2003-10-08 - 10:55 a.m.
My friend Dave was at the show last evening. He’s my fishing buddy here in Colorado. I had a look at our schedule and quickly figured that there would be no time for fishing on this tour. He and I have snuck away for a few hours of fishing in the past and he’s disappointed that I didn’t bring my fly rod. In the morning the band heads off for our next show, which is in Durango. Dave had picked out a few places we would be able to fish on the way but, alas, it was not to be.
After a beautiful drive through Wolf Creek Pass we arrive at Ft. Lewis College. It’s a nice theater and we’re treated well. The crowd was small but enthusiastic. After the show Dave and I decide to travel together to Gunnison and fish along the way. He graciously offers to let me use his fishing rod. We’re up early and have a quick breakfast in the hotel restaurant. As we’re eating I glance out the window behind the restaurant just in time to see a steam train go whizzing by. The tracks were just behind the rear of the building about 30 – 40 ft. away. I quickly drop my fork and run out back in time to be bathed in the acrid, coal smelling steam cloud that followed the engines passing. Before we left another train went by with carloads of tourists. It was the Durango-Gunnison narrow gauge railway! Some day I’d love to take that ride!
The trip from Durango is unbelievable! The road winds up and up through vast National Forest lands. At points the road emerged from out of the dense forests onto ridges with far-flung views of mountains many miles across valleys far below. Coming out onto one such ridge, the road curved around to the north and started down a long grade. Down below was the town of Ouray. The town was laid out in a grid with a clearly defined main street. It looked like a train set. Storefronts, with their western style facades, were clearly visible, even from this distance. It seemed a perfect little mountain town in a perfect little valley nestled amongst some of the most beautiful mountains I’d ever seen.
Dave and I had been debating whether or not I should get a fishing license. He tells me that in the 27 years he’s been fishing the rivers of Colorado, he has never been asked to show his license to a warden. Based on this information it was decided that I should not get a fishing license. I kept looking for likely spots to fish and seeing some, but the fact that I had no license was in the back of my mind, so I kept passing by the ones that looked fishy. When we got down into Ouray I said, “I’m getting a license at the first place I see.” We stopped in at a sporting goods store on the main drag. A sweet old lady sold me the license and said that Mine Creek would be a good bet as it was not too crowded. We drove on up there and as she said, it was pretty much deserted. Dave ties a nice Elk Hair Caddis and he tied one on for me and I set to casting. Well I didn’t have any luck on Mine Creek but it sure was beautiful. Fly-fishing is not like riding a bike and it took a while for me to get my chops back. I had some good floats but no takers.
We got to Western University in Gunnison in plenty of time to load in. We played for a small but happy crowd. Afterwards our friend Anne had a nice get together in her motel room. It was a great day and I couldn’t thank Dave enough for taking me fishing and letting me use his gear. It was a fabulous day!
