Sunday was daughter Karyn’s birthday. Happy birthday, Karyn.

Back in a rhythm, we started the week with church, Sunday school, and lunch at Chen’s Chinese buffet. We typically eat lunch on Sunday with Bruce and Joan Burr and Al and Gaye Vekovious from church and Sunday school. We all seem to have a lot in common: same church obviously, fishing, travel, love of the outdoors, and we all enjoy watching British television via Netflix. It is fun to share that part of everyday life with others, and we discover new places to go, and shows to watch on Netflix!

You all have read about the issues with our auxiliary brake used in the Honda CR V when we tow it behind the motorhome. We did send it in, and the company promptly replaced a bad circuit board, made other modifications to bring it up to date, and shipped it back to us; so far, it works great, but the real test will be enroute to the Rio Grande Valley.

Monday morning, I hosted Michael LeBlanc for a fishing experience on the Norfork River. Mike is a son-in-law of Dick and Carolyn Todd, good friends of ours. He recently retired from the US Post Office in the Kansas City area and is an avid fly fisher. We entered the river at Mill Dam Eddy, and a sick feeling came over me as we observed a track hoe working on the right descending bank of the river adjacent to the island. And, they took out trees under which I have caught hundreds of fish.  I have fished this area so extensively that an intimate bond has been developed, and to see it altered was heartbreaking. But, as Kay says, “Turn the page.” Anyway, Michael caught lots of fish, but had to listen to my tirades all morning!  He did learn how to high stick, and use other techniques for nymph fishing, though he is an excellent fisher in his own right.

Kay and I did a major bicycle ride on Tuesday, riding from the house to the White River via Push Mountain Road, and then down along the White River and back. At 14 miles, it was Kay’s longest ride, and she did great! We really enjoy riding, meeting folks along the way, and seeing sights at a bit slower pace.

Wednesday, we had no hummingbirds at any of the feeders. Their numbers had been steadily dwindling over the last several days. Consequently, yesterday, October 8, marked their last day at Dunnhill for 2013. Typically, the hummingbirds which call Dunnhill home for the summer depart for warmer climates on October 6; however, one year it was October 7, and another it was early November. So, we expected them to depart on Sunday. This season was a good one, and there were lots of birds, second only to 2005. Also, the numbers and varieties of butterflies are dwindling, as we are only seeing a few Pipevine Swallowtails, Eastern Commas, Fritillaries, and Eastern tailed-Blues. Surprisingly, those we seem appear to be in good condition, with few “scrapes and bruises” to show for their journey south.

Friday was a special day as we got to see Jenny and Harper. Jenny’s birthday is coming up soon, and we hadn’t seen them since Harper’s birthday party on July 27. Our drive to Memphis was to celebrate Jenny’s birthday, and, of course, to see Harper. She is growing, and getting cuter, if that is possible. And, Jenny is such a good mom. Harper dances to music, and at 14 months is able to maintain a rhythm matching that of the music. And she has learned to pose for the camera with a scrunchy, pseudo smile. What a doll. She missed her morning nap, but was a real champ during our visit, including lunch at Cheddar’s and a lengthy shopping trip to Costco. Jenny texted us that she went to sleep immediately when they were leaving Costco. She talks up a storm, though we have no idea what she is saying, but can say “D”, a nickname she has adopted for me.

And then, to top off an already great week, Ridge and his folks came to visit Friday evening. He is talking up a storm, making complete sentences and adding a lot of body language such as pointing his finger at you during a conversation to make a point. While we understand some of what he says, most is not a language with which we’re familiar. He sure enjoys time with his “KK” and “DD” and rarely says one without saying the other. He loves music and has several toys that make musical sounds. And, his parents stopped in Mountain View on the way up and bought him a couple of trucks. Wow, did we ever play with them, and they talked as well. Needless to say, Dunnhill was not quiet over the weekend. Ridge also likes to walk, and enjoys the natural setting of Dunnhill. He walked to the road (accompanied) several times, and is noticing all sorts of things like dead snakes—he’s all boy. Now, if we can only “house break” him—you know what I mean (he’ll quickly become a complete country boy with a little bit of redneck thrown in).

Jerry and Karen Smith, our RVing friends from the RGV, have stopped in the area on their way south for the winter. We had a great visit Saturday, beginning with biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast, and ending with grilled chicken and vegetables for dinner, and spent most of the day on the patio enjoying beautiful fall weather, birds, and butterflies, and of course, Ridge, coming in and out of the house.

We had a very busy week, but are learning to set aside some time just for the two of us—to have a fun.

Back home almost two weeks from a previous trip, we’re somewhat back in a rhythm today with church, Sunday school, and lunch at Chen’s Chinese buffet. Monday, however, we were back at high speed with high dose flu shots at Walgreen’s, and a much coveted visit from George Laux, our brother-in-law from Richmond, Virginia. Regrettably, Kay had to attend a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, but her attendance was brief. Wayne came by to say hello, as did John and Sandy. George and I visited until 1:30 AM, catching up on family activities. After a big breakfast, George departed, and Kay followed with her monthly visit to central Arkansas.

Taking advantage of the quiet and warm weather, several butterflies were stopping by on their migration south. The following photographs are of a Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele), Sachem (Atalopedes campestris), Eastern Tailed-Blue (Everes comyntas), Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma), female Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor), and a little yellow and black butterfly I need help in identifying. Interestingly, with respect to the Pipevine Swallowtail, females have a row of yellowish-white dots on the topside of their open wings, males do not. When a Pipevine Swallowtail folds its wings while it’s resting, you will see a curved row of 7 bright orange dots underneath its wings.  A very similar butterfly, the Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) has two rows of orange spots on the underside of the hind wings.

Wednesday was quiet, with nothing to account for except chasin’ butterflies. Kay returned home Thursday morning, and together we packed some items in the motorhome including a table to be used outside and folding/collapsible chairs. We also gathered other items for our winter trip to Texas, tidying up the little garage and lower front porch in the process. We spent Friday morning tidying up the patio, and had a great visit with Gary and Betty Wallis over lunch. Gary and Betty are a well-traveled couple, and we have many things in common. She and Kay worked together some time ago. We drove to near my hometown for a great visit with family, and an all school reunion—my classmates look so old! What has happened to them?

We wrapped up the blog week on Saturday, returning home in a much needed rain, and doing a lot of nothing the rest of the day.

It was off to church today, then to Chen’s Chinese buffet for an early lunch, and, of course, to Walmart, then a quick drive thru Quarry Campground to check on availability of camping sites (there were none), and then home for a much needed nap—so much activity on a Sunday morning!

I was awakened by a phone call in the middle of a great nap by Kay advising that she had driven back to Quarry Park and found a vacant spot, and was parked in it until I arrived with the motorhome. I do not do well when awakened suddenly from naps, to the extent that Kay says I’m a little gruff—pshaw! Still groggy, I unplugged the MH from shore power, drove to Quarry Park, set up, and returned home for clothes, toiletries, etc. We called DishTV to activate our the account, and could not get it to work. Two more calls proved futile as well, leading us to believe we could not get a signal from our camping site. Giving up, we took a stroll around the campground and recognized cousin Walker, aka “Chief”, and his family stopping for a restroom break after a harried trip to Oklahoma, Branson, etc. They appeared exhausted from their travels, so we exchanged pleasantries, and they were on their way home.

Without television, we had a quiet night, and both of us read. Wow, cool temps and the air bed in the motorhome provided a great night’s sleep. We awoke quite refreshed Monday morning. As the morning progressed, we noticed packing-up activity in a site across from us along the river with great south and southwestern views of the sky for a DishTV satellite signal. Kay inquired and they were departing about noon, so we began unhooking and preparing for the expected move. During the process, Kay noticed this weird looking, creepy crawly creature. Interesting, huh?

We moved across the way, set up the satellite, called DishTV, and still no luck. Driving 5.7 miles downstream to the house, bicycles and more “camping” paraphernalia were loaded for the return trip to Quarry. Kay went into town to run some errands, and I again phoned and talked to a DishTV representative, 5 times in all, until I finally got a US tech on the phone who immediately solved the problem; seems we had not been activated, despite 7 previous calls. Our service is great when we receive it, but quite painful when re-activating the account or moving locations. From now on we will ask for a US tech at the onset of a call. After all the fretting, we enjoyed a great evening with a visit from Wayne.

While there are many positives to “camping” near home, one negative is that we have a tendency to return home at least once every day for even the most insignificant reasons.  We drive to the house everyday, to access the internet, water plants, and check up on things in general.  This really puts a damper on continuity and enjoying the whole camping process, and the synergies associated therewith.

At home, we noted that the quantity and diversity of birds and butterflies is rapidly diminishing, and believe most are leaving, migrating south for the winter.  We still see an occasional swallowtail, but they are few and far between, and much smaller than those we saw in the heat of summer. We also have had several Fritillary butterflies return after an absence of a year or two.  And, the Clouded Sulphurs have returned, presumably migrating south for the winter. Of course, the warmer fall weather we’re experiencing brings out more butterflies. American Gold Finches have lost their brilliant summer color, and the many deer that stop by for a handout of corn have become darker, taking on their fall and winter coats.  Oh, how I wish I had observed these subtle changes when a kid and young adult! Nature tells us so much!

Back to Quarry Park, the campground is full, at least all the “premium” sites with 50 A electricity and water. The park hosts tell us this has been an unusual year, with lots more campers than in the past.

Friend Wayne is restoring a 1999 Itasca Spirit motorhome, and it has been amazing watching the improvements being made to an already great RV. The Class C motorhome’s floor plan, with one slide, is among the best we’ve ever seen, and he and Loretta have done wonders with both the interior and exterior. As one of those guys who can do anything, he has installed almost enough solar panels and batteries to live off the grid, i.e. without hooking up to external electricity. In fact, except for the need for air conditioning, they can live very comfortably with satellite television, microwave, furnace, electric blanket, and all the other bells and whistles—all without ever plugging in. I digress… Anyway, I spent parts of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday observing a master at work! Now, he has to take Loretta camping.

With rain forecast Saturday night and Sunday morning and the imminent threat of a US government shutdown on Tuesday resulting in closing the campground, we opted to leave Quarry Park a day early; the road to our house is canopied with low hanging branches of trees and the least amount of moisture causes them to sag, and scrape the top of the motorhome and tug at the antenna and air conditioners. Consequently, we move the motorhome to the house, hooked up electricity, and engaged the slides, and will begin the process of loading it for our winter in Texas as the departure date is fast approaching.

This week celebrated completion of the “To Do” list.  After last week’s marathon chore week, compounded by cleaning up from storm damage, this week proved to be pretty laid back, though busy.

We took the day off on Sunday, went to church, and then to lunch with Sunday school friends.  It was good getting back in a routine.  After sating our appetites, Kay read the paper while I half-heartily watched football.  

I fished Monday morning with Bill, and he ripped lips with the Zig-a-jig and spinning rod combination, while I managed a dozen or so on a combination scud with a zebra midge dropper.  Fishing behind him is like hunting squirrels with a .22 rifle behind someone hunting them with a 10 gauge shotgun.  Monday afternoon was used to lube the motorhome, contorting this 64-year old body in ways heretofore thought impossible.

Tuesday was spent rewiring the electrical connections between the motorhome and the “toad”, i.e. the Honday CR-V that we tow.  A direct charging line was installed between the battery and connected to a female plug receptacle which was installed on the front of the Honda, and a new wire and plug were installed in the tow bar.  Still, the BrakeBuddy failed, would recycle, and wouldn’t hold the brake for the required 10-seconds test.  Thinking the Honda was not providing enough amperage to fully operated the auxiliary brake, and consulting with Wayne, I installed it in the Expedition only to find the problem persisted.  This has been an ongoing problem for the last two years, and we sent it in last October 22, receiving it back as testing 100%, after which we tried it on the way to Texas in late November, only to experience problems again.  We phoned Hopkins, the company which makes the auxiliary brake, and explained the problem, and while outside near the Expedition talking to the tech, the brake began recycling,, fortuitous in that he could hear it on the other end of the phone call.  He authorized shipment for sending it back in—solution and cost to be determined!  

On Wednesday morning, Kay left for central Arkansas for visits with friends and family, and to drop off the BrakeBuddy at FedEx for shipping back to the factory, and I continued the clean-up of storm debris from last Thursday’s straight line winds knocking the neighbor’s big, double-trunked oak tree down.  I counted a total of 9 trees in our backyard that paid the toll.  Despite cleaning last Friday and Saturday, there were sawdust, leaves, and small limbs everywhere, and to prevent them from blowing on the patio and/or washing back down onto the dry gravel creek, they were raked into a small terrace.  Three of our pampas grass plants were damaged by equipment cleaning up the storm debris, but we had wanted to move them anyway so holes were dug in the hard, rocky earth and the plants transplanted.  Also, Creeping Jenny was transplanted between the recently installed stepping stones in the back.  Temperatures soared into the mid-90s, and humidity was near 80°, rendering my clothes soaking wet from the outside work.  After cleaning up and cooling off, I began the process of back flushing, sanitizing, and recharging the motorhome water softener.

Thursday was a near repeat of Wednesday, except that I used the morning to dig a small (10 to 12-inch) oak tree stump up that was tilted with roots going everywhere.  It left a perfect hole for a fire pit, except it was in the wrong location. Recovery from the storm is slowly taking place as the white butterfly bush sported a couple of blooms after its traumatic couple of days and being severely pruned.  We see some opportunities for additional landscaping and sitting areas…  After showering, and then washing wet outside work clothes, I re-installed the undersink water filter in the motorhome; however, what would normally be a mundane job proved to be a 2-hour endeavor in completely rebuilding the bracket and water filter valve; it had somehow gotten twisted and the filter cartridge would not fit!  This completed the very last chore on the list! But then wouldn’t you know it, when picking up the mail, the mailbox door was hanging by a single “thread”, as one of the hinges had popped loose.  It was off to Lowe’s for a new mailbox.  On the way home after punching the mailbox and stick-on lettering, I remembered buying a riveting took in the mid 1990s, and thought it would repair the old door hinge.  Back at the house, I found the old tool, collected other tools, and made my way to effect the repairs.  Wouldn’t you know it…while changing the size of the rivet mechanism, the tool fell into pieces with a key nut dropping to the street.  It was back to the house for a magnet, then back to near the mailbox where the nut was retrieved.  I took the mailbox off the post and back to the more controlled environment of the shop, where the rivet tool was rebuilt—no easy chore—and the mailbox repaired better than new, almost.  Once again, it was back down to the post for re-installation.  Whew!  Meanwhile, Kay reported in from Maumelle that Ridge had been sick with a stomach virus, and she, too, had gotten the bug and suffered symptoms late early Thursday morning.  After taking Karyn to the airport at 5:00 AM, she returned to the Adams’ house and kept Ridge for the day while they both convalesced.  

Rain was welcomed early Friday morning and continued until noon, yielding about 3/4 inch.  It was much needed and appreciated, and provided a day of rest.  Not wanting to infect Kaden before his taking the ACT on Saturday, she decided to cut her visit short and return home today, arriving shortly after lunch.

Refreshed and well, we ate breakfast Saturday morning at Mel’s Diner in Mountain Home for the first time in a couple of years.  The food was good, but we were shocked by the reduction in portions, about half of what we received last time we ate there—cost-cutting measures?  However, it was enough food, and we enjoyed the dining experience.  We drove to Lowe’s to return the new mailbox and lettering, and buy screening material for the patio door—an 18-month old toddler, Ridge, can play havoc opening and closing a screen door hundreds of times.  Anyway, maybe the new screen will last through Harper’s toddler time as we’re sure she’ll do the same thing.  But after all, they are grandkids and can do no wrong…  At the house, Kay began transplanting more ground cover, and I removed limbs overhanging the drive and a tree obstructing the view when exiting our driveway—seems our work never ceases.  At least we’ll have Saturdays off the rest of football season, as the University of Arkansas lost to Rutgers this afternoon, and has the beef of their schedule coming up.  

All in all, it was a good week, and the good Lord has blessed us with a great family, super friends, a good place to live, and talents, gifts, and physical ability to do the things we want and enjoy doing. 

(NOTE:  After reading the blog, one is probably led to believe that owning a motorhome, or any recreational vehicle requires a lot of work.  Actually, it doesn’t require  that much work; it’s just that it’s concentrated over a short period of time.  And our situation was compounded by the broken hood hinge and the inoperable BrakeBuddy, two anomalies rarely faced.  Otherwise, changing the oil, oil filter, air filter in both the motorhome and generator, and lubricating the motorhome is a one or two day job, once a year; not bad when you consider we drive about 5,000 miles a year, and live in the motorhome 6-months a year!)

After spending part of the early morning with Ridge and his parents, we drove back home after what seemed like a 6-week absence; of course, we left for Wisconsin and Michigan on July 28, returned home on August 20, then left for Colorado on August 26 and finally arrived back home September 8—38 days away from home.  But, for the most part, we escaped hot weather. 

Glad to be back home, we made “To Do” lists, and began working on the items in earnest Monday morning.  Over the course of the week, we changed the oil, oil filter, and air filter in both the motorhome and the Explorer, as well as the motorhome generator; reinforced the under sink water filter bracket in the motorhome; and repaired, for the 3rd time, the hood hinge on the motorhome.

The hinge for the hood is connected via an adhesive, not a bolt or screw, and the adhesive failed on all three connection points, likely due to the pounding caused by rough road joints (Missouri and Michigan roads) on our trip to Wisconsin and Michigan!  Neither Gorilla Glue nor epoxy gel (recommended by the Winnebago dealership where we bought the motorhome) worked, so I took neighbor and very close friend Wayne’s advice and used JB Weld.  We both worked on the hinge for parts of 4 days this week, with Wayne doing a lot of the work and all the supervision (thank goodness he was there to help).  First, I took the hood off the motorhome, then the hinge.  We removed all the paint on the connection surfaces, and sanded the motorhome front cowling where the connection was to be made, preparing all surfaces for the JB Weld bond.  And then, Wayne and I worked in tandem to spread the JB Weld adhesive to both the hinge surfaces and the motorhome surfaces, and apply multiple clamps to hold it in place; it was like a well orchestrated dance, and we do really work well together.  The following morning, we removed the clamps, and the hinge held.  We then mixed fiberglass resin and hardner, and covered each connection with fiberglass (resin, cloth, and resin) to reinforce the bonded surfaces.  These dried in about 4 hours, and we applied another coat of resin to smooth the surface.  The connection points are now stronger than ever thanks to Wayne! 

Since we belong to Amazon Prime, we order a lot of our “supplies” and the parcels trickled in all week.  Finally on Thursday just after lunch, the motorhome Onan generator oil filter and wrench arrived and I drained the oil and removed the oil filter.  In the course of adding new oil, straight line winds from the north came out of “nowhere”.  Now understand, I’m only about 40 feet from our patio, have my hearing aids in, and have no external noise.  I finished adding oil, getting soaking wet by the hard driving rain, and come in to shower and notice our neighbor’s HUGE oak tree laying partially across the patio—and I didn’t hear it fall.

As I began to take inventory, a sickening feeling came over me at the damage, particularly to the trees on the back of our property, and our landscaping efforts over the past several months.  We emailed our neighbors who were fishing out west with the bad news.  They were quick to action, calling a tree cutting service.  Friday morning the tree trimmers/cutters showed up in force, 4 and 5 strong most of the day, and cut the two trunks of the HUGE tree as well as the 7 others it knocked down. 

The two photos show before and after.  They did a great job of clearing all the debris, and had two loads of shredded wood chips from the trees.  We lost all the trees on about half our our back property, and now have lots of open space and sky.  With sawdust and leaves everywhere, we began the process of “picking up the pieces.”  The stacked stone wall forming some of the beds around the patio was toppled in several places; we lost several solar lights, a solar pump for the bird bath, a couple of tube feeders, a couple of humming bird feeders, a cast iron hummingbird bird bath, a tubular patio chair; and several of our plants look a lot worse for wear:  rare white butterfly bush, a 10-foot lantana, and a couple of plants put in last year by Kelly Thomas Landscaping (fortunately, the new Japanese maple was unharmed, saved by the the big pine which took the brunt of the force and had to be cut).  We continued raking, and otherwise removing debris from the patio, beds, and dry creek, calling it quits before lunch on Saturday. It sure looks different around our patio now, but we’ll have to treat it as an opportunity and start the rebuilding process!  One poignant memory I have with respect to the large tree is the “squirrel interstate.”  Recovering from a radical retro-pubic prostatectomy for cancer in December 2010 and January-February 2011, I spent countless hours watching squirrels play and run back and forth across a particularly long, horizontal limb on the big tree; it was also their escape route when they sensed danger.  Wayne would join me for several hours each day in the adjoining recliner, and we would laugh as the squirrels traversed the limb.  The tree may be gone, but the memories of it will live as I do…

After cleaning up the mess, I successfully loaded Windows 7 on the Apple MacBook Pro, and then loaded some software that I couldn’t “live” without:  Windows Live, Quicken, and Streets and Trips.  This allows me to carry only one computer now when we travel.  The process of loading Windows on an Apple computer appeared daunting at first, but after beginning, proved to be fairly simple, though time consuming.

So, all in all, and despite a tough week, we are truly blessed to have great neighbors, and to have been kept safe in the storm.  Until next week…

DATE: Monday, September 9, 2013

TIME: 8:25 AM TO 11:15 AM

WEATHER:  HIgh 80s, partly cloudy

WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units

LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, Riffle Above the Island Below Otter Creek

FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork River Scud, #20 black/copper Zebra Midge, #14 Furnace Cockleburr, #14 Pink Cockleburr

ROD USED:  8’ 6” 5-wt Winston JWF

HATCHES:  Midges, occasional cranefly

OTHER: I fished with Ed.  After walking in at Mill Dam Eddy, we walked upstream to the riffle above the island.  Apparently, minimum flow has been effected because water levels were unusually high, and wading was difficult, necessitating a staff.  (Be careful what you ask for; I didn’t ask for minimum flow.)  I managed a dozen and a half fish, mostly on the midge and scud, with the remainder on the Cockleburr.  Ed caught 35 fish on 8 different fly patterns; he was in a zone! 

John and Sandy were up early this morning, packed and ready to go.  After loading their car (they were gracious enough to bring my fly fishing gear out and carried it plus some of our other stuff back with them) they left the condo at Granby, beginning their two day drive to Arkansas.  Kay and I finished packing and clearing out the condo, loaded the car, and checked out. Our first experience with the Space Available program part of the Armed Forces Vacation Club was good, and our accommodations, were certainly worth the rate charged.

The 105-mile took us through Tabernash, Fraser, and Winter Park and then over Berthoud Pass at 11,300+ feet.  The rest of the way to Denver International Airport was downhill, dropping over 6,000 feet. We detoured just short of the rental car return to fill up with gasoline.  We were expecting the worst  with respect to turning the car in:  long lines, a hassle regarding gasoline levels, exhorbinant toll charges, etc.  Apparently all the worry was for nought.  The attendant read the bar code, handed us the receipt for the previously agreed upon price, we loaded in the shuttle to the airport, and were immediately whisked away.  Unless we receive unexpected charges, the experience rates 3.5 out of 5.
We ended up at the airport way early, had Chinese for lunch, and waited another 4 hours for boarding.  The United flight was smooth, and on time–no complaints here either:  fare was in expensive, flights were on time or early, and other services were good (only two negatives with respect to United Airlines–$25 charge for each checked bag, and their frequent flier program is just that, for FREQUENT fliers, not occasional fliers such as us).

Karyn and Ridge met us at the empty, almost ghost town, airport, and we waited a long time for our baggage.  We picked up the Explorer in North Little Rock, and arrived at Matt and Karyn’s in Maumelle, tired but no worse for wear.

We spent the rest of the evening enjoying family time, especially with Ridge, and made it to bed shortly after he was put to bed.

Today marked our last full day in Granby, and in Colorado, and we still haven’t seen a big horn sheep. Consequently, Kay and I drove back into Rocky Mountain National Park hoping to see some wildlife, and specifically the sheep. We saw a few pronghorns between Grandby and Grand Lake, but nothing in the National Park’s large meadows. We didn’t even see any elk from the high mountain overlooks where we had seen them the past several days, just a pica and a marmot.

As a last resort we hiked The Crater Trail. The Crater Trail was so named when it was believed to be the crater of a past volcano. Subsequent studies determined that The Crater is actually a natural bowl, and its layers of volcanic rock erupted from another volcano that used to reside nearby. The hike is not long, only about one mile, but there is 730 feet of elevation gain, and you’re starting at +10,750 feet, so this one can be a lung-buster.

We took frequent breathing breaks, and enjoyed wonderful views back across the Cache la Poudre river valley, and across to the high mountain ridge where the high parts of the Trail Ridge Road can be seen along with the Alpine Visitors Center and the several high overlooks and pull outs. Once past the trailhead vicinity, we saw more birds here than at anywhere else on the trip. As we broke out of the trees at treeline, amazing views across the meadows flanking Specimen Mountain, presented themselves. Here, the trail was steep, and heavily eroded, making hiking difficult. We saw elk tracks in the dusty ground from the trailhead to the top, and old elk droppings appeared more frequent near the top.

We made it all the way up—to 11,480 feet. The ridge line overlooking The Crater did not abruptly drop off, but was steep enough that Kay warned of getting too close to the edge. Looking over the Crater to the west, the Never Summer Range appeared closer than it actually was and huge, even intimidating. To the right, Specimen Mountain goes on up (though that trail is closed all the time now). We did not see any of the big horn sheep the area protects, but saw lots of sheep trails on the mountainside.

Because of ominous clouds, thunder, and increasing winds, we did not tarry the ridge—section of the Continental Divide, but made our way down the descent. This hike was challenging for us, with a bit of “are we there yet?” and “how much higher?” but the payoff at the end is one of the best on the west side. We made the ascent of one mile with a 730-foot elevation gain in an hour with lots of stops to regain our breath, and the descent in 45 minutes. It certainly gave us a sense of accomplishment.

After the hike, we ate lunch at the Fat Cat, Trip Advisor’s number one rated restaurant in Grand Lake. Our dining experience started bad, and never improved, including both service and food!

The rest of the day was used for recovering from the long hike and packing for our return home tomorrow.

Today was rest and recuperation day after going strong the last several weeks. With some unscheduled time, I walked from the condo down to the Fraser River to take some photographs of the area we fished yesterday. This is a beautiful river with all the assets—pools, riffles and runs, neanders, and undercut banks–needed to make it the gold medal river it is. After a few photos, I began the mostly uphill return, taking advantage of the longer but more peaceful cart paths of the Granby Ranch championship golf course; it’s among the best I’ve seen, including some where PGA events are played. Walking the cart paths avoided the dusty, heavily traveled gravel road.

The almost 6-mile roundtrip was great exercise, but resulted in a large blister on the ball of my right foot. Despite telling Kay that the walk may take 3 hours, she came looking for me after a couple of hours and found me not far from the condo.  Our condo is among those shown in the 4 light-colored building units on the right in the last photo.

A short afternoon nap was very much needed—and refreshing. Kay and Sandy left for a brief store sightseeing tour while John and I practiced R&R, which allowed me to catch up on drafting blog entries. Since we did not bring a laptop with us, and since most of the photographs are shot in RAW format requiring Lightroom software to convert into JPEG files, they will have to be added later, maybe next week.

We drove down to Granby for dinner at a local hangout, The Maverick Grille, where we had the best meal of the trip. Our appetizers of fried avocado and Rocky Mountain Oysters were very good, and their green chili was also the best any of us had had. I ordered Wild Bill’s Game Meatloaf (elk, buffalo, and certified angus) and it, too, was very good. The chicken-fried chicken and chicken-fried steak were good, but either cooked in grease that was too hot or too old, resulting in a slightly scorched taste. The bottom line, however, was that the food was very good.

After the heavy dinner, we watched the Denver Broncos manhandle the Baltimore Ravens.

John and I made reservations to fish the private waters of Granby Ranch today. Granby Ranch’s private three-mile stretch of the Fraser River is a beautiful gold-medal tributary of the Colorado River, containing brown, rainbow, and cutthroat trout. Starting time was 9:00 AM, so we paid our trespass fee, signed a release, and drove to water’s edge of Beat 2. A fly shop in Fraser has exclusive “guiding” rights to these private waters, and the shop owner told us that Beats 1 and 2 were his choice as to where he takes clients. At the river, we put our rods together, strung them up, and donned waders, boots, and vests. We both started with flies purchased at the Fraser fly shop. I had a couple of misses on the big ant, and changed to a #18 caddis, success as the little 6-inch brown was a fighter. Over the course of the next three hours, I constantly changed flies, even using several two-fly combinations, and caught an occasional fish here and there, with lots of misses; the fish would miss the fly, failing to hook up.

Shortly after noon, I switched to a deer hair hopper, and after several misses, a 9-inch brown inhaled the hopper. For the next 3 hours, I fished the hopper without hooking up, but got strikes at almost all undercut bank sections. Thunder, lightning, and a light rain finally drove us off the river. John had several fish for the day, mostly on nymphs, but of course, he’s the nymph master. This was a fun river to fish, with riffles and pools at every bend. It might take a couple of days, but I believe the code could be broken.

While John and I fished, Sandy and Kay further explored the Grand Lake and Granby areas, getting a taste, both literally and figuratively, of the local culture, eating at The Blue Moon Bakery, where they had a tomato bisque and half sandwich. They met some colorful locals, and some transplants who had opened businesses in the area.

John prepared a great eggplant Parmesan dinner (Sandy and Kay prepared both fruit and spinach salads), after which we all spent a quiet and early evening.

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