________________________________________

4/10/13

Wild Rainbows of the Desert

My wife has noticed for a few years that our family trips tend to focus on either southern or eastern waters and expressed a curiosity for what lies out west.

Yesterday, I decided that she had waited long enough for an answer and we pointed our car toward Eureka!

This old town is rich with history and the family was fascinated as we made our way through. A stop to appreciate its charm was warranted.

 photo DSCN3911_zps33f1ef3a.jpg

 photo DSCN3912_zps47a77271.jpg

Porter Rockwell's cabin (a prominent local historical figure):

 photo DSCN3914_zps4cbd3b83.jpg

 photo DSCN3915_zps5781a82c.jpg

 photo DSCN3917_zps94bfa863.jpg

It's actually looking a bit better, these days. The last time I'd gone through there, I recalled more boarded-up windows and a "ghost town" kind of feel to it. If I had to guess, I'd say it's being revitalized in a few ways.

 photo DSCN3918_zps80606489.jpg

 photo DSCN3919_zps15298c68.jpg

With that behind us, we watched the landscape around us transform as we zipped along the dirt road.

 photo DSCN3920_zpsbb1bdfff.jpg

Soon enough, we arrived at the small and remote Cherry Creek Reservoir.

 photo DSCN3921_zpsafa73ee4.jpg

A cold spring surfaces only a short distance upstream, as well as a few within the reservoir, which is why these fish are able to survive the scorching summer temperatures that cook the region.

It had been several years since I last visited this water. In fact, it was the first fishing trip I took my Sentra on.  As I had left them years ago, the wild rainbows still looked the same:

 photo DSCN3922_zps14218ee2.jpg

 photo DSCN3924_zpsfd8bfa83.jpg

 photo DSCN3926_zpsa513b151.jpg

 photo DSCN3929_zpsf863c19a.jpg

Tiny and beautiful! Here's what could be considered a "big" fish for Cherry Creek Res:

 photo DSCN3928_zpsff52c5aa.jpg

It's hard to find prettier rainbows though.

 photo DSCN3930_zpsbc4548ad.jpg

Cool place, especially since it's out in the desert.

The wind was a real bother most of the time and my family didn't have any luck with the fish, other than a bite on my wife's spinner that shook off before it was landed. Everyone agreed that it was time to go.

There was one pretty nice pool-up area right below the dam, where I was able to get a really good underwater HD video of the little fish swimming about. For scale of their size, the jig you'll see hopping around halfway through is a 1/16oz and far too big to get any action with.



Of course, I made a few other failed attempts at landing one of the incredibly skittish rainbows from the tiny creek, which is less than 2 feet across in most places.

 photo DSCN3957_zps2260519b.jpg

Our next move was to cross another adventure off the list and visit a place that none of us had ever been to, the Little Sahara sand dunes. Off we went and left the dusty mountain trails behind us.

 photo DSCN3951_zpsa67d6eff.jpg

This decision was very popular with my daughter, who has always made it a point to request that we go somewhere with sand on our family trips.

That particular little girl got her wish paid in full, as well as future installments, on that particular day.

 photo DSCN3959_zps12ad0478.jpg

Never before have I seen such a sight! I've always wanted to see a seemingly endless ocean of sand and now we were all free to enjoy it.

 photo DSCN3961_zps29f436de.jpg

 photo DSCN3962_zps238e1d17.jpg

Incredible.

 photo DSCN3963_zpsfbb83f08.jpg

 photo DSCN3965_zps54df1209.jpg

The kids were in Paradise and ran their little legs off.

 photo DSCN3969_zps2c33749b.jpg

 photo DSCN3972_zps284304e0.jpg

What a neat place! Even without ATV's, it was really cool to finally see something like that. Being only about 2hrs away, it's not too far to visit again sometime.

 photo DSCN3970a_zps12ac4a41.jpg

With historical stops, trout in the desert, and a mega-huge sandbox for the kids to play in, the day was a total success and we all went home, happy to have gone. What a day!

Happy Fishing, Humans.

 photo DSCN3960_zps01c11f08.jpg

Some Background...

WHY FISH?

Why not go jogging, hit the gym, start a garden or whatever it is that normal humans do? What's so fascinating about these slimy little creatures that live in the water?

Fishing is a bit more to me than a hobby or a sport. It's an essential part of life that helps me connect with the Earth in ways similar to the long-practiced traditions of mankind. Wherever man has had a water source, there has been fishing.

It's only natural.

Happy Fishing, Humans.