That's one of the first ones you see when you cross into Meagher County....there's hundreds, maybe thousands to follow. When you Google ' what the hell am I looking at in Meagher County Montana ' you get this - they're called Barn Quilts and apparently the Art community in White Sulphur Springs which is small but dynamic decided that a County wide art program could be beautiful and also set them aside from the other hum drum 185 other counties in the State . Now I'm not Inspector Closeau but I'm kinda thinking that there's got to be more to the story, after all a lot of it doesn't make sense...
1. They're in the strangest seemingly random places, everywhere .
2. They're not signed .
3. You see them as in the pic above in remote places with views of some of the most beautiful scenery in the lower 48...who thinks you can improve on that ?
4. White Sulphur Springs is the County seat and the Courthouse has one but the Hospital across the street doesn't have one . The Police station don't have one.....mmmm....but the industry has 3 of them....mmmm
5. It's hard for me to believe it's such a big thing without some $$$$ involved. To quote one of my old fishing buddies ' nobody does nothin for nothin '.
So if your mind works like mind right now you're thinking Knights Templar . Right ? Maybe even somehow linked to the mystery of Oak Island .
I remember in school learning about the Underground Railroad during the Civil War . In southern states the people helping the effort had to stay anonymous so for the folks needing help they devised an ingenious way of identifying each other. Of course they had your everyday secret passwords and handshakes and invisible ink but they also used everyday objects displayed in just a slightly different or unusual way for the people who knew what to look for to find....see where I'm going with this ?
So I'll be in that County from time to time and I'll do some more sleuthing. I guess in the meantime we can just consider it a gift like most art and just enjoy it...beautiful things in beautiful places.
There's one heck of a beer culture here in Montana. Our motel was full of fishing guides getting ready to launch for a trip on the Smith River, what a life . In the morning we watched them load these I.B.R.B.'s to quote Geno ( itty bitty rubber boats ) and it seems the concern they had most was room for the Pacifico's . They even know how to buy beer.
This note is posted on the door of our room and the second pic is the note posted at the local watering hole explaining their hours....I think you can see the situation quite well.
So we celebrated MP's ssss.......th birthday. My neck allowed me to golf a bit and I won the long drive contest. We toured a museum where they had really old stuff covered with really old dust and a sign that said do not touch, like that's what you'd want to do with a horse bridle that had spider webs on it. MPeasy won 15 dollars as we waited for a gourmet hamburger and I got to meet the nephew of a guy who's uncle beat up a friend of mine in 1971 . We ran into our neighbor Tom at the golf course . We toured the graveyard as White Sulphur goes overboard on Memorial Day. It was beautiful and solemn, 350 full sized flags, the sound of them flapping in the Montana wind gave me pause....that was a lot of weekend .
So now I'm getting ready to fish, seriously getting it together. If any of you are wondering how I'm looking as I work into retirement here's a current picture.
This coming weekend sure is. Of course it's memorial day and as much as much as I'd like to redo our season of fishing kick off or maybe even to get invited to Nancy Lake for a gourmet weekend with Chris and Melinda , we can't, it don't work that way. But what we will do is go out to Fort Harrison and leave flowers for both MP's and my folks. We'll hike down to the farmers market and visit with our Hutterite friends. We'll watch the Indy 500 and most likely a Mariner game . We'll barbecue and I'll go fishing, alone . We'll plant the last of the starts in our garden that MP lovingly has nurtured . And then on Monday we'll drive to White Sulphur Springs for soaking and supper at the Stockmans to celebrate this wonderful woman's 69th birthday, Ill give her a lucky 20 to play the Lucky Leprechaun with . We'll get up Tuesday morning and if my neck can do it we'll golf 9 and have a walk and a talk...you see we do everything together, everything .
Mary Patricia Brown is definitely the key to our modest success in life. I had some wasted years, it's a long story . But , she said she saw something in me and we went to work, together . With our future secure and the stress of self employment over it's all the things she is that still amazes me.
She talks to the flowers and the birds like they were our kids. She talks to our kids like they are leading the world. She's a master Gardener. She's a gourmet cook . She ends every phone call with family or friends with " I love you " . She can eat a lot of crab meat . She's an artist, as Maria DaSilva once said ' a real artist '.....I had to prod a bit to get ny chalk board personalized .
She laughs and laughs. She keeps me motivated to not get depressed with frustration on a few health issues. She does taxes . She researches before she votes . She fishes her ' own ' way . She likes movies . She's an avid bird watcher . She watches PBS television , anything British .......and.....she loves me ! Happy Birthday baby, I love you.
As I type this the world famous Kenai River season is kicking off. People wonder why and how we got to Montana. Most of it was because we wanted to and a lot of it was because we had to. It's a good thing when your wants and your needs collide . ADF+G has used a sophisticated sonar to measure the salmon runs for 40 years now, they start counting on May 15th every year. So today with 6 days of data just 6 King Salmon have crossed the sonar. Six . And to think that in 1985 Les caught the world record on May 17th and now.....my goodness it's terrible. We found out the hard way that you can't run a Salmon sport fishing business without Salmon. the black line is this year and the others are the past 4 years. For all of my friends on the Kenai, we're hoping all the best for you.
With this post of Mile 14 I expect to surpass 300,000 visits.....that's really something for me and MP. About 10 years ago I wrote a blog piece that went semi viral and had 25.000 visits in just a couple days. I subtracted that from my counter as it wasn't my steady readers, my friends, you guys reading now. To be completely honest I don't know what it is that makes ya'all come back and read my stories, especially now that the thrill of the fishing chase is...well a bit slower and of course, not Alaskan. But having said that I'm so happy that you do like the stories, the songs , the pictures and perspectives. Thank you all for making a writer out of me.
And what makes this a fish story ? I guess it's because they all are really. You see we fish for new experiences, new friends, new tastes and new stories....new fish, new weather and the same sunsets and sun ups but through a new view, a fresh view.
It was all sooooo new to us, we were just starting our love affair with Mazatlan . I'm sure everyone knows that feeling when you first fall , it's all so new and so exciting and you can't believe that you're really there or that she really loves you and .....it's magic . These guys listening while I poach a free beer or so are still friends today. Danny " the Hatman " Lizzaraga who invited us to our first Mexican wedding where his uncle unsuccessfully tried to out drink me . Jimmy Mendoza who had us to his Casa where his wife Maria started our fixation with real Mexican Chili Relanos . Jimmy has passed but now 20 years later his son Juan is my fishing / guitar / genuine friend. Jimmy showed us so much . Then there's Mike who I don't see as much but his brother Mario and I have stayed together . And Allan there was the Mayan Palace guy who took care of us....
It was spring break for both our guys in college Sam came from Northern Arizona and Max came from U of A, Alaska . It rained one day and we all ended up in the pool hall waiting for the sun to return . As I commented to Sam about his 8-ball skills I had to ask the obvious question " you are going to class aren't you " ? The four of us had a wonderful week , we called a cab and got them both on the way to the airport and me and MP went shopping to get the makings of a celebration. Getting back to the Mayan Palace with a couple steaks and a bottle of Chardonnay we run into Sam.....yikes,' what are you doing here ' ? Well we had all put our passports in a pile and he ended up with the wrong one. It was a bittersweet , we got another day with Sam but the steaks had to wait. There's my crew on rocks on the rocks of Playa Olas Altas.
This was the era in my life where I was winging just about everything. Why buy expensive tackle and gear when I had tons of it in Alaska, surely I had things in the garage that would catch these new fish. I met Daniel the lifeguard and we were immediate friends. Now Daniel and I also shared a common trait, neither of us had one single iota of the other persons language. I had a little battery powered translator that didn't survive my 1st swim in the ocean so me and Danny used sign language and laughing to get things done. He showed me how to wiggle your feet at the surf zone to feel for the little cochita's (sand crabs ) that make excellent bait. He showed me that if you can't feel for them so well all you really have to do is watch the shore birds who pluck at them as the surf raises and falls right at the water. Danny took me to the rocks and showed me how to chisel off the oysters with a rock and butter knife and now 20 years later I'm a pretty good water man, maybe an expert.
So there I am with my first ever Mazatlan fish. All my Mazatlateco friends will notice the view north from the Mayan there, looking to Playa Bruja. The only big building on the beach is the one you see, Quintas Del Mar. If that pic were taken today, my goodness, maybe 15 high risers would be in view including the sprawling Riu property that Jimmy Buffet would characterize like this ' it's ugly and square , it don't belong there ' .
So I'm fishing with sand crab bait with the rod in the holder when I see a disturbance in the water that was new to me. I had a trout sized green Krocidile on a Kenai Special and a casting reel which I wound up and got out maybe 25 ft.....Bang, instantly I've got him on and I'm astonished by the power . I told people on the Kenai that if you tied that fish to a Silver Salmon he'd pull it backwards. I was pumped. Daniel showed me how to bleed him and how to fillet my first Tuna. Yup, I had decided he was a Tuna family and when the four us sat down for our first fresh Mexican pescado we all admitted it was the best darn Tuna we'd ever eaten . Allan asked about the carcass and the Mayan staff used it for soup base.
So on that Spring fishing trip 20 years ago I caught lotsa new stuff here's a list .
1. My first digital pics. I had bought my Minolta at Costco for a pretty good chunk of lettuce. I use the camera to this day and have taken thousands of pics with it . I learned how to succeed as a good photographer with no talent . ' If you can't take a good shot, take a lot of shots '
2. My first ' Cubrito ' hangover . Cubrito's are what they call the small 7 ounce Pacifico bottles. At Danny's daughters wedding they had Dozens of cases and it was sooooo festive. Danny's uncle would come to me and lock elbows as we'd both chug a Cubrito . He was a small guy and after a half dozen or so he got tired and took a nap.
3. New Stars...It's funny , you might not think you know the night sky but you do , you've lived with it your entire life. Me and MP would lie on the beach, it was so dark....the Dippers were way to the north. The north star was about midship and the Southern Cross was new to us. We'd hold hands with wonder.
4. Our first real Chili Relanos. Jimmy Mendoza's wife Maria is known for them. It was a hot evening on a dusty road and she grilled as we ate and.....oh baby they were good....and spicy ! I was puddling ! But like a good gringo should I was determined to eat all she gave me . The next time we had the Chili Relanos Maria fried them in a hub cap on the beach for us. Love those guys .
5. My first Busking....although I've played music since I got my first guitar in 7th grade I never really considered myself a musician until about this era. Mazatlan made me a musician. The culture is so musical the locals welcome all and hold a special place for good ol American Rock and Roll. I used to say ' I ain't good but I am loud "......now I say ' I'm good and loud " .
6. My first first Class....My buddy Chris was doing tons of flying in the day and would treat us to First Class upgrades with Alaska Airlines and yup, it's a better way to go. I even played music for the airplane one time...so thank's Chris, from you I learned the way .
7. My first Tuna....mmmmm.....well,,,a...
8. So there's a few firsts. If I could do it all again I'd do everything exactly the same....except sooner.
How's about one last first ? The first song I ever recorded on my U Tube station , hope it doesn't make your dog bark.
We got neighbors that think they're beautiful, and feed them . But mostly what we have is a public that's tired of the pests and a government that doesn't know how to solve a really pretty easy problem, if you can set a aside human emotion. These urban Deer have habituated themselves not only to town but specific houses and green area where they feel protected. They eat everything, new budding tulips, perennials of all kinds and stomp down paths through wonderfully manicured landscaped yards . AND...I'm of the opinion that it's just a matter of time before us human types realize they carry the wasting disease or the Burcelosis type of thing that could be passed on to our kind and at the very least our pets . So what's to be done ? Here's a pic of the enemy, shot on yesterday mornings walk .
The woman who lets me live here has been calling me Carl lately, surely you remember Carl Spackler from the movie Caddy Shack. I haven't resorted to middle of the night black opps....yet...but I am armoring the perimeter and trying to Deer proof our back yard that has 42" chain link all around that that these hybrid urban Deer bound over like it was a steeping stone. Now MPeasy and a few of our friends have questioned if I really could be successful.....mmmmm....it's junior varsity insulting if they think we can't out smart these cuties who are ruining the yard. Here's the plan.
So that's what Carl is doing. Now what's the City of Helena doing ? mmmmmm.....Well, the first thing you do is form a committee while forgetting a basic tenant of politics is that if you want to slow something down or even do nothing the best thing is to form a committee. Then you set an ' acceptable ' number of deer per neighborhood and then decide how many of the vermin to execute to get to that number. I'd say the urban deer 'acceptable ' number should be zero, 0 , none , notta...then when the g-men go to work you end up with 1/2 of your goal . Makes sense eh ? So, while we lounged around Mexico this winter the animal control people here set traps to cull 250 or so deer of which I think I saw they got 38.
So, here's a suggestion from the new guy, don't ya just hate that ? But a lot can be learned from your more 'hands on ' neighbors to the north where they deal with this stuff routinely. Back in the day Alaska had a Governor who we all loved who could make sense of problems and said famously " you can't just let nature run wild ".
Dear Mayor Collins : Have you ever heard of Hagermeister Island ? Let's assume you haven't . It's near the north shore of Bristol Bay in the Alaska Maritine National Wildlife Refuge. Years ago an entrepreneur decided that this uninhabited island would be the perfect place to raise reindeer and then harvest them for meat. Well it worked real good until the harvesting part came around. There's no port, there's a big ol dangerous ocean surrounding it and the closest butcher shop is only 2,000 miles away. So the g-men put out a proposal that anybody who wanted could go to Hagermeister Island and harvest the animals in hopes of achieving and ' acceptable ' number. This place is a reserve and the herd was stomping down the habitat and destroying the bird rookeries and eating all the kelp on the beach and jeeez, what a mess. So, after many years of little or no harvest it was time to cull the herd....with the Air National Guard , now these guys know how to get it done. They come in with Helicopters and mini-guns and Walla, no problema.
Just last year after watching the Mulchatna Caribou herd decline to the lowest levels ever it was decided that predation by Grizzly Bears was a huge factor . So, turn the problem over to the ADF+G and they arm a Super Cub with a good shot and an AR-15 and couple days later 100 of them are eliminated. nothing to it.
Does that guy look like he could stomp s*^# out of you ? ( that's a real pic of one of many ) Well that's what the cowboys who were coincidentally from Montana found out when they were hired to round hundreds of those guys up on another Alaska Island with the same problem. Chirikof Island was over run with cattle that nobody could, for lack of a better term 'handle'. The government wanted them gone so a barge was brought in and the cowboys saddled up and....were back in the Anchorage Airport a few days later after being unsuccessful for many reasons one of which was that after years of neglect the animals are basically wild .
So Mr. Mayor, I know , enough anecdotel stories however interesting they may be. You wanna know why I tell these stories. Well it's simple . When faced with way more challenging situations than urban deer these folks went to work . Don't ya suppose we could do at least a bit more to make our city just a little more people friendly and little less deer friendly ? After all.....you can't just let nature run wild .
People who know me are aware of how close to my heart / life and of course for the future of these fish are to me. If we only knew then what we know now, but as Gary Allan sings ' life just don't work that way'.The Alaska Board of Fisheries just wrapped up their 3 year cycled meeting on Cook Inlet and gave the plans to recover these one of a kind fish and chart the future of them with a mild massage. Mmmmmm, well they lowered the spawning (escapement ) goal , once again . Back in the day the fishery and escapement number was set at a remarkable recruitment ( how many fish return per spawner) of 3 to 1 which for wild King Salmon stocks in the world would be exceptional . For the people needing the lettuce out of this deal it was simple and went like this - Lately ( 1970's and 80's ) our King run is 60,000 fish, so , 20,000 get caught and sold commercially, 20,000 get caught and killed sport fishing and 20,000 get up the river and spawn to repeat the process....perfect, what could go wrong ?
So the stage was set. The total run shrank and shrank , 3 to 1 management projections weren't adding up so.....the escapement goal was reduced and the math worked out. Then the season was lengthened to add more fish to the count which made the baseline data questionable. The escapement goal finally hit 15.000 and change before the experts began to question that the 3 to 1 formula was wrong . The 3 to 1 recruitment model is used and works in many fisheries that have pristine spawning habitat and fisheries like Coho and chums that stay out to sea almost half as many years as big Kenai Kings which are 5 ocean fish....more time in the ocean = more chance of being killed before it's time to spawn. So now, the new action plans and escapement goals and hope for the future rest with what the ADF+G who are now thinking that the actual recruitment for Kenai Kings is 1.4 or so to 1.0 . This is sustainable but with the current numbers will not allow for any harvest and of course if they are still wrong and the actual recruitment is less than one to one...well....it's a downward spiral that will end in no fish somewhere in time after old guide #003 has left the planet. And with all this going on, all this guess work or S.W.A.G. at ADF+G (simple wild ass guess ) the B.O.F. lowered the escapement goal once again, now it's 14.500.
I guess it's a goal thing. In my life I've always set high standards and goals for myself. Some of which I haven't met and some that I'm still working on and hope to meet in the future....but bureaucracy works this way, set your goals low and success is easier . And if you're a B.O.F. member it will get you through to the next meeting . It's sad .😞
If only everyone could experience it. You've been on the water since 6:00 a.m. and it's finally starting to warm. Your rod goes off and you pull it out of the holder and set into resistance. My friend Sergio Tirado told me once ' there is nothing like the first run of a King Salmon ' . It takes 15 minutes until you get the first real look as the flashing silver grows larger and larger as it comes to the surface. It takes another ten minutes to get him laying on his side and swimming head first towards the net all the time you're knowing that this part is when it can go wrong. Head first into the net and then take the pressure off and drop the tip, you're relieved . You put your rod down and help your buddy lift it into the boat and like a chorus you both say almost together , ' my gawd, that's a beautiful fish ' !
Freeze out Lake . They don't call it that for nothing . This year we were prepared and brought all the Alaska gear and still...I ain't been that cold since end of September Silver fishing with Chris Fejes when I pored hot coffee on my Extra Tuff's. We get there in time to watch the Geese return to the water for the night after eating in the farm fields all day and then it was off to the motel so that we can be back at the lake for sunrise and see the Geese lift off to repeat the daily process, 20,000 of them. If you might know me to exaggerate a bit just check out this pic.
That would be an icicle on the back-up camera of MP's car....When we got to the motel we went straight to the hot tub where we were joined by a young German woman who had just returned from the Lake with here photographer husband. She had me in stitches : " It's just ridiculous, sooo cold, ridiculous . Oh Helga look, click, click click....click click click, just ridiculous ".
So in the morning with a temp of 18 degrees and wind at 15 to 20 we got to see the show. The Geese lifted off in three different groups but very impressive. I shot this video with my Samsung Tablet and the quality isn't what I would have liked, maybe poor light as it was 10 minutes after sunrise or maybe the lens was fogged up as it was a -45 chill factor....but you get the idea. Heck, we're out in nature.
So they say we had 7000 Swans and 20,000 Geese. I think last year my pics turned out a bit better but hey, I'm learning.
And Choteau Montana , what a wonderfully welcoming place. We found two second hand stores for MP. We stayed at the Stage Stop Inn that is privately owned and is about the nicest / funnest / cleanest place we've ever stayed. They have 2 dollar gin + tonics , MP won 35 bucks while I watched Montana State lose to Grambling in the NCAA tourney and they had the best waffle fries . The hot tub is like they incorporated it into their business plan knowing that Freeze Out Lake was going to be big draw...It's a great place, so down to earth , Montana like....this pic tells it all...Now in some towns the Future Farmers of America might raffle a cord but in Choteau, no way, it's a cord and a half.
So having taken a 7:00 a.m. Lakeside hike, snapped 6 successful pics and 47 failures while drinking 5 cups of coffee we head back to Helena...the long way of course . It had rained the day before so with the temperature drop there was an eerie ground fog . As we drove a long highway 408 we could hear Geese and bumped into these guys for more pics. I don't know what they prefer to eat but I kinda figured most Farmers here would wish they's find another field.
If you haven't been to Augusta Montana you're missing one of the most beautiful towns in the USA. Nobody cares if you stand in the middle of main street and fiddle with your camera for a blog shot, in fact I had a Northwest Energy guy wave and give me a thumbs up...you folks over in Jordan Montana could take a lesson.
And now for your semi weekly ' how the hell is 003 doing ' report.
Well : I've seen 5 different doctors and given blood to all five of them. It seems that even though I carry the Factor V Lieden gene mutation they did not feel that would be the cause of such a huge late in life blood clot. So, that rules out one of the three things that could cause that type of clot ( genetics ) with injury or a malignancy being the other two. I've had no injuries or surgeries so they had to rule out cancer.
My last cancer screening was in this baby where they looked for lung cancer. It did show a 3 mm sized nodule in my lower right lung that they categorize as non-suspicious . weew, were we relieved or what ! It was a CT Scan with contrast where they inject you with iodine type of thing to show everything better and I'll be a happy man if I never have to go through that again . SO...They have decided that my DVT was ' unprovoked ' which is very unusual but in this case it is so . I'll be on the blood thinner Eliquis at least until August when I see my 3rd doctor again to chart the rest of my life, maybe thinners everyday, maybe not....In the meantime I see the neck guy on Monday and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will allow and do surgery ASAP . I continue to wear the compression socks as you can still see some edema....now those socks are a big pain in the ass but they certainly help, you can see it. And MP always being the loving supporter of this side show found me this deal at one of her 2nd hand stores. Thanks baby for the nod to the old guy.
the fish are disappearing...... Yesterday my curiosity got to me and I went on line to watch The Alaska Board of Fisheries ( BOF ) meeting as they do every three years to set management plans to supposedly maintain healthy fisheries for the use of the people. It's an amazingly open to the public process where proposals are considered for all and any groups or individuals who submit them .....and it's agonizingly dysfunctional . When I stopped in on the meeting the days of public testimony were over and the BOF was hearing from anybody that had anything new to say. Well, it was ugly Howard ! I thought I was in a time warp. The same ol same ol people telling the same ol same ol story of what's best for them and not the Salmon.
When I served on the Governors transition teams there was talk of creating a full time paid professional fish board . When the BOF got caught vote trading in the early 80's there was talk of creating a full time professional fish board . When, well dare I say, no I won't , but when certain individuals were appointed to the BOF through the years the obvious advocacy and conflicted interest of these people cried out for reform . It hasn't happened ....
Everyone knows the Kenai King Salmon are failing. Now they argue over dozens of dead fish when they used to argue and fight over thousands. It's been well over ten years that rules have changed to try and get more Kings to spawn. Closures , no opportunity, spawning goals and sonar counts going down and down...and yet...they want to and expect to keep fishing. So it's this simple : the same people who helped set the plans that ain't solved the problem continue to be the ones whose counsel is collected to fix the problem. They cocktail after meeting hours, they're on first name basis, the BOF understands their language because they're ALL commercial users , the coyotes are in charge of the hen house...and always have been.
It's should be obvious that this traditional BOF system only works for abundant and flourishing fisheries, which the State is running out of. SO, rather than another plan maybe we should be revising the planning process itself. In fact , I'm pretty certain of that . So here's one of the lists that you know I like, suggestions to fix the fixers . Fish like this hen that Mike caught are the deal, we gotta keep them...
1. The Alaska Native community must always have a seat or seats on the 7 member BOF.
2. All BOF and especially BOF Advisory Board members can only serve one two terms and a review of their performance should be done before the 2nd term.
3. The BOF will not appoint ' committees ' during meetings . Why ? because the same ol, same ol , people end up on the committees.
4. Public input through testimony will be given once. I don't care who you are or who you think you are , you get to speak once . If advocacy groups ' stack ' their members testimony and it appears as a presentation to the BOF it will not be allowed.
5. BOF members during the deliberation phase of the meeting will not dine or drink with meeting attendees.
6. BOF members will not vote on any fisheries issues in any fishery that they hold permits or business licenses in or that their families do. They are also excluded from speaking to any proposals that they or their families have an interest in, both in public and in private.
7. The BOF when taking testimony will give extra attention and time to young people.
8. Some how Common sense must be applied...these tenets should be incorporated always just as allocation criteria is applied before deciding who gets what and why.
A. All mixed stock fisheries will be managed for sustainability of the least numerical of the stocks.
B. Over escapement does not exist . There is no such thing as to many fish.
C. When there are no fish there will be no fishing.
D. All fisheries will be managed with the goal of targeted harvest only. There is NO acceptable
by - catch .
E. The most important fish is still the one that ends up on Alaskan's table. And, the only time who
came first matters is when talking of the Native / Village communities who should always have a preference.
F. Trust the math. Keep it simple . Make it understandable .
Mile 14 on the Kenai River, well, its a special place on earth. I tell people the Kenai river is like my first girlfriend, always changing, fickle, unpredictable but absolutely gorgeous. This place is the major league of salmon fishing, and you'll see why. No politics here, well maybe a little fish politics, just plain simple fun and adventure.
I have been a fulltime guide on the Kenai River here in Alaska since 1981. I'm a fishing machine between my summer job and surf fishing in Mazatlan Mexico. I've been married to the best person I know for 32 years. I'm a musician , health nut and I like to have fun. Mile 14 is where I live on the Kenai River. So this Blog will be my views, experiences, huge catches and adventures right here from Mile 14...and most of them will be true.
