Feels like Spring!

My life is great. Yesterday we hit up Brainard Lake to test out our new snowshoes. We loved it! We will definitely take them whenever we go somewhere with snow. Then today I was able to fish Boulder Creek. Most of the fish I caught were rising. Small BWOs were great! I even got this 10 incher on a Royal Wullfish pattern I tied last year.

Post Thanksgiving celebration.

We went to Breckenridge for a few days. We had a great time.

Car trouble.

Friday night we went crazy and met Ed for some movies at the Boulder Film Festival. We saw Gum for my Boat and Tibet: Murder in the Snow. I liked the first one more (which is why it gets the link) and made me realize how much I love traveling. On the way there the car died. I have been borrowing Mom's car until she can drive again or we get our own. That would require the Craigslist people to respond. So we got a jump and made it a bit further. It died again so we got another jump start. The third jump got us to a parking spot where we could leave it overnight. I had to move it before 9 Saturday morning so I wouldn't get ticketed or have to pay for parking. I called a friend of my moms to help me figure out what is wrong. I am not mechanically inclined. I would have AAA tow it to a mechanic. But that isn't how my mother works. Her friend showed up with a tow rope. Great. I make fun of people in a car that are being towed with another car using a rope. Now I was the guy in the second car. The rope seemed very short and I was scared of rear ending my tower. Or hitting something. Or the rope breaking. Or the rope coming off my car. Or anything else!

It was kinda like this.

Eventually we made is to another friend of my mother's house. We parked the car and hoped that it wouldn't start snowing yet. We took out (I watched) the battery and took it somewhere to get charged. Apparently, we couldn't find out the real problem until the battery worked. Maybe the battery was the problem. We dropped it off and they told us to come back in two hours. I went home and worked on team stuff. A couple of hours later we went back to the mechanics to pick up the battery. Apparently, they didn't do it correctly and it would be a couple more hours.
So I am still tagging along with my mom's friend. He took me to a radio station, KGNU, where we hung out. A couple hours later (after wandering in and out of studios) we returned and picked up the battery. Now it is 2 in the afternoon. This all started about 8 in the morning. The battery is charged. Now it has begun snowing. We take it to the car and the car starts. However, when we turn on the lights, the power gets low. The windshield wipers might kill it again. So we leave the car and go to buy a fusible link. Apparently, this car has had this problem in the past. We buy a couple fusible links and return to the car. Despite only being 4 in the afternoon it is dark, snowing, and feels to be about 20 degrees. We decide that it is not a good time to work on the car. (I didn't want to stand in the snow and watch.) It has been snowing all weekend. I have two new fusible links sitting here beside me. Maybe someone will put them in the car tomorrow. Then they can follow me to see if the car still dies when it is being driven.

Back at it.

It is still snowing. I feel a bit like a housewife with nothing to do all day. I hate being cooped up inside, so I went shopping. I got myself a table specifically for tying flies. I tied a few more of my homemade variety and then got fed up of sitting around watching the snow fall. I thought it would be a lot more fun to watch the snowfall from outside. I packed my fishing stuff and jumped on the bus towards town. Having Boulder Creek run through the middle of Boulder is one of the nicest aspects of this town. It makes running, cycling, or fishing in Boulder more enjoyable. There were a few homeless people under the bridges doing whatever it is that they do, but I put on my waders, boots, and vest and started on my adventure. I tried a dry fly that I thought would work before trying one that I made. Mine didn't have any success and when the weather is better (next week) and I can see the fish I will be more excited to use my own flies.

Beautiful.

It snowed the whole time that I was out there. As the afternoon wore on it seemed to get colder. Ice formed on my line and on the guides (holes where the line passes through). I had to break the ice to be able to cast from time to time. I had a couple of hits but either I was too slow to set the hook or the fish spit it out. I wasn't having much luck except with catching a few "tree fish". I didn't lose any flies and just before I left I landed a little Brown Trout.

My fish of the day.

I was surprised how warm I was. My left hand got a bit cold from handling the line and putting my hand in the water to pick up the fish felt like needles, but the rest of me was quite warm. As I was on the bus home (I wore my waders and boot on the bus) I saw the temp was 25! Tomorrow has a high of 36 so it will feel like summer. I am going again. I loved it!

Snow day.

Arriving in Boulder was wonderful. It was a long drive from Flagstaff, but well worth it. Having an apartment is great.

The view yesterday.

Then it started snowing. Heavily. It is a nice change from the last 18 months. It has been a perpetual summer for a while. Now it really feels like winter. For better or worse, we live across the street from Front Range Anglers. I already went by and introduced myself. Moj got me a beginners fly tying kit this week. Oh no. Now I am in trouble. It is dumping snow and I drank way too much tea. Time to start tying flies.

The van today.

I began reading a book about fly tying. Then looking up websites, videos, anything that I could find to figure out how to tie flies. I started with a Woolly Bugger and then started making things up.

My Woolly Bugger.

After tying about 4 flies I was ready to rush out to Boulder Creek and give them a try. Sitting here warm and comfy, I was convinced that it would be fine to be out fishing in the snow. Then I looked out the window. And I sat down to tie some more.

My personal box.

I have no idea of some of the things that I tied. I plan on using them though! I don't know if they float or not. I don't know if I can trick the fish with them. I will try though.  The forecast is for more snow tomorrow, but  I am not sure if I can contain my excitement.