From THE DESERT to THE MOUNTAINS – Palm Desert / Idyllwild, CA…

Nadia, Miles and Planettrout took a ten day trip down to Palm Desert and its environs to fry in the the 116 degree heat and visit a place( Idyllwild, CA )in the nearby mountains to cool off…

Base camp…one simply does not go outside in the heat of the day…

White reflects heat…built into Nadia’s design of this house…

Pretty Bougainvillea ..at dusk…

While we were there, I went through a collection of photos I had not seen since 1977. Most of them will appear a different places in this BLOG soon…

Nadia cooked up some great meals while we were in Palm Desert…Prochuitto and melon…

Lamb Chops and mashed potatoes…

Miles , John Wayne and Omi…

Palm Desert sunset…

Puffy clouds at midnight in Palm Desert…

The route from Palm Desert to Idyllwild, CA…depending on traffic, it can take awhile to get up there…did I mention complete halts and flagmen ???

Up da’ mountain, Palm Desert below…

Cloud lake , had me fooled, up in the mountains…

A pretty meadow close to our destination…

Looking South at the opposite end of the meadow…

Masked guy in front of Mountain Mikes…he scored some neat stuff there…

Some necklaces for Lil’ Moo…

A leather bracelet with a magnetic closure for Big Moo (Michael Barker)…

A local bakery…

Miles wanted me to buy this ride for him…

The obligatory visit to the candy emporium…

Red Vines…Mmmmm

Masked Banditos wait for their order of Submarine sandwiches…We decided to drive down to Hemet Lake and have lunch by the water…

Waiting for the flagman…on the way down the mountain…

Some of the mountain homes in the area…Arriving at Lake Hemet…need to purchase a day pass to park at the lake…

This looks ok…

Miles decided to get his feet wet after lunch…

Flowering trees along the road on the drive back down to Palm Desert…

More flowering trees…

 

Miles…sporting his necklaces while we stop for some photos in this really spectacular environment…

Panorama of Lil’ Moo and the mountains…

Miles and Mama (Nadia) posing…

Cairn in the clouds…and NO…I don’t ever put these things up…I detest them on Trout waters…

Mountain view…

Desert cactus…

More sharp vegetation not suitable for sitting on…

A final look North of the mountains…

Back at the Casa to watch the sun go down…

 

NEXT: Some RETRO stuff…

 

 

PT/TB

 

 

 

 

 

The Little North Fork of the Clearwater River…

Ally, Nick and Hero and their friend Blaine took a short trip over to the Little North Fork of the Clearwater River this past weekend (August 22-23) to camp and look for some Cutthroat Trout. Their trip was cut short on Sunday by the appearance of a rather large bear which necessitated a hasty pack-up and split…🤪

HERO… on the look out…

A view of driving up in the mountains…

Are we getting close yet ???

More mountain road…

Almost there…

On the other side of the bridge.

This is the spot…but not enough space. So just before dark, a move further upstream…

Where they woke up to this sight…

Nick wades in… but not with the 9′,5wt. Winston Nexus fly rod and Tibor Clearwater reel I gave him to use along with a bunch of leaders, tippet and flies…doh…old habits die hard…

Nice hole…loaded with fish…Another view of the tail end of the hole from above…

Nick hooks up … using (gasp) worms…

A look upstream…with right kind of rods leaning up against the tree…

A confab with Ally & HERO…

A Cutty in hand…Nick caught ten fish out of this hole…

HERO …after being unceremoniously tossed in the 4X4 after the encounter with Mr. Bear – which no one documented…

 

NEXT: …a trip with Nadia and Lil’ Moo from the desert to the mountains and back…

 

PT/TB

 

 

 

 

ANIMAL HOUSE…

So Ally sent me this photo last night which pretty much sums up her life in lockdown in Pullman, WA while she is attending Washington State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine. Just about everyone in her 2nd. year class has animals, including cows and horses. This is why we have great Vets. !!!

Ally and “Tater Tot”, HERO’s new best friend. “Tater Tot” is blind. She belongs to one of Ally’s study partners and likes to perch on Ally’s shoulders…

HERO in his usual mode when friends don’t drop by…

 

NEXT: Working on a tying SBS…

 

 

PT/TB

Another year…but who is counting ???

On June 18th, I celebrated 26 years of sobriety. Which is a big deal for someone who could not stop starting. I celebrated this year’s cake tour with my family at home where – it was most most appropriate considering the experiences I went through in the last year and being made acutely aware of my limitations by some very good doctors…

The medallion…

Cake from my family with Lil’ Moo…just grateful to still be above ground and breathing…

 

Next: A tutorial I never posted on the Retro Caddis and a fish or two by Michael on the East Branch of the Croton…

 

 

PT/TB

Finally…The North Fork of the Clearwater River…

It has been a long Winter and Spring. None of the family have gone anywhere except frequent Zoom meetings to keep up with what’s going on and the rapid growth of my new Grandson Cairo, who is not ready yet to make his appearance on this BLOG. Ally, HERO and Nick broke the ice with a brief venture over to the North Fork of the Clearwater River in Idaho to wet a line…

Somewhere in Idaho where it’s real green…

An anticipatory HERO on the road…

The North Fork of the Clearwater River in Idaho…looking upriver…

Looking down river…

HERO and Nick doing their thing…

A Cutthroat Trout to hand in net…

Ally’s butterfly feet…

A pooped HERO….

The view around here for the last two months…Lil’ Moo (Miles) and Mom (Nadia)…

 

 Next: I will come up with something to fill the void…

 

 

PT/TB

MUSSO and FRANK and DESERT in SILVERLAKE…

Michael and Aimee flew out from New York in mid-October to spend time with the families and to visit a favorite eatery in Hollywood. In the next posting, a baby shower for Aimee in San Clemente to welcome a new male member of the Barker clan who, for the time being, we call “Baby Bean”…

 

In the parking lot…

Old menu in the hallway entrance from the parking lot…check the prices…

Nadia gives side eye while Greg looks for something VEGAN…

Aimee and Miles…

The gang…Michael, Aimee, Mini Moo, Nadia and Greg…

Bet ya’ can’t just eat one slice of this sourdough…

Part of the menu…

Caesar Salad !!! Yummmmmmm…

Something I can longer have…

No Pacino, Pitt or DiCaprio at the bar…

There they are…in the MOVIE

My parents always sat in the empty corner booth on the far right. I have been coming to M&F since 1950…

Shrimp cocktail that Miles thought was gross…Big MOO finished it off…

Creamed Spinach…Bernaise Sauce 👍👍👍👍

Rings & Fries…

NY Steak…medium rare !!!

Linguini for Mr. Vegan – Greg

The last guy to finish eating – always…

Can’t take these two guys anywhere…

I texted Ally and asked if I could have one for digestive purposes…Yeah, RIGHT DAD !!!

This I can have…

Desert Menu…

Oh yeah…Crème Brûlée…

Something that Nadia had…Cheese Cake…New York style with strawberries…

Parking lot group photo…

A Latte and more desert in Silverlake on Sunset Blvd. …

Big MOO with Ice Cream…

Miles and Dad…

 

NEXT: Welcoming “Baby Bean” in San Clemente…

 

 

PT/TB

 

Big MOO Day on The East Branch of The Croton River…

I was under the impression that Michael would be traveling to upstate New York to spend a day on the East Branch of the Delaware but he fooled me and decided to fish closer to home outside of New York City. He had a good day…

 

East Branch of the Croton on one of Michael’s previous visits…

Sunday, November 3, 2019…

Nice Brown to hand…

Blowdown on the East Branch of the Croton River…

A Rainbow…

Another Brown…

Flat section of the East Branch of the Croton River…

Last Brown…All were caught on the two fly patterns below. A Black Serendipity designed by Kelly Galloup and my Buffalo Jump…

Brown, Winston BIIX, 9′, 5WT., Tibor Reel & Hat of MOO…

 

Next: A visit to Los Angeles by Michael, Aimee and “Baby Bean”.

 

PT/TB

Lochsa, Selway Rivers and Marble Creek…IDAHO…Fall 2019

So I informed Ally that I need some photos of water and fish to add to the BLOG while I am slowly recovering from my kidney surgery. She, Nick and Hero are always happy to oblige so I can get my thrills vicariously during this down time. Michael and Aimee came out last week (October 18) for her baby shower in San Clemente, CA for my new Grandson, expected to arrive in January 2020. I will post some photos of that fun experience by the beach and another family visit to the fabulous Musso & Frank Grill in Hollywood the next day…

The Lochsa River , October 5, 2019…

Marcus Point Trailhead Bridge over the Lochsa River…

Another view…on the bridge…

Above the Lochsa River on a cloudy and cold morning…

Some Lochsa whitewater…Well, this can’t be staged…good work Ally !!!

Another view downriver…I would break my neck trying to negotiate that terrain right now…

This is an attractor dry pattern that was developed for this river called the “Lochsa Special” – tied here by Scott P. on a #12 dry fly hook…when I get back to tying, I will do about two dozen of these for my guys…

A cutty from the Lochsa that would probably like that fly…

Frosty, wet pine needle from a nearby tree on the Lochsa…

Some of the locals on the way over to the Selway River…

One approach to the Selway River…

HERO…Rockin’ the Selway…

Nice Cutthroat !

The Selway…broad and full of boulders…

One more Cutty from The Selway …

Ally and Hero, along Marble Creek, a tributary of the St. Joe River, October 26, 2019…This is a steam powered “Steam Donkey”near an old mill site on the creek…

Marble Creek…

Trail buds…Ally & Hero on a very cold day...

Tipped pines in the Marble Creek drainage…

Nick working the creek…there is a Trout splash just off his feet if one looks closely…

Nick with a hook-up…

Hero…needing to get in the mix …

 

 

NEXT: Some family stuff…

 

 

PT/TB

 

 

 

A New Journey…

I want to give a big thanks to the surgeons who removed my left kidney on Wednesday, September 4, in Westwood, CA. They had to deal with a bunch of scar tissue and adhesion from my previous abdominal surgery in May of this year, in order to safely remove the organ and attached clear cell carcinoma tumor. They said they got all of it and I now have a 7 inch horizontal scar under my left ribcage to mark the occasion. My daughter Nadia got me this lid because  almost everyone in this facility, who has served, wears one on their head to identify the branch and service they were in…

I was told it would be about 6-8 weeks of recovery before I feel somewhat “normal” again…There is considerable pain on my left side where the incision to remove the kidney was made…

 

NEXT: Some waters over in Idaho that Ally, Hero and Nick fished recently…

 

 

PT/TB

 

Big MOO on the Upper Deschutes River…

During his trip to Oregon, Michael visited the Upper Deschutes River a couple of times. These are some of the photographs he passed on to me … Although he didn’t catch any Trout of gigantic proportions, he caught a lot of smaller guys that kept him busy. The scenery was enough to keep him satisfied…

Checking in…

That is a dramatic shot !!!

Down in the canyon…

A  plunge pool…

The guy who took the photos…Michael, AKA Big MOO…

A Rainbow !!!

A lot of fishy water…

Along the cliffs…

Another view upstream…

Another small Rainbow Trout…

I want to be there ! …

Calm…

Sunset on the Upper Deschutes…

Brewskis…Three Creeks Brewing Company…

 

NEXT: I will be having surgery this week to remove my left kidney which has a cancerous tumor…it’s up in the air as to what my next post will be about…

 

 

PT/TB