Last night I didn’t want to spend 50+ dollars to sleep in an RV park. So I drove south towards the Russian River, to find a 7 dollar campground (senior) after about 60 miles. A short drive and I was in Cooper Landing, having a nice Jalapeno Burger with a ton of fries. I made it down to the Russian River Campsite that I’m staying in for 3 days. Unfortunately there was a car, parked in my space, as the trail parking spots were all full, so someone decided to park at my campsite.
I wanted to park behind them and block them in, then go fishing for a couple of hours. However, I knew that it would end badly, and mostly for me. Because: the car had Vanity Plates, a corsage attached to the rear view mirror, and they had a yearly parking pass. People that entitiled usually don’t back off, but keep pushing mistakes.
So, I took a picture of my dreams, and my sissy self drove down to a river access parking lot. About 40,000 Sockeye (Red) Salmon make it up the river between June and early July. Of course, I’m in between runs, but there are large rainbows in the river worth fishing for. I also reserved a spot here for the middle of the larger, second run in a couple of weeks.
Testing my legs, and they were fine, I walked down to the river and was amazed by the walkways and river entrances. I’ll gear up tomorrow aiming for rainbows, as one fisherman in the parking lot stated that he has been doing well, but is going after rainbows now. Me Too, tomorrow.
So, I’m in my van, in the rain, going through the Highway Angler / Holy Grail Guidebook, marking the highways I’ll cover, with good/great fishing spots, when to be there, and if a campground is available. Might as well start planning before bed time.
Now, before I go, what about the calmness that has come over me? Well, I’m here for another nine weeks, and maybe eleven. I’ve become comfortable living in the van so hotels will be monthly for fast Internet to pay my bills. I’m sure I’ll end up catching a lot of fish and a lot of big fish. It is only a matter of time, and the rivers will be crystal clear and thousands of fish will be moving through them. Not a bad place to be, if I say so myself.
Tight Lines