Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Flipping The Switch

                                         Flipping The Switch

This past Wednesday, the switch in my brain flipped from it’s “Fishing ” setting to “Skiing” in a very abrupt fashion.  Most years, it takes longer to change between the two, and the transition is counted in days or even weeks.  But this year, it came much quicker.
I spent the whole week in Avon, training to be a bus driver at Beaver Creek. For one work day each week during the ski season, my wife and I will both get a ski pass. Wednesday was no doubt this winter’s first reality slap. Above 7,200 feet or so, it was full-on blowing snow and slippery roads.  Being of solid French-Canadian stock, I was loving it though.  Winter means hockey and skiing to me, so bring it on!

  The previous few days before had been sunny and mild, and I was tempted to put the top down on my old convertible Saab. The Colorado River in my backyard was astoundingly
low and clear, and I was wondering why no one else wanted to float it right now.  I’ve gone out each night and made some casts with my little seven foot three weight, knowing that the days I can do so are numbered. Soon enough, there will be an ice skating surface out there with goalie nets at either end, but for the moment it’s a calm, clear river. A couple of weeks earlier, I had written the people on my email list letting them all know that the river had finally done it’s late fall level drop, and that it was a nice time to be here. The river can also this transparent in the spring right after iceout, but the water level is much colder then, and the fish less active.  In November, the temperature is dropping but still well above freezing.  The bigger, smarter fish have been through this change before, and they know to put some more calories into their bellies before winter.  So the fishing can still be pretty good, but the days are just a bit shorter.  It’s really cold in the morning, and it takes some time for the bugs and fish to get moving.  Then, in the afternoon the sunset comes early, technically at five-thirty pm but really much sooner than that in the heart of the canyon.  Trying to do all ten miles can mean being cold at both ends of the day, but by doing a shorter trip time can be managed to maximize the sunshine.  And at 6,200 feet, the days here are much sunnier and milder here than they are thirty miles away in Beaver Creek or Vail.

   Winter tends to sneak up on us down here along the “Lower Upper” Colorado River. Only last Sunday, I was mowing my lawn and looking up at the Flat Top Mountains, covered in pristine white snow from a recent storm.  It occurred to me that there were people not so far upvalley at that moment wielding snow shovels and blowers, while I was pushing an icon of summertime through my backyard. 

  The storm that blew in Tuesday night had been predicted, so I car camped in my 4Runner the night before to avoid a snowy commute the next morning.  On Wednesday morning I awoke inside of what looked like an igloo.  I turned on the 4Runner’s rear heater, got things toasty, and then crawled out of my sleeping bag to peer outside.  As soon as I cracked the door open, I was greeted by a blast of wind and a face full of huge cold snowflakes. I licked a pile off my upper lip and smiled.  This was definitely winter!

  For most of that day of training, we drove around a 4WD Ford Vanterra which was excellent in the snow.  Compared to the two-wheel drive propane trucks and oversized buses I’ve spent years driving, a Vanterra feels as nimble as a snowmobile. We went to some of the upper neighborhoods above Beaver Creek where the weather was the worst, cruising in total comfort.  The small roads curved in, out, under, and over some of the runs I’d be carving down in only a couple more weeks. It got me very excited about skiing again! 

  And then it happened, an almost audible “thunk!” in my brain as my switch went from “Fishing” to “Skiing”.  I looked around and realized that I would much rather ski than fish at that precise moment, and that “moment” would probably last until March or April.
Thankfully, living in Colorado means not having to choose between one or the other.  In springtime, the river starts fishing after iceout in March, but Vail and the Beav are open until April, and A-Basin stays open until June.  That’s quite a lot of time that you can do both.  In the fall, ski areas open in late November but the river can be fished from a boat until the ice shelves start to grow, which is usually mid-December.  It’s a much smaller overlap.

  By Thursday morning, there were many dozens of tracks covering the lower face of Beaver Creek Mountain.  Other eager skiers had also contracted The Bug the day before, and had hiked up to get that first feel of sliding snow underfoot. The lifts would not be running for another two weeks, unfortunately.  Seeing those tracks made me want to add a pair of my own, so that night I dug out all my ski gear and a small backpack so I could climb the hill after work the next day. 

  Friday was to be my last day of training, and since we had covered most of the things we needed to know about, I figured there would be time for at least one run after work.  But then we were finished by 10 am, and it occurred to me that Breckenridge was opening that day.  So instead of walking up the hill once or twice, I did some low level flying in the Saab over Vail Pass, and was skiing at Breck soon after.  This totally secured the “Fish/Ski” switch in my brain to its winter setting. 

  Friday the thirteenth was as perfect an opening day as one could have wished for.  Cobalt blue cloudless skies, very little wind, soft packed powder snow, and lots of smiling faces. So many happy souls, all out enjoying the frozen water on top of a mountain. I couldn’t think of a better place to be. 
 
  For once I didn’t stay until the last lift, as I normally do.  I left myself enough time before dark to take the River Road home, instead of the interstate.  The mileage is about the same either way, and though the interstate is faster the River Road is much prettier. It also gives me more time to be with my lovely aquatic mistress.  I drove home with my head full of snow and skiing, and wondering when I could get back up there for another fix.  But then the road dropped down to the river, and as I traveled along her curving banks and peered into her clear waters, I could feel the switch begin to change positions again...

  Maybe I will do another float or two before winter finally makes its way down to here…anyone else want to come with me?

                              
                                                               Jack Bombardier


14503 Colorado River Road
Eagle County CO 81637
970-524-1440
jackbombardier.blogspot.com

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