope out the creek fed by Sawmill Dam.  Classic Meadow that I so much crave, wending it's way haphazardly, creating pockets and pools trout favor..

The Meadow I tried a couple of days ago was just a bit too small to hold many fish but this one was a size larger.  As before, casting was a minefield of snags and trouble but oh so pretty.   Every twist, turn and eddy seemed to reveal an even better spot up ahead.  Took about an hour but I finally found a stretch that had undercut a bank and was about 2ft deep.  Occasional rises dimpled the flat water.

I approached from downstream trying to sneak up on them.  Cast a Hendrickson which gently touched down at the head of the run. Bam!  A little brookie hammered it but wriggled free after a few seconds.  Another cast and this time a 6 inch brookie hit it and stayed on.  On it went for hours, awith a blend of frustration and triumph in the very welcome warm sunshine.  7 trout in all.  Landed 3, 4 Got away.

The other plan for the day was to check out the Fraser River.   There's a 10 mile stretch running through BLM areas but no trails or roads approach it.  I tried to get to the upper end but the nearest road turned to be private.  The lower end has a road that goes into BLM and right up the river but...the road passes first through private land. No trespassing.   So, they have their own exclusive access to a pristine section of river that runs through public land??? That don't seem right. 

Glad to have warm, dry weather after several days of dreary, cold and rainy conditions.   Tomorrow's plan is to give the Colorado River another try.

Back on Track

Not many fish but plenty of bull

 Greetings f

rom Mt Wheretheheckami.  I'm camped a mile or so from Sawmill Meadow Reservoir near Tabernash, CO.

Lots of rain over the past few days.   Rained 5 hours straight yesterday but when it stopped the sun came out just before dusk and lit up the mountains in the distance.   Today, the smoke from fires further West have all but completely obscured those giant peaks.

Found the perfect

Taco interior 
Meadow brook a couple of days ago in a canyon way out in in the boonies.  Very difficult casting of course but I hardly saw any fish.  Vince W tried to prank me with a bull moose costume but I saw the red label on the antlers and was not fooled.

I hope to check out the Fraser River next which seems to have a long stretch with no trails or roads.  Maybe that means hungry native trout.  I want to give Colorado River another shot near Kremmling as they have lifted a ban on fishing that was due to high water temperatures. 

Time to Dry Out

 Good sleep in a hotel last night.  Headed to crooked Creek Rd area north of Ptarmigan  Mountain to find a place to dry out and assess any damage to my gear.

Alpine lake #2

Corona Lake

Got up early and drove up the service road to the trailhead

Indian Peaks Wilderness from Rollins Pass

for Corona Lake which is about 3/4 mile past Pumphouse Lake that I fished last night. 

 Sunny day and no one about.  Took my sweet time organizing my daypack and headed out.  Pretty easy hike but I was surprised there were 3 small brooks to cross because things are so arid at that elevation.

Arrived at the Lake.  Gorgeous and not a soul in sight.  Easily 6 campsites with great views of the lake and mountain peaks to the West.  Clearly, this place gets visited often.  Several places for swimming too.

Stayed for about 90 minutes,  exploring different spots, soaking up the beauty.  Saw just one rise.  Some rock outcroppings afforded a view straight down into the water but I didn't see any fish swim by.

Went up to Rollins Pass with a notion of trying Kings Lake.  My tummy was a bit off and rain was in the forecast so, I beat it back to my campsite.  Got the topper set up with about 10 minutes to spare.  Vivid lightning with at least 2 strikes so far with no delay between flash and boom. LOUD!  Heavy rain right now.  I'm really , really glad I came back to camp!

4 rescue trucks just drove by plus two firetrucks.  A helicopter is circling.  One fire fighter said a small fire was started by lightning.   Then they all packed and went home.  WTF?

Within 15 minutes they all returned and said they were going to use my campsite as an LZ for the helicopter.   They helped shove my gear, wet and muddy from the storm into the truck while I frantically closed and secured the topper tent.

I took off down the mountain,  the unmistakable smell of smoke as I drove.  I could now see the helicopter carrying water to dump on the fire.  Glad to have gotten away safely.  Spending the night in a hotel.   Will reassess in the morning.   Man, this retirement stuff is pretty scary.  How about a nice game of chess?

Helicopter circling my campsite.   Zoom in to see it

Alpine Lake

third night at campsite near the Continental Divide. had to resupply fuel, ice food. I intended to cross the CD because the Eastern side has more lakes but the forest service road was closed. I fished Pump house Lake. Caught 2 little bookies. tomorrow I will try Corona lake. bunch of guys in their 20s headed off snowboard and ski some patches high up. crazy, loco.

Rollins Pass

Wildflowers- beautiful 

At tree-line

Alpine Lake with snow

 Staying for a 2nd day at my campsite near the Continental Divide.  Taking my son Brian's advice taking it a bit easier.   Pancake and sausage breakfast this morning after a very good night's sleep. 

The service road my site is next is quite busy.  Rarely more than 10 minutes between cars driving by or Razors (sp) sometimes in groups of 4 or 5.  All the more remarkable that this site was open on a Saturday.

Went for a walk on road.  7 miles round-trip,  600 ft of elevation gain which is pretty mild unless you figure that I started at about 11K ft and wound up near 12K.  I've acclimated  a good deal but still get winded far faster than at sea level. 

Continental Divide

 Long day.  Up at crack of dawn.  Went to Brian's house for a hot shower and to do a load of laundry. 

We met up Brett K, his brother Zach and longtime pal Dan M so that jointly give me pointers on how to drive on 4WD roads.  Chevy diesel Z71 and Lexus SUV.  Both had significant mods to improve off-road performance. 

They took me on a trail part way up Mt Evans called Devils Canyon.  OMG, steep, narrow, rough but meant to demonstrate to me that my Tacoma could handle it.  The team was ultra patient with my slow and overly careful driving.   Brian rode shotgun for a while helping as spotter and technical advisor regarding features of my truck.  I'm  very great full to them all for taking the time and care to educate me on 4WD.

I finished the day by driving a long forest service road near the Continental Divide.  I'm camped just below tree line near Rollins Pass.  Spectacular panorama of mountain peaks.  Fantastic campsite 

Shrine Pass

 Got a tip from a local hunter that Shrine Pass may be a hot spot for dusky grouse.  So I came over to check it out.

Terrific dispersed camping and I'm going to spend the night here.  Went for a 4 mile hike but didn't see any duskies.

11,000 ft elevation.   It's essentially May up here.  All flowers are blooming.

Tantalizing

 One more visit to the Eagle River.  Picked a nice spot, fish rising right off the bat, osprey perched nearby, purple Martin's swarming the river surface for bugs.

First cast was a grasshopper and a nice brown rushed over to it, only to change his mind.  I spotted some very large trout gorging on something in very shallow water reminiscent of what I saw on the South Platte.  Opposite shore of course and at the extreme limit of my casting range.  Took a few tries but I laid an elk hair right in their midst and sure enough a 16 inch brown nailed it.  Had another big one on later but he broke the line very quickly. 

Great session. 

Headed up near Georgetown Gunilla Pass tonight. 

Count the cowpies

 I awoke this AM to the smell of cow dung. Cattle are allowed to graze the area.

So, are you ready for today's challenge???  Count the cowpies in the campsite!  I  will mail the winner an actual pie.

Time for some puttering.  I picked Eby Creek Rd but I didn't get more than a mile before a rancher told me there's a locked gate about 10 miles ahead.  Thanks Google.   Rancher saved me 20 mile rountrip. 

Rt 131 to Wolcott for another Crack at the Eagle River.   Got 2 rainbows on a really hot looking stretch of water before powerful gusty winds and rain set in.  Will probably camp at Coffee Pot Rd  again there are flash flood warnings near the creaks and rivers. 

Flat Tops Fizzle

 Went to The Flat Tops Wilderness Area yesterday with the intent to camp at Crescent Lake and then try some Alpine lake fishing as part of a hike.  Beastly difficult road, truly 4WD required.  12 miles of it.  Right off the bat, there  were obstacles I could see were labeled as "Dan's oil pan" or "Dan's axle" so I bailed and camped where I was. 

Went for a hike to see what if the road got any better.  I set out around 3:00 knowing an afternoon thunder shower was likely.  Packed my new waterproof windbreaker and rain pants.  When the rain finally did come I put the gear on but it soon turned out it wasn't so waterproof.  I was at about 10,000 ft, temperatures in the high 40s, raining with lightning and about 2 miles to reach my truck.  Contrast this with desert conditions I had left that morning. 

O for Everything

 Got up at a reasonable hour and started looking for new spots on the Eagle River to fish.  Found one where a half dozen guides were launching their drift boats.  They anchored just 50 yards downstream for clients to have a go at a great looking pool that cut into the far bank.  After they moved on, I waded over to it and worked it for over an hour.   Saw just one rise, no strikes.  Nobody on the drift boats caught anything and neither did any of my fellow waders do, I moved on.

Red Canyon Bridge.  Dimmed greatly by the smoke which the news says is from fires in California.  Superb strip of water that looked perfect for trout and there were indeed,  plenty there.  My first cast had a hefty bown side up to my fly and then turn it down.  The rest of the outing would go no better.   I targeted consistent rises in the deep, slow pools.  Yeah? No.  

Like a compulsive gambler I thought "just one more cast" or "zebra nymphs, no pheasant tail, no streamers- yeah, that's what they'll want for sure!".  No, it wasn't.  Skunked but happy to have had rises to cast to.  I'm staying at same campsite as last night.  Headed to Flat Tops Wilderness tomorrow. 

Rico:  while I was fully engaged on my next sure thing, a man in his 20s appeared, carrying a 10-speed bike.  He asked me if I spoke Spanish but I apologized in perfect Spanish (Paula taught me decades ago) that I did not.  He told me his name was Rico and asked how my fishing was going.   After  some awkward attempts to communicate further we said goodbye and he then proceeded to ford the river, bike slung over his shoulder.   Remembering my mishap at the Blue River I was pretty worried as he slipped and stumbled through chest high water.  He wound up using the bike to steady himself against the current.  No idea why he wasn't riding on the roads.

Tonights campsite.

  Difficult sleep led to a late start this AM.  Took me a while to find a stretch of the Eagle River  but I wound up a little downstream from Beaver Creek.  Moderate number of rises, gobs of hatches, flow was not too fast which made wading safe.

Lots of experimenting with local flies recommended but no takers.  Went back to good old elk hair caddis with a dropper.  BAM!  9 inch rainbow within minutes.   Enough rises now to hunt specific fish.  Another rainbow minutes later.  Took the dry not the nymph.   A number of knee-weakening biggies approached my fly but refused at the last instant, belly flashing, as if to taunt me about their girth.

Got a third rainbow on a nymph (nymphs never work unless they do).  15  inches, big fight, bigger smile on my face.

Nasty haze from Sylvan wildfire has made the area look more like LA.  I'm spending the night on the BLM Coffee Pot service road.   Tomorrow I might try another section of Eagle River or head North to the Flattops Wilderness area for alpine lake hike and fish.

Hike

 Cool, pleasant night camped on the side of the road high above the town of Vail.  Lazy day today.  Installed handles on the cabinet drawers, pancake breakfast.  

Much ruminating about the hurried, hectic, mission mentality of my working life.  All vacations were 2 weeks or less.  Everything had to be planned, scheduled - hurried, hectic.  Work hard, play hard.  I'm  enjoying moving at a snail's pace.  No mission, no particular plan.  Just a menu of options to choose from.

Time for a hike to look for duskies up the road I chickened out on driving.   Dawdling doin me good.

Colorado River

 Camped in dandy site last night in the Arapahoe,NF.  Steep canyon walls made for a cool evening after  hot sun during the day.  Brook, level campsite. 

Fished the Colorado River today.  Zero rises, one fish on briefly.  Clouds of mosquitoes that made hamburger out of my casting hand.  Beautiful water but I didn't see any fellow anglers catch anything.   Parts of the River are being shutdown due to high water temperatures and crazy turbidity due to erosion after last year's forecast fires.

I'm camping in the Red Sandstone NF right near Vail tonight.  I plan to fish the Eagle River tomorrow.   Will scout mountain service roads for Dusky Grouse in September. 

On The Board!

At last, landed my first trout of the trip.  Still feeling jitters from yesterday's unexpected swim, I got back up on the horse today and fished the Blue River again.   4 bookies, all under 8 inches.

Used a hopper-dropper.  No strikes at the hopper, they took the nymph instead.  Make sure you tell my brother Alan that I said nymphs never work.

Section I fished was pretty but not as gorgeous as the other section.  Like yesterday however,  I started to cross what appeared to be a wadeable area only to find it was deeper than it appeared.   Turned back instead.  

Camped at Spring Creek last night which is the opposite side of the valley from Williams Peak but not as high.  Found a cluster 4 campsites in an aspen grove with stunning views but clouds of mosquitoes. 

Camping tonight either at Grouse Mountain or Williams Fork. 

Blue River

 Fly fishing all morning  (see pics).  Moderate number of rises, gorgeous  river but much of it is too fast to wade

Unfortunately,  a little too much adventure.   Tried to ford section that turned out to be deeper and stronger than I thought.   Got swept off my feet and was completely plunged into the water.  List my flybox but a fisherman downstream grabbed it and returned it me.  Very honest as it was worth over $200.00. Kept my rod but not my pride. Time to call it a day and count my blessings.

Alpine Glory

 Wild Lupines and a vast array of alpine flowers are in full bloom as it is still early summer at 11,000 ft where I took these pictures.  Zoom in on these pics and see blue, purple, red, white, and yellows. 

Heading out to fish the Blue River and Williams Fork River.  Colorado River tomorrow. 

Cabinets Installed!

 7/4/2021.  Brian and I labored all weekend on the installation of the cabinets I built during the winter.  Several trips to the hardware store for t-nuts, bolts, screws drill bits, rivet nut tool,etc.

Baseplate needed a couple of dozen holes that had to be in a exactly the right locations in order to secure it to the bed of the truck and to secure the cabinets to it.  Only 2holes were slightly off the mark which was pretty remarkable.  Best of all, the cabinets fit within the Habitat as planned.

Handles for drawers had screws that were too long, So another trip to the hardware store.  Lots of Tinkering now as I begin actual camping.  How to manage ice, water etc. will be challenges to be undertaken. A gazillion thank you s to Brian and Lindsay for their kindness and housepitality😍

Mesa Verde

 

Topper Installed!

 

Brian and I drove from Conifer CO to Prescott AZ and arrived at the AT Overland factory. They installed the Habitat in only two hours!

We took off from there and camped for free in National Forest near Mesa Verde.