Girly Creek Cool Water Respite

O and I had a great time in Mexico. We went to get away from the ranch for a week and also look at a house Gila was interested in. However, the house is a no-go and we are going to put in a pond and travel locally this summer instead. O has been working a lot with Alex, making use of her new arena, to get ready for the fall eventing season. So far no terrible crashes of falls, just a few minor bumps and bruises.

The heat finally hit this past week with a couple days in the 90's. Consequently, the rivers are blown out again and need another week to mellow. I was going to fish our creek Sunday, but realized it was far to high to even think about it (see pic). So I opted for a high elevation lake to escape the high water and high heat that set in Sunday. The lake is at about 5,800' in the Crystal Basin west of Tahoe. Red Cedars, Pines, Junipers, and a few bristle cone pines dot the granite walls that surround the lake. Eagles, loons, a sow and cubs, and candadian geese were the locals who shared the day with me. I hit it at the crack leaving the ranch around 6:00 heading northeast up the hill. The morning started out great as I had the place to myself and had a great time fishing the surface for a few hours. The hatch was consistent and consited of midges: chronomus, baetis, caetis, and then a few damsels started to show. Brown trout were the quarry of the day and many came to hand. I ended the day fishing deep with type 3 sinking lines and long flourocarbon leaders dragging nymphs and buggers. Ended the day with 20 plus browns, though that was only icing on the cake. It was great to be out again as it has been a while. More soon...

Tying for Mexico

I have been tying flies to prepare for my May 19th Mexico Roosterfishing trip with my Oluvia. Rods will be a 7wt switch rod loaded with an Intermediate sinking line and a floating Short Skagit line; and a 10 wt single hander loaded with 450 grain shooting head line and a floating weight forward line. The fishing reports have been good for this secret locale, including Roosters up to 40 lbs and Dorado up to 35 lbs off the beach. I plan on hiring a Panga (small boat) for a few hours one day, though probably won't need to go far from our destination beach. Snorkeling will also be on the agenda as there is a protected coral reef within walking distance of our hotel. We should also be able to take a paddle up into the mangroves where Snook, small bonefish, and Jacks reside. If we find time a soak in the Aguascalientes (hot springs) located in one of the crystal blue rivers flowing into the Pacific. I am very excited for this trip as I have never been somewhere truly tropical. This may be the new locale for Gila's winter/vacation home so we will be looking into real estate options and prices. More to come...

Flower Power

O and I spent the weekend checking out the Ram Tap horse trials down in Fresno CA. Fresno is the armpit of the central valley, but we had a great time. The ranch is turning all shades of the color wheel each and every day. Our Cinco de Mayo party this weekend will be a nice change of pace and offer an opportunity to get to know O's co-workers. I have been busy tying Roosterfish flies for my upcomi

ng trip to southern Pacific Mexico. We can't wait. More on that to come.

Cheers.

Mushroom Season

Spring is now truly upon us. Three days after another dose of snow and cold I found our first Morel in the orchard. Apparently they grow well around fruit trees in our neck of the woods. As you can imagine I am very excited and honestly surprised. One of the farmers who is leasing part of our orchard also turned me on to the purple colored Wood Blewit mushroom which resembles a Portobello. This same farmer has been providing us with the most delicious lettuce greens which he has been growing all through this harsh winter. I continue to be amazed by the quantity of food that is produced here in our foothill community. I will attempt to add new photos of flowers and other life on the ranch soon. All Love.

Spring, Sprang, Sprung

Old man winter of 2009/2010 unhanded his icy grasp on our little piece of heaven. These past few weeks have revealed new shoots, flowers, and buds which I continue to be amazed by daily. While the deep cold snow still beckons from the higher elevations, I am pleased that spring has awakened the natural world of our Camp Creek Ranch. Everyone from Ruby Slippers to the tiny blue belly lizards are pleased with the warm spring days. Sunshine is here and here to stay. We recently leased eight acres of our apple orchard to an organic farmer who lives up the hill in Camino. He has been feverishly pruning those trees which have yet to blossom in a bold attempt to prepare them for the coming fruit. This is great news to all of us as the 2,800 apple trees have been an overwhelming project that we had not yet been able to schedule into our lives. I continue to work on cleanup from the December 7th 2009 storm which I am now realizing was more impressive than previously suspected. We have well over two dozen cords of firewood cut and stacked, waiting for the purchase of a new hydraulic log splitter. We have also given away firewood by the truckload to anyone willing to put in the time cutting and hauling it away. Fishing season on Camp Creek opens soon and I am ready for a day on the river. I plan on putting most of my time in on our own creek this year in an attempt to get to know every trout that swims those cold rocky waters. More spring photos to come. Cheers. Woodrow

-- and that government of the corporations, by the corporations, for the corporations, shall not perish

Sorry Honest Abe, but it is now official. The highest court in the land has declared the good ole US of A a Corporatocracy. A lot has changed since the 1860s. Don’t expect any Woodrow sightings this weekend. I’ll be spending my weekend trying to stay as close to the earth and my own roots as I can. I may even see if I can’t catch a trout or two. Have a great weekend everyone.

Biblical Storm Forecast for the Sierra

Weekend is here and I'm grateful
Chainsaws will be running quite faithful
Weekend snow high to near 10 feet
If storm disasters a repeat
Hawaii we're bound until April