Well, somehow summer has passed and here we are in fall. There were fewer trips and more work days than I would have preferred. It was a heck of a fire and smoke season in Oregon this year. Oh and there was this eclipse thing.
Even when we got back to fishing there was plenty of smoke and fire action to be had.
It’s mid August, the dreaded County fair has come to an end, it’s hot and smoky with no relief in sight. What to do? Head to the coast for tuna of course!
When it is really hot inland it’s pretty common for the coast to be fogged in, cloudy and cool. That was certainly the case this time around. It was a welcome break after weeks of heat and quite a bit of wildfire smoke.
The Grande Ronde was the last in the string of spring and early summer overnight floats on the calendar. Located in far northeastern Oregon it’s a bit of a drive to get to but well worth if for the scenery and great floating. The flows had been running high all spring and they didn’t come down enough to provide for any good fishing for this trip, but that was the overall theme for most of the trips this year. With high flows the trip was short each day on the water, with 2 to 3 hours being enough to get you to the next camp.
As always the scenery was spectacular.
The most plentiful wildlife seemed to be swallowtail butterflies which were out in droves.