The other day, while enjoying my breakfast at the computer desk, I noticed that the river outside the window seemed a little louder and more violent than usual. Although we always fall asleep and pass our days with this beautiful, natural soundtrack of the Winooski river falling gently over the Winooski One hydroelectric dam, it was noticeably loud. I took a peek out the window and found that they must have opened the second (higher) overflow for the dam, because water was crashing over the rocks where it normally does not, and the water level in the further section was quite high:
The flow was definitely faster, and there was white water along the whole length of the river around the bend. It wasn't just my imagination - they were actually letting more of the Winooski River out into Lake Champlain. It had been raining quite a bit the previous couple of days. At the Lake Mitchell trout club, we heard that due to the rain causing the lake to rise, the boat dock had floated away, the boats were filled with water, logs and crashed into the dam, and it was quite busy for the caretaker. It was no surprise, then, that all of the streams and tributaries feeding water into the Winooski would cause it, too, to rise. As this river winds through the heart of the whole state, quite a bit of water could have backed up. This release of extra water lasted at least half the day, after which the flow calmed to normal levels. At the height of the water release, some white-water kayakers were enjoying the rapids created by the extra water over the dam. They were fun to watch.
We decided to get a TV with WiFi so that we can stream our movies and connect the computer, and I downloaded some cool applications:
My weather app makes me feel like I'm in Japan ... checking the weather radar on TV via satellite was quite common even for my grandparents in the countryside of northern Japan.
Coolest app ever ... downloaded a fireplace! It is an hour-long looping, non-stop vide of a real fire (complete with somebody adding a new long and poking the fire every now and then). There is also audio recording that goes with it, so I can put it on and have a crackling fire (minus the heat and smoke) in the background while I read a book. This will surely be on all throughout the long Vermont winters! On a side note, I'm totally over the heat and humidity. Bring on the winter already!
In the kitchen, I've been hard at work trying to identify some staple recipes that I can rely on throughout the busy school year. My criteria for "keeper" recipes are 1) cheap staple that is relatively filling (rice, pasta, couscous, quinoa-based dishes), 2) healthy and/or can be made by throwing whatever I have left in the kitchen in with the "base" filler, 3) a batch keeps well and makes good leftovers for following days so I don't have to spend too much time cooking thereafter. This quinoa that I made seems to fit the bill really well, and will be on my keeper list for sure
Cooked quinoa with roasted bell peppers, chopped green onions, roasted beets and carrots, maple syrup, dijon mustard, and basil. The quinoa is from a large 3 pound bag I bought at Costco, as is a large jar of roasted bell peppers. Green onions, beets, and carrots were from the Winooski farmer's market and I roasted them myself. With the maple syrup and dijon I made a maple-dijon "sauce" (think honey mustard).
Added some fresh cherry tomatoes and a medjool date for Ian's lunch
Yesterday, Ian and I decided to get out of town in the morning and head into the mountains. I had identified what appeared to be decent small streams for tenkara fly fishing that were relatively close by (30 mins out of town). With gear in hand, we were off. First stop was a creek on the western side of Camels Hump State Park called "Honey Hollow Creek". The small set of waterfalls here was absolutely breathtaking.
Crystal clear mountain water plunging down a handful of small, deeply carved pools. It was so beautiful. I loved that the falls were not massively tall or roaring - they were peaceful and beautiful in a quiet, understated sort of way.
Looking down the falls as they tumble along. I guess in fly fishing terms this is a "high gradient mountain stream"
Where the falls started to flatten out, we searched for a good Tenkara spot. This looks like the kind of places that are fished in Tenkara videos and pictures, and looks exactly like the type of terrain in Japan. Nice large boulders for small fish to rest behind and plunge pools to oxygenate the water. Trees around for bugs to fall into the water. Looks promising.
An abandoned stone lean-to shelter. Must have been used by loggers back in the day.
Despite what I'd consider to be absolutely PERFECT tenkara territory, we did not catch any fish. At first I was a little disappointed, since I was sure as soon as we saw the stream that this was exactly what we were looking for. Totally like the Japanese mountain streams I've grown up seeing - bouldery, high-gradient, small, headwater type of streams. I expressed my slight disappointment to Ian, but he reminded me that the videos I watch were edited. It's very likely that for the 4 or 5 fish caught in the videos I see, it could have easily been 10 hours of fishing. On the other hand, there could be days like the other day at Lake Mansfield Trout Club where I caught 14 in an hour. The scenery easily lifted my spirits, though, and I really wasn't all that disappointed. I will be back there for sure - even if there are no fish to catch, the swimming would be great!
We continued onwards along the south side of the Winooski River on River Rd, and pulled over in a little shoulder area to try some bigger waters:
me on the Winooski River
No luck there, either, but I was a little skeptical anyways. It was really starting to warm up that afternoon, and with no waders, there was only a limited area I could access without getting neck-high in the water.
Finally, we tried for a last small stream I saw on the map ... this was Ridley Brook along Camels Hump Road which runs on the eastern side of the state park. We stayed in the lower section, but could have easily spent much more time working ourselves upstream or even driving much further to the end of the road. This was a beautiful, bouldery mountain stream as well. Perfect tenkara territory.
Trying to work all the little pockets behind boulders, alongside banks of the current, and under the plunge pools in Ridley Brook.
I learned a few things this past time out fishing. First, I can't expect to catch fish every time. I know it was unrealistic to expect that to begin with, but I only really understood the reality of catch rates in he wild after this morning. My 14 fish in one evening at Mansfield was not applicable to this type of "real" Tenkara fishing in the mountain streams. These streams aren't stocked with hundreds of fish trapped in a pond ready to be tricked with a fly. Instead, these streams contain some native, small, beautiful brook trout that still have their natural survival instincts. They are easily scared away by careless walking/wading, loud noises, large movements casting shadows, and other clumsiness. Instead, they will train me to be patient, careful, deliberate with my movements, and delicate. And when I finally do catch one, it will have been hard earned and respected. Secondly, Ian and I only worked over a very, very small section of both of these streams. I know there are native brookies in here because I saw online that people fish here and have caught them. The problem isn't that we're at a bad stream - the problem was that we were only fishing a 50-foot stretch. And I realized, looking back, that this is what people mean by "working the river" upstream. You have to try a little bit here and there in the places you think will have fish. But if they're not showing at all, you have to move on and keep working upstream. The more water you cover, the more chances you have to get a fish interested. That was our main limitation today - we didn't actually work our way significantly anywhere. We simply picked a spot by the car and walked around a little bit. It would be unrealistic and naive for me to be a little disappointed in not catching anything when I didn't even venture anywhere along the water.
Honey Hollow and Ridley Brook were top spots in my book and I will be there again soon. So close to town, yet a world apart - and the terrain is exactly the kind of bouldery, rocky, high gradient mountain stream I'm looking for. I want to fish for the small beautiful native trout - not a massive 10 pound bass or brown trout in the larger rivers. I don't know what attracts me to the smaller fish. Maybe it's just a different attitude than the whole "bigger is better" American culture.
Nevertheless, when I'm out on those boulders with crystal clear water flowing by, it makes me so happy as I am brought back to my summers in Japan, watching from the train as older men fish in the rocky rivers of the mountains in Iwate Prefecture. I have really come to learn about myself how much I love the mountains. And the rocky mountain streams - that is really one of my favorite things in the world.
Today, after a leisurely morning, Ian and I headed out to the Burlington Farmer's Market. It was huge for a small town! Of course there was so much amazing food from all the great farms throughout this boutiful state, but I didn't expect THAT many people and vendors. The market occupied the entire City Hall Park.
Extra bike parking
Fun musical group walking around
Taking over the streets of downtown Burlington
We got this steal from Farmer Sue's stand ... 50 cents per squash. Yes, that HUGE squash (and the huge pattypan squash on the counter) were just 50 cents each!
I have been growing alfalfa sprouts to throw in our tuna or chicken salad sandwiches. Sprouts provide such a great nutritional source, as the plant has the most nutrients while it is bursting to life from the energy stored in the seeds. I forget how much I love sprouts on my sandwiches.
Finally, Ian and I took a nice walk alongside the Winooski River by all the other mills over to the nature preserve at the other end of the riverwalk
Chace Mills
The winooski falls area at night
It was beautiful out, and so cool that we could reach a great nature preserve so close to our home. I love how interesting this neighborhood is ... old mills powered by the river that have now been converted to living spaces, cool rapids nearby (could fish here...), a great riverwalk separated from any cars, and access to a wonderful nature preserve within 5 minutes. There were new picnic tables under shady trees, too ... we should take advantage of those more before winter comes. Maybe tomorrow will be a picnic lunch?
