In some ways October has felt like both the longest and shortest month. We have covered a ton of ground, and pretty much the whole month was improvised, well outside of our original plans, but here we go!
We started the month in Bend, Oregon as a stopover before heading further south to California. Hard to believe there is still wildfire smoke anywhere, but it was still hanging around. We did a day of fishing on the Fall River, a charming spring creek just outside of Bend. Spring creeks present an intriguing challenge as the water moves slowly, is crystal clear, and the fish are smart. Stealth and presentation are crucial, and Shaun and I both found success with him landing the largest rainbow of the day. Fall colors, wet wading, and warm sun are hard to beat.
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| The Fall River, which is actually a spring creek near Bend, OR |
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| First fish of the day |
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| Fall colors are starting |
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| I usually catch the first fish, and Shaun usually catches the best fish |
The next morning we made a trip to Newberry National Monument to ride a little lava. The similarities between mountain biking and snowboarding continue to reveal themselves, namely trusting your equipment and not trying to over control every movement. It’s tough being a novice at something and to commit to learning through failure when failure means crashing your bike or going over the handle bars and potentially injuring yourself, so stay tuned!
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| Riding the trails at Newberry National Monument |
From Bend, we headed south to northern California, intent on steelhead fishing (it would be my first time!), trout fishing, and some hiking. We arrived in Redding and found cool temperatures and rainy weather for the first day and a half. After stopping at The Fly Shop (literally, that’s its name) to get some advice, recommendations, and licenses, we checked into a hotel for the always appreciated bed, shower, and free breakfast. Mid morning the next day we headed west along the Trinity River, passing through the area devastated by the summer’s Carr Fire. It was a sobering reminder of the intensity of the fires in northern California- entire neighborhoods vanished with only still smoldering soil remaining. It looked apocalyptic, and slurry was still being doused all along the hillsides. We overheard (while in Tahoe later in the week) a fireman talking about how the heat was so intense, it literally caused the pavement to thrust into the air, sending cars and small buildings flying. Eventually, we drove out of the fire charred area and found a few inviting fishing runs. Shaun had warned me that Steelhead fishing is mostly about the experience and anticipation and not volume or quantify of fish encountered. Fly fishing is somewhat serendipitous anyhow- you just happen to float a fly by at the exact time and place where a fish is waiting on that exact fly- and Steelheading takes that to a whole new level. It was my first time trying spey casting, a two handed casting technique involving a much heavier rod and line designed to get the fly to drag along the run, hoping to entice a wild fish who actually isn’t even in a feeding pattern to follow their unbridled instinct and go for the fly. To my surprise, I actually had a fish on for a couple of seconds, and even though it got off, I could feel the raw power as it peeled line from my reel. So, apparently, it was a successful day. Regardless of the number of fish in the net, it is always great to stand in a scenic river.
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| Ready to try something new (lucky hat in hand) |
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| Shaun fishing the Trinity River |
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| Spey casting |
We backtracked a bit and headed toward Mt Shasta and into the Shasta-Trinity National Forest with the goal of fishing the McCloud River and hiking to McCloud Falls. We easily found a campsite near the trailhead, which was also conveniently located only about a half hour from one of the fishing spots recommended to us from the fly shop. We arrived in the parking area and talked to two local retired guys who had been camping and fishing for several days, and they were forthcoming with tips, none more important than advising us on how slippery the rocks were- “use cleats and a wading staff” one of them said. We wrapped up our conversation, thanked them, and wished them good fishing luck. We walked down the trail a bit, which is actually part of the Pacific Crest Trail, and found an idyllic, peaceful hole just upstream from the trail bridge. The water was an enchanting emerald and cascaded over a long rocky outcropping into an even bigger pool below, and I thought if I were a fish, this is where I’d want to call home. It was unseasonably cool, which usually means the fish won’t be feeding on top of the water, rather they will be resting near the bottom, going after the midge type patterns. For over an hour or so, we didn’t have much luck, just a few small fish. I love fishing, but I find fishing underwater to be rather boring. I love fishing on top of the water with dry flies, being able to see the fish rise to your fly and snatching it from the surface. As the temperatures warmed, we began to see some bugs hatching and flying around and a fish or two rising periodically. There are lots of schools of thought on what to do when you see fish but they don’t seem to want what you have, whether it be going with an attractor pattern, matching the hatch, or even throwing something completely wild at them. I have become a big believer in going small, going basic. So, I put on a size 18 BWO (blue wing olive). Fish hooks go down in size incrementally with a 10 being a large hook, and an 18 being much, much smaller. Sure enough, the 18 BWO was nearly an instant success as I hooked a fair size fish for that river along with some other small ones. Shaun found the biggest fish of the day, a nice chunky rainbow, but he also found something he wasn’t quite looking for- the bottom of the river. Admittedly, he had somewhat discounted the two men we spoke to at the beginning because one of them was acutely high- well that turned out to be a bad idea. If someone can fish and not fall in the river while high, you better listen to them.
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| We would fish just upstream from these rapids |
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| Search for hungry fish |
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| Found one looking for a small BWO |
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| Always doing our best to care for fish by keeping them in the water to reduce the stress they experience |
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| Raise your hand if you should have listened to high guy |
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| Down, down, down |
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| Down to your neck |
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| Still got the fish |
The next morning we rose early to hike to McCloud Falls before the sun rose over the horizon and washed out the morning light I need to be able to get the long exposure I want. It was an easy walk in the forest to the middle falls and then up one long switchback to the upper falls. There were some early fall colors framing the middle falls, much to my delight. From there, we intended to head to Yosemite, but after seeing yet another of the big yellow tour buses undoubtedly headed there, we decided to make our way to Tahoe instead.
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| Middle McCloud Falls |
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| Wider perspective of the middle falls |
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| Upper Falls |
We rolled into Tahoe amidst heavy rain, not surprising, but found delicious pizza to soothe our continuing weather frustrations. On a tip from a friend, we headed to Fallen Leaf Lake area and found a nice campground where we booked two nights. We woke again to cloudy skies threatening rain, but we headed into town to the fly shop to see if it was worth our trouble to buy a few days of fishing in California. The guy told us this was their first heavy rain of the season, which had left the rivers in less than desirable shape, so we agreed it was probably best to look for other activities to occupy our time. Driving back to the campsite a mother black bear and two cubs scurried across the road right in front of us, and left us wondering if we’d see them again as they were not far from the campground, and black bears are notorious scavengers. With lack of food source during winter months being a primary motivator for black bear hibernation, there are actually fewer bears hibernating in Tahoe, as they have developed an affinity for human food and a knack for breaking into garbage cans, even kitchens in each of food. Pretty sad actually, as it never ends well for the bears.
Feeling like we had caught a small break in the weather, we took our bikes out for a ride to actually see Lake Tahoe and of course found it shrouded in clouds with limited visibility to the peaks beyond. We chatted with some nice people and got to play fetch with a friendly border collie who had perfected the dock belly flop into the lake. Returning to the campground, we decided to cook up some burgers and get in bed early for our long hike to Lake Aloha the next morning. A truck pulled near our site, and a girl was shouting something I couldn’t quite make out until she enunciated “BE-AAAR!” To my left, the same mother and cubs were walking no more than 15 yards from me. Everyone in the campground handled themselves well, making noise, trying to shoo the bears away and prevent further habituation. The cubs made a beeline for the bear storage boxes, crazy how then know. They finally retreated into the forest after making a loop around the campground. While it was incredible to see them that close, it saddened me to think of bears trying to navigate their home that is overrun with humans.
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| As blue as the sky got for us this day |
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| Such a bike friendly place |
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| Hard to believe this is a lake |
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| Bear family |
We were up early the next AM, prepared for a 10 miler in the Desolation Wilderness, which of course turned into over 12. We passed three lakes on our trip through some of the finest build trail I’ve ever seen, arriving high in an alpine basin at Lake Aloha, near the junction with the Pacific Crest Trail. The Sierra Nevada range holds some of the most scenic mountains I’ve hiked and reminded me of the Enchantments in Washington, barren alpine reaching altitudes of 8300’. We had the lake to ourselves and enjoyed lunching above the sapphire blue water and soaking up the welcome sun. We encountered some through hikers and backpackers who had weathered the two rainy days prior, and they were understandably thrilled to see the sun.
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| Susie Lake, the first of three, offered a glimpse of our final destination |
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| Heather Lake, getting us closer to Aloha |
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| Just a traverse around the lake and a short, steep climb remain |
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| Cool tree along the trek around Heather Lake |
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| Finally to Aloha, so expansive it was impossible to get the whole lake, even with a panorama |
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| Ready for pizza. Not my best look haha |
From Tahoe, we pushed hard to a campground just outside of Las Vegas, 8500’ up in the mountains with temps below freezing. We had arranged a hotel in Henderson for the next night and had some time to kill before check in, so we headed to Valley of Fire State Park in the Mojave Desert. Now, if you haven’t realized we continue to be plagued by weather challenges, let me tell you it rains 5” a year in the Mojave, and it showered on and off the whole time we were there. Seriously. Despite the weather hiccups, it was amazing to see the sandstone rising up from the desert. We even watched some bighorn sheep scampering along the canyon floor, not a second thought about the slick surface. All told, Valley of Fire was one of the more impressive state parks I visited, and I highly recommend it if you are like me and hate the bright lights of Vegas.
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| Large ram spotted on the way to Vegas |
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| Rain creating seemingly endless depth of field |
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| Bighorn sheep running across the canyon |
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| Frolic mode |
From Vegas, we made another long push to Santa Fe, where we decided to spend my birthday. Shaun had never been to Santa Fe, and I was anxious for him to see the Aspens and sample the food and culture there. We camped in the National Forest the first night before checking into our hotel for two nights. The first day was cloudy and we found a dusting of snow at the higher elevations. Unfortunately it was pretty windy which made for tough photography, so we headed down and decided to visit the Museum of Folk Art, one of my favorite attractions there. Once we finally checked into our room, we headed out for a birthday even dinner at Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen. I had the signature blue corn enchiladas and one of the strongest margaritas I’ve tasted. The restaurant is well known for their 100 plus varieties of margaritas. The food was delicious but a definite food coma meal. The next day was my birthday, and I spent the morning lazing around, editing photos and watching a Law and Order: SVU marathon while Shaun went out for “errands” aka cake and champagne. We spent the afternoon visiting the Loretto Chapel, home of the miracle staircase, and the San Miguel Mission, the oldest church in America, built in the early 1600s. For dinner that night, we chose the Shed, one of the top reviewed restaurants in Santa Fe, and it was delicious. We both had the tamales with red and green chile. One of my favorite things about Santa Fe is the restaurants are all pretty casual, with the top restaurants not being fussy or exclusive or exorbitantly expensive. All in all, a great birthday, topped off with birthday cake.
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| San Miguel Mission |
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| Inside San Miguel |
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| Loretto Chapel |
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| The Miraculous Staircase |
The next morning we slept in before heading up to do some more photography and found that even more snow had fallen, and the aspens were popping aided by the contrast of the snow and welcome blue sky.
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| A look at the aspens when we arrived |
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| The aspens the day we left |
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| Such a beautiful contrast of colors |
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| Colorado gets a lot of publicity for their aspens, but New Mexico has a fraction of the crowds |
When we planned this trip, we had hoped to be in Banff/Jasper for the first half of October, photographing wildlife and fall colors, which meant we wouldn’t be able to be in Florida for Shaun’s mom’s 60th birthday family trip. However, now that the weather had changed most of our plans, we decided to haul ourselves down there and surprise her in Captiva. Not much to see in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, or Georgia, so we put in long driving days to get through as quickly as possible. The lone excitement was a high speed police chase down I-75 in Atlanta, but truthfully, I could have done without that.
It was great to surprise Shaun’s mom, and I’m sure it was quite the look, our big white creeper van parked outside this grand beach home. We had a great week relaxing on the beach, watching dolphins, and looking for shells. We got to meet our nieces for the first time and got a true southern tan for the first time in a long time.
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| When you go to photograph the sunset, and it starts pouring on you |
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| Family |
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| The nieces |
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| Soaking up as much sun as possible |
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| Fun times at the Mucky Duck |
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| Shaun and Chelsea |
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| Family pic |
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| Going out for dinner |
We are now back in Tennessee, and one of our first orders of business besides eating Krystals, was hiking Mt Leconte and taking in the fall colors. It’s easily the most popular hike in the Smokies, and for good reason, but it’s worth the hype and more. It is funny how much you remember, even thought it’s been nearly 10 years since I was last there. My brothers and I hiked it the summer Shaun and I moved to WA. That was a great day that I remember well, and so was this one.
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| Fishing the Little River for little fish |
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| Alum Cave on the way to Mt Leconte |
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| Layers on layers |
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| So great to see the fall colors |
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| The Smokies are full of charming little creeks |
The plan is to stay around here until Thanksgiving then head to Norther Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to see friends and family before heading west for snow chasing. Thanks to all for the kind words of support and encouragement along the way and especially to our families for letting us come home again :)
More to come next month!
