Category: Uncategorized

“the grass is always greener”.

I have reservations for western trout fishing trips in June, July, August, and September. Trout fishermen from out west and other parts of the country travel to “The Driftless Area” in southwest Wisconsin for the trout fishing and for the beautiful country.

This morning I made campground reservations for the Driftless Area for three weeks in May. I will probably cancel my June, July, and August western reservations and instead spend three weeks each of those months camping and fishing the Driftless Area which is roughly three hours from home. Better to discover good fishing opportunities close to home. Also I will save a couple of thousand dollars in gasoline. This morning I found two inexpensive campgrounds in the Driftless Area, one a US Army Corp of Engineer Campground on the Mississippi River and the other a state park on the Wisconsin River. Because I have the Lifetime Interagency Senior’s Pass camping at the Corp of Engineers campground is half price, $13 a night, and that includes an electricity hookup. Best deal I’ve ever had.

In September I have two weeks reserved at a campground near the San Juan River in northwest New Mexico. As of now I plan on going on that trip. My time fishing the San Juan almost three years ago is a fond memory.

In the middle of June I’ll be heading to the Big Horn Mountains for a month of camping and fishing. I’ll go home for a week.

Then to northwest New Mexico to fish the San Juan River for two weeks. I’ll be staying at Cottonwood Campground in Navajo Lake State Park.

After the San Juan River I’ll be heading to Cimarron Canyon State Park close to Taos New Mexico. It’s a beautiful spot with a beautiful small river. I’ll be camped at the state park for 3 days and nights.

Then I’ll be spending two weeks camped at Aspen Glade Campground, a National Forest campground near Antonito Colorado. The plan is to do some day hikes into some trout streams that feed into the Conejos River. I’ll then go home for a couple of weeks.

In the middle of September I’ll be back in northwest New Mexico fishing the SanJuan River for another 10 days.

The dates for the 2020 Sturgis Rally were changed to August 7th through August 16th. My reservations had me camping within 30 miles of Sturgis, South Dakota on August 14th and 15th. Sure don’t need that. A couple of days ago I canceled those reservations and changed my route. My original route went straight west from Milwaukee through Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wyoming to the Big Horn Mountains. Now I’ll go mostly west and a little south through Wisconsin to Iowa City, Iowa, then west through Iowa and Nebraska to North Sterling State Park in the Northeast corner of Colorado. My first night will be at a campground just west of Omaha, Nebraska. My second night will be at North Sterling State Park. This will be my 4th night at North Sterling State Park. Then I’ll head north across Wyoming to the Big Horns which will take me through Cheyenne, Laramie, and Casper. This route adds a half-day of driving but that’s ok. It’s one of the best things about retirement. Doesn’t matter if I need to add a day or even a week to a trip.

‘s

On Friday, August 14th I’ll be heading back to the Big Horn Mountains in north-central Wyoming. Sunday the 16th I’ll begin 5 days of camping at Tie Flume campground followed by 5 days camping at Prune Creek campground. The South Tongue Rivers flows through both campgrounds. Probably about the worst time to trout fish. Rivers are lower, slower, and clearer at the end of the summer. I’ll be at 8000 feet so it is cold at night. Hopefully, the cold nights keep the water from getting too warm.

For several years before I retired I was planning different retirement trips in either a converted cargo van or a trailer. One trip I planned is a trip north to south through the heart of the Great Plains. I’ve been kinda curious as to how traveling through the Great Plains for a long period must feel, the never-ending wide-open spaces. I’m sure this trip will seem strange to most people. The plan was always to start in the center of the Great Plains near the Canadian border, head south to Texas, and if I get too bored take a right and head towards the mountains. This morning I reserved a campsite at Sully Creek State Park, North Dakota for July 13th through July 17th. Sully Creek State Park is close to Medora, North Dakota. Sully Creek State Park is across the road from Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is open for day-use but the campground is closed. Then I’ll head south to The Black Hills, then to southeast Wyoming, western Nebraska, and northeast Colorado. If things are going well I’ll continue down to northeast New Mexico, and down into Texas. I suppose it will be hot.

Fished Tuesday morning on the Timber-Coulee without much luck. Had a couple on but they escaped. Started raining about 2:30 yesterday afternoon and didn’t stop until 10 pm. A stream runs through my campground at Sidie Hollow County Park. Around 8 pm a policeman drove through and stopped at every camper to warn about the possibility of flash flooding. The stream is about 50 feet behind my trailer. It was rising which was a concern but it never overflowed it’s banks.

A good friend of mine informed me that the area around The San Juan River is a COVID-19 hot-spot right now so on June 8th I’ll be heading back to the Driftless Area for a two-week fishing/relaxing trip. It’s less than a four-hour drive to a beautiful area. Fly fisherman from Montana fish there in May and June.

I had several trips planned for this spring and summer that I’ve canceled because the main intent of these trips was to visit friends. Can’t really do that these days. Going on a trout fishing trip is almost automatically a self-quarantine trip. Just won’t go to restaurants, fly shops, museums, etc.. I’m too old to get this virus. Damn shame cause Georgia O’Keeffe’s home, which is now a museum is about an hour and a half from my campsite. You have to make a reservation well in advance to take a tour. Maybe I’ll do that if possible.

August 20th I’ll head out to Navajo Dam NM and The San Juan River for 12 days of fishing. Better than sitting in my condo. New Mexico State Park Campgrounds are a great deal. My site has a concrete pad, concrete picnic table with an overhead, water, and electricity for $14 a night. I stayed at that same site in September of 2018.

My trailer is in the center.

Labor Day I’ll be starting an 11 day trout fishing and relaxation trip to the Driftless Area.

I won’t be updating this blog anymore. Usually I have a weak signal. At times I spend an hour or two creating and posting. Perhaps at the end of a trip I’ll post the whole trip.

Pretty sure I’ll be taking a week long trip across The Michigan Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin starting this coming Sunday. Tentative plan is to spend a couple of days camped a little north of The Mackinaw Bridge, cross Mackinaw Bridge, and go to Mackinac Island. After a couple of days I’ll go west to hopefully see a very old friend in Cornucopia Wisconsin and a friend in Superior Wisconsin.