House on River

A house on a river is somewhat of an American archetype, especially for a fisherman. You awake and just as the coffee makes its way through the filter into your cup, you notice through the kitchen window that the trout are rising behind the large boulder downstream of the riffle.  You grab your fly-rod from the corner of the garage where you left it the night before. It is all set up. You walk intently across the lawn with hot coffee sloshing on your fingers wondering if they are feeding on baetis, midges or a more juicy PMD.
Ah, yes. And then, there is life and the reality of it all. A house on the river is probably next to a busy road, has lots of neighbors, is far from town and isn't all that great in the off season.
Since humans have been walking, hunting and trading, they have been building trails, roads and railroads through the river valleys. Many river beds are commercial areas. Public reclamation efforts have turned other areas into federal and state forest, parks and otherwise protected lands. the remaining private land is divided between commercial, agricultural and residential.
The outcome is that the house on the river is certainly pricey and all too frequently in earshot of a noisy road or railroad line. Your backyard will be a playground for kayakers, canoers, rafters, fishermen and other water-sport enthusiasts.
If you are close to a town, the land will likely be subdivided to the point where houses almost touch each other. If you are further out from town, you will drive for just about everything: groceries, gas, schools, libraries, and friends.
And then there is winter, rain and off-season.
I've probably looked at too many properties recently and been too disappointed. But, I think the house on the river is best relegated tot the weekend or vacation home status.

Update

So, anyway, I visited family and friends in Colorado Springs, Denver and Portland. I visited Eugene and shopped for a house. Now I am in Portland headed for Colorado Springs.

Fishing, Rio Grande, July 9-11

Fished the Rio Grande from South Fork to Del Norte for three days. Wonderful experience. Dawn and I joined Ron and Fritz in their rafts. We caught many large browns and some rainbows. Caddis dry flys like Elkhorn Caddis, Stimulaor, Goddard's Caddis and Humpy worked well on the surface for the first two days. Gray or yellow, sizes 14 to 18. The third day, nymphs ruled. The #14 Beadhead Prince Nymph with Legs was very effective. Various caddis nymph patterns also worked. There were a lot of Green Drakes hatching, but our Green Drake patterns were not particularly effective.

The flow from the reservoir decreased each day and the water level declined accordingly. By the third day, the insects and fish seemed to be hunkering down in the remaining water.
Fritz has a B&B, Riverside Meadows about three miles downstream from the town of South Fork. It is very upscale, comfortable and friendly. As you lie in bed, you can hear the river flowing. The cabins are private with dining in the main lodge. Fritz and Paula prepare wonderful food. For fishing, you can put in or take out a raft at their property.
Ron is an expert fly-fisherman that knows Colorado and the West inside out.
Fishing from a moving raft takes some getting used to if you typically wade the riverbanks. When I wade, I try to stalk the fish by slowly wading upstream to prime holding areas and watch before I cast. When rafting, you move briskly downstream and cast rapid fire to the next holding spot. If you wait to see a fish rise, you will typically float by the spot before you can position your cast; you can't wait for the fish to rise again. I like to spread out from my friends and leapfrog fishing spots when I wade. Everyone is compressed in a raft; only two people can fish at a time. You need to be attentive not to cross lines or cast at the same time.
The Rio Grande flows from the Rockies near Creede and ultimately forms the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Most of the land along the prime fishing water is private so wading is impractical. South Fork is located in southern Colorado west of Alamosa. Don't confuse it with south Park of TV cartoon fame.

Fishing. Rocky Mtn Natl Park

Since 1969 the fishery management philosophy at Rocky Mountain National Park has been to restore the greenback cutthroat trout, the original native fish. Rainbows, browns and brooks are harvested; the cutthroat is catch-and-release only.

Dream Lake had a fair number of actively feeding trout just downstream of the inlet. Sprague Lake had a fair number of actively feeding fisherman at the large picnic area. The Big Thompson River near the museum looked productive with about a half-dozen fly fisherman.

Bear Lake had a number of rises, but is closed to fishing.
The park is beautiful and has many accessible destinations. Consequently, parking lots fill up before noon and a shuttle has transports for hundreds of people. Some of the trails are paved with asphalt.

Rowdy and the Seven Brides

7-7-7 is auspicious as a date. For Dawn and I, it was our seventeenth wedding anniversary. So, we returned to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. We visited the church where we were married in 1990 and the Music Room at the Stanley where we had our reception. We ate dinner at 7 p.m. (but did not have room for seven courses).

There were seven weddings at the Stanley that day. One large groom named "Rowdy" had an outdoor wedding at 6 p.m. We sat in the front porch watching the thunderclouds roll over Long's Peak. A large downpour occurred as the bride made her entrance.

Colorado

Clouds in the West.
The fields around me look like Kansas--flat, alternating green corn and golden wheat, gray grain silos in the distance. But the sign twelve miles back said, Welcome to Colorado. The clouds in the west obscure the mountains. I know the Rockies are there. Sometimes I see some horizontal shading with triangular contours among the the clouds. We are probably too far away to actually see mountains. But it feels like coming home. I lived in Colorado for twenty years. I want to see the Front Range.

4th of July

We crossed the Mississippi at St. Louis in the morning. Missouri came and went. 

A major thunderstorm blew across I-70 just west of Kansas City. I pulled off the road for awhile because the fastest speed on the wipers couldn't clear the windshield. You can see a long way in Kansas. But there's not much to see. Driving is easy. Cruise control, no hills. Steady wheel, straight ahead.

The trip odometer hit 900 at Junction City--time to stop. REO Speedwagon played at the local festival. The lead singer said they had just returned from their European tour. Most of the crowd was military from Fort Riley. He told the crowd the USA was the best country in the world.

START: USA 2007

After a day of driving, I am somewhere in Illinois, about 493 miles from Charleston and not quite to St. Louis. I can't wait to see the mountains of Colorado poking above the long plains of the Midwest. Driving directions are simple: Take I-64 from Charleston to St. Louis. Take I-70 to Denver.

Planned distances by day: 493, 400, and 475.

Visiting Family, Friends and Fish in the the United States of America
Planned destinations:

• Colorado--Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado River, Colorado Springs and Denver


• Oregon--Portland and Eugene (McKenzie River)


• Minnesota--Minneapolis and St. Cloud


• Wisconsin--Milwaukee


• New York--Schenectady and Long Island


• Pennsylvania--Delaware Water Gap

Total Miles:  5,000 and $700 of gas.

Luggage: for my Himalaya Adventure, my luggage was limited to what I could carry on my back and weighed under 30 pounds. I had two changes of clothes. Now, I travel in luxury; my Toyota Camry trunk overflows into the back seat of the car.

• lots of pants and shirts--even shorts, bathing suit and a jacket and tie


• complete trout fly fishing gear


• cooler, folding chairs and table, sun shade, sleeping bag, ThermaRest

Wow! That's luxury.