First day, first night

I ate lunch at my desk and hoped to leave a couple hours early today. Shortly after that, however, I was encouraged to "go to lunch" and get lost on the way back. So I left several hours early. I stopped at home to load the coolers and last minute items, walked the dog, said good-bye and got out of St. Louis around 2:00 PM, well ahead of schedule. I had planned to camp in Lincoln, Nebraska but didn't feel like stopping, so I drove on to Kearney, where I have now arrived, tired but safe.

What's the hurry? Well, I'm excited, but besides that, I'm going to arrive at my first destination on Thursday, July 3, the same day everyone else will get there to start their holiday weekend. I have a reservation in a campground but it's not for a particular campsite. I want to get there early enough on Thursday to select a comfortable place to stay.

It's also much cooler now then it was two hours ago. Warm and muggy conditions are not the best for sleeping under a camper shell. This will be the only night that's a concern, until the return trip. Tonight on the plains, tomorrow night on the high dessert, then two weeks in the mountains.

I watched a lightening show to the north as I drove the last half hour. Someone said there is a severe thunderstorm warning for the county, but it's a big county and it looks like it's passing to the north. I'm enjoying the wind.

Someone asked about music. I loaded up my CD holder with screamin' electric blues, acoustic blues, and a little Mississippi hill country blues. But I also checked out some books on CD from the library, which I've never used. I listened to probably half a novel today, and liked it.

The plan is to drive a long day tomorrow and camp in Rock Springs, Wyoming. But since I'm ahead of schedule I might pass that up, too. I'll decide when the time comes, based on how I feel. I'm already enjoying the flexibility of my trip.

I have been fishing for trout for years. I have been asked "do you fly fish?" and I have been known to reply "I enjoy fly fishing." But I was usually honest enough to add that my favorite way to enjoy fly fishing was to fish all day with a spinning rig, then sit down tired in a cabin near the water and read a book about fly fishing, usually one written by John Gierach.

A few years ago, I considered learning to fly fish, and stayed interested just long enough to learn that (a) waders are required because most trout stream banks feature trees in your backcast, and (b) waders didn't come in my size, unless you paid insane money for custom made ones.

So what happened? Lots. I read more books. I got older. I got diabetes. That last caused me to change my habits, getting me a little closer to wader size, but it also caused me to consider my priorities. One day while reading about several famous trout streams near the joining corners of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, I decided I wanted to see and fish those waters.

How does a guy who doesn't fly fish, fish those rivers? I researched and learned the answer: He takes up fly fishing. It is the prescribed, obvious and only way to fish the Henry's Fork, the Madison, the Yellowstone and others.

So I aquired some gear, learned some basic casting, and practiced a little by fly fishing for stocked rainbow trout in southern Missouri streams I used to spin cast in. I think this is like learning to parellel park to practice for driving the Indy 500. I also read several more books, so now I'm more educated then experienced.

So I'm leaving on July 1, and driving from St. Louis MO to the Henry's Fork in Idaho where I will start my adventure. I plan to camp, using a camper shell on my pickup truck. No tent; I want to be able to move from river to river to follow the hatches without spending a lot of time setting up and striking camp. I chose the rest of my gear with that in mind, too. I'll be comfortable but not burdened, or at least that's the plan.

I don't plan to eat in restaurants. Preparing all my own food will cut into my fishing time, but I'll be as efficient as possible. It's important that I continue to eat according to the same food plan I've been using. It's possible to get an occasional restaurant meal that's fairly healthy if you're careful, but it's not something I make a habit of at home anymore, so I'll avoid it on the road as well.

I started this blog with the idea that I'll update it from the road, with pictures and stories of my trip. Some of the camping spots have internet access, but I don't know how good it is. And I'll probably spend part of the time in national forrest campgrounds that don't even have flush toilets, so days may pass with no updates.

I got a cheap digital camera but I won't want to risk it getting wet, so I don't think I'll take it fishing much. And I put way more practice time into the fly rod then the camera. Here's a picture I took:

I built this wader drying rack out of PVC pipe. It comes apart in two large pieces, plus the four little spikes also come off so it stores flat. While in use, it looks vaguely like a fisherman under torture:

One more picture will complete my first post. Here's where I'll be "roughing it easy" for about 18 nights in July:

Thanks for stopping by. Check for more updates after the first of July. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email.

Dale