Category: Fishing

May

24

California’s Central Coast Escape

Posted by Darya Mead

One of the many benefits to having our son in college at UC Santa Cruz, is we now have an excuse to explore the surrounding area. A Spring getaway to Monterey and Carmel was an opportunity to take in the natural, historical and seafood bounty of California’s Central Coast. Continue reading »

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Cycling, Driving Trips, Eco Friendly Travel, Family Travel, Fishing, Hike/Backpack, Monterey, Northern California, Restaurants, Santa Cruz, Tide Pools, wildlife

May

2

Pelicans, Pensioners and Pulpo at Lake Chapala

Posted by Darya Mead

Canadian pelicans winter here and retirees flock to the area. Real estate is cheap, medical care good and the weather is unbeatable. The largest lake in Mexico, Lake Chapala is less than an hour’s drive from Guadalajara and we decided to head there for four days rather than schlep four hours to the coast and Sayulita, a beachside/surf community highly recommended by many of my friends. I was accompanying my cousin and her 16-month old twins — to provide childcare — while she covered a UN Climate Change conference in Guadalajara, and this was our little getaway before the conference. Continue reading »

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Family Travel, Fishing, Guadalajara, Markets, Mexico, Restaurants, Traveling with babies

Jan

3

New Year’s Resolutions Affect Travel in 2012

Posted by Darya Mead

I hate New Year’s resolutions. I like the idea of starting fresh, having goals, plans and renewed energy, but the cliché focus on resolutions is tired, in my opinion.  Yet, when I read this quote from Jay Leno, it got me thinking…

“Now there are more overweight people in America than average-weight people. So overweight people are now average…which means, you have met your New Year’s resolution.”

As Americans waistlines expand, there are so many ripple effects. From healthcare to clothing, design considerations to travel safety, more personal bulk means changing laws, rules and preconceived notions. I have heard sad tales of folks unable to squeeze into rides at Amusement Parks, being banned from bungee jumping, even forced to purchase two plane tickets because of size. That doesn’t even take into account self limitations because of shame or inability to maneuver. But, what about weight limits for boats, buses and other vehicles? More and more, places and companies are upping the average weight limit per person. Continue reading »

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Air Travel, Cruises, Fishing, Food, New York, Overweight travelers, Pacific Northwest, Theme Park, Washington, Washington

Jul

5

Sun Valley’s Summer Rush

Posted by Larry Habegger

Now that summer is in full swing and the snowmelt is finally clearing out of the mountains in the West, it’s time to think about getting out and having some adventures.

Recently I joined a mini reunion of college pals in Sun Valley, Idaho for a trifecta of outdoor activities: mountain biking, fly-fishing, and river kayaking.

Read all about it in the San Francisco Chronicle travel section: Sun Valley’s Summer Rush.

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Canoe/Kayak, Fishing, Idaho, Mountain Biking, North America, Sun Valley, Travel

Aug

5

Canoe Camping on the Sacramento River

Posted by Darya Mead

Cue the Deliverance Music.

There are many popular canoeing rivers in Northern California. The Sacramento River, from Red Bluff, 30 miles downriver in the shadows of Mount Shasta, to Woodson Bridge, is not one of them.

It was July 4th weekend so we were expecting crowds, and save for a few kayakers and boat enthusiasts, we pretty much had the river to ourselves.  We had planned a moderate backpacking trip but when one in our party had abrupt knee surgery in April, we opted to paddle to our campsite instead of forcing the kids to hike with packs a la the Bataan Death March.  The preparations were similar to a backpacking trip, but we could bring comfy pads and a cooler. I was concerned about tipping the canoe, but my friend hails from Minnesota and has done this sort of thing before.

Continue reading »

1 Comment | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Birdwatching, Budget Travel, Camping, Canoe/Kayak, Eco Friendly Travel, Family Travel, Fishing, Northern California, Soccer, Sports

Aug

2

Fly-Fishing an Idaho Trout Stream

Posted by Larry Habegger

“That’s a big-fish cast,” guide Jim Santa said as my fly landed on the far side of the creek just shy of the willows lining the bank. The fly caught the current, drifted through the ripples into the shade, swirled once and flowed under the overhanging bush in the deep water. “Whoa. There’s gotta be a fish there. Put it back there again.”

I recast and landed the fly in the same spot, watched it run with the current in the shade, under the willows and through the deep water again. But no strike.

“People say they catch fish but only small ones, and I tell them they’ve got to put the fly where the big fish are. That cast was right where the big fish are,” Jim mused, as I couldn’t tempt a trout to rise to the fly.

“I’m pretty good,” he continued, “but I couldn’t make a better cast than that.”

That, of course, was music to my ears, even though I suspected that he said the same thing to everyone.

We were fishing Wild Horse Creek, a quintessential Idaho trout stream in Copper Basin in Challis National Forest 26 miles north of Sun Valley. Jim was leading me and three of my best friends through a morning of fly-fishing that promised lots of contemplation and — we hoped — a few fish. Continue reading »

4 Comments | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Fishing, Idaho, North America, Sun Valley, Travel, United States

Sep

22

Autumn in Tuolumne Meadows

Posted by Larry Habegger

Now is the time. The crowds are gone, the days are clear and warm and the nights are cool to cold. Mosquitoes and just about every other flying insect have bedded down for the winter or perished in the chill. Campsites are available. And Yosemite’s vaunted Tuolumne Meadows is as beautiful in the fall as ever.

I spent the 4th of July holiday weekend there, my first visit in 25 years, which told me a couple of things: just how quickly time can pass and a quarter of a lifetime can slip beneath your feet; and how short-sighted I’d been to allow so many years to drift away without making the simple four-hour-plus drive up from San Francisco. I swam in Tenaya Lake, fished the pools and streams that fed into it, got some strikes in the Tuolumne River as it wound through the meadows, and later, at Cathedral Lake, saw a trout with a head as big as my fist emerge from the depths to strike my lure repeatedly before losing interest, too smart to be caught by an occasional fisherman like me. Continue reading »

3 Comments | Filed Under Adventure Travel, California, Camping, Eco Friendly Travel, Family Travel, Feature, Fishing, Hike/Backpack, North America, Northern California, Travel, United States, Yosemite, wildlife