Side Road

 NO FISH HERE

Fish Going In

fish going out

JUST A BIT OF FORGOTTEN MONTANA

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.. Just a brief note: it's nuts in the park. Post pandemic visitation has brought out the crazy folks. Just a reminder: Yellowstone National Park is not a petting zoo and you do not need to stop and admire every ground squirrel, (live or dead.)

.. Bring your "A" game and cover lots of water, The fish are there and surprisingly active. Some are even looking up early in the day.

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WALLPAPER:  PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

New Book

 COMING SOON

Pre-Order Possible

another stackpole treasure

COMING SOON

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.. Years and years of local experience are contained in this book.

..If you read, if you read about fishing, if you read about fishing the west side of Yellowstone National Park: you need to read this.

.. This title will be released on July 1, 2021.You can pre-order HERE.

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WALLPAPER:  HAM AND EGGS

Quick Observation

RIVERS UP NOW

Early Runoff ?

we'll watch closely

FIREHOLE RIVER

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MADISON RIVER

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.. It must be spring. We're aimed at 50°F for This coming Friday: dancing in the streets - they are bare. We'll climb into our leggings and muscle shirt and terrorize the neighborhood !!

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WALLPAPER:  RIGATONI AND MEATBALLS

Awkward Anticipation

OUR TOURIST TOWN

Visitor Dependent

very real concerns

. . .  AND THEY SHALL COME ..... NPS / Neal Herbert

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.. Already there are grumblings about the safety of the upcoming warm season amongst the retail community and, the possible impact of coronavirus, (SARS-CoV-2.)
.. There is an old Chinese proverb: “Discover a beautiful place, announce it to the world, the world arrives, and it is beautiful no more.” There is no question that Yellowstone National Park will feel the effects of the virus, (LINK.)
..  Right now the conversational focus is on visitation from China, yet, we receive visitors from around the world. And, even if, visits to the United States from China are now down slightly - they will pick up.

LINK

.. The concerns and conversations center around prevention  of the contagion spreading. The key in this little village is surface contamination, product contamination, personal space proximity, and other conventional concerns.
.. Although the virus will die quickly in dry environments outside of the host, (that's us,) our counter tops are full of moist hand prints. Restaurants and hotels have moist surfaces. Cans and packaging in grocery stores are handled in bunches, etc. There are simple ways to reduce the possibility of transmission.

SIMPLE PRACTICES

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 30 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

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.. The CDC has an extensive list of potential pitfalls for folks: their recommendations are HERE.
Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask.

• CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.
• Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to  others. The use of facemasks is also crucial for health workers and people who are taking care of someone in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).

.. We are comforted by our president's edict that every thing is under control, the pandemic won't spread here and, that it will go away quickly.

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.. Those of us that have visited Yellowstone National Park regularly have seen the impact of increased visitation and reduced staff and upkeep budgets.
..  The degraded visitor experience is now making inroads into the popular mindset of the general public. We would like to point out a couple of recent articles that illustrate the point:
>>  Parks seek ways to manage crowds, cars,
>>  A Sad Tale of Photographing in Yellowstone.

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WALLPAPER: SWEEDISH MEATBALLS - FROM TURKEY (PROOF)

Truss It ??

THANKFUL IS GOOD

And . . .

so is history

..

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.. The bare historic bones of the first Thanksgiving are simple enough. A traditional puritan harvest celebration with neighbors. It took 250 years for it to become a national holiday - end of bare bones!
.. Beyond that bare bones history there comes a pile of erroneous mythology and contemporary historiography that amounts to the worst sort of revisionist history - just ask a 6th grader about it.
.. Three historical facts that must be kept in mind: 1) Thanksgiving was not the beginning of a long friendship between the Pilgrims and the indigenous people, 2) The settlers did not respected the indigenous peoples' unique culture or religion, 3) The interlopers learned successful agricultural practices from the indigenous people.

IT'S A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE

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.. We are thankful, today, about our present situation in this veil of mortal tears. We are also aware of the ramifications of Europeans entering he Americas.
.. The blood lust for riches and, the myriad underpinnings of competing religiosity swept through the two continents more rapidly and more thoroughly than any wildfire.
.. All told: hundreds of indigenous cultures were destroyed. Over 100,000,000 native Americans were killed in a matter of less than 200 years, -- (it continues to this day.)
.. As a nation we are righteously indignant about the events of 9/11. Rightly so. We are less concerned about the genocide in our history: so much so that the frontier massacres are glorified.
.. We, indeed, are thankful for today. Yet, today we are sad, embarrassed, revolted and, unhappily aware of the dark history of genocide and slavery that our thanksgiving is based on. We can not fix our nation's past sins. We can, on the other hand,  be thankful that we can make our current life one that is informed by the past.

EXCELLENT RESOURCE

>> Teaching a Lot of Misconceptions

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..  For the first time in over a decade we are doing a turkey for Thanksgiving. We really prefer ham or a rib roast. But the pressure of the neighborhood and it's residents have prevailed upon our oven. We have all the implements of destruction for the task. We even have a 50 year old speckled porcelain roasting pan. 
.. As the fowl thaws we are in the throes of a crucial debate -- to truss or not to truss, that is the question. More to come.

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THE  SIMPLE ALCHEMY OF TIME AND TECHNIQUE

Upper Gibbon Closure

FISHY WORK

Killing Non Natives

sept. 2-13, 2019

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.. News release [LINK]
.. E.A. Plan [LINK]

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WALLPAPER: BONELESS PORK LOIN ON ROTISSERIE

Believe It Or Don't

GO FASTER

Reusable

best tech now

..

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.. We hope to live to see this. Here to there in a blink of an eye.

ANNOUNCEMENT

.. FREE entrance to Yellowstone National Park tomorrow - August 25, 2019. The National Park Service is celebrating its 103rd birthday. Come join the celebration.

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WALLPAPER:  Provençal Braised Pork Chops

Deep, Warm, And Wet

NIFTY SNOWFALL

Wrecks And Floods

normal or newsy ?

..
COURTESY KBZK NEWS, BOZEMAN

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.. Nothing like a record BUT, we just had a few days of heavy wet snow.
.. The wind blew, the sky was white, the flakes were large and heavy, and the drifts got deeper and deeper.

FORTY INCHES IN 48 HOURS

.. In our village and, in the region around us the news hounds are having a field day with events and situations that are rare this year.
.. Newsworthy items include: the ice jams on the Gallatin River and Madison River, neighbors getting stuck in the snow, sledheads challenging trees at speed, visitors lost in the whiteout, the road  closed from here to Ashton, Idaho, etc.
.. Even our school was closed. A very rare occurrence indeed. One for the history books. On a more pleasant note the call has spread for presenters at the "WINTER PHOTO FESTIVAL."

THE CONVENIENCE OF WINTER TOURING

.. AND, our snow pack statistics are in great shape. The month 'to date' for February snowfall was at about 140% [LINK.]
.. Save for the warm temperatures this is a good thing. We're looking forward to mid 30's or, even 40's in a day or two. More floods!
.. 30 years ago this situation was a near normal annual occurrence. Now it is a stunning event and worthy of sensationalism. 40 years ago travel in Yellowstone National Park was a bona fide wilderness adventure.
.. Last year was one of the warmest on record with only moderate snowfall and winter travel in the park was convenient in the buses with triangle tracks.
.. We'll not bore you with details:

RESOURCES

ICE JAM-1, ICE JAM-2, ICE JAM-3, ICE JAM-4, SNOWMOBILE vs. TREE, LOST IN THE WHITEOUT-1, RESCUED FROM THE WHITEOUT-2, SCHOOL CLOSED, WINTER PHOTO FESTIVAL.

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.. Our aerobic activity ration for the winter has been used up over the last couple of days. We wore the paint off of the snow shovel.

ROOF SLIDES IN WARM WEATHER

.. Most of the stuck cars in our village were little Subaru vehicles.
.. Owners who believed the 'good in snow' hype charged forth into the deep wet powder.
.. Rear wheel wells got snow packed and the light weight vehicles floated on the compressed powder.
.. Pushing by hand was the easy way to get going again. Some drivers got stuck turning corners in the whiteout and buried themselves in the plowed up street cleaning piles. No disasters with drivers in the village have been yet recorded.
.. We're headed to the Post Office, grocery store, and hardware store. There should be tales told and stories to share. Rare indeed, for deep snow to be a topic of conversation in our village.

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WALLPAPER: SUPER WAFFLE AND BRANDIED STRAWBERRIES

Yellowstone Park Status

EVERYBODY HELPS

Gov. Employees Suffer

bite out of profits

ENTER HERE

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.. Our neighbors are pitching in and helping with the dirty work during the government shutdown of Yellowstone National Park.
.. Concessionaires have delegated employees to clean restrooms, gather and empty trash, groom trails, give information and conduct tours.

LOCAL BUSINESSES PITCH IN

.. Our local business community has risen to the challenge of continued operations and expanded services.  It's an additional burden for them. It is winter after all.
.. Everyone is currently manning telephones and assisting visitors in the myriad ways that they expect from a winter trip to wonderland.
.. A fund has been established by private citizens and local businesses to cover the discontinued government services . It costs the tour companies and motels and restaurants and other  concerns between $300 and $500 each, every day.

RESOURCES

YNP Webpage > https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
NPR 1 > https://www.npr.org/2019/01/04/681995105/private-companies-are-paying-to-keep-roads-groomed-bathrooms-cleaned-in-yellowst
NBC Montana > https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/tourists-still-visiting-yellowstone-national-park-amid-govt-shutdown
KPAX Missoula > https://kpax.com/news/montana-outdoors/2019/01/02/guide-yellowstone-np-staying-clean-amid-government-shutdown/
Yellowstone Insider > https://yellowstoneinsider.com/2019/01/01/businesses-pick-up-slack-in-yellowstone-shutdown/

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.. Yes, even the neighbors are helping with traffic, snowmobile rider assistance, sidewalks, streets, trash receptacles, and other stuff.

STREETS FOR SLEDS AND CARS

.. We know that folks save money, (sometimes for years,) to visit us in the winter. It would be a real crime - a travesty - to be shut out of the park because of a bit of governmental intransigence.
.. Even fishing is taking a back seat to helping visitors in this time of trial and tribulation. We're proud of our neighbors and appreciate their sacrifice of time and money.

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WALLPAPER:  COMING HOME

Running Away

THE MADISON

High And Fast

look out st. louis

WALLPAPER:  DOWN THE DRAIN

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.. The Madison River discharge is at about 111%. This is considerably higher and faster than normal for this time of year.
.. This is good for the level of water in Hebgen Reservoir - for now.  It makes the utility happy. It also means that Ennis won't flood in this winter - so far.

YELLOWSTONE WINTER GRUB

.. It also suggests that there may be too little water come Spring and Summer when the fish need it.
.. Our continuing mild start to winter and, the low snowfall sends the low level snow pack down the drain.
.. This is not a clarion call about disaster - not yet. How silly it may seem to the lowland population that we, (most of us,) are rooting for more snow and more cold weather. We will see what the future holds.
.. You can keep up to date with the interactive map of rivers in Montana and the rest of the United States HERE.

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WALLPAPER:  BREADED ALASKAN POLLOCK

Out Of Bank

FIREHOLE ROARS

MADISON FOLLOWS

some local gossip

WALLPAPER:  FIREHOLE RIVER HIGH WATER

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.. Better Late Than Never? The Firehole River is now showing discharge rates far above record rates, (FIRE LINK.) It is running at over 900cfs. That is more than 250cfs above record for the date. The gauge height is more than 4.5' above datum = NWS Flood Stage.
.. The Madison River is flirting with flood stage and just waiting for the Gibbon River to fill it up, (MAD LINK). This must be Spring.
.. For those of you that are looking to enjoy the Lowland Madison River, please be prepared for record runoff down there too. With all the tributary water the river is about 300cfs above the daily record, (MAD KIRBY LINK.)
.. Lash on the mud flies and have at it. This is an event that will rejuvenate the river beds. It will rearrange holding water and hides. It will cause curses and disappointments. It is like what we were familiar with not too long ago - on an annual basis.
.. Oh, by the way, a warm and gentle rain is watering the garden. We're glad we got most of it in over the last three sunny days.

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.. In searching for garden supplies, provisions, bills at the P.O. and a stroll through the darker environs of trinketonia we gathered up some interesting bits of local conversation.

SPRING STORM

.. We share them here without prejudice:
>> The folks in Canada are planning to fund a border wall,
>> The big corporations that own bits of this little village are looking to hire Michael Cohen,
>> River guides are drawing straws to see who gets the privilege of escorting Ryan Zinke,
>> Foreign investors from China have gobbled up three campgrounds and RV facilities in our village,
>> Foreign investors from China have gobbled up two working ranches and three small motels in our village,

BOX SHORTAGE

>> Foreign investors from China have built two motels, (and two under construction,) in our village,
>> Only one person now owns all five T-Shirt shops in town,
>> One local family now owns three of the six gas stations in town,
>> Our local fast food joints are among the most expensive in the United States,
>> The local Post Office is understaffed and running out of boxes for the transient visitors and workers.  General delivery mail is running out of space too,

WORKER'S QUARTERS

>> Village merchants are moving in travel trailers and motor homes for seasonal employees - all rentals are full,
>> The new government agency is called the Environmental Pollution Agency,
>> AT&T is looking to hire our one lawyer for advice on a merger with the local radio station,
>> There are openings for the local TSA agents for our single commercial flight into and, out of town,
>> Since the United States Does Not do business with Iran; should we sanction our allies, neighbors and friends?
>>  Two bears were bagged during the Spring Bear Hunt,
>> Visitation to Yellowstone National Park is already showing new daily records for the early season,

..

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WALLPAPER:  CHICKEN FRIED STEAK - MASHED SPUDS

Palm Trees, Figs and Dates ?

MARCH OF TIME

Longer Summers ?

some shorter winters ?

WINTER PARADISE ON YELLOWSTONE LAKE - nps photo

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.. Of course we've noticed that the snows come later and leave earlier.
.. Certainly we've seen the entrances to Yellowstone National Park change their seasonal opening and closing schedule.

OUR CHERRY BLOSSOMS

.. We've not been foolish enough to confuse weather with climate. We've enjoyed the increased growing season and the increased yields of our postage stamp garden.
.. We even have cherries and plums for pies. This coming Spring a couple of apple trees will go into the ground.
.. These are the only fruit trees in town. Some folks refuse to see the coming changes.
.. We are not afraid to accept the fact of a climate change toward the warm side.
.. For more than the last quarter century our little village has grudgingly come to accept the economic cycle that has reduced winter commerce and increased summer commerce.
.. We just came across an interesting note in the WyoFile. Good fodder for the popular mind. They have discovered that the winters in Yellowstone National Park are getting shorter: yawn.
.. In broad strokes the article hints at the changes in future environmental scenarios within Yellowstone National Park. Might be worth a read if you are so inclined.

OUR CHERRIES - TWO YEARS ON

.. We note, from this article, that there is an effort by the NPS to stockpile seeds from the current vegetation species.
.. The NPS has expressed a worry that "invasive" species, (like cheatgrass,) will gain a foothold.
.. My, my, my! Terms like 'native species' and 'invasive species' fail to recognize the time-transgressive nature of landscapes and biological communities.
.. The native species alive in one place today are the invasive species in another place tomorrow as the parameters of the environment change through time.
.. No Melania, they don't march down the road to invade their neighbors pasture. They do, however, move inch by inch and foot by foot toward environmental situations that are more conducive to their survival and reproduction.
.. With their supreme dedication to saving today's environmental expressions the NPS will, in 100 years, have failed to accept the inevitable changes that occur.
.. They will, on the other hand, have the opportunity to take their sack of seeds to a place where they will grow - provided that they can find the soil, bedrock, erosion cycles, climate and, other factors to suit the plants.
.. Maybe they will move a few voles and some Richardson's Ground Squirrels too. Bison? Rattlesnakes? Cutthroat Trout? At what time depth and what place are they going to preserve?
.. For those, in this world, that can plan past the third quarter and, enjoy a perspective beyond their own generation and, have an honest concern for their grandchildren it might be well to invest in palm tree plantations in Bozeman. OR, think through plans for your offspring's future. Or not!

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.. We are currently enjoying our Spring Mix of weather. Rain, snow and hail, (sometimes graupel,) in the same day: keeps the visitors guessing.
.. When the sun pops out and, the wind lays down the midges are still providing fodder for the fishes. The neighbors are exhibiting their tying skills and tying down to size as the generations of midges recede toward invisibility.

SIZE 28 ROYAL COACHMAN & MATCH HEAD

SIZE 32 MINI MIDGE & MATCH HEAD

.. Out of the goodness of their hearts the neighbors tie a few of these dinkers on to a bit of tippet for us to use. We certainly couldn't achieve this task. It's hard enough with cold wet hands to tie the line tippet to fly's tippet.
.. The Notellum Backwater is getting crowded. Somehow word has spread. Loose lips and all . . . .
.. Happily, over at Leapfish Rapids, the neighbors have staked out some fine holes. It takes clever navigation of a boulder field and dodging some icy patches - BUT, the catching is even better than elsewhere.
.. With the longer daylight we'll make it just in time!

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WALLPAPER:  RIB EYE, TOMATOES, FONDANT SPUDS