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Modern vacations take many forms depending upon the needs of the vacationers including rest, relaxation, excitement, achievement, and so forth. Our trip this year included two near death automobile events, a potential drowning, loss of financial funds, and disappointing chicken fried steak. We were noticeably short on rest and relaxation but we did have multiple humorous events from which future stories are sure to evolve (and grow beyond belief).

Someone once said that events (good or bad) come in threes. This trip was no exception, at least in the first 45 minutes (3 sets of 15 minutes?).

Meeting at JR’s at 5:45, we assembled the full deal team of Andy, John, Greg, Mike, and Al into the two vehicles, which were to go over to the fabled fishing lands in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. An extended cab pickup with a full bed comprised the workhorse carrying capability while a Chrysler Town & Country mini-van was more the genteel people mover. Now lest one become concerned over the participants in the rugged truck, please note the use of the same leather seats found in Cadillacs, surround sound stereo systems, air conditioning, etc. The caravan headed down the hill to the local Albertson’s to pickup ice, agree on community funds, last minute items. AM was selected to be treasurer as well as note taker this year with everyone chipping in $200 to get the treasury going. After loading up coolers with ice, picking up miscellaneous items, trying to hookup the CB’s for intra-vehicle communication, we head out to the freeway entrance onto I-90! Anticipation runs high as we plan to reach Boise in time for an evening fish on our first destination at the South Fork of the Boise River.

Rolling eastward in the overcast early morning light, AM tries to locate the trip notebook to record some mileages. Searching the vehicle while cruising forward at 70 mph, neither JR nor Mike can locate the notebook. Nor can anyone find the leather cash envelope containing the community treasury! Anxiety begins to overcome anticipation (at least for AM who is responsible for the community funds). The CB seems to have good effectiveness when the vehicles are close but the clarity rapidly diminishes with separation; this is different than the checkout test ran a few weeks earlier which showed about a 3 mile range for the CB’s. The decision in the mini-van is to go back and retrace out steps to try to locate the book and or monies. The Chevy rig (AB & GK) agrees to continue on; we’ll try to catch up.

In a very quiet and very fast return from Issaquah to Eastgate we return to the scene of the "crime" to reconstruct all of our steps. We even go back through the store to try to fully see where things may have ended up. No luck. Slowly pulling out of the parking lot, we creep onto the freeway entrance in a somewhat gloomy mood (matching the skies) when JR sees a black notebook with white pages flapping on the right hand side of the entrance; MS sees a dark envelope shape on the triangular shoulder on the left hand side of the entrance adjacent to the freeway. We dramatically and quickly stop with people emerging from all doors of the vehicle. The money envelope is found; the money is still in it! The black notebook is found but the attached pen is crushed with black ink Rosarch spots on the pages along with unidentified tire tracks! The mood turns sunny; the skies remain overcast but no one really notices! We are saved (at least AM is saved a big financial hit!)

Back on the road heading eastward with lots of chatter in the mini-van. The CB seems to be unable to raise AB and GK in the truck ahead. Repeated calling does not raise them. JR notices that the antenna fitting is not screwed into the base CB unit. We decide the impedance of several inches of air may be too much for the specific CB unit we are using. After plugging it in, we have multiple mile range again and quickly connect with AB and GK who have pulled off the road just a couple of miles in front of us. The group is re-united and cruising down I-90.

Just before we reach North Bend, there is a section of highway where 4 lanes go to three and the grade becomes a somewhat steeper climb. An eighteen wheeler with a fully canvassed apparently heavy flatbed load is grinding up the hill and moving from the closing far right lane to the adjacent lane. As we are cruising in the next but one leftmost lane, this has little concern for us except that for a small white car who decides to separate himself even from farther from the merging truck by changing lanes right in front of us without warning! Since AM tends to try to be aware of these possibilities we move easily over and slowed to avoid any nasty outcomes although without a rapid response we may have a rougher start to this trip!

So in the first 30 minutes of this adventure, we have lost (and found!) $1000, rediscovered the electromagnetic laws of electrical conductivity, and avoided a collision with a sleepy somewhat idiotic driver of another vehicle. All this excitement and we have not bought a fishing license or wet a line!

Our route takes on I-90 over to I-82, down to Yakima and to the Tri-cities. We take the Kennewick exit so one of us can deposit a check (this is a full service adventure trip!). The mini-van team (JR, MS, & AM) tend to think of themselves as a little more genteel so we found a Starbucks for some good java and picked up a great little CD with reggae tunes on it – they made great road tunes! Onward we traveled on I-84 over the Blue Mountains and finally into Idaho (speed limit now 75 not 70) and cruised onward toward Boise.

Reaching Boise, we got separated on freeway interchanges but through the CB’s we reconnected and met again by the airport and trundled on to Mountain Home where we were staying at the Super 8 motel. The hotel furnishings were fine; the weather was in the 90’s. Across the freeway were a Walmart and Kmart – we got our fishing licenses at the Wal-Mart; gassed up, and headed out to find the Anderson Ranch Dam and the tail water fishery on the S. Fork of the Boise River. The sun is still up pretty high even though it is about 6 pm when we head out the twenty miles or so to the river. We note that Mountain Home is very desert-like, with black rocks, no trees, flat, and in general not at all looking like its name would lead you to believe. Cruising out a two-lane blacktop road, JR is reading the map to locate the turnoff, which will be onto a dusty access road. We go by several historic markers including something about a Mirkle’s Cut-off from the Oregon Trail and a sign that mentioned something about Rattlesnake.

After almost 40 minutes of cruising we are starting to see signs for Sun Valley Idaho, which means we have gone too far eastward! Re-tracing our steps we see a sign to the Anderson Ranch Dam and decide that it is the way to go. Turning onto the dusty but well maintained road we forge back into the hills and after peaking over a hill, we suddenly look down on the dam and the tail water river below it. The water in the dam is dramatically low; we hear it is being drawn down for irrigation due to the multiple year droughts in this part of Idaho. Plunging down the hillside toward the dam, we cross the top of it and descend steeply down to the river below. Pulling into the first stop below the dam, we pile out to see what it is like. A smallish river with good current but imminently fishable. Bank access tends to be overgrown limiting easy back casting there. AB starts to fish with GK and MS; JR and AM elect to explore down river to see what it is like.

AB hooked up with a 16 inch trout on a stimulator with legs on an early cast! Continuing to flog the water until dark that was the only trout in that section which elected to play.
GK & MS worked the waters around that section without much success. AM/JR headed downstream. We didn’t see many trout rising but did find significant numbers of very large and aggressive mosquitoes! While the water in the reservoir seemed very low, the river flows were pretty manageable for wading; water temperatures seemed reasonably cool. As the light became low, AM fished a little section by a bridge; JR while helping to spot the fish noted a 30 inch rattlesnake resting on the rocks below the bridge. This was a little unsettling to AM who was fishing in shorts and sandals. Exiting the stream was performed in a very careful dance of foot placement. As the sun went off the water, we did not see any particular set of rises.

Heading back across the dam, we checked in back at the hotel and then went to dinner in the restaurant next door (AJ’s). The waitresses all seemed about 15-16 but all of them appear to be married which surprised us given their young ages!! The service was what I get at home from a teenager but the food was even worse. JR has their chicken fried steak – not good – maybe a ½ beak rating – this could be the all-time low score over the last couple of years!! We decided to try again at breakfast since it could not be repeatedly at the level we experienced and yet have the restaurant remain financially viable (and we had some coupons from the motel)!

We all trudged over to AJ’s breakfast hoping for the best; we apparently got much less than that however. My vegie omlette ended up with so-so eggs and grit in the broccoli. This seemed to be a harbinger for my morning fishing. After breakfast we headed back to the Anderson Dam to fish likely looking sets of water. Despite really fine looking water, we merely refined our casting techniques. Dredging a really heavy wooly bugger, AM hooks a huge sucker – really an ugly fish – the lips reminded me of Drew Barrymore but that’s another story from when you are on the road too long.

About noon with the sun firmly entrenched overhead, we elect to run into Boise to talk to the fly shops. It is almost an hour into Boise to find the shops – we should have stopped at them on Friday but we were unaware of the lack on any such shops in Mountain Home. We first visited the Idaho Angler on Vista Street ( http://www.idahoangler.com ) This was a pretty nice shop with lots of flies and some insightful advice which we could have used earlier!! The biggest hatches on the S. Fork of the Boise come off between 11 am and 5pm with the pink alberts (dry and emergers) as the dominant mayfly hatch. There will also be some activity on a stonefly nymph if one wants. Additional advice on the Big Wood and Silver Creek were proferred; Silver Creek were experiencing good trico hatches between 6am to 10 am and PMD’s from about 9am to 11 am. The recipe for success includes long leaders and light tippets of 6X and 7X. Sight fishing nymphs in the Nature Conservancy sloughs; also some damsel nymphs may look like a tasty treat to a fish or two. For the Big Wood, there is nymphing throughout the day. Above Hailey for the catch-and-release area, they recommended staying in the water (for access purposes) using nymphs such as Prince, Pheasant Tails, and Hares ears in sizes #14-16; there will be some opportunities for PMD, caddis, and pink alberts. The water is low so fish are easily stressed and easily spooked. A good access is to be heading north on the road to Ketchum above Hailey, turn right at the light by the hospital, go to a sharp curve in the road, park by the side, good access trail to and along the river bank. A good morning plan would be to be on Silver Creek between 5:30-6:00 am and fish until about 10:00 am and then head to the Big Wood River.

After stocking on "needed" fly supplies, we head further into the heart of Boise to the Mountain Stone Flies shop (also on Vista St.) where we get some more advice of essentially the same info and pick up a few more essential flies. Before heading back to the desolate desert of Mountain Home, we discover a Starbuck’s!! Thank goodness for civilization!! Really fine coffee when you need it! Even though it is 90+ F outside, it is pleasantly cool in the mini-van and makes for a nice civilized break.

Heading back to Mountain Home, we stop by Kmart to pick up some goods. Next to the store is a visitor’s center where we stop and inquire about the local history. The good folks there tell us that the town was originally planning on having the railroad go though it and have a station there. Unfortunately the town was about 10-15 miles east of where it now is. The town was then named Rattlesnake; the town fathers decided that they needed a better name to help attract the railroad so they renamed themselves to Mountain Home. Unfortunately, the railroad decided that it didn’t want to go that way due to the rocky hills and the extra distance of track that would need to be installed. Since the railroad would not come to the town, the town decided to move to the railroad which it did. Although, the previous area in the rocky hills didn’t strike us as very mountainous, the current location of the town in a flat desert area makes the name Mountain Home even more incongruous. It does, however, make for a great place for an airbase which the Air Force has used for quite some time.

After this informative history lesson, we proceed directly to the river for the evening fish. Now this is the first long trip of the mini-van for AM so there is a certain lack of familiarity with vehicle idiosyncrasies. However, the gas gauge shows 1/8 of a tank after reaching the river so we should be able to fish and get back to the hotel in fine fashion. However, after 7 miles along the river road, the gas gauges (both analog and digital) read Empty!! Now a quandary has appeared as to whether or not they are correct, and if they are not correct, to what extent are they incorrect? Seniority of experience makes one somewhat more conservative so after much discussion, AM decides to make the run into town for gas in the light rather than wait until dark to discover there is inadequate fuel. JR elects to ride shotgun for moral support (and the cool reggae CD). Coasting down hills and driving very carefully to conserve fuel, we make it to town for gas. The fuel volume would indicate we had less than a gallon of fuel in the rated tank capacity so we were starting to cut it pretty fine (fuel intakes are usually not at the very bottom of the fuel tanks!) We hustle back to the river to fish until dark with the hope for late night action!

Touching base with AB, GK, and MS, we learn that MS has found a new way to break off the rod tip (using a local bush seemed to work fine), fishing has been very slow, but the rattlesnakes are in abundance. AB/GK/MS discover a "cooperative" snake in a bush alongside the access trail to where they were fishing. After playing with it (via the tip of a 9 foot long flyrod – oh how careful we are!), the snake retreats deeply inside a bush. No one wants to reach in for it……..

JR & AM cruise up river along the road looking for fishing action. JR notices a rod/reel combo lying in the road! Pick it up. Nice outfit but no one around or looking for it! We pick it up; JR calls the manufacturer later (it has a serial number) to report it but as of this time, no one has reported such a loss that can be run down to return the outfit to the original owner.

We continue to fish a nice run of water but without success. As the suns dips below the horizon, darkness falls like a curtain. For a variety of reasons, everyone was out of the water and rigging up when a serious dark brown caddis hatch starts. AM hits a fish on a stimulator and everyone looks over and ooohs and aaahs. Then they start rigging faster. Another hit (and the traditional documentary yell –"Fish On!") from AM, this time no one looks up, just faster re-rigging. AM hits 4 fish in quick succession, all those able to get in the water quickly also start get fish on. After 30 minutes (at about 10 pm) the fish stopped rising, no more strikes, it was as if the fish had all left. Left the river finally at 11 pm. Not much open in Mountain Home, so our haute cuisine provencal was provided by our late night provider at Jaque-in-the-Baux.