FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
Knockin Tail Lures by My Coast Outdoors
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We have been on several hikes the last few days as fall descends on Colorado. From a high mountain hike on an old closed logging road at 11,000 feet to a nice hike along Big Meadow lake the weather here is stunning. With the Aspens in full bloom and getting more stunning every day it makes for perfect hiking weather.
Fall is in full bloom in the mountains.
50 minutes on the treadmill or 50 minutes at 10,000+ with my best friend. This is above the level of the Aspens and you can see the tree line in the background. That is when you know you are high.
They just started in the last couple days and it is only going to get better. Our route north to Montana is going to be through the mountains with no interstate. Should be spectacular.
This particular drive was an extension of my favorite drive and takes us through some stunning terrain. As bow season comes to a close this weekend there are a lot less hunters in the woods. This particular drive ends near Beaver Lake so we stopped in so I could catch our supper. While there I spoke with a couple of hunters doing the same thing, catch supper and then head out for an evening hunt. They said they had seen a few and heard the occasional bugle but had not gotten one on the ground yet.
Can’t wait to see our Aspens in the front yard when we get back, it should be on.
Nancy was sitting in her lawn chair reading a book when I headed back to the truck with supper. When I got to the truck she asked if I heard the bull elk bugle, which I didn’t. To bad but with the elk in full rut in Yellowstone that should be happening regularly. So the last few days have been not only getting organized for our trip, but planning on closing the house and making sure it is ready to hang out for a couple of months until I get back from Texas.
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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.
For all your wading needs.
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Our morning hike. How far back to the truck?
Our last hike before heading out was to Big Meadow. There was a small fire started by lightning on the mountain which you can see in the picture below. Luckily it was in an area they could get to and had it under control. A plane was circling, and a helicopter was on the way to scoop up water out of the lake and drop on the fire. South Fork may be a small town but it has a really amazing fire department which not only deals with local fires, there have been 3 or 4 this summer, but they also deploy to other areas so it provides a certain level of comfort just in case. And of course, they work closely with the Forest Service.
The old fire with the new in the background.
It is hard to describe just how beautiful it is right now.
We have been having such a good time enjoying the woods and mountains. As I have said before it is an honor and privilege to be here and I do not forget just how lucky I am.
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Tourist + Moron = Touron.
As we start to pack and organize for our Yellowstone trip the upsurge of idiots deserves comment. I am sure by now most of you know the term. A recent addition to the English language the use has come out of Yellowstone in the last couple of years. The meaning is simple and all you need to do is Google the term and see what pops up. A shirtless pinhead chasing a bear, completely clueless fools wanting to pet bison or elk, or the dumbest f’r around using a cow elk call to a rutting big bull only feet away. And then just this week a photo from Yellowstone of a knucklehead lying on the ground with a bison using his head as a pillow. I have yet to figure out if it is just a lack of knowledge or have we become a nation of idiots? Are folks just that stupid?
Part of the issue in the parks is the animals are habituated to traffic and people. (I hate to use that term, let us just say they tolerate us.) It has nothing to do with the fact they are “less” wild, it is simply most of the time people and wildlife rarely “closely” interact. Unfortunately, the inexplicable rise of the touron has changed that interaction. While the park’s wildlife tolerate us, they are not having anyone getting close. Part of the problem may be folks think the parks are zoos without a fence. I hate to say it but you are dumb as a rock if you think you can outrun a bear or pet an animal that weighs 1000lbs with horns. Bison are not just fuzzy cows and bull elk are not pretty little deer in a petting zoo.
Much of it, but clearly not all, would be reduced if folks would get a zoom camera. It does not have to be fancy or expensive, anything to keep folks further away from the wildlife. One thing we have learned chasing stuff, sometimes just put down the camera and see what is in front of you. And it never crossed our mind to get close enough to anything for a stupid selfie. Do you want memories or clicks? Your stupid face in the picture is not the real outdoors.
The term itself will soon be applied to other tourists in other places. How about the touron caught etching his initials in the Roman Coliseum, how disrespectful is that. Or the out-of-town visitor telling the local that is “not the way we do it” in Texas, Illinois, Arkansas, just a few of the states I have heard that spouted. As the world shrinks folks easily or inadvertently offend the people and animals they visit often without a clue they are doing it. If the same behavior was happening in their front yard they would blow a gasket. In the end it is common sense, to bad the country seems to be in short supply.
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We are headed out early in the morning for our drive through Colorado into Wyoming and then Montana. With fall in full bloom the drive will be stunning and we will see some territory we have not seen yet. The next week will be great, then it will be back to Texas and real life. But as our permanent move gets closer there are things to do in Texas in preperation for what is coming for us. And for you fishermen keep stopping in as soon as I get back the fishing will begin and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
