We got in after midnight yesterday and missed the views on the way in, then woke up around 8 when it was still dark out and couldn’t make out our surroundings. The wait was worth it though, and the view from our corner hotel room (Reese’s parents hooked us up) certainly did not disappoint.

Cook Inlet on one side...

Chugach Range on the other side...

We spent the day taking it easy and exploring Anchorage. We stopped in a couple shops downtown, and I thought the coolest shop was probably the Oomingmak Musk Ox Producers Co-op. I’m not much of a “shopper,” but I have to admit the fiber from the musk ox was a remarkably soft and warm. Hope things cool off some, otherwise I think the hat Reese picked up is going to be a bit warm!

Reese sporting her new Qiviut hat

We drove around a bit and tracked down a couple of fly shops.  We stopped in McAfee’s Fly Shop first and didn’t hear any promising news  (although he was helpful and forthcoming with info).

Reese snuck this pic in... getting the bad news

I wasn’t quite ready to give up so we checked out the World Wide Angler shop. It was a sweet shop and was HUGE, but unfortunately the news there wasn’t any better than at McAfee’s. Fly fishing Alaska in late November just wasn’t meant to be for me. Guess I’ll just have to come back in season!! Ended up talking skiing for a bit with the WWA crew and I’m hoping we can work in some skiing time at Alyeska before we head home. Looks like they’re going to open up in the next day or two.

I woke up on day 4 wondering how I was going to top day 3… I knew full well that I had my work cut out for me, but why not try?? Reese decided to sleep in and explore town while I went in search of more wild trout. I started off the day on a certain little creek in the park:

so many fishy hideouts and so little time...

Bounce a caddis off a boulder.. fun and productive game

 Caught some great fish that morning, lots of rainbows and a few small brookies… gave me a good chance to do some more experimentation with the underwater capabilities of my camera.

Staring me down...

Tried this one with the flash...

Enjoyed the reflection on this one

 I was having a lot of fun exploring the creek, but I was starting to itch for something a little different. I remembered noticing a creek running through a nice meadow during our hunt for Goldens. Decided to give it a shot…

Surrounded by mountains... clear cold water, undercut banks, overhanging vegetation... a dream

I explored this thing up and down… had to fight a strong headwind all morning and early afternoon. Caught lots of small brookies and browns, but not many rainbows. In a lower section of this creek I started catching some larger silvery rainbows… obviously stockers. Packed it up after dragging in a couple  of them… travel over a thousand miles for stockers!

After taking a break for a couple hours to eat with Reese back in Mammoth I closed out the day back in the park. I had a few friends land on me when I got out of the car after arriving and new it was going to be  a nice late afternoon/evening.

yum

Bugs were everywhere and the fish were definitely happy. They were so happy in fact, I didn’t even notice the mosquitos on my shins until the next day… I don’t know if it was just because I knew we were headed for San Fran the next day or what, but it seemed like every fish I caught that evening was extra colorful and special. 

Rainbow in the sun

Rainbow in the Shade

It was hard to make myself leave. The fishing was crazy good, the fish were crazy pretty, and I knew I wouldn’t have a chance to do something like this for a long time… but I really didn’t want to take the Tioga Pass down at night. It was intense enough in the day with the rental’s shakey/squeeky brakes. I ended up being glad I left a little before dark… The sunset on the drive home was a great way way to close out a day fishing.

A few of the shots out the window turned out surprisingly well

Thought the moon was a nice touch

 What a great time in the Sierra’s. Nearly everyone I spoke with about the trip before we left kept telling me how the Sierra’s were the most impressive, beautiful, enjoyable mountains anywhere… I was afraid that I was going to think they were overrated. Not at all…. Not one bit.

Got in late last night after a pretty eventful day of traveling… I’ll fill you in on details later…Havent figured out the wifi situation at our place in mammoth lakes yet. Hope to figure it out later so I can post some reports in the evenings, but if I can’t figure it out I’ll post once we get to San Fran/napa. Time to go track down and check out the breakfast and then go find some WILD trout.

Storm Much? (image courtesy of weather.com)

I’ve decided the vacation is definitely necessary. With only minimal time on the water the past couple weeks and a predicted lousy week and half coming up… It’s time to get outa here for a while.

THANKFULLY, Reese and I have access to some frequent flyer miles that need to be burned.  I’m not the most accomplished traveler around… so I thought this would be a good oppurtunity to tap into the collective experience of everyone reading out there.

These are the options:

SouthWest's Route Map

What do you think? I’ll definitely be looking for some fun water to fish, but having things to for Reese to enjoy (other than fishing!) will be just as important!! We’re thinking Aug 1-8th will work out the best schedule-wise. Can’t wait to hear your advice!