Emails from Ron

To get this blog going, we're going to start with a few of Ron's initial emails (once we get this up and running officially, he will begin posting here instead of emailing!).

Here's the first from March 31:

Well, Gang, Spring is in the air and Montana is warming itself up (slowly, and slower, thank goodness) for its summer Extravaganza show. In fact, as set forth in [this] article from the finest, best and only Missoula newspaper, The Missoulian, the first hatch of the year, the skwala hatch, is already underway. My inside and on the scene sources tell me that the critical Bitterroot snowpack is yet at 95% of normal (in spite of the abnormally warm temperatures both CA and MT had last month) and that, by all indications, Montana will have an early Spring.

As described in [the] article, the skwala is a stone fly that crawls (literally) out of the water at the first warmth of the year and keynotes that fishing is in sync with the natural course of nature's events. These bugs, which are about 1 1/2 inches in length, mark the first seasonal, pre-runoff hatch that, post runoff, will be followed by the coveted salmonfly hatch (bugs are over 2 1/2 inches in length--compare that size to the size 22 flies I was tying this afternoon--a hook 1/4" long, over a dozen of which would easily fist on the smallest of your fingernails--, and then by the yellow stone fly, the green drake and the multiple species of mayflies that will make up our fishing diet come late June and early July. [More on the etymology of it all in my next message to you.]

On matters of an administrative nature, Gary "Splash" Van Dam has received the first of the Delta Air Line flight change emails that we all will get as Delta reshuffles its summer flight schedule (as it does each year). Do not fret, however, as we have already been in touch with Delta and, while your incoming and outgoing flight times may vary by as much as an hour by the time they get through dinking around with us, your coming and going will not be impaired.

Of more import, why "Splash" Van Dam, you ask? Well, two years ago, while as a rookie, Splash was fishing with not-a-rookie experienced Down River Dave Studeman (using DDR's brand new Sage rod and reel [because his others "weren't working that well" and DDR wanted to prove to Splash that the reason was most likely operator error, not an equipment malfunction), Splash, indeed, hooked into a good sized fish (he thought) [it turned out to be an 8" monster rainbow, by the way}, and, standing up in the rear of the boat (where most rookies belong, by the way), he set the hook much like one would if a 350 lb marlin were on the line, throwing himself and all of DDR's equipment out of the boat in the process (oh, for a video camera!). For his antics and for neither losing nor breaking DDR's thousand dollars worth of equipment, Splash was bestowed our 2005 Rookie of the Year award for his efforts and, most appropriately, at our last nite's traditional awards ceremony, was given an inflatable raft to forever tow behind his Montana vessel. Yes, he fishes in Group One--need more be said?!?

I smell it in the air, folks; Montana is right around the corner. In fact, Kathy heads that way a week from today in her annual advanced party trek to (a) pave the way for your entrance; (b) commune with our (wonderful) MT neighbors and (c) shuffle along our now adopted contractor Bruce and landscaper Eric--the former being in the process of extending out our front porch and completely replacing the main building's roof and the latter being now late to complete his proposed landscape renovation of our front yard and to resod/relevel your fly casting lawn. Amazing how some things just don't change!

If you don't think we are close, fellow Extravaganzers, just consider that, 90 days from today, both Group One and Group Two will have already come, gone and will be back home and awaiting Extravaganza 2008!

62 strong this year, viva La Extravaganza!!

Best to all,

Rock Creek Ron

And from April 24:

Fellow Extravaganzers:

I thought that you would enjoy the "Report From The Scene" [below] from your hostess, Kathy, as she (and, separately, I) returns from a weekend family wedding in Orlando, Florida [while in Florida, Group Three expanded by four (count 'em) more with the addition of Florida returning brothers Bob and Kenny Kingsland, this time with their beautiful wives Kelly and Erin as well--making Group Three one of our larger groups ever with now over 16 participants]. Seldom to you get a(ny) report of the majestic wife of an internationally renowned professional golfer (and our great friend and neighbor) carrying balls around during a real life reenactment of Shoot-out At the OK Corral, but, then again, you soon-to-be-former rookies out there have yet to have a taste of just what it is really like to be "on the scene"!

Wow, folks, we are truly inside "80 days and counting", as, 60 days from today, the wandering minstrels of Group One will be returning home from that scene and, tomorrow, those in Group Two will begin their final packing. And things are shaping up nicely for a(nother) wonderful fishing season, I might add. Current weather in MT finds daily highs in the mid-60's and nightly lows in the mid-30's (this is typical for MT weather where the daily low is half of the daily high--making MT's summer nights absolutely magical as we sleep with open windows with the sounds of the river wafting thorough our real life dreams) and the all-too-critical snow pack mass in the Bitterroot Mountains yet hovers at the 70% range (in spite of an unusually warm April). That is good--very, very good--as things are shaping up nicely for a normal May runoff which is followed by the advent of our June-July truly Extravagant activities.

As to water flows, Rock Creek's flows have dipped from just above 500 cfs of last week to 469 cfs, soon to dramatically increase to over five times that amount, however. It is hard to adequately describe just how important of an impact that a good, healthy runoff has on Montana's rivers, as "a good flushing" resets not only the underwater geography and surface obstructions in the rivers but it also reinvigorates the bug and fish life that is so critical to our fishing experience. In that regard, we are literally in the quiet before the runoff storm, and, during that storm, all fishing activity stops on the three rivers that we will be fishing (the Clark Fork of the Columbia, the Bitterroot River and the Big (A River Runs Through It) Blackfoot River) until the runoff subsides, water clarity returns and then, watch out, as the fish come alive to begin their summer feeding frenzy. And THAT is just when we show up on the scene, just when the "Free Eats" post-runoff restaurant opens for business, with us to be hosted by Montana's best guides on its best fishing rivers.

So, in the quietude of it all and as we approach the upcoming runoff storm, know that we are beaverly pushing our (perpetual) contractor friends to complete their work assignments for you (no, there was never, ever, never has been any discussion of "an arch" in their assignment, but, somehow, it seems like one is serendipitously coming into our collective future!) and that Kathy is onsite not only to do so but also to make her special, only as she can do final preparations for your arrival(s), which we eagerly await.

Our Fifth Extravaganza, now over 65 fisherfolk strong, is just on the horizon and I am developing the strong, very strong, feeling that this year's collective event might just be "the one" we talk about for years and years to come--and, as those of you who know me well know, my intuition tends to bat in the high ninety percentile.

Your "camp packing list" will come to you next and shortly!

Ah, the upcoming beauty of it all!!

Best,

Rock Creek Ron

>-----Original Message-----
>From: RONALD CLAUSEN [mailto:rkclausen@msn.com]
>
>Subject: UPDATE FROM MONTANA - PAST WEEKS EVENTS
>
>WELL, GOOD MORNING TO ALL. HOPE EVERYONE HAS GOTTEN SOME REST FROM
>THIS PAST WEEK OF EVENTS. GREAT TO SEE EVERYONE AGAIN.
>
>TO UPDATE EVERYONE ON THE EVENTS THAT I MISSED WHILE I WAS IN ORLANDO
>AT JENNY AND ANDY'S WEDDING.(WOULD NOT OF MISSED IT)!!
>
>1. WE HAD A BIG SNOWSTORM! ALL GONE FROM MY YARD.
>
>2. EVERY YEAR A FRIEND OF MINE THAT MANAGES A LARGE RANCH IN DEER LODGE.
>HAS A CALF BRANDING EVENT. FRIENDS AND LOCALS COME TO THE EVENT. WELL,
>WHILE JEFF (OUTFITTER AND FRIEND ON CREEK), HELPED WITH THE BRANDING
>AND BALL REMOVAL, KAREN BARBER GOT TO CARRY THE BALLS TO THE BUCKET TO
>CLEAN. DURING THE EVENT ONE COWBOY GOT INTO A FIGHT, ANOTHER COWBOY
>PULLED A GUN ON MY FRIEND, JASON. NO SHOTS WERE FIRED. CALLED THE
>COPS AND THE COWBOY IS IN THE JAIL HOUSE.
>
>WELL, BACK TO THE BALLS, JEFF CLEANED THEM AND FRIED THEM UP FOR
>EVERYONE!
>
>3. BACK AT THE HOUSE, THINGS ARE COMING ALONG. ERIC, LANDSCAPER, IS
>STARTING THE FENCE TO KEEP THE HORSES OUT OF OUR YARD. IT IS GOING
>DOWN TO THE HIGH WATER MARK. BRUCE IS WORKING HARD ON FRONT PORCH.
>BEFORE HE LEFT YESTERDAY, HE CAME INTO THE HOUSE FOR HIS TWO BEERS FOR
>THE RIDE HOME AND ASKED WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT A ARCH ON THE FRONT PORCH.
>(THAT WAS NOT IN THE
>PLANS!) HE SAID HE WOULD BRING THE LOGS TODAY AND SET IT UP FOR ME TO SEE.
>
>WELL, AT 7:30PM LAST NIGHT, BRUCE CAME DRIVING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY WITH
>THE LOGS. DUMPED THEM IN THE DRIVEWAY AND DROVE OFF. GUESS I DON'T
>WANT TO GET UP THE DRIVEWAY THIS MORNING. ONE WAY TO KEEP ME HERE!
>
>4. CAME BACK TO EMPTY PLANTS. BEFORE I LEFT MY PLANTS HAD BUDS ON
>THEM. DAMN DEER DECIDED TO HAVE A SNACK. OH WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>NOTHING TO REPORT THIS MORNING. YET IT IS ONLY 6:30AM HERE.
>
>LOVE TO ALL!
>KATHY