Photos from the field

The heat of summer is setting in and it seems like spring was barely a whisper this year. We had a few blissful days in between the blizzard season and the 90-degree days of July. As the seasons change so does the landscape. So many of my photos don’t make it to my fishing posts. For that reason “Photos from the field” was created.

Bad Luck-Big Wheel Breakdown

Some of the places I fish are rural, secluded and otherwise out in the middle of nowhere. Driving to these locations can be half the adventure. One early morning I come across this sight. Looks like little Johnny broke down on the big wheel and had to shoe-leather express it the rest of the way to the bus stop (or it may have just been a piece of junk that fell off of someone’s truck.)

(Above: Broken down big wheel with the sign for the school bus stop in the background. This photo op reminded me of all the times I missed the school bus as a kid.)

Make a wish…make it big.

(Above: Yellow Salsify in seeding mode. This is like the dandelion you blew out as a kid except this one is nearly six inches in diameter. I guess this is for big wishes, right?)

So many shades of Nature…

There are so many shades to nature’s tapestry of colors and each one is just as surprising as the next. The transition from spring to summer this year on the tapestry scale has gone from white to an explosion of green.

Yellow sweet clover has taken over sections of the Front Range this year blending bright yellow patches with the darker green grasses that are now starting to seed. This is a huge color contrast to the same area that was filled with wild sunflower last year. Nature is sort of my own personal reality TV Show that rarely offers reruns.

(Above: Nearly a full blanket of yellow skirting a body of water that does not allow any fishing whatsoever. A pretty sight mixed with a bit of forbidden desire. Many of my water-scouting missions end this way.)

(Above: Close up shot of sweet color with yellow blossoms. This stuff can create a sea of yellow, white and even purple –more the alfalfa clover variety. Nutritious forage for livestock and wild game as well as a strong source of nectar for honey bees.)

(Above: Now this may seem a bit gratuitous on the yellow sweet clover pictures but I just can’t help myself. Last year this exact same field was populated with wild sunflower. The year before that it was something else. Nature has a way of rotating her own crops. #$$%^&* amazing!)

Terrain may vary

There are many types of terrain that must be traversed in life and some more formidable than others. There is this place called “The City” and it is a jungle of steel, glass and concrete. This place has many wonders and can have the same awe-inspiring affect to some people as if they were taking their first step into the Amazon. The city can be a wonderful place but I still consider it “formidable terrain” for many reasons.

(Above: Downtown Denver heading south looking at a shimmering tower of steel and glass. This jungle is not without it’s magic but there is very little fishing.)

The one that got away…

Late afternoon and I had face hours of blazing hot sun one minute and then heavy rain the next. Me and the tooner even took some light hail. I was soaked, sweating and all around miserable by the time I reached the truck. The wet clothes were stripped off and I was driving home in my boxer shorts. That’s right. Too #$%% lazy to put on the extra pair of clothes that were sitting in the pack next to me. Too busy thinking about beer.

Realize that whenever my focus slips or I take shortcuts a price is usually paid for that short sightedness at some point. This would be no exception. The rural farm road was soaked and bore little traffic. On the side of the road I pass by what seems to be a large hat. Out of the corner of my eye I see that it is a large painted turtle trying to cross the road.

“That thing is huge!” I exclaim racing the truck to a spot where I could turn around. “I gotta get a picture! And then help it cross the road.”

Realizing that I am less than properly dressed and not wanting to shock\frighten\completely gross out my two or three readers with shots of me holding the painting turtle in my boxers…I chose to take an extra 5 minutes and put some clothes on. That 5 minutes cost me the shot. Some do-gooder bicyclist stops and ushers the turtle back into the tall grasses where it came.

No Picture-FAIL!

“Sonofa!” I exclaim putting my arm through the last sleeve. “That would have been the biggest painted turtle I have ever caught.”

The guy didn’t realize that the turtle was most likely trying to get across the street to the private farm pond on the other side. There she could lay her eggs in relative piece and not deal with the high level of angling traffic that lies across the road. Nothing left to do but turn back around and head home.

Thanks for putting up with these additional excerpts now and then. Just trying to mix things up in between my shameless bragging.

Good luck and good fishing.