LITTLE BURG CELEBRATES
Visitors Crowd Rivers
cool weather a blessing
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.. We got off of the river in time to visit the home town celebration of 
the Fourth of July... The Dairy Queen was crowded, the bars emptied for the fireworks, small children were allowed to stay up past their bedtime, the Imax Webcam carried it in color, and a good time was had by all.
.. Evening on the Gallatin River was sublime. The cruise through the park was punctuated by a few short stops on the Gibbon River and the Madison River. The bombs burst overhead as we entered the domicile to pen this post.
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.. Morning on the Gibbon River above Virginia Cascades proved to be less crowded than anticipated. Da Chutes alongside the road had ample parking and the fish were willing. The meadows at the end of the road had a few fishers in sight but they were headed the other way... Brookies were up early and eating Royal Coachmen on top of, and Coachmen underneath the water.
.. There are bears marauding the campground at Norris. The bears, (a pair of young grizzlies,) have destroyed a couple of tents and even chewed on a generator.
Hazing has failed to discourage them. Trapping attempts have so far failed as well... Intermittent clouds for most of the day kept the temperatures tolerable. The early evening saw the cloud cover thicken, the temperatures drop, and the caddis undeterred on the Madison River.
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.. A few rain drops smeared the bugs on the windshield north of town along our drive up the Gallatin River. There were cars parked at our first-choice spot on Grayling Creek, so we continued up to the 20's... The trout were rejecting as many caddis as they were taking on the surface. We switched to a Yellow Sally, trailed by a Prince - worked wonders. Fish in still water, deep pools, riffles, dark holes under
the banks; all fell sucker to this combination... Rumors of good fishing and catching on Slough Creek, Pebble Creek, and even the Lamar River are tantalizing and could prompt a visit to that corner of the park next week. We'll keep you posted.
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