Chasing Torpedoes with the Tuna Whisperer

Sometimes great fun is hard work. At 3:25 a.m. last Sunday, ten fishermen, two deckhands (Brian and Tyler), and Captain Rob Gudgell were having a briefing aboard the Katie Marie.  Mostly it was safety stuff and reaching an agreement about how the fish—should we catch...

All about People and Their Limits

Monday morning, following a long Cascade Crest weekend filled with 100-mile runners and 36 hours of ham radio operation, Homey just didn’t get it. “What’s the point?  A hundred and some people try to run 100 miles over dirt, rocks, downed trees and gravel roads.  And...

All about Today’s Bigfoot Interest

Homey was nosing into our sockeye trip to Lake Wenatchee.  “So, that’s where your brother Brad saw those ‘Bigfoot’ guys years ago, right?  And that’s your interest, right?  And you guys were at the head of the lake, near the White River, so didn’t you really go to...

National Parks–Here and over There

Homey was explaining about his upcoming drive.  “We are going to spend some time in Yellowstone… Do some National Park things and see some wild stuff.”  “Cool,” I said, “Just stay on the roads.” I love Yellowstone.  I still savor the times my now-grownups and I...

Of Sockeye and Brandon; Of Yakamas and Salmon

During last Saturday’s classes of ’58 through ’62 Eastmont High reunion picnic on Lake Chelan—in the middle of a reverie on dozens of such picnics as a kid—Brandon Rogers called. “Jim,” he said, “I’m fishing sockeye on Lake Wenatchee, and could stand some company...