Fishing on the Green!

Fishing the Green River, near Flaming Gorge in north east Utah:
On Bernie's bucket list for years.
Wednesday that experience got checked off his list.
Rainbow and German Brown trout were caught; thirteen fish in all, all were released back into the river after a quick photo.

And lucky me...I got to go along too!
It was a totally unexpected adventure.
Bernie had decided to go to a Fly Fishing Expo the previous weekend.
He came home and told me that there was a deal to do a guided fly fishing drift boat trip down the Green River that was just too good to pass up.

The time of the year, and mid week would mean the trip would be neither too hot or too cold and most likely we would have the river almost all to ourselves.
Would my work schedule accommodate a mid week getaway?
Yes!

So last Tuesday we drove the 3 1/2 hours up to the Flaming Gorge Resort where we were booked for an over night stay.
Wednesday we spent on the river, drifting seven miles over eight hours.
The fishing...was fantastic.
Let me begin at the beginning....
The drive up to the resort took us through part of Wyoming.

Outside of a place called Mountain View the mountains switched from yellowish-brownish-reddish to a distinctive shade of turquoise.
So gorgeous!!!

I love Red Rock country; now I will add that I also love Turquoise Rock country as well.

Antelope herds were seen along the way, as well as huge numbers of mule deer herds.

As we sped along I shot pictures out the window.
If we had stopped at every great view I suppose we might still be on the road.

At 8 the next morning we grabbed breakfast at the lodge diner, then at 9 our guide rounded us up and drove us to the river.

The rain puddles from the day before were frozen over in the parking lot.
I layered up clothing wise in preparation of all possible temperature variations.

The drift boat was launched before the Flaming Gorge dam, where a homeland security officer is stationed 24 hours a day.

A piece of the road that we drove in on can be seen next to the edge of the dam.

Just as I stepped out of the guide's truck an osprey flew over my head toting a trout that he had caught for breakfast.
Aggghhhh....missed getting that amazing shot by about 30 seconds.

A quick run to the outhouse and I was ready to go for a boat trip.
I haven't worn my waders and fishing boots since last September!

Isn't that an interesting shape for an anchor?
The anchor would be dropped and lifted many times during our drift.

Barely launched into the water and Bernie is eager to wet a line.

Apparently a rainbow trout was eager to be caught.
The first fish of the day only minutes into the day.

I egged our guide Kevin into giving the fish a good luck kiss before releasing the fish as our fishing guide in Alaska always did.

And so the drift trip down the river began.
Kevin hooked up a line for me.
I blurted out "Are you kidding? I am here to take pictures, not fish!"
(I took well over 300 shots before the day was over.)

Another boat launched about the same time as we did.
I loved the boat's paint job that was a fly mimic.

The Green river is bordered by red rock; this red rock cliff had swallow nests.

And just like that fish #2 was caught.

Followed by another beautiful rainbow.

The water was so clear!
I watched as we drifted over fish after fish after fish.

They looked like I could just reach down and grab them.

The correct name for the halo effect of the sun around my shadow is a glory.
Glorious indeed!

In some places the Green River really lived up to its name.

Lovely!

Now Bernie was busy casting about once every 15 seconds.
I was gawking at the cool rocks while he fished.
Casting is actually a lot of work.

Lifting my camera to my face over 300 times was a bit of a workout too...
But so worth it.
I know I would have forgotten most of the little pretty scenes like this one without a documenting photo.

There is a wooden walk along most of the river.
The river is divided into three sections, we fished on the A and C part of the river.
I suppose we could come back and do it all over again from shore one day.

The view from the middle of the river is so pretty that I am glad I got to see it from that perspective.

And another fish to fight...

Some fought hard and jumped about, others reeled in with hardly a ripple.

Each fish was lifted out of the river, had the hook carefully removed then the fish was gently returned to the water, usually in less than 90 seconds.
I had to be quick to get a picture of each fish out of the water.

The first rapids...

Another catch...

Hello #5!

 

I sat in the back of the boat.
 

 

Hi there #7...
(number six wasn't lifted out of the net...it wasn't much of a photo.)

This trip was my first time boating over rapids, except for a few mild places in Alaska.
I am not very daring when it comes to such things but these were pretty tame.

Marmots watched from the banks peanut gallery style.

I shot all day with my 60mm macro lens since I wanted to get photos of the fish that were caught.
My telephoto lens was with me and I wished I had switched for a bit to get better marmot shots.
It was just easier to stick with one lens all day.

More of the walk way.

The bend in the rod:  Big clue that another fish is on the line.
Look at how green the river is!

A big jump and splash...

The fish are getting bigger as we drift along.
Bernie was hoping to catch German Brown trout but this one was another rainbow.

 

 

A German Brown!
A little guy, but it is a start.

The sound of the water and all the colors.
Dreamy.

Then some fun rapids...

Got some good motion going!

I was glad to see some clouds form over head as clouds add a lot of interest to a picture.

We went ashore for a picnic lunch.

Think Bernie is have a great day?

I had just last week read an article about lichen identification.
Planning on doing some macro shots with a tripod of lichen in the future; where we lunched there were lichen everywhere.

Now this is my idea of a great place to eat lunch.

(So frustrating to not have my tripod along! Still pretty though.)

The trip included boxed lunches.
Bernie and Kevin and I chatted away as we ate.

Nice guy, great guide, and an interesting story as to how he wound up working as a river guide.
Sometimes not knowing exactly what you want to study after two years of college can lead to a dream job of a lifetime.

 

 

 

The kelp in the river was fascinating.
I wish I had a guide book to explain and name they different types.

 

Back on the river again.

The ground may take a trip but the tree was sticking to it.

One of probably a thousand casts.

I like this shot for all the greens and reds.

Overhead the rocks stood watch.

The sky was a perfect shade of blue.

The rocks splintered away in geometric shapes, like God had made a brick wall then let it go to ruin.

In the afternoon we started seeing drifts of grey bits on the water surface.
Little insects were hatching and landing on the water.

The dark seam had one upright block in the middle.

Having another boat drifting behind us let me get photos that showed the size of the gorge.

 

 

 

I made him take his hat off for one picture so I could get a good shot of his happy face.

Seriously, doesn't this look like a calendar/travel brochure shot?

The fish kept getting bigger.

Kevin had a plastic tube with a rubber bulb on the end, sort of like a mini turkey baster.
He put the tube into one fish's mouth and drew out its stomach content to see what it was eating.
This was just one of five squeezes of stomach content.
That fish had been sitting on the river bottom munching down insect food all day long.

I have mentioned how unbelievably clear the water was?

When I say we see lots of rainbows, I don't always mean in the sky.

Hey there fish #11.

Nice 16 inches long.

 

 

Kind of fun to see another boat out on the water next to us.
These boats had a stand with a small table top to lean into to while standing.
A real improvement over the Alaskan drift boats where you just planted your feet the best you could when you stood up.

Still happy?
Yes.

I am happy too!

It is times like this that I am so happy to be married to a man who loves the outdoors as much as I do.
 

 

The rock on top looks like a little critter watching boats go by.

An even dozen caught.

 

We took a second shore break.
What colors are found in river kelp lapping against the shore line.

I have to hike up a bit to find a private spot to relieve myself.
On the way I saw this hollowed stump spangled with colorful lichen.

Bernie requested a bit of shoreline fishing.
Both guys did a bit of fishing there.

Spectacular setting.

Then back in the boat and we drift past a fallen rainbow made from rocks.

 

And the day ends with a Baker's dozen caught, with this fine German Brown.

17 inches ain't bad!

More swallow nests.

 

A few waterfowl kept warily away from us.

 

No rain, but I liked the dark clouds forming overhead as we finished our day.

Don't the hills look like a calico quilt?

And doesn't this rock look a lot like Snoopy?
And so it was that the Green River delivered all that it as been touted as delivering:
Big fish
Gorgeous views
Great time!
 

 

Flexible Easter this year.

I have a confession to make:

While I love my grandson, I harbor a secret desire to have a granddaughter to dress in a frilly girlie-girl Easter dress.  I can picture a little girl in a sweet bonnet, with tiny white gloves, white paten leather shoes and a smocked spring colored dress swirling about her tiny form.

When I knew it was going to be a boy joining the family, I realized that girlie image would have to be put on hold.
BUT...when I spied this baby boy perfectly smocked for Easter outfit, I was thrilled.

I bought it months and months ago.
When I showed it to Bernie he announced that no grandson of his would be wearing frilly outfits.
Humph.
I tucked the outfit away awaiting my chance to put Luke in it at Easter Time.

This weekend I switched out winter accents for spring.

Brought out the ceramic Easter eggs that my mom and I made together years ago.
Spring garden flower plant were put into white pots and they marched along the mantle with tiny yellow chicks tucked in to peek out from the flowers, the same as the one in with the eggs.

This year I had also planned to make the Mennonite paska as I have the past few years.
A week ago I was paging through a Southern cook book and came across a recipe for Huguenot Torte.
"Ah HA!"  I thought to myself.
My daughter-in-law's mother is a descendant of the famous American Huguenot Agee family.
Which mean grandson Luke is also descendent from Huguenots, those brave French Antibaptists who fled to the New World of South Carolina and the Charleston area back in the late 1600s.
How perfect it would be to celebrate Luke's first Easter with a recipe that his religious forefathers enjoyed?
 

I whipped up a batch for Easter dessert.
How smug I felt!
A traditional dessert for our Easter dinner.
It wasn't until after it was out of the oven that I decided to research the history of the dish.
Ahem.
Turns out the recipe was from the Ozarks, and it was known as Ozark Pudding until a South Carolina woman sampled it during her travels.
She took the recipe back and began to prepare it and serve it at the Charleston restaurant where she was a cook.
In the 1950s.
Or maybe the 1960s.
The name of the restaurant?
The Huguenot Tavern.
Oh brother.
I asked Rachel if her family had ever eaten Huguenot Torte.
Nope.
Never heard of it.
Another blooper reel moment for me.

Easter dinner got complicated.
Luke's other grandparents were in town, and were to leave early Easter morning to drive back to California.
They would all attend at Saturday night Easter service.
We decided to let them enjoy their own family time; Bernie and I would go to church Easter morning (and yes, I did wear a BIG pale green Easter hat with soft pink roses...)
Easter dinner was as yet unplanned as of Easter morning.
In the end we all decided Indian food sounded great and the five of us went out for Indian food for
Easter Sunday dinner.
Luke (like the rest of us) likes Indian food just fine.

Backing up a bit....
Spring has sprung with gorgeous bulbs in bloom, and the weather had warmed up nicely for Easter weekend.
So it was planned that we all would go to Red Butte Garden on Friday afternoon.
But...
It turned out that the garden closed at 5 and Jeff wouldn't be able to join us until 4:40.
So...
We rescheduled that idea until Saturday afternoon.

Oh yeah!
Baby photos in the daffodils.
Now I had pictured them taken with Luke in the little Easter suit.
The plaid shirt...well, really, that is much more LUKE than the other choice.

Luke: You weren't seriously thinking about putting me in that frilly outfit were you?

He merrily enjoyed pulling a few daffodils apart, typical boy style.

Now I had brought the bunny ears AND the outfit along  just in case I could sneak him into them.
He didn't cotton much to the ears either.
They lasted maybe five seconds on his head.

We strolled on over to the Children's Garden area where the lizard sculptures are.
At not quite one year of age...you can pretty much tell him anything.

Lizard...Easter Bunny.
What's the diff?

Except Lizard eggs and Easter Eggs would probably look a bit different.
He doesn't know that though.

Next Luke got to play in a dirt pit.
He was "all boy" happy.

I was "All Girl" happy with this shot of his hand with a butterfly.

His big blue eyes still rock my world.

His other grandfather caged him up. 

In summer, the cage becomes a vine covered house.

A garden is always a lovely place for a family Easter photo.
This was taken about three hours before they left for Easter services.
Our church can be pretty casual...this may or may not be their Easter outfits!

It was so nice and warm, and sunny enough that hats were pulled out and put on everyone.

Babies look so darn cute in little gob hats.

Luke currently loves rocks.

All that is needed to keep him happy is a rock!
Let's call this one an Easter Egg Rock.

I am not sure if he really believed us.

He sure did like it when his daddy found ANOTHER rock for him.

"See?  I got a ROCK!"

He had a chance to ride on a moose, with rock in hand.

About half way through the garden visit I was left with all the boys of the family.
Luke, his Daddy, and his two granddads.

That was when the fun really started.
Bernie had a rock.
He hid it, pretending it was in his mouth.
Then he pretended to throw up the rock into his hand.
That was when Luke started really laughing.
Boys.
Dirt.
Rocks.
Fake Barf.
No frills.
Ever!

(We will get to watch Luke over a weekend in May.  I *might* try to get him into the outfit then. We will see!)

Spring/Winter...Here/There...Take Your Pick.

As I work I glance out the window and the seasons seem to change with every look.
When the skies darken, I have a harder time looking away than when the skies are a sunny blue.
Southern California living for over 40 years delivered more than my share of blue skies.
Storm clouds were a reason to gawk!
And gawk I have, in Dallas and Houston where dark skies might bring downpours, lightening and thunder, and from time to time, a funnel cloud warning to heed.
Here in Salt Lake dark clouds rarely bring as much drama.
But I still secretly hope for a bit of a weather show.

Yesterday I finished up my work around three.
Bernie was finished with his work assignments as well.
We decided to hit the road and go west to explore an area where he had never ventured before.
We skirted the edge of the Great Salt Lake, chatting about this and that as the sky played games with clouds and sunshine.
When a green cloud appeared ahead of us we took special notice.
As it turns out, a green cloud sometimes brings a funnel cloud.
A green wall of clouds definitely means a tornado is in the works.
We had seen such things on weather shows and once on a sunny day in the San Jose California area we saw such a green wall cloud and remarked that it surely wasn't the same kind of green wall cloud that we had seen on weather shows.
That night on the news we learned that a tornado had indeed speared out the sky and taken out a bit of a local neighborhood.
Well then.
That got our attention.
Later we noted in Texas that the green cloud was a signal that a tornado was a-brewing.

I won't keep you in suspense.
No funnel cloud disturbed our travels this time although there were plenty of droopy cloud bits that looked like they were practicing tornado formation skills.

Salt Lake does have tornadoes.
One year one raced up one of the downtown main streets and blasted out an ancient grove of trees that stood aside the state capital.

No worries for us though.
The clouds were just interesting to watch form and reform over and over again.

The Salt Lake was an amazing turquoise color that reminded me of Lake Louise a bit.

Also stirred memories of lakes that we saw in Switzerland.

So funny to think how long we flew to see such sights in Switzerland and now we can take a 30 minute drive or less and see scenes of equal beauty.

Places on the lake had some small waves.
Not enough form for surfing though.
Plus the water temperature and the air temperatures match.
A dip in 32 degree water?
No interest.

The best part of the area to the west of us is that it also has mountain ranges to be viewed in every direction.
I like how the snow coverage stripes on the mountainsides.

A sign and some houses between it and the mountain gives perspective on just how big this mountain range really is.
By the time we got home all the snow at our place had melted.
No snow was forecast for Saturday.
I wondered if this storm would be the last snow of the season.

The sound of a snow plow woke me up early Saturday morning.
Huh?
A peek out the window show about six inches of new fluff outside!
And color me happy...the snowflakes had form!

Three potted primroses sat on our deck coffee table gathering flakes that just begged to be photographed.

A Valentine apology for the season that flirts shamelessly between winter and spring.

 

Same snowflake shot three times...so tiny and perfect!

So fun to have color behind the flakes after working all winter with glass lens for backdrops.

More flakes are falling as I type.
Ohhhh....gotta go see them up close!
(Again, apologies to the winter weary. Believe me when I report that Utah snow is nothing like the snow that sits heavy and wet with below zero temps that try one's soul elsewhere!)