Bear Butt Canyon - October 2020

Ok so why Bear Butt Canyon? One of the most exciting aspects of this area is that it is full of bears. Last time I was here (2007) we saw several including one ornery and unusually large male. Luckily on this trip, all bears were skittish. Our count on this trip was just shy of 10 (depends who you ask!) and two of these were healthy cubs. At one point, as we did some cross-country stuff along the river bed, David climbed up over a rise and found himself looking at a bear's behind hence the title of this entry. Here's some bear footage to for your listening and dining pleasure ...

Sculpted by nature ...

Sculpted by humans? bears? This trail was far from anything.

The grind out of the canyon ...

For those extra curious, this trip log (not mine) summarizes much of what our trip was. Link HERE. The difference is that we took a short-cut cross-country to the river about 1/4 mile from the bottom of the trail to hit the river and explore. I do not recommend this move because of terrain unless you are not carrying a heavy backpack. We also had to keep a close eye on what the National Park Service would decide as far as trail access due to nearby fires. See image below.

Last but not least, this was after all a "Black Diamond Trout" expedition so a few of these came to hand and were all safely released.

Vote for the Planet

Image courtesy of https://theyearsproject.com

Psychedelic Houston

Rebecca and I just wrapped-up some travel to visit family and were treated to some San Francisco styled psychedelia at Houston Hobby. It truly caught us off guard and it was hard not to wonder whether or not the colorful overhead projections from the Fillmore in the 60s are not to be thanked. Although a bit nervous about travel, we felt pretty comfortable on our flight minus one guy who was very sloppy about his mask use. Soundtrack is the actual song "PAR AVION" as inspired by the Insect Surfers (who were in turn inspired by the enigmatic 80s indie band Pel Mel). This recording is from our first release Surf the Friendly Skies and features DJ Bonebrake (X) on drums. The music is available here for a "pay what you want" rate (free if you're broke!): http://bit.ly/surftheskies

Surf the Sky | Par Avion | On The Bamboo Balcony

I'll let the music do the talking ... https://bit.ly/surftheskyforeventsinlbc

So Cal Beach Fishin' | Let the Beans Begin

Corbina seem willing to bite and I have had a record-setting (for me) 3 and 3 run. One fish per session, three days in a row. These elusive fish are such a great summer game. What makes these three fish weird is that I have been getting them on fast stripped perch flies not the usual Merkin (that's what seems to be most often used). The last fish, the one in the photo, took after I saw it chasing bait in the shallows. Hopefully the skinny water Merkin game will kick in soon. Either way, love these fish.

So Cal Mountains | The Lizards Win

The fish were not to be found but an astonishing amount of these critters were ... For the record, I try not to handle these too much but, sorry, could not resist. 

So Cal Mountains | Mid April 2020

Did you make it this far? Watch two trout on their spawning bed while a "cheater male" tries to join the party. Here: Video Link.