Wilderness Adventure

Dear Family

Last Wednesday (May 23rd), Robbie and I hooked up with Marv Curtis and Vern Dellapiana at Grandma’s house to start a weekend wilderness escape prior to Robbie’s induction into the Air Force and embarkation for boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio starting on June 3rd. We didn’t leave SLC until 10:30 PM, so we stopped for the night in Pocatello. The next morning we drove to West Yellowstone. After getting all our fishing gear in order we drove to a stretch of the Madison River between the Hebgen Lake dam and Earthquake Lake, formed formed on the night of August 17,1959 as a result of an earthquake that measured 7.5 on the Richter scale and caused a massive landslide that blocked the Madison River. Many of us remember that night because we were staying at the Homer’s in Idaho Falls, and the earthquake caused the water in their pool to slosh back and forth, nearly emptying the pool.

Thursday afternoon’s weather was wet and wild, with snow and sleet moderating into steady rain. The river was swift enough that to cross it safely in thigh-high water required us to form a four-man chain and inch across the mossy river rocks. That day’s fishing was Robbie’s and Vern’s first try at fly fishing and maybe my sixth or seventh. Marv is way past avid and proved it by catching at least 30 fish in four hours compared to one for Robbie, one for me, and none for Vern. Nonetheless, the scenery was beautiful, the air crisp and clean, and every cast an adventure for the three novices.

That night we drive into Yellowstone to observe the wildlife, the rebirth of the forest after the fire in 1988, and the geyser pools. Calving season just ended for the bison, and the meadows were full of calves, yearling, and mature bison. It’s amazing that such adorable calves can come from such mangy cows. We saw several herds numbering between 50 and 100. We also saw lots of elk, sans antlers and looking the worse for wear after a long winter. We arrived at Old Faithful Inn just before sunset, but decided dinner was more important that waiting for the geyser. Robbie and I tasted the bison at the buffet, but he elected (and loved) the elk medallions and the rest of us went mainstream with rib eye steak. The drive back was under a clear, moonlit sky as beautiful as the drive in.

We started early the next day, reporting at the outfitters at 8:00 AM to meet our guides for a float trip down the Madison past Quake Lake. It was snowing as we changed into our gear, but the weather cleared into a gorgeous but cold spring day. We floated from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with Robbie and I in one boat and Vern and Marv in the other. With expert instruction, Robbie and I increased our catch to between 15 and 20 landed fish, with numerous strikes that we weren’t quick enough to land. This stretch of the Madison is world famous for fly fishing and portions of it were in the movie “A River Runs Through It.” It has been a catch-and-release river for over 40 years and has never been stocked with non-native fish. The fish we were catching were consistently 14-15 inches. Marv probably caught a hundred and landed a 20 inch rainbow.

Saturday we helped Marv open their family cabin on Hebgen Lake, took a side trip to Mesa Falls on the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River, and drove home in time to catch the Jazz game on TV.

It was a great weekend for some male bonding before Robbie leaves for major league male bonding in the USAF. After six weeks of boot camp at Lackland, he’ll have his first posting at the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey where he’ll train as a cryptologic linguist in either Chinese, Korean, Arabic or Farsi for 18 months. He won’t know what language he’ll be studying until he arrives in Monterey, but his aptitude tests qualified him for their hardest languages. After he fulfills his four-year commitment to the Air Force he’ll decide whether to pursue a career in the military or return to civilian life. We’ll keep you posted on his progress and will appreciate your faith and prayers for him while he serves.

Love to all,

Bruce

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