Short Reflection of my Recent Oregon Trip (June 9-30, 2004)
Back from Oregon, I hear kids playing outside - three French boys (just arrived this afternoon from Paris) and one Irish boy (arrived a few days ago) are visiting Kenji. (What happened to my quiet house?) Anyway, here are few points of reflection from the trip.
First, visiting friends from my Business school days, Bob in Real Estate Developing business and Tim in software business.
Discovered few books of Daisetz Suzuki at Powell’s bookstore: Zen and psychoanalysis, The field of Zen, Shin Buddhism, and Buddha of Infinite Light.
Party for the Dale’s daughter’s graduation from U of O: BBQ, people, flowers, and on…
Visiting Charles and Bethany at their house – and flower garden
Dale’s condo at Sun River – raft trip, Smith rock, and more hiking (and little fishing)
Playing Bridge with Ann, Dale, and Kenji (His first time) Also, poker of various kinds – including “Dr. Pepper.” Did Kenji win??? I think so.
Camping at the Wilson river, talking with Kenji till midnight (Re: highlights of High school days’ experiences) and playing chess. Kenji likes to read more than to walk around in the nature. (BTW, We slept in the car for two nights)
Subway(Yummy!), Ramen, and cans of sardine and tuna.
Few hot days at Deschutes: Maupin, and a day’s trip with Ted near the Warm Springs – to his special spot! Nice rainbow with a new technique (for me) in a fast current with a big fly. (also, a bow-and-arrow technique)
Fishing near the rock at the East Lake from Dale’s boat for rainbows and browns. (and ouch! I hooked my finger!)
A little dent on my car bumper (Why didn’t the guy watching me driving back did not warn me, I still wonder??) – (so far no charge was made by the rent-a-car company)
* And, the beautiful Metolius River for four days of fishing:
Small purple flowers along the riverside
Visiting the spring creek at the origin
Hear the cougar’s roaring near the lower bridge just across the river (a hiker twenty yards away sighted the 150 pounds cougar dashing with her cub on her mouth)
Catching two bull trout (Dolly Virden): one by nymph and the other by tandem fly (6-7 and 3 pounds). The first one took for me to stay for 30min. in the fast and cold current - not an easy task! Met Jim from Portland.
PMDs, blue bottle(NZ fly), ant pattern (rainbow loved it), and more with nymph with tungsten weight (four fish in a small hole in 30min. where the water was dangerously fast and cold.)
Missed to catch any fish with salmon/golden stone fly and green drake hatch as well as spent-wing green drake fall in the evening
To add a small flavor to the trip, I locked myself out of the car in one early morning (when I went out for pee). -- After one hour of trial/deliberation, with a long twig found in the forest and the help of a wedge used to open the corner of the door, Wow --- miraculously, the door was opened!!! Imagination / luck is the power for sure. Phew… It looks that after the moment of despair, but just staying there, miracle seems to happen in many cases, if not all.
Overall, fish in this river was quite finicky! As I went back to the location I caught fish the next day, I could not reproduce the same outcome. I noticed that the fish is most often selective.
Still, witnessing a 45 min.-PMD(Pale morning dun) hatch at around 3 PM in the remote hole when rainbow jumping all over in the white rapid water - was quite a sight! (I got only a few nibble, as it was caused by a delayed strike that became my habit from fishing in NZ.)
The drive back to Portland through the forest was very nice (with little nap along the way).
Hope I have a chance to come back to this wonderful land.
** Now, I hear this time, a Chinese kid is joining the party – from across the road. Pizza is on its way. Happy summer days for all!!!
** BTW, I just found out that what I am doing here is called “blogging’” i.e., a continuous diarrhea of words coming out of the mouth – a word specially made for those who write about their life’s activity on the internet. Yet, whatever people may say, this may be still called an important step of PDCA(Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle of continuous improvement – the subject that I often “preached” as a management consultant.