Heading Home Tomorrow

Today is my last day in Wyoming until I return in July.  As this trip winds down I reflect on the events and sights of the past week.  We saw abundant wildlife – bighorn sheep, bison, bald eagles, pronghorn antelope.  We caught and released dozens of trout (and kept a few for tonight’s final dinner) - Yellowstone and Snake River fine-spotted cutthroats, German browns and rainbows - and a mess of whitefish destined for Chip’s smoker.  We waded in clear rivers with ice-crusted banks sparkling in the spring sun – the Shoshone, the Wood, the South Fork of the Shoshone, the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone – each framed by snow-streaked mountains and the high crowns of hoodoos atop canyon walls.  We drank bourbon and rye in Meeteetse’s Cowboy Bar, which purportedly once entertained Butch Cassidy and other famous outlaws, and tasted scotch in the bar at Cody’s Irma Hotel, which was originally owned by Buffalo Bill and named for his daughter.

Spending early springtime in the Rockies is a dubious endeavor.  The weather changes from hour to hour and the wind is often stiff and cold.  One day we fished high on the Wood River west of Meeteetse.  To the north was a fine sunny vista, but above us were thin clouds that alternately generated fluffy heavy flakes and fine blizzard-like blowing snow.  The view upriver to the south featured the steep slopes of some of the tallest mountains in the Absaroka Range, their crests swirling in clouds and wind-borne snow.  In this transitional time, evidence of recent elk and moose habitation existed all along the banks of the Wood, but it was also apparent that those animals had already begun their migration into higher country.

These experiences are heightened when shared with old friends.  In this case, two of my oldest friends – Don Walter (Chip) and John Boehm (Buck) accompanied me.  Chip's place near Meeteetse was our HQ.  Buck’s brother-in-law, Bob Bushmaker, who has a cabin similar to Chip’s near Butte, Montana, drove down with his black lab, Lou, to hang with us for a couple of days.   I’ve known Bob since the late 70’s when Buck and I drove out west together with a cargo of books strapped to the top of my car, stopping for a memorable evening at Bob's place.  I was planning to move to Idaho back then.  I didn’t, but it all worked out for the best.  I came back to Iowa after a few months,  and it was around that time I first met Chip, and not long after, met my wife, Trish.  All that happened over 30 years ago, and our relationships stand strong today.  Chip, Buck, Bob and I share a love for the outdoors and bonds of mutual experience that will likely last long into the future.  Here’s a picture that Buck took yesterday of Chip, Bob and me, suited up and ready to fly-fish the Clark’s Fork.

To wrap things up, here's a great picture, taken by Bob, of a gorgeous cutthroat trout characteristic of those that swim in many Wyoming rivers and streams:

Hard to imagine a better ending than that.