Wine Time

This is the time of year to make homemade wine. All you need is fruit, water, sugar and yeast. Put it all in a bucket, let it ferment then bottle it. Next year at this time, invite some friends over drink this year’s wine and make more.
What could be easier?

Bighorn Aspens

Had planed another camping trip to the Middle Fork of Clear Creek in the mountains west of Buffalo, but snow was falling as I left Gillette on Saturday. Being prudent and not wishing to spend an uncomfortable night in the woods, I turned back.
Sunday morning was cool, the precipitation had abated and the sky began to clear from the west, perfect for photographing the mountain aspens. Generally about 40 miles from Buffalo one can see the Bighorns to the west, although the clouds remained thick over the peaks, I remained optimistic the sky would clear. Despite the green in the valley, several miles up highway 16, the snow covered the ground, and the aspens were at their golden peak. I spent the next couple hours hiking and taking photos, and whenever I got to a high vista I waited for the clouds to clear and reveal the snow-covered peaks. Eventually the sun came out, briefly, but the peaks remained obscured. At a particularly fine vista I waited and drank my thermos of hot tea, but instead of clearing, a foggy mist moved in on a bitter wind and snow began to fall, lightly at first, then it quickly changed to a furious squall. Since it was getting late, I decided to drive back and try again next weekend.
I can only hope the weather cooperates for my return and the trees maintain their brilliant autumn colors.

Return to Sand Creek

Now that the summer heat has abated and the colors of autumn are beginning to grace the creek side foliage, it is the perfect time to fish Sand Creek again. After arriving and setting up camp Saturday night, I walked and fished the shoreline upstream; this is an area I had not fished before, and I found it to be generously endowed with ample trout habitat, deep runs and waterfalls, and holes where fish are easily seen.
Despite all that, and investing several hours fishing the area north and south of camp that evening and another hour Sunday morning fishing north of Ranch A, no fish were caught by me.
After trying my luck at various other spots downstream, I accepted defeat and headed to the town of Sundance. Being early morning as I came into town, and remembering a 30 acre pond on Sundance Creek between the golf course and the fairgrounds, I decided to give it a try. Good thing, for there I found several playful ten-inch rainbow trout that prevented me from getting skunked.