Δ: Done with fishing the Taylor in Gunnison.

I could not be where I am today without these great folks. They have opened their arms to me and introduced their hundreds of contacts from around the country. They have single-handedly brought me into the family of fly-fishing enthusiasts.

You will hear their names many times throughout this year. Mwah!

Had I listened to the weather report, I would have missed an absolutely incredible day on the Taylor River. The sky was that deep, deep blue that you only see in Colorado on a cold winter day and the snowfall from the previous day accentuated the hues. The morning stop at the Gunnison Fly Shop set us up with flies for the day and then my friends, Pat and Carol, drove us up to Almont where we hung a right at the confluence of the Taylor and the East River, which forms the Gunnison River (where I will be fishing in the summer.)

The access to the Taylor River was a challenge because the plow had left the sides of the road with about 4 feet of snow that immediately swallowed us up. We eventually managed to get down to the bank of the river where we fished in very shallow water. The fish were very skittish and although we could spot some from up above, they were gone by the time we inched ourselves to a spot where we could cast our flies.

I persevered and ended up in a spot where I was able to hook a couple fish but lost them within about 5 seconds. Yes, my imagination goes to one of those huge fish that is just not one that an amateur like me is going to catch at this point in my fishing career. That may have been the case, or perhaps one of the knots I tied was just not strong enough… or the tension on my reel was wrong, or I didn’t have my rod tip up high enough.. and so it goes – there’s a lot to learn.

But…I’m going back to that hole tomorrow.

I think I’ll stay with the “T” theme tonight and talk about my new tech toys since my fishing on the Taylor doesn’t start until tomorrow. At dinner tonight with my friends, Carol and Pat Oglesby (see the “In Other Words” section of my website to learn about one of the many things Carol and Pat are involved in) I started to make a mental list of all the new toys I have purchased for my journey.

Most important is my new 14-inch MacBook Air that is like a file folder with a magazine inside! This is a replacement to my 5-year old MB Air and is just as reliable and enjoyable as the first one. Although I don’t usually purchase service contracts, I think it was really worthwhile in this case because of the training that went along with it. I have already had numerous one on one sessions that went over great programs like iPhoto and iMovie. You have access to this training for a full year after your purchase.

My next new toy was a huge one – a Nikon D7000 camera with 4 lenses including a standard, macro, telephoto and wide angle. I last purchased a SLR camera 20 years ago (in 1992) and it was a Nikon N70 film camera. I was so bummed when 2 years later Apple came out with the first consumer-level digital camera that worked with a home computer via a serial cable. Although I had a lot of fun with that camera, it was hard to stay interested in film once digital came on the scene. Hopefully the same thing won’t happen with this new toy – it’s too cool.

My new iPhone is not meant to take third place here because it is great to now have all my technology in the great hands of Apple. One of the coolest things I bought to go along with my iPhone is a water-proof case made by LifeProof that will allow me to use the great iPhone camera to take photos under water. So you know all those cool photos of fish underwater – some of those will be mine.

As I am sitting in my hotel room (too cold and snowy to take my camper this week) I was so glad to have my new Verizon jetpack otherwise I would not be publishing my writing tonight. This will be my lifesaver as I travel this year in my camper and need Internet access. It will be interesting to see how great or limited my connections will be – but it will be the best that our country has to offer right now. The device was free and the service was $20/month added on to my ever increasing technology bills.

Another cool toy is my Olympus Digital Voice Recorder. I use this when I’m driving and have ideas of what I want to write about or when I’m interviewing someone to record their stories. I used to try and drive and jot down my notes in my mini notebooks, but most of the time I couldn’t decifer my handwriting when reviewing. It was time to give up my also 20-year old Sony voice recorder.

Because my camper space is so limited I wanted to have a compact printer. I purchased a  Canon PIXMA IP 100 Photo Inkjet B/W Color Mobile Printer. I’ve linked to a video that shows you all the cool stuff about this printer.

Now I just have to keep track of it all. Oh yeah, the Kindle and the iPod too.

The chickens’ feathers are harvested at about 11 months old after which the feathers are harvested. The feathers come from either the back of the chicken (saddle) or from the  neck (cape.)  The pelt might cost about $80 – 100. These feathers are used for all kinds of flies.

My good friends and fishing partners, Carol and Pat Oglesby, manage the Whiting Farms “Pro Team”, a select group of 86 people in 26 states and 5 countries. The Pro Team’s job is to tie flies with Whiting Farm feathers, and promote Whiting Farms products. In return they receive product and make recommendations to Whiting Farms. It is quite an honor to be chosen for the Pro Team; these folks are chosen from tiers who know their stuff – publish, present and have a public voice of some kind. In the end, this is really about marketing and promotion. In fact, most of the manufacturers in the fishing industry have a Pro Team.

I did a little more research on chickens and discovered that the average life of a chicken can be anywhere between 1 – 20 years depending on the breed and whether it’s a rooster  or a chicken.  I also learned that chickens raised for meat are slaughtered at 6 weeks. If you grew up on a farm, you kept your chickens until they stopped laying eggs. Well that’s an interesting thought…uh oh – I guess I’m a lost cause!

Thanks to Pat and Carol Oglesby for the information for this “In Other Words”

Δ: I followed a plow over Monarch Pass!

I am one of those people who have to live in a climate where there are four seasons. I grew up on the east coast and some folks back there would scoff if I said Colorado has four seasons, but I believe we do – maybe just not as pronounced as back east. I enjoy embracing the challenges that each of the seasons brings, but I find it especially exhilarating to be able to be outside in temperatures as low as I encountered this week. I know how short-lived this will be as evidenced with the temperatures in Denver this weekend.

So I have had a few friends ask me what I wear to stay warm for five hours in a river that’s 34 degrees and the air temp at seven degrees. From the inside out – first layer – tight-fitting capilene long underwear, wool socks. Second layer – Goretex or some other synthetic, wicking material for a turtle neck,  fleece pants and alpaca socks. Third layer – heavy fleece jacket, waders. Last layer – Patagonia down jacket, fleece neck warmer, ear band, aviator style hat with cushioned lining that has velcro that fastens under my chin, and then gloves with a flap over fingerless tips and my wading boots. I also have hand warmers in the pocket of my jacket when I need to get a little heat boost after releasing a fish or retying my line.

The reality is that before much longer I will have different kinds of issues to work out, e.g. hats, insects, cool clothing… So I choose to embrace the moment and not think about what the future will bring. I do think about the past because I think we can learn from our mistakes but try not to dwell on them. In the meantime, I will enjoy the stillness on the rivers and fish like it’s the last time.

Thanks Mike Kuberski for the photo of me!

From No Shortage of Good Days

Δ: A former Sanatorium for TB patients, lots of folks spent their last days on the RMCAD grounds.

The Colorado Angler is a great outfitter in Breckenridge, Colorado. It has only been open for around three years, but it has a bunch of excellent, seasoned guides. Make a visit to their shop to see a beautiful boat and book a guide for a great trip.  Thanks for treating me to a great day.