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Fly Fishing

The summer of 2016 seems to be the one where I do a bunch of things I never thought I’d do. In June it was whitewater rafting, and in July it was fly fishing (full account over on MileHighMamas.com, with commentary from both of my kids).

silverthorne fly fishing
The rainbow trout I caught (and released). Fly fishing experience courtesy The Colorado Angler.

In August, it is slated to be the mind-blowingest one of all: parenting a high schooler. How is THAT happening??

Anyway, my family was treated to a lovely weekend in Silverthorne, Colorado, just an hour up I-70 from the Denver area. People sometimes think of this town as a place you stop on the way to ski resorts, stopping at the Outlets for some deals, but we ended up loving Silverthorne as its own destination.

My Predictions About Fly Fishing? All Wrong.

I’d predicted I wouldn’t really enjoy fly fishing, but I did. I predicted my daughter would think it boring, but she loved it. I predicted my husband would be the only one to catch a fish, but he wasn’t (though his was the biggest). I predicted my son would love fly fishing, but he merely tolerated it.

fly fishing brown trout
The brown trout I caught (and released).

I didn’t think I’d look good in waders, but damn if I didn’t rock ’em. I didn’t think I’d touch the fish I caught, but I did. I didn’t think I’d ever want to go fly fishing again, but I do.

We later tried stand up paddleboarding, and also I managed to embarrass my teens at an outdoor concert with my middle-aged (how did THAT happen??) singing and dancing. We toured a microbrewery, ate ice cream along the Blue River, grilled our own steaks, and made many memories together.

It was a super fun mini-trip. No wonder we’re hooked on Silverthorne.

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This post is part of #MicroblogMondays? Whazzat? A post thatโ€™s not too long. Head to Stirrup Queens to join the fun.

22 Responses

  1. Wow! That looks like an amazing place to stay! I hear ya on the unexpected things that creep up on us, but it sounds like exciting times, nonetheless. Can’t wait to hear more about your mind-blowing month! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Since seeing”A River Runs Through It,” I’ve wanted to learn how to fly fish. The rhythm required to cast and becoming part of your surroundings. It sounds like you had an amazing time.

    And I had to laugh out loud following the comments about the concert. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  3. This made me laugh. My father was a keen fly-fisherman, but I tried it only once. I didn’t like the act of catching and landing the fish, so never again. I’m happy though to sit under a tree with a book while someone else is fly-fishing though.

  4. That sounds like a lot of fun! I have to get my husband in gear to make a trip out to the mountains. Sigh…maybe next summer.

  5. It sounds lovely — like the perfect place to spend a weekend. So… do you have to… touch bugs to do it? That would be the deal breaker.

  6. Ah looks like a great day out! I’ve never considered fly-fishing but I imagine it’s relaxing. Kids are surprising when it comes to fishing: the ones you’d imagine would hate it love it – my sixteen-year-old niece can’t get enough crab fishing, she can do it for hours.

  7. I’m about to have my first fly fishing experience too Lori! I can not wait. I actually think I will love love love it!

    I’ll let you know!

  8. Often expectations bite us in the butt in a good way…Good for you! What an exhilarating thing to trying something new (especially if it’s something you’ve been apprehensive about for years) I did the concert thing too this summer when we were in New York. They had a beach concert with an Abba cover band and a BGs cover band. You should have seen the look on my daughter’s face when I was standing on the blanket rocking it out to Dancing Queen. (Particularly when I sang out for all to hear: “Young and sweet… Only 17”)

  9. That sounds amazing! I come from a long line of fly-fishers, and it seems very romantic (even though it has pretty much ZERO appeal to me). Maybe I’m thinking of Brad Pitt fly fishing in Montana in that movie from years ago. Love the waders picture… maybe I’d just like that…standing in the water while somewhat dry, feeling it all pass by. Kind of like time and that whole parenting a high-schooler thing–yikes! I want to know how the stand-up paddleboarding went. We have a bunch of people who do it on the Erie Canal here and do yoga on paddleboards… craziness!

    1. Before we went paddleboarding, I was pretty cocky, thinking I’d be doing fancy yoga poses on the board. Turns out standing up was about the most I could manage.

  10. This sounds fantastic. I love that you went and did a bunch of stuff you didn’t think you’d enjoy but then enjoyed the hell out of it anyway.

    You’re making me think I should try fishing with my husband and son, who seem to love it. I don’t understand their love of it, though maybe I should try.

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