Banff - Jasper - Dawson

Lake Louise

Days 24 - 25
The next morning, Monica cooked a delicious breakfast including fresh fruit, pancakes, and bacon! I want to thank her and the men of the house for having me for the last couple of nights, it has been wonderful.


Next, please notice the title of this post.  Imagine it as a segment between three places--primarily in transit.  The Canadian Rockies are incredible, and not spending more time along the way may have been a mistake, but the goal was to reach Alaska in time to fish for salmon so I could not linger.  Anyway, I set off from Calgary to Banff.  The drive was scenic and starting to get primitive.  Along both sides of the highway is a large fence to keep out all the game, but wherever you would like to stop and explore/fish you just unlock a fence have at it.  The drive took me to Lake Louise!

Wedding at lake

It is a beautiful glacial blue lake that was formed by the glacier above it.  There is a hotel facing the lake and mountain that I think takes away from the beauty, but it was cool because a couple got married and were shooting photos by the water.

See the road!

That evening, I drove past the Lake Louise campground which is famous for having an electric fence around it to keep the Grizzlies out.  I stayed at a small pull out, trail parking lot, made dinner and tried to sleep, but within two hours I heard long legged hoof sounds scraping the gravel.  Every time I looked out of my car the animal/s would scatter.  It was tough to see out of my car because when its below freezing outside, my windows fog up from the condensation of my breathing.  I was too spooked when I began to hear breathing, although I never saw anything, so I drove about another hour until I got to another campground parking lot at 2AM.

Lake Montaine

On my 25th day, it sounds like a chapter in Around the World in 80 Days, and continued on to Lake Montaine, which was more impressive.  Maybe because I got a better glimpse of the mountains and glaciers above it, but regardless, it was awesome.  I continued on to Jasper National Park, which I did not get to see much of due to iffy weather, and then to Dawson Creek.  Dawson is a neat town since it is where Mile 0 of the Alaskan "Alcan" Highway.  Alcan was the name given by the US Army, who built it to solidify the route that the was formed by the airports that led to Alaska to fend of the Japanese in WW2.  My Grandfather was stationed in the Aleutian Islands during the war, so it was neat to drive by the small airports that remain in tact.  These airports is what the locals depend on and they are also more consistent than gas stations.  Sometimes, there can be stretches of the road that have gas stations 160+ miles apart.  That night, I crashed in an RV park in Fort St. John.

I forgot to mention, there were hikes that had signs that read: One must hike accompanied with three or more other people BY LAW.  The point is to avoid brown bear incidents, since bears usually do not attack larger parties of people.  But isn't it crazy that it is a law and if caught you pay up to $5000!

Bow River

Day 23
Let me start by saying that today was one of the most incredible days I have had on the trip.  Todd and his wife Karen were nice enough to let me join them on their free day on the river--to you guys, thank you.


First and foremost, the pronunciation of the Bow River is key; it is a VERY long O, with almost no W sound, which adds to the allure.  Then I should mention that this river is by far the fishiest water I have ever laid a fly into.  It runs heavier and more swift than the Madison River and is as wide, but in some cases wider than the Missouri.  Its rock bottom and long bends cause for very long stretches of uneasy water--where big fish feed. What may be a fishy section worth wading in the Big Horn or the Madison, multiply the length of the run by 5.  The magnitude of fishing potential was insane.  I do not to wish bore you all, but I will say that this gnarly river is within one hour from downtown Calgary and some places along downtown actually hold the biggest fish.  Two of the take outs were called Cities and Police, just to give you an idea.

Tod's self made flies. 

Tod as a guide: I was told in the shop that I was lucky to go out with one of the premiere fishing guides on the Bow, and let me tell you, Todd was the creme of the crop.  He was polite, he announced where buckets/pools were in the middle of the river that only he could see, he was a "guiding workaholic" to quote him.  And I knew it was true, because after every time I offered to row, he said, "Its okay, I just love showing people this river."  We floated a portion of the river that was nearly a ten hour day with lunch and stops--what a treat.

Todd was very much a Merlin.

The fishing: given the cloudy, rainy, but sometimes sunny weather, the fishing, according to Todd and his wife's  standards were poor and leaning on atrocious, but for me it was excellent.  I took about ten fish, the biggest being a 19" Rainbow.  There was not that much dry fly action due to the cooler climate, but apparently this river is outrageous when the caddis are out.  

Thank you Todd for the picture.

The river is also famous for the type of rainbow that it holds, these fish are ferocious in comparison to Montana trout, and have a chrome colored tint to them.  Average size is 18", and a 14" fish feels like its 18".  Their breed is just more active, probably Shastas.  But browns get huge here too, biggest all time is 30+.  I missed a few fish that were larger, but its just bound to happen since these fish are simply larger and more hostile.  Basically, I imagine the Bow river to be what Montana may have been like 50 years ago.  As you can see, I cannot say enough about this river or the fishing even though it was not the "best" of fishing days.  Thanks for showing the river Todd, your the man.

Me and Todd being hard. 

Glacier Natl. Park

Days 20-22

I drove north towards Kalispell, MT to stay the night with Susie and Tom on my way to Glacier the next day.  The drive through Kalispell led me past Ovando, MT, which is where I had my first job with Paul Roos Outfitters back when I was 16.  Anyway, after about 3-4 hrs, and seeing lots of deer, I made it.  Their living situation is perfect: they live in an airport community comprised of airplane owners who live around a mile long runway and fly as often as they like--unless of course it rains.  I had a nice evening getting to know them better, we had a nice dinner and I slept extremely well due to a ridiculously comfortable bed.  


The next morning, Susie spoiled me with a full blown egg, bacon, and blue berry pancake breakfast while Tom shared valuable map/route info with me.  I ended up leaving their place with a rain check to see Glacier from the sky since it was raining!  As I was driving to the park, I came across a luscious portion of the South Fork of the Flathead River and HAD to pull over and try it. 

I took 7 Cutthroats with dries in an hour.  

As soon as I entered the park, I bought a pass into all National Parks in the US (including AK) since I had already racked up a tab towards the $80 pass that is good for a year.  It was a bit unlucky that it was extremely cloudy, which kept me from seeing most of the glaciers; regardless, Glacier Natl. Park was by no means underwhelming.  There were glacial streams that were the cleanest and clearest I have ever seen, there were peaks that sliced sharp wedges into the clouds.  In some places, the clouds would fall into a tall mountain bowl.  Picture mountains that form a half circle while clouds sneak down into the bowl/valley that they created only exposing the peaks through the clouds.  

Incredible clarity.

Thats me.

The sun came out just in time to create a rainbow. 

Cloudy pista.  

That night, I met a cool couple from San Fransisco: Matt & Lauren, who are in the middle of a year long trip around the world.  It was neat because they had come down the same route that I was heading North on and it was fun to chat with people my age.  That night,  I made Ravioli for dinner and did some reading on the border crossing while it rained.  I was using my new tent that Bug and Randy got me and it worked like a champ since I remained dry.  

The next morning, I decided to take Matt & Lauren to one of the nearby lakes and teach them how to fly fish.  It was an unproductive morning, which may have been affected by the heavy weather system from last night, but it remained fun to teach them for a short while one of my passions.  Glacier Natl. Park was incredible, but there is much to see on my next trip. 

As soon as I left the US and entered Canada, I began to notice how different their country is.  Gas is sold by cents/litre, radio stations play French music, and their accent is special.  Adjacent to a highway was Olympic Drive, which is where there is a Long Ski Jump and Half Pipe courses.  Calgary is not the largest metropolis, but from what I have gotten used to on this trip, it was massive.  Driving through downtown Calgary was funny since I was in my dirty and loaded 4Runner. My first stop was Fish Tales Fly Shop.  

I was getting info on where to float the river in a one man pontoon, but the shop, to my luck, had no river maps for sale.  One of the weathered looking guys named Todd, drew me a schematic of the river, what the take out was like, and gave me superior fishing advice.  I asked him what he was doing the next day while proposing that I would row half the day so he too could fish.  What was a mere shot in the dark, actually happened.  Tomorrow, thanks to Todd's generosity I happened to convince him to take me floating on the world class Bow River with his wife for an 8 hour float!!   

Afterwards, I met up with Javi's sister Monica and Richard in Calgary, where I was kindly taken in.  I am finding that these bouts of kindness have really made my trip stupendous, honestly, thanks to all of you.  Monica and Richard (and their baby) made a delicious BBQ dinner with beers and then I  got to stay in a separate guest apartment and crashed for the night.

Helena, MT

Days 16-19
My parents came to Ennis for Labor Day weekend and for the last three days I have chilled with them at Grandma's house.  My parents, Grandma, two dogs and I drove up to Mill Creek road and saw the Bangham Lakes at about 8,000 feet.  The first of the two lakes produced more fish and I took a nice 12" Brook trout on a Stimulator (dry fly).  Unfortunately, my memory card crumbled in my hand so I have no pictures of the Mill Creek trip or the ensuing days for that matter.  We came back to Ennis and had dinner at the Reel Decoy and crashed.


*I also wanted to add this in.  I found it at Grandma's house and it spoke to me; its special and relevant:
      "But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.  Intoxicated with broken success, we have become too self-suficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us."  -- A. Lincoln in March 1863.


The following day, Dad and I were going to photograph sunrise at one of his favorite spots, but a perilous lightening storm at 5 AM meant we could go back to sleep.  That day we went to a family friend's house for dinner.  We talked about some interesting things including the way that people learn/process information and/or how they are.  For example, I am a visual learner, when I read books I paint a picture as I read and the same for how I write.  But other people may be more emotional, or auditory learners for example, which means that it requires extra work to understand people different from you.

Madison River

The next morning, on Monday, I floated the Madison River and unfortunately it was unproductive except for the three fish I turned.  It may have been the low level of the river, which held less fish, or the fact that it is difficult to fish while rowing in a one-man pontoon boat constantly adjusting for the bends in the river and the wind.  Regardless, it was a gorgeous morning; the clouds were reluctant to let me see Sphinx Mountain shine with its overnight snow covered mass, but when the clouds dried up with the sun, the view was spectacular.  Later that night, Grandma's neighbors came over for a Labor day/neighbor dinner party, which was fun since I had not met everyone in her neighborhood yet.  After helping entertain our guests for a while, we drove to Bozeman so that my parents could get some rest before their early morning flight the next day.

Sphinx Mountain

Today, I dropped my parents at the airport and had breakfast with them before I returned to my journey. I may run into some hospitable friends and family along the way, but until I head back South I will be on my own again.  I got to Helena about 3 PM and decided to float a short section of the Missouri River near Craig for a few hours before sunset.  Again, its difficult to fish from the pontoon for me (hopefully it will get better) and worry less about rowing/not missing the takeout.  But the MO is always fun to fish since it goes without saying that you will see a monster fish rise to a dry.  I only had a couple fish on today, but the scenery remains worth it to me.  The only regret I may have is that the more time I spend fishing in the lower 48, the sooner winter will come to Alaska and I do not want to get caught in rough weather, but it IS the end of the Hopper season and fall trout fishing should be unbeatable. After the float, I came back to Helena to crash with Bug and Randy for the night, before I press on to Glacier.

Ennis Lake

Praiseworthy Brown trout.

Days 14-15
I spent an hour or two with Grandma and the man that she volunteers to take care of with at the hospice in town.  The man is actually quite young to have heart failure, at 65, but it was fun to get him excited about my trip, which led to him telling me about some of the old vehicles he used to work on as a mechanic.  Later that day I bought a Come-Along (a manual winch) for my car and some other supplies for my trip.  But the climax of my day was the few hours I spent fishing Ennis Lake at sunset.

The Ennis Lake Dam was recently hit by a large school bus sized boulder that fell either due to a tremor or a thunderstorm.  The engineers decided to drain the lake to relieve pressure, but for a lake that is not very deep or well aerated, taking out 5+ feet of water is detrimental to the fish, so I decided to fish it in case it was a long time until the lake came back to normality.  I was fishing from an inflatable one-man pontoon and I had to row way out near the middle to get into deep water.  For a few hours, I was averaging only a hit/strike per hour until BAM.

I had hooked up with a large brown trout, because unlike Rainbows, Brows are not acrobatic, they head straight for the bottom and fight for a long time.  I didn't see this fish's head for 10 minutes and every time he came near the surface he would intuitively rap around the surfacing vegetation.  I thought I was going to lose him until I saw his fat, hog-like body!

Look at his big head, how his spots quit near his belly, and LOOK at that BELLY!

This big one is the largest brown trout I have ever caught in my life.  I had to revive him for 10 minutes, (for those of you who don't know you move the fish back and forth in the water to oxygenate its gills since the fight can make it sluggish or ultimately can kill it), but sure enough he made it.  


Then today, I drove to Whitehall and helped my aunt move her furniture into her new riverside home.  I fished for a little bit with some luck, but then headed home since I promised my Grandma that I would arrowhead hunt with her.

Ennis, MT

Day 13 - Grandma and I have had a great time.  I ran a few errands, splurged on fishing equipment, touched up on the paint job for Moby (my brothers new 91 white Suburban) and got reorganized.  Grandma's house has been transformed-the old paint blasted, a new clear coat, new chinking, and new facia.  The house is not yet done, but looks great! I cannot post any pictures yet because it is a surprise for my parents who are going to spend Labor Day up here.

Dinner and a movie. 

Anyway, Grandma and I have had a couple memorable meals at the house and it has been great to relax in the great MT state.

This video is amazing because the two of us were eating breakfast at her glass table where we noticed this reflection on the ceiling.  It went from staged to candid :)

Grand Tetons & West Yellowstone

Day 11-12 

I barely woke up in time for a timely checkout, but on my way out I saw para-gliders who had ridden up the Jackson Hole Tram and floated down to a nearby field.  

From the hostel I was only about 15 minutes from Teton Natl. Park and I immediately scoped the map for fishing spots.  I ventured off the map and into some lake spillways that were in high country where I took the ever loyal 4Runner into 33% grade back roads. 

I found fresh bear signs and small mountain lake trout.  Then I drove around the loop of the park and found myself in awe of the Tetons.  What makes them special is that they can be seen, in their honed glory, from almost anywhere in the park.  After fishing a couple spots and game watching at the Oxbow Bend, I came to an overlook where the sun set. 

With binoculars, I realized how intense the Grand Teton is. I wondered what Dad's experience may have been like when he climbed it, which face he climbed, what equipment he needed etc.  

As I looked at the terrain that surrounded the base of the mountains I realized that there is a series of plateaus that have been carved down by rivers.  I also noticed that a small black bird was hovering (it looked small because I had been focused on the mountain), but in reality, it was a bald eagle hovering 30 feet above the tree line searching for food probably 100+ feet high.  Later on, another bald eagle (also with its mature white head) came into view--it was incredible to watch them hover.

I realized something important: sometimes you need nature, God, for some, an addiction, or others a lover, to take you where you cannot go on your own.  It was a spiritual moment.  I saw a lady staring at the sunset over the Tetons in the most bleak and blanketed, "I need something in my life, something bigger than me" face.  I said hi, but her hi in response and faint wave led to an embarrassed shoulder turn and she began to sob.  I should have talked to her since she was alone. 

I then fished some shallow water after sunset that only held fingerlings. I 4-Played (4-wheel drive lingo) in mud puddles and dirtied up the ride.

Then I came to a park gas station and purchased four essentials: gas, a tall boy beer can, a Teton Topo-map bandana, and a chocolate bar.  When I walked up to the register, the older man said, "I know you like to fish, but do you like to hike?"  To that I replied absolutely, but what set him off? My attire, the muddy car?  He said I know exactly where you need to hike, its the most beautiful place in the park and the lakes hold fish that can be caught on every cast!  I was shocked at his kindness, but after talking some details over my Topo bandana map, we concluded that it wasn't safe for me to go alone due to bears.  I thanked him for giving me the advice and promise to go in the near future, but what a guy!

I got a view from Jenny Lake and then camped out at a random parking lot since the campground was full.  I cooked ravioli and passed out.  

The next morning I headed north through the park.  I fished below the Jackson Lake dam and did pretty well.  It was damn cold outside, but I took some decent fish from the spillway including a nice fall colored brown that got off in the current after a 5 minute fight.  I drove through Yellowstone to get to my Grandmother's home in Ennis, MT, where I plan on relaxing and recharging for the more scenic and colder leg of the trip.