TOO NICE TO FISH
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.. Last Saturday was a gift. A surprise gift. A wonderful gift. We're more than ankle deep in snow right now and it looks to be persistent. But Saturday, now that was a day that stories are made from.
.. We started out to go fishing. Flipped a coin: north or east? East won. Flipped again: big or little water? Big won. Off we went... Which one: the Madison River, the Firehole River, the Gibbon River ? 10 minutes to decide.
.. We stumbled out of the door and discovered a near dead calm! A balmy morning, with blue sky, white clouds, and the most gentle warm breeze did little to suggest that this was the first week in October. We accepted the gift.
.. There was a long line at the west gate: the neighbors had it figured out. This was a "park day.".. We often forget what a wonderful place this is to live. We go fishing. We work. We buy groceries. we visit the pub. But we, on occasion, take this place for granted. Reminders crop up constantly to remedy the mental lapse.
.. But on a day like Saturday it was obvious. Go to the park. Wave at the neighbors. Wait for the gawker blocks. Use all the pull-outs. Drink it all in. On a day like Saturday it can take three hours to traverse the 14 miles to Madison Junction. We made it in two.
.. There was exotic wildlife of all sizes and kinds. We laughed and pointed. We joined the throngs stalking the elk.
.. We paused to watch the fisher folk - they were out in abundance. We noticed the little bugs that dotted our car. They were friends too. We knew where they were coming from. We suspected that the right pattern was already tied on and ready to go... Eagles flew into our snapshots. Children and proud grandparents walked into our frame and chased the elk into the thickets. Bears spoiled our last thought of wetting a line. It was all good. What a place this is.
.. There was an empty pool or two. There were places we knew the fish on a first name basis. We drove on by... We took snapshots at the same places we'd stopped 100 times before. We took some where we'd never taken any. New themes and variations on old ones.
.. We made it past Biscuit Basin and arrived at Old Faithful City in just under four hours. We watched Castle Geyser in a hot steam phase. We had our first lunch and took no pictures. The warm sun invited us to stroll a bit. We did: got some ice cream at the Inn.
.. The lone bull bison basking in the sun at Black Sand Basin posed for a thousand pictures from a hundred cameras. We left ours in the car and watched the fish in the shallows.
.. There are cold currents in this hot little creek. There are flies, (true flies,) that live here year round. The trout pay them no mind unless they drown... It's a pleasant reminder of how relaxed a place this can be when you forget what car brought you. It's not as pleasant to watch the rush of visitors. Gotta get there. Too long here.
.. There's a hatch at 9-mile. Yeah, but it's full of sports and their guides. We're fortunate to know that you can't see it all in three lifetimes. We bask in the pleasures that we can see, and taste, and smell, and feel.
.. We got home just before the drizzle and the snow. We'd unwrapped our gift and left it's remains strewn across 32 miles of road in Yellowstone. Given the weather of the last 48 hours, it was a timely gift and one to remember.
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