Adventure is Necessary

The 2022 ice storm on Christmas Eve in West Linn is a night I will not soon forget. The shop closed early. I was surprised Joel was running late and hadn’t called as usual. I was beginning to wonder. Moments later, the phone rang, it was Joel. No bright, “Well hello, Love,” just a flat tone and short phrase from the other end that made me instantly click into hyper-concerned/emergency mode as he stated, “It’s totaled.” And I knew immediately that he wasn’t talking about closing out the cash register. While I was instantly relieved to hear him speaking clearly, I was needing to ask further questions to understand where he was, exactly what happened, and most importantly, was he OK?!? The next 48 hours were a bit crazy dealing with insurance over the holiday, and a beloved 4Runner that was resting squarely in peace at the bottom of our iced-over, 150-yard street stopped abruptly by an enormous Cedar tree. While I was relieved that Joel was safe, waves of emotions were flowing through my mind at the amount of time, effort, blood, sweat, tears, and money it was going to take to make our next Adventure Vehicle good to go. (Insert big sigh)

 

An Oppenheimer quote came to mind, “Life is nothing if not a constant re-evaluation." I knew I was married to someone who could visualize darn near anything and make it actually happen better than originally planned. Whatever WAS next, it would surely be amazing and, most of all, tailored just for us. After months of extensive research and planning, we were finally ready for the initial shake-down outing of a 3-night fishing expedition with “Griz”, the 2023 Toyota Tundra, and pop-up styled, Four Wheel Campers Project M.

 

For the last several years, Joel has been whispering of a secret spot in eastern Oregon that holds Native Westslope Cutthroat. A fishery so small and remote, we won’t tell you details about it even if you ask, as things this wild and free deserve to stay just that way. Moreover, we know that fishing is just an exercise in patience and perseverance, as the ability to navigate a satellite map isn’t for everyone.

 

A quick hike and stopover on the Metolius were in order for night #1 just to help us get down the road the following day. A new, off-the-grid campsite was quite the find and will certainly be visited again in the future. Heading East after our first breakfast in the new rig, picturesque weather conditions remained, framing cotton candy clouds against brilliantly blue skies for the remainder of the trip.

 

As we climbed in altitude above endless rolling farmlands, we enjoyed fine birding and ideal opportunities for excellent landscape photography. Everywhere we looked, fresh wildflowers colored the views as the hustle and bustle of town disappeared into our dust. The afternoon we arrived for night #2 at our far eastern Oregon destination was as beautiful and exciting as our journey along the way. National Forest Campgrounds were wide open and well spaced around blankets of mountain strawberries, making a fine appearance in the damp earth beneath dense, towering pines.

 

We quickly set up camp along the river. Fast-moving, gin clear narrow waters flowed with steep drops of waterfalls between tight banks, and we were anxious to wader up and line out our favorite little 3wts. Access was very limited and quite challenging, but in one look at the water, an angler could nearly smell the bounty of little gems making a living beneath the surface. The thrill was to accurately present little dry flies on 6X tippet without tangling in large snags densely wound with sweet, peppery wild roses or other overhanging fauna. We caught it all that fine afternoon! The night found us playing a competitive game of Battleship after a light meal before going to sleep with the setting sun.

 

Morning greeted us with a few decisions to make. Fly shop owners and fishing guides, yet we keep forgetting to pack our nets. It’s almost a joke at this point. And a good thing is that barbless hooks make for smooth, contactless releases. Extreme care was taken when handling such fine specimens for a few quick pics, but with such limited availability to fish, we found our consciousness urging us not to repeat the process, and we ventured out to explore uncharted territories for our final stop-over that day; the NF Malheur River has been a bucket list destination, and the trek to our remote camp did not disappoint. Matter of fact, what we found was a little slice of Oregon Heaven so magnificent that took me back to the very core of what I crave most in Nature: simplicity, quiet, recharge, and beautiful wild trout.