On to Missoula, MT

Crawled out of the sleeping bags at 9am, after the sun had appeared. Broke camp, went in to Stanley to grab some coffee and then headed to Missoula, about 300 miles northeast. The trip took longer than anticipated due to the curving roads that follow the Salmon River most of the way, and the fact that we slowed down in so many spots to play tourist. Moving through forested canyons and mountains, arid canyons and mountains, and everything in between, we are constantly amazed at the impressive scenery at every turn. The last stretch was along the Bitterroot River, and with the fresh snow falling on the peaks of the Bitterroot range, it was a very nice drive in to Missoula. We have checked-in to another small motel, this one near the University of Montana campus. Our brief drive-around this afternoon impressed us enough that we will probably spend a couple of nights here to take care of logistics and see the town before heading back to camp, fish, etc. Besides, there are so many options in this area/state for a fly-fisherman, we need to some planning in order to find the optimum camping/fishing combinations. Who knew? Very good lunch. No huckleberry pie as we had read about, but we did indulge in a huckleberry ice cream cone

Parting shots from Stanley

The Stanley area was all that we had heard it would be, and more. But after waking up three straight mornings temps around 28 degrees and mix of snow and rain coming tonight, we shortened our stay here and headed for Missoula, MT a couple of days early. While at our campground, we were entertained by the chinook salmon on their redds, the many osprey tending to the young ones in the nest, and the river otters floating by on their evening feeding forays. We witnessed the osprey diving into the river, and struggling to lift-off after snagging small trout, and then flying/gliding up and down the canyon trying to gain lift enough to reach the nests perched on the tops of power poles. The otters went with the flow as the current carried them downriver, all the while constantly diving in groups of two or three, and resurfacing just long enough to gulp down their prey. One thing we have observed is that more and more folks are travelling with their dogs - and most just have a difficult time observing campground rules regarding keeping the dogs on a leash and picking up after them. The campsite next to us had four dogs that were generally well-behaved and kept on a leash, but were never picked-up after. And we had one instance where we returned to camp to find one dog's leash allowed it within leg-hiking distance of our tent - not cool. A campfire on the river bank - can it get any better? This guy catches fish - enough to feed the whole family! The Kasino Klub - great prime rib and salad bar Spent a lot of time here Spent too much time here - fantastic place for breakfast and lunch