Finicky Fish

After a few days of driving across the country, I finally landed in Boise. It was a long trip with great stretches of barren landscape between destinations. Wyoming looks a lot like southern Argentina with its dry grass and stubby bushes. Without a radio, I found myself singing out loud just to break up the monotony of the drive heading West on I80. I belted out old pixies, Weezer, and Red Hot Chili Peppers songs without fully knowing all the lyrics. It was enough to get me to Utah where the scenery quickly changed. I finally saw mountains and rolling farm land again. Friendly signs that I was close to civilization.

Alex and Suz had completed a remodel of their 1930's house and it looks phenomenal on the inside. It has all of the modern amenities (high end appliances) with the classic craftsman styling of that period. It has been a couple years since I've visited so it was all new to me. On the counter were fresh veggies from their garden which had done really well this year due to the composting and weather this summer. It reminded me of my weak and neglected garden in Dallas which yielded nothing but a few small watermelon. I was glad that this would be my home base for the next couple weeks.

Not wasting any time, Alex, Ian, and I met at the Owhyee river in Oregon that evening. The river is known for having some of the best trout fishing in the area. 20+ inch fish are common as long as you can get them to bite. Now I'm very experienced in catching 20+ inch browns in Arkansas, but out west it's a different story. Of the three anglers, only Alex was able to hook up once. It was a nice pumpkin of a fish coming in somewhere in the 22-24 inch range. Although the fishing was tough, the scenery and company more than made up for it. The plan while I'm here is to head north to Yellow Pine and fish some of the creeks. There is also some secret lake up there which is supposed to hold some huge rainbows. I can't wait to hook up with my first trout of the year.

Go West Young Man

Bags are packed and the car is loaded.

With most of my obligations complete in Dallas, I've decided to set my sights on the great western road trip through the United States. The thought of this trip has been brewing in my head for over a year. Every time I came back over seas, something whether it was timing or other obligations prevented me from embarking on this tour. Now I've seen many countries over the last two years, but there is something romantic about setting off on your own across the country not knowing where you are going to end up. As a precaution, I packed my new passport just in case I get close enough to reach Vancouver.

So the route. First draft... First stop will be Denver. I have many friends there who I haven't seen in years. It will also give me a good opportunity to warm up the legs since I've been sitting on the couch the entire time I've been back in Dallas. The fitness regiment is needed since I haven't carried a loaded back pack at altitude for 7 months. I'll work my way up to Boise to see Alex and the gang. Topping the list of activities is the backpacking trip to the Grand Tetons (or equivalent). From there, who knows. Just like the Salmon, I feel an instinctive draw towards my birthplace in the Pacific Northwest. However, California, especially San Francisco has a solid base of contacts. I'll play it be ear after Boise.

The anxiety still lingers although not as strong as the previous trips. Perhaps I not expecting as many surprises along the way this time.

America, Have You Seen It?

Although I have my new passport, I figure I'd cool it on the international travel for now. When this all started 20 months ago, I promised myself that I would take the great road trip out West. Well for now I had to settle for the great Midwest trip back to Indiana to see the family. It had been years since I returned to Elkhart. I don't hide that fact that I hate the town, for a number of reasons (none of which I'll get into). The purpose of this trip was to see family. None of my relatives have seen my nephew Teo, so this was an opportunity for everyone to see the kid for the first time.



Although the route was the same one I took back in December, the landscape looked far different. Summer has crested it's peak and the corn stood tall as if they were soldiers standing at attention in their rows waiting for the harvest in the fall. The acres of farmland look like a sea of gold tassels until you look at the correct angle revealing lines which seem to run in a perfectly straight line for what seems to be miles.



As you can guess, organizing a large multi-day gathering requires a lot of work. My brother, Jenn, and I were assigned the task of getting food from a local "gourmet" Italian deli. My mom seems to throw that term around liberally. Anything which isn't a chain and imports food is considered gourmet to her. Before picking up two giant tins of lasagna we sat down for lunch outside the deli. Jenn and Bill wanted to hear about my last trip to Spain and Italy, so we started to talk about travel and our experiences (Bill and Jenn had just returned from a film festival in Poland). Apparently, the old couple next to us was eavesdropping on our conversation. A few minutes later, the woman approached us and asked if we have seen America. At first, I wasn't sure how to take the question. Was she trying to make us feel guilty for not seeing ALL of the United States, before travelling abroad? I don't know. Now I feel that I have seen much of the US and definitely more than the average American. She then said that she felt no urge to travel abroad. I gave her my spiel about Americans who travel either for leisure or culture. If you travel for leisure, there really is no reason to leave the US. She sincerely accepted my answer which seemed to validate her reason for not travelling and my point for travelling abroad as the same time. This got me thinking about how middle class American perceives Europe and travelling abroad. I don't want this to get into a political rant, so I'll just leave it at this.

The median income in the US is 50K. Knowing what I do about the American way of life, there is no way average Americans can support a middle class lifestyle with this income. Forget about travelling abroad. For me, I'm going to take that road trip across the US. I do want to see more of America and the world , but not necessarily in that order.