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July 19, 2026July 18, 2026

Fishing the Dry Fly

At least one excursion a week is focused on fishing. From May to August those pursuits are primarily in search of dry flyfishing opportunities.

We started flyfishing on the North Fork of the Flathead River, casting Royal Wulff patterns to West Slope Cutthroat Trout. Catching a fish off the surface of a river is, to me, the most fun.

These last couple of months we’ve been chasing the Caddisfly hatches on the Crooked River.

Starting around Mother’s Day and extending to early July, there are a series of these emergences nearly daily. Just before and during the hatch, fishing is optimal.

The biggest challenge with Caddisflies is they hatch, shuck out of pupal skin, and fly off to the bushes at dawn and dusk.

On the Crooked dusk in July is hot and windy . . . kind of miserable and not the best fishing conditions. But on the high desert mornings are typically much cooler and calmer.

All these insects are a boon to the birds, as well as the fish

We’ve been very successful leaving the house about 6:30 (yes after sunrise, so not technically dawn) and being on the river about an hour later. This has connected us with some really successful fishing.

By the time the afternoon wind picks up, we’ve had nearly four hours on the water and are ready to have a cold one and call it a day.

We’re not going to stop spending mornings on the Crooked, but as we move into July and August the target species shifts to Small Mouth Bass on the John Day River, and then the futile pursuit of Summer Steelhead on the Lower Deschutes.

We’ll take you along on those journeys as well.

July 12, 2026July 16, 2026

Last of the Litter

Boo enjoying the winter evening his way.

Almost 20 years ago, as we started to move out of the house in Troutdale, a small black cat started hanging out in our front yard. Turned out . . . that cat was pregnant.

She and her 4 kittens joined us and our pack of 3 dogs in a 5^th wheel camper, as we built a new home on a hill in Sandy, Oregon.

The cat we called Greta, her kittens, Lewis, Clark, Ariel and Boo were primarily house cats.

Extra toe meant better chair scratching.

Their presence is still visible on most of our furniture.

This week we bid farewell to the last of Greta’s litter . . . Boo.

Greta couldn’t have been much more than a year old when we rescued her from the street.

The closeness in age of mother and kittens amounted to a series of aging pet vet visits over the last couple of years.

That came to a close this week.

Not really feeling like more of a blog post.

July 5, 2026July 4, 2026

Windy Day on the River

We spend a lot of time on the Crooked River. The drive is short and we find there are very few people mid-week. Plus, we never get tired of sitting by a stream.

Fishing is only part of it. We have a couple of spots that offer good access and plenty of shade. These places are familiar, and regularly offer up a surprise or two.

This week’s trip started early. We wanted to avoid the summer heat, nab one of our favorite spots, and avoid the early afternoon when the wind kicks up.

Willows starting to crowd the bank and obscure our views

The gusts got pretty strong. The willow bushes that line the bank were tossing little Lincoln Sparrows around, though these delicate birds never lost their steely grip.

The bird population was really active. Fledglings are out and about, so there is a mix of watchful parents and opportunistic predators.

It was nice to get reacquainted with the local fauna. This time of year activity picks up and we have great fun watching the circus.

After the July 4th holiday the campgrounds get a lot fuller and for longer stretches. We will start looking for more remote sites to keep out of the fray.

This is what ‘sitting by the stream’ looks like.

That said, we try to make a trip to the Crooked at least once a week . . . just to sit by a stream.

June 28, 2026June 27, 2026

River Side

There was a nice big Rainbow just behind that rock

We’ve settled into summer. The mornings are cool and the afternoons are hot, so we travel in the morning hours and are comfortably ensconced in AC by late afternoon.

This will be the rhythm of our days for the next few months.

Back on the Crooked River we’re looking for a Caddisfly hatch.

We have had lots of success on the river in the last few weeks. The dry fly fishing season is in full swing and the Crooked is at peak performance.

We were treated to a Great Blue Heron sunning on a rock. Usually they are kind of skittish and you don’t get much chance to grab a pix. This was not the case this day. He was quite satisfied to just lounge by the stream.

After a long rest the Great Blue Heron heads downstream

We then watched him as he fly-hopped along the edge of the water in search of his next meal. It was a real treat!

The Osprey flew by a few times, hunting the length of the canyon it seemed.

He did rest a few minutes on the other side of the river, passed with a fish in his talons and generally harassed the fish population on our stretch of the river. So I guess we were in similar pursuits.

June 21, 2026June 20, 2026

Van-life?

Central Oregon sunrise through morning fog

The heat of summer really started up this week with temperatures pushing toward 90º. High desert days, even the sweltering ones, usually start and end cool . . . sometimes even cold.

So we shift our travel to early mornings and are sheltered in AC with a good e-book by afternoon.

One recurring trip in June is a visit to the Adventure Van Expo in Hood River, OR. It’s a gathering that started with enthusiasts connecting with van conversion companies and has gained in popularity and of course, size.

Our trek has been to find a good way to travel and live semi-off grid in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest.

In the spring of 1998 we paid twelve hundred dollars for a 1972 VW Westfalia camper. A bright blue Vanagon that served us very well for a decade.

Along the eastern edge of Oregon lies Hells Canyon, this was one of many excursions along that part of the state

Transporting not just JQ and I, but also three Border Collies across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.

On a late fall camping / fishing trip to the Lower Deschutes a wet dog walked shivering up from the river to the van. We wrapped her in a wool blanket, fed her and the next morning made inquiries at the Maupin General Store.

Sage, an ancient Golden that literally wandered into our lives

We called her Sage. She turned out to be a great companion for Maggie (our six month old puppy) during her hip surgery ordeal. While in Montana, Sage showed Maggie how to ‘chomp’ a soft serve ice cream cone. Good times!

There was an attempt to re-kindle the wanderlust briefly in a poor copy of the Westfalia.

Eurovan parked in Greys Creek Campground on the Gallatin River, Western Montana.

A Winnebago build on a VW Eurovan that never lived up to the experience we enjoyed with the German design.

These days Class B RVs are way too expensive, stuffed with unnecessary tech, adorned with bling and usually built on a diesel Mercedes chassis that could be a nightmare to get serviced.

This year’s trip to Hood River promised a different camper van. DM Vans builds on a Dodge RAM ProMaster with a minimalist approach. An online discovery spurred memories of that old Westfalia.

Very comfy seats and lots of window space, both pluses

DM offers a practical layout, well built cabinetry and windows that let the outside in. Plus, no flat panels or multi-speaker audio systems, just clean basic design. It’s a van conversion with ample solar power to allow for off grid adventures.” It really is “Everything you need, Nothing you don’t. “