Andrew has bugged me about fishing the Chewacan since early spring. As most of you know, we spend a lot of time fishing together and usually take turns picking the spot. He takes me out in his boat and I take him out in mine. Well, we managed to get the same days off work. Knowing it may be our last chance to do a small overnight trip on our bikes, we made rushed plans and headed out.
Both of our wives graciously agreed to spend the night alone, but we still were unable to leave town until about 7:00 pm on Sunday. The sun was getting lower in the sky and we estimated a two hour ride to get to the river. I have never been, but Andrew assured me that it was a simple ride on the highway to Bly where we would turn off on a "mountain road" that would cut at least an hour off of the drive. I asked him if this mountain road was paved and was again assured that it was a good road. No problem.
Andrew took the lead towards Bly. I really teased Andrew during this trip for his wheeled suitcase full of camping stuff that he rachet strapped down. I had a lot of time to pack my stuff, but Andrew was really busy. The end result was the same, but I really had fun telling him he was bound for the airport.
We took a short break to bundle up as we headed up the "mountain road." The sun was setting and it was getting a little chilly but the view over the valley was really nice.
The "mountain road" seemed really nice. There were only pot holes in the middle of the road and they were only 6 inches deep. Deer only jumped in front of you when you weren't expecting it and the dead bugs on your visor only partially obstructed your vision. Andrew only narrowly avoided death when some sort of birds were feeding on a carcass in the middle of the road and my ignorance to driving on the edge of a cliff was only because of the darkness.
Of course we made it to the river unscathed, built a fire, proceeded to set up camp, and cooked our dinner. We both made it to bed with big plans to hit the river in the morning since we could hear the water from our campsite up on the hill.
Morning came and we had our first look at camp. The tent I brought along was a freebie from a guy that said he was too big to fit in it. Turns out I fit, but just barely. The small space and poor ventilation turned my breath to condensation. I woke up to rainforest conditions. I did manage to wiggle my way out of the tunnel without totally soaking my clothes through. It was decided that we would go down the steep bank and fish the hole below our campsite before we tried to clean anything up.
The first cast Andrew pulled in a nice fish. I caught one and then the monster of the day took Andrew's spinner. For such a small "river" there are some nice wild trout to be caught. We let all of our fish go save for one that was destined for the breakfast plate. Knowing that we had plenty of time to fish and having something to eat, we headed back up the hill to pack up and set out on our day.
My second dad gave me this cool little camp stove. It packs really small and works great. We had a great breakfast.
Minus the food and my tent, this is all I brought with me. This trip was a great chance for me to practice packing light.
After packing up, we spent the morning riding down the river. We made periodic stops to fish good stretches of water. Andrew easily caught more fish than me and I ended up with 7 for the morning. Neither of us managed bigger fish than our breakfast, but a few nice 12 inchers were caught. As the sun made it down to the water the bite slowed and the temperature climbed.
The beauty of the Chewacan valley winding throughout the mountains is really unbelievable. The river is small, but seems to have a lot to offer.
In the daylight, I saw some of the areas I had passed in the dark. Who needs guardrails?
The trees and mountains turn almost instantly to desert. A completely different landscape so drastic from where we spent the majority of our day.
I wanted to make a quick drive into Paisley to say that I had been there. Big surprise, it's small. Andrew had a friend that grew up in Paisley.
Andrew and I both love our wives dearly. Both of them were home alone. We thought about doing some more exploring, but decided to head home early. The scary "mountain road" was much less scary in the light. Actually it was a beautiful ride and I was already good at dodging pot holes. We made much better time on our way home and were able to make a few quick stops to enjoy the scenery. That made for a much more relaxing ride than our sprint over the night before. We stopped off in Bly for our gas up and headed home. Andrew and I always have adventures. This trip was no different. Our bikes handled flawlessly and were perfectly suited for this type of ride. If this is your type of fun, I'm only a phone call away. Adventure awaits and if you want to be outfished we can always take Andrew.
Thank you God for creating such a beautiful world, such good friends, and watching over us as we enjoy it all.
4 comments:
I hope that wasn't you taking the photo while driving your cycle!!
Putting on lipstick is one thing but focusing and shooting a camera??
Changing the gearing on the bike?
Paisley----I worked my first fire there for 18 days! Our camp was the school. I'll have to post a photo for you from Paisley.
Pictures while riding are a little hard to pull off.
Yep, we put our stock sprockets back on for a more comfortable cruising speed on the hwy.
We saw a lot of old fire sign. Plenty of charred trees in the woods.
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