Blackfoot River - Montana

Another iconic fly-fishing river in Montana - and the setting for the incredible novel and movie A River Runs Through It. Leaving Rock Creek, we knew we were headed for the Blackfoot, but we should have known that we were going to experience our recurring problem of finding the right campsite. Relying on advice from an article, we first ventured toward River Junction campground which was an 18-mile round-trip on a dirt Forest Service Road. The rain of the past two-days made us glad we had 4-wheel drive. And after making the drive in, the totally empty campground, along with the posters along the way differentiating black bears from grizzly bears (for the benefit of hunters), convinced us that this wasn't the place. On down the road to another campground with no occupants and fresh bear scat and we were on our way to another. The next stop was perfect - on the riverbank and in the trees and occupied by other campers! The advantage of finding camping spots after Labor Day is that we don't have to worry about crowds - the disadvantage is that we don't want to be the only campers in Grizzly territory - such a dilemma! The river was a little murkier and faster due to the rains, but settled down by our last day and I was able to have some good fishing on dry flies - the ultimate. The pictures don't accurately reflect the multi-colored rock around here that results from some geological explanation that is over my head - but they sure are purty! Charlcie spent a lot of time around the campground taking shots of the rocks. Don't know what this guy's name is, but enjoyed his visit at the campsite We've seen bee hives all over the west and most are quite colorful Bow season starts this week, so this guy better do a better job of hiding Good night, Montana

Rock Creek - Puyear Ranch (Morgan-Case Homestead)

Deserving of a post of its own is the Puyear Ranch on Rock Creek. The Forest Service is maintaining the ranch and it is something to see. The more than 30-mile drive on rough, sometimes single-lane, winding road was worth it to see this place. It is an astounding old ranch to visit, even if fishing were not involved. Massive 300 year old ponderosa pines set among a massive meadow, bordered by Rock Creek, with the canyon wall lining the backside, groves of aspen, and the old homesite make this one of the most impressive places that we have visited - and not known to too many folks. Charlcie was most impressed as she relaxed on the riverbank while I fished - and the fishing was rewarding! Can you spot me among the monster trees? The river runs at the base of the canyon in the background Another example of the size of these special trees Beavers aren't intimidated by the size of the trees. By the way, I caught a couple of nice cutthroat trout right here We did have rain for two days which didn't affect the beauty Wild turkey making a quick escape Spruce moth which are plentiful in the forest. Flies made to mimic these beauties are excellent trout producers here

Rock Creek - Montana

Rock Creek is a 60-mile long freestone creek that is located about 30 miles east of Missoula. We had not known about it until I was checking some saved fly-fishing magazine articles. A little further research resulted in a very pleasant surprise. At the exit off I-90, there are only a couple of commercial establishments, a long-established fly-shop and and even older restaurant. And then you head up a mostly dirt road into the canyon. We found a very nice campsite overlooking the stream amid huge pines. The fishing on this stretch was not too productive, but we were pleased nonetheless. A half-mile walk down the road was a very cool swinging pedestrian bridge which we had to visit a couple of times. On the way in, there was a large herd of rocky mountain sheep just relaxing in a pasture - we saw them a couple of times and then they just disappeared. White-tail deer and wild turkey were the other wildlife we saw on the road. We experienced the darkest nights here - literally could not see our hands in front of our faces. They really are wild, but not too shy View from our campsite

Two days in Missoula

We have spent a very pleasant two days here in this university town that reminds us of Fayetteville in many ways. Other than gathering provisions, washing clothes, etc., we decided to take some time to just see the town and the campus. There are 9 historic districts in Missoula and the homes are very attractive. The little motel we are staying in is a couple of blocks from the university and across the street are some colorful abodes that serve as student boarding houses. Had to get a picture of the football stadium for the sports fans, and also included a picture of the switchback trail that goes straight up the mountain on the backside of the campus - we observed a lot of students using their Labor Day to take a hike here (you can probably see some in the picture). We also spent a couple of hours (and could have stayed longer)in a terrific bookstore that featured new books for unbelievable prices - we were so impressed we dropped a $100 on books - don't know where we are going to put them for the duration of the trip, but couldn't pass on the opportunity. We are headed out in the morning for Rock Creek and then on to the Blackfoot River, before moving on downstate.

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

Sun Valley/Ketchum

Slooooow to crawl out of the sleeping bags this morning - 28 degrees for the first of several mornings of the same. Today is our day to visit Sun Valley/Ketchum area, the former haunt of Hemingway, home of the Sundance film festival, and some great skiing. It's obvious that some of the rich and famous have homes in this area - a little rich for our blood, but we were in the area so had to see it. It is another beautiful area and has a certain appeal - actually Hailey and Bellevue were more quaint and more to our liking. At the top of my list today was to fish the Nature Conservancy protected area (thanks to Averill Harriman and Jack Hemingway and others) of Silver Creek. After making a few wrong turns and seeing more of the country side than intended, we arrived too late for the fishing, but we did take account of the area. This incredible spring creek will be a future destination for sure, even if the fish are difficult to catch according to some. We watched in the gin clear water as countless wild rainbow trout surfaced all around to sip on the mayflies that were hatching. So many pretty horses out west We watched this guy sipping mayflies for some time. Be sure to click on him to get full picture This little mayfly wanted to go home with us. Actually only about 1/2 inch long Hemingway memorial in Ketchum