After a good night’s sleep–we always sleep better in the motor home–coffee, and an English muffin, cottage cheese, and fruit, we drug the kayaks to the river. Kay boarded hers first, and was paddling upstream before I was able to get into mine. I quickly realized that power stroking created a lot of instability, as I rolled first to one side, then to the other. Meanwhile, Kay was gliding smoothly upstream, outlined by the early morning sun streaming through the river fog. We paddled around for a short while, and returned to the bank, having had enough for our first time. Back at the campground, we switched from kayaks to bikes, and rode around the campground a couple of times.

Kay and I drove separately back to the house to do some chores and feed the birds. Wayne was busy with an auto repair project, but had time for a quick cup of hot chocolate, and we enjoyed a brief visit. Despite my suffering from severe allergy problems (or a cold), the river looked too inviting to ignore. I suited up, gathered vest and fly rod, and headed off to the river. Sulphurs were already coming off, and after a few fish, I switched from the Wayne’s fly/zebra midge combination to a parachute sulphur dun. The fish wer e hitting the fly almost every cast, and then with a fish on I noticed the water steadily rising. While reeling in the fish, I gingerly waded to the bank for a quick hike downstream. The river has come up without warning more this year than all the previous years I’ve fished the Norfork combined. I made it safely out, drove back to the house for a shower and clean clothes, a quick early dinner, and a long nap–feeling the worse for wear with either a cold or severe allergies.

Kay returned to the motorhome, and I drove into town for quartet practice. Back at the campground, we enjoyed a quiet, albeit short, evening before turning in for bed.

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