Commencing on June 2nd, 2007, three characters will be leaving the shores of the Great Salt Lake and heading east, towards the Rocky Mountains, the backbone of the continent.
I have been sworn to secrecy, but I can assure you that we will be fishing for 5 days in Utah and 10 days in Colorado, and more specifically for the legendary Salmonfly hatch in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River. We will be taking our digital camcorder, and will be recording most of the days’ events. The locations will be changed and run through a National Security Firewall so that we may protect the innocent trout we plan on catching, and so others will not ditch their full-time jobs and try to entice large cruising trout to their silly dry flies. Our company of three is just the right amount for the three tasks while on the river:
1) The cameraman
2) The fish spotter
3) The angler
Traveling with me: Mucha and Schroeder, though nicknames will be earned and assigned prior to the beginning of the exodus.
Schroeder is a pilot by day, Macbook junkie by night, wannabe skater 24/7 and this guy throws a mean Andy Kim combination as he learned the art of flyfishing while in flight school in Farmington, New Mexico. It makes sense that he would spend all of his extracurricular time on the San Juan, targeting rod-breaking rainbows and brutish brown trout. Schroeder also has a rare taste for the “Guadalagucho”, the Lucha Libre wrestling style of Mexican tradition. Rumor has it he can put away 3 breakfast burritos from Molcasalsa in ONE sitting!
Mucha works somewhere in the realm of banking for Wells Fargo, but we know the internal weekend warrior is a South Slope Enthusiast who knows how to catch those big butterscotch browns better than anyone. Taught in the way of his grandfather, his knowledge of secret trout streams exceeds his age and experience. Standing only 5’8 (on a good day) with Afro intact, he sports an unconventional yet graceful casting style and his accuracy is unmatched. Mucha is also a HUGE Grateful Dead fan and will no doubt have a great amount of influence in selecting music for the video.
The Angling Exploration Group have already shown us the way on how to make a documentary, via the “Trout Bum Diaries” and we tip their hats to them when we say that we hope our film doesn’t suck TOO much, and that our 15 day adventure will be an homage to the other flyfishing filmmaking enthusiasts. If we find any success beyond our own financial exteriors, we make take it one step further and create a production company. I have to admit, I never thought I would be making a DVD with an adventure, but thanks to my old roomies, the founders of www.canyonboys.com I have been shown the way to my own creative endeavors.
Stay tuned for more updates into the June Flyfishing marathon!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
9th South Sunsets
I can’t be happier with the decision to accelerate the dates three weeks early for Daylight Savings. Coupled with the mahvelous weather we have had lately, it’s good to see people out and about in nature’s environs and soaking up the sun.
One of the events of spring and summer I look forward to the most is watching the sun’s path take a northern route. For most of the winter, the Oquirrh Mountains on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley hide the sun early, and the end of the day as far as daylight goes is around 5 pm. Talk about depressing! But now, the date being March 14, the sun is just climbing over the northern end of the Oquirrhs and just shaving the smokestack just south of I-80.
The sky tonight looked as if it were on fire. I was driving up 9th South, and noticed in my rear view mirror that the collision of the sun’s rays and the clouds were painting a perfect Monet, with brilliant hues and shades of pink, orange, purple and fuchsia. In all reality, it was more of a 1050 South sunset, but the colors were almost perfect tonight, so I’m giving it an Honorable Mention. 9th South sunsets have always given me hope and wild anticipation for the upcoming spring season.
In about a week, the sun will be setting perfectly in alignment with 9th South. If you live in SLC, try and find yourself up by the East High baseball field or the old reliable, Donner Trail Park just above the zoo as the evening daylight begins to falter. Pray for cloud cover. The best sunsets involve cumulus and cirrus cloud formations.
Now, the real treat for all you sunset chasers is to climb to the “Living Room” up on Red Butte. It takes a good 45 minutes to get up there, but that is one sunset you will never forget. Just make sure to take flashlights for the way out. A friend of mine and I came down from that hike by ourselves one night, and she swore we were being stalked by a cougar. So go up in a group. The only other place I would suggest a better view is up near Mt Francis, just east of Farmington. My cousin Jeremy took me up there and it dang near took us 3 hours to get to the top. We camped in a saddle, and I will never forget the view. I believe Francis is around 10,000 feet, and we could see over Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake and out to the Pilot Peak mountain range, just north of Wendover, NV. The sunset that night went on forever. And it was also the first time I ate Pork and Beans out of a can over the fire. Ahh, the memories from yesteryear brim with nostalgia.
So get off your duff in the evenings this spring and enjoy the sunsets as we count down into summer.
One of the events of spring and summer I look forward to the most is watching the sun’s path take a northern route. For most of the winter, the Oquirrh Mountains on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley hide the sun early, and the end of the day as far as daylight goes is around 5 pm. Talk about depressing! But now, the date being March 14, the sun is just climbing over the northern end of the Oquirrhs and just shaving the smokestack just south of I-80.
The sky tonight looked as if it were on fire. I was driving up 9th South, and noticed in my rear view mirror that the collision of the sun’s rays and the clouds were painting a perfect Monet, with brilliant hues and shades of pink, orange, purple and fuchsia. In all reality, it was more of a 1050 South sunset, but the colors were almost perfect tonight, so I’m giving it an Honorable Mention. 9th South sunsets have always given me hope and wild anticipation for the upcoming spring season.
In about a week, the sun will be setting perfectly in alignment with 9th South. If you live in SLC, try and find yourself up by the East High baseball field or the old reliable, Donner Trail Park just above the zoo as the evening daylight begins to falter. Pray for cloud cover. The best sunsets involve cumulus and cirrus cloud formations.
Now, the real treat for all you sunset chasers is to climb to the “Living Room” up on Red Butte. It takes a good 45 minutes to get up there, but that is one sunset you will never forget. Just make sure to take flashlights for the way out. A friend of mine and I came down from that hike by ourselves one night, and she swore we were being stalked by a cougar. So go up in a group. The only other place I would suggest a better view is up near Mt Francis, just east of Farmington. My cousin Jeremy took me up there and it dang near took us 3 hours to get to the top. We camped in a saddle, and I will never forget the view. I believe Francis is around 10,000 feet, and we could see over Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake and out to the Pilot Peak mountain range, just north of Wendover, NV. The sunset that night went on forever. And it was also the first time I ate Pork and Beans out of a can over the fire. Ahh, the memories from yesteryear brim with nostalgia.
So get off your duff in the evenings this spring and enjoy the sunsets as we count down into summer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)