Wrap It Up

That vibe again.  Trees lit up, and traffic lighter on greater Yellowstone area roads. The ranch lot at 9:20 is empty.  All great except that feeling of another season ending.  Ya, a different season replaces it, but not a good one.  A brisk northeast breeze blows down river, and very few risers.  Bugless, to my human eye.

I fish the slick above the platform and miss a couple good ones with the ant.  No eats in the tail-out riffle, though a good one came up a few times.  Down to the point, and there's a couple-three good ones showing, but I miss a few "cautious, lazy" eats.  

Now it's early afternoon.  I can be home by 9:15, easy.  The trailer's hairy and dirty.  Laundry bags are full.  Norman is antsy.  I have a shitload of winterizing to do before Thursday's season change. (bumper crop of tomatoes, greenhouse tear-down, watering shut-down, wood-splitting/stacking, a month of mail, etc).

I've fished three of my "big five."  I didn't feel a sharp pull from Livingston after a week on Silver Creek.  I did, but I was occupied somewhere else at those times, or they were booked full.  Dillon had its early closure this year, so that tradition is toast because I doubt they'll ever reopen it for that great October fishing I used to enjoy.

My favorite Gierach quote/dialogue is from an interview 12 or so years ago.  For me, its further, even sort of official, validation from a trusted source for the lifestyle I chose.  I've watched the interview on Youtube often, and it's really made the rounds since October 8.  "The Secret."

"The secret is to go ahead and do what you think you want to do, and not think in terms of, 'well, I'll spend the next 40 years making a living and raising a family and then when I retire I'll go fishing.'  I mean, if you want to go fishing, go fishing . . . You can't waste your life making money and then go back and buy that life back . . . By the time somebody can afford this, they're almost too old to do it . . . The guys who can do it are the guides . . . These guys will guide all summer (season) long and then when they finally get some time to themselves, they'll go fishin', 'cause they know how to do it!"

Thanks again John.  I'm going home from this trip, and soon after I'm going fishing!

Still running at 150ish.  Fish are there, I can see the wakes and occasional rise.  Bugs waning, maybe due to the season, likely due to the comfortable sunny and 70 weather.

One I got on the last morning on the MO, up in the good spot.

The hanger is in the house.  

These ae called Sun Sugar cherry tomatoes.  Been growing them for 7 or 8 years now. They make everything taste great.  Omelets, sandwiches, salads.  They're so good, I eat them like sweet little candy snacks. My greenhouse is a jungle. This is the back quarter of it, 3 plants.  I'll bring two or three inside and water them all winter in front of a south-facing picture window that lets them get sunlight for a good part of the short days.  I'll sprout next summer's crop too.  Greenhouse back up in late April.

From one plant.  I have 10!

Freezer is filling up, more still to come!