Days 38-41, June 27-30, Los Angeles, CA

For those of you new to OAFF(F), the numbered "Days" in the title of each  blog post refer to the number of days since I departed my home state of Pennsylvania on a four-month fly-fishing tour of the U.S.  On day 41 I completed the southern leg of my journey, and finally rejoined my wife Trish in Las Vegas for a brief respite from camping and fishing.

On day 38 I said goodbye to Therese Fleming and the Mysterious L.A. Sharker in San Diego and made the short drive up to Los Angeles, skirting the coast line much of the way.  It was a nostalgic trip.  I passed a couple of dozen buildings where I spent untold hours working with former clients and colleagues.  I quickly remembered the thing I miss least about southern California (having lived there 16 years) - the traffic.  Even at midday on a weekday when most people ought to be at work, there is a constant stream of cars in four or more lanes all the way from San Diego to Los Feliz.  Los Feliz is a community near Griffith Park north of downtown L.A., and the new home of my friend and long-time fishing buddy Bill Nelson, whom you may remember from my Florida reports of a couple of weeks ago.  Bill, his wife Lara and their two-year-old son Oliver live in a gorgeous and historic home, which they graciously shared with me for three days and nights.  The tall, graceful palms, the bright oleanders and jacarandas, the Mediterranean-like sun and moist ocean air - they all reminded me of what I miss most about southern California.  Oh, and the sangria and Bill's shrimp tacos and Lara's Tikla Masala - those were to die for.  Here are a couple of shots of me tying Red Worm flies in their kitchen:

On days 39 and 40 Bill and I rousted ourselves before dawn to make the half-hour drive to Santa Monica, and specifically Will Rogers State Beach.  I did a little surf fishing when I lived in the L.A. area, but I never got fully dialed in.  Bill recently had a couple of fishing sessions with local surf guru Larry Priest, and has learned to the read the surf pretty well.  So off we ventured down the beach, wading into the rising tide, marveling at the paddle-boarders and large dolphins lollygagging just offshore, dodging large groups of junior lifeguards, and casting Red Worm flies across big waves into the rips.  We were rewarded with numerous barred perch, a few yellowtail croakers and even a small leopard shark.  Check out this short video and enjoy the Jan & Dean music:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3jy7IZk9uc.

On day 41 I departed Casa Merriken/Nelson and made a short jaunt to Monrovia to visit another friend and long-time fishing buddy, Eric Laun, who lives next door to the house Trish and I shared during our entire 16-year stint in the Southland.  After a brief chat with Eric's wife Laura, Eric and I ascended the San Gabriel Mountains and took a short bike ride up the West Fork of the San Gabriel River.  Eric and I have fished there together many, many times, so it was great to revisit old home waters.  I could still remember the characteristics of each pool in the river.  And of course we caught lots of rainbow trout, mostly on little dry flies, and fortunately without encountering any rattlesnakes.  It was quite a departure from coastal surf fishing - a prelude to the trout fishing I'll soon be doing in the Rockies.

Then I was off toward Las Vegas, challenging the traffic on I-210 to effect my escape north.  I stopped in Barstow at an In-N-Out Burger joint, not wanting to leave California without a taste of my favorite fast-food burger in the world.  Good stuff!  Then it was on through the Mojave Desert, crossing into Nevada and finally into Vegas where the temperature was still in the high 90's at 9 pm.  When I finally arrived at Trish's sister's house, Trish and I hugged each other so hard, I can't even tell you.  There's only one thing I love more than fly-fishing and traveling, and that's being in the arms of the World's Greatest Woman!