Island Park, ID

We decided to get out of town for the weekend of the 4th and enjoy nature. We were going to camp the first night and then get a cabin the following nights. We got a later start than we had hoped for, and I really wanted to have dinner by the camp fire. It was already 7pm and we were still driving. We ended up stopping for dinner and when I realized we wouldn’t be eating around the camp fire I didn’t want to camp anymore. I figured we could stay in the cabin and then camp one of the next few nights.  We ended up spending two nights in the cabin and not camping at all. The mosquitos were awful! Aw well. I’m sure we’ll go again sometime.

Every time I see my reflection on anything I freak out a little. We’re getting so close!! Either that or I’m just huge. haha. This was Bode “takin’ pictures” with my tripod. He cracks us up.

Bode concentrating on catching a big big fish.

I was sitting back watching my boys fish. Fish were rising everywhere and this was near sunset. It was so pretty!

Fish On!

I caught two fish. One was this rainbow above and another was a nice brown. It was so much fun catching that brown! I casted my rapala in the perfect spot and he was liking what he saw. The water was pretty clear and I could see the fish going after it and then taking it. I really want to learn to fly fish! It really is a rush. I was so frazzled trying to net the thing, keep it’s mouth under water, keep an eye on Bode, get into a position where my belly wasn’t in the way and my back wasn’t killing me – but I could still squat down and hold the dang net AND not break my rod that was bending, etc etc. I ended up dropping the fish back into the water before we could get a picture. :( Clint said he needs to buy me one rapala a week so I can get stocked up. I cast them out in bushes, on the shore, wherever. If I’m not pulling it back and almost drilling Clint or myself, it’s breaking off. I need some more practice.. and more rapalas! Half way through our float I was out of them and didn’t do so well with my other lures and spinners.

We were surrounded by flies on the river! The water was just covered in them. Clint rowed most of the time and helped my crazy self try to fish, but he did end up throwing some dry flies towards the end. He caught a bunch of “dinks” as he calls them. None really picture worthy. Bode LOVED touching the fish and seeing us reel them in.  We floated from about 5:30-6 to 10:00pm! It went by really fast and Bode was great, for the most part. I made sandwiches along the river and it was so peaceful just floating along. I was feeling bad we kept Bode out so late, but once we got back to the cabin he jumped on beds forever and didn’t even get to sleep until almost midnight!

Jumping on the bed in the middle of the night. He was so full of energy.

He always does great in the car. He was throwing a diaper wipe at Clint and Clint would throw it back at him. Those two can make a game out of anything I tell ya.

This restaurant was newly remodeled and pretty good! For once in my life I picked better food than Clint. :) I was enjoying my wonderful meal while Clint kept talking about how good mine was. I gave him some, of course.

We were looking for big springs - which is where you can feed monster fish bread. Clint turned off a little bit too soon and we came across this beautiful river and bridge. The water was so clear and you could look in and see fish everywhere! It was really cool. He didn’t have his rod and I was really wishing he did!

We ended up throwing some of the bread we had to the fish down below the bridge. You could watch them track it and gobble it right up. It was pretty awesome. Even Bode was able to look down and see what was going on. He kept wanting more bread.

We decided to walk back up to the truck and try to find this big springs.

We found it down the road and seeing the huge fish down below was pretty cool, but there were so many people there! Clint hates crowds and I think I am slowly turning into him. There had to have been 30 people looking for fish and no one could see them. Everyone had their ideas where they were and what was going on. We spotted some below hiding under the bridge and Clint figured out if he threw his bread under the bridge and back towards them, they would watch it drift with the river for a few seconds and go for it. It’s all about presentation!  Then this lady notices what he’s doing and freaks out!!! She yells to EVERYONE, “I found the fish!!!! They are under here! Everyone come here!” AHHH I wanted to slap her. I’m all big and fat and pregnant and we’d been walking around quite a bit so I was trying to rest on the fence, when swarms of people came and literally pushed me away so they could see. We were both so annoyed by then we left and headed back to our little river we mistakenly found. It was much better down there.

We had a great trip overall and Bode is STILL talking about his big big fish. That boy loves to fish, touch fish, look for fish, watch fish rise etc. Clint loves it and it really does make things super fun. We’ll probably head back up there July 24th weekend!

Mother’s Day Fishin’

Warning: This is a long post!!

Friday afternoon before Mother’s Day we headed back to Wyoming. Same place we stayed for Easter weekend. I wasn’t sure I could go bc I was getting over a nasty case of the stomach flu (thanks Bode for giving it to me!) I had been sick all night and although I was feeling so much better, I was so weak the day I was supposed to get ready and leave. I tried to get myself ready and I kept having to sit down. I tried packing and I’d have to lay down. It was very annoying! I was all dizzy and weak and clumsy. I debated back and forth if I should just stick it out or stay home.. I knew Clint wouldn’t be able to do much with Bode to look after (although he did offer to take him) and I was NOT going to stay home with Bode to watch all weekend. So I decided I’d be ok and stuck it out. I’m so glad I did! By that night I was feeling just fine, and the next morning I was back to normal.

Bode and I went swimming for a few hours while Clint fished that first night. Bode had a blast! He had 3 rapalas and a tennis ball he was throwing around loved making me go get them all. We ordered pizza in the hotel room (which was gross… I don’t recommend Scroungy Moose pizza from Kemmerer. Too bad it’s the ONLY place in town that delivers and I had no car.) I didn’t have much of an appetite anyway and Clint brought me back some of his dinner when he got back later that night. Clint and his friend Larry got into fish right at sunset and he was pretty stoked. Here are a few pictures he took.

We woke up and had breakfast at the hotel and then headed out to the Reservoir. It’s the most desolate place I’d ever seen! I keep wondering why it’s Clint’s favorite place??? Bode loved it and threw so many rocks into the water. We were there a few hours and he was happy as could be the entire time! Clint tied a rapala with out hooks onto the end of Bode’s line and he was in heaven, just fishing away. We didn’t have to worry about him hooking himself anywhere and it was pretty cute watching him try so hard to catch a fish.  I swear Bode is already turning into a fish head just like his daddy because he was such a good kid all day long…. obsessing over all the big big fish in the water. Clint got one fish and it was a pretty nice cutbow. Bode was so excited and kept saying, “I wanna hold that fish!” He was pretty sad when we had to let it go back home. haha.

After the reservoir we drove out to the River. We got the boat all ready to float and Clint’s friend followed him to drop off the truck down River and bring him back. It was just going to be a leisurely hour or so float and we ended up being on the river all day! It was about noon when we started and maybe 6:30 when we got back to the truck. Bode was an angel!!! He stayed right by me, mostly between my legs. I fished and Clint rowed and Bode tried to fish. He wouldn’t let that rapala out of his site and made sure it was in the water at all times! It was one of the best afternoons I’ve had in such a long time. I wasn’t expecting it to be so much fun! It was so nice just floating along and the River was so peaceful and beautiful. We stopped at one of Clint’s favorite little spots along the river. We stayed there maybe an hour and Clint caught 4 fish but only landed 2 (I think? My memory… ugh. It’s not good.) . He was pretty bummed when the 2 got away before he could net them. I have it on video and holy cow it’s so funny. He screamed into his arm one of the times. haha. Poor guy. It was SO windy and Bode almost got blown over a few times. He was so great though! He just kept throwing rocks and fishing and trucking along. He begged Clint to go into the water with him. Clint kept saying no and that it was too dangerous, but finally let him walk in. It scared Bode pretty good and he didn’t ask to go back in again!

Clint was pretty excited to have gotten into some nice fish and I’m sure he would have loved to stay at that hole all day. I was ready to get back in the boat and so was Bode. Clint was great and rowed the entire time. He was helping me to get into fish and telling me different things to do. He started freaking out about a fish he saw and asked if I could I see it. I couldn’t see it but he told me it was hanging around the surface and acting funny. He told me exactly where to cast and that I should reel it in fast and I got the fish! I don’t know who was more excited… Clint, me, or Bode. It was such a cool moment! We were freaking out and Clint was trying to be calm and tell me to give it some line, but not too much and to keep it tense and just all the stuff. I was so stressed out, especially since he had lost 2 fish before he could net them. I just wanted him to get the sucker in the net! He had to row the boat close to the shore so we wouldn’t float away from the wind and we had to make sure Bode was safe and not about to go overboard. Clint got out into the river and netted it for me. We high fived and carried on, it was seriously so much fun.

Bode was super happy and wanted to try for more fish. He was saying the funniest stuff! It was getting pretty late and he hadn’t had much to eat for lunch or had a nap. It was past dinner by this time and he was still happy as could be. Clint told him we were going to go find the truck and he was soo sad! He kept saying, “No! I wanna fish in the boat.” It was sooooo windy it was taking longer for us to get back than we thought. Bode asked for his sippy, which was in the cooler. After he started drinking that it was game over. He asked for his blanket and fell asleep right in my lap… in his waders and life jacket. I had to pry his little hand off his fishing pole, which was still in the water! Sleep fishing? Hmm. He slept maybe 20 minutes and we were back to the truck by that time. Clint got the boat unloaded and when it was time to get out Bode woke up all startled and started crying. He did NOT want to get off that boat. I lured him out by telling him he could watch a movie in the truck and he was ok after that.

Actually, he was more than ok. He was SO happy talking about all those “big big fish” and how he “frowed so many big rocks and baby rocks.”

 

It was one of the best days we’ve had in a really lone time! Once we got out of there and back to town it was about 7:30 or 8. We got dinner and then headed home. It was a long 3 and a half hour ride back and Bode was pretty cranky when he woke up really uncomfortable a few hours into it. All in all I ‘d have to say it was totally worth it!! Here’s to a life with a bunch of boys and a bunch of fishing trips!

Cleaning the Boat

We’ve taken the boat out on a few trips lately, so Clint has been parking it here. Bode loves it. He wants to go outside and play in it everyday. Clint cleaned it up the other night and Bode just had to help. It was pretty cute.