We wanted to leave super early which meant that Emma decided that it would be the perfect day to sleep in. She wouldn't think of sleeping in on a regular day. Usually I'm dragging myself to her room at the crack of dawn while this time we were dressed, fed, the car was loaded, and we were practically pacing back and forth in anticipation by the time she woke up.
The drive up Cedar Canyon was beautiful and relaxing as always and the picnic area next to the river was perfect! Not far off the road but, tucked away enough that you couldn't see or hear the cars rush by. Emma was in heaven. The minute I unbuckled her she was off-darting to the river-with me chasing after her of course. I'm sure she would have waded right in-I swear that girl has no fear. Sam set up our rods while I continued to follow Emma around shouting things like "no no! Don't touch" and "Yuck! Don't put that in your mouth!". (Just like every other day...)
We hiked down stream so that we could fish our way up and break for lunch when we hit our picnic site. Emma was in her new pack that some of our family gave her for her birthday (It's a necessitate when you go on as many adventures as we do.) She is pretty content in it for the most part as long as we keep moving. I love it when she peaks around the side to find me and shouts "mom!" For the longest time everything was "daddy! daddy!" but, she just started saying "mom" a whole lot recently and it melts me every time.
Emma is my little wilderness girl. She was muddier than just about any little boy I've ever seen by the end of our trip. She loves getting in the water, splashing with sticks, picking up fistfuls of mud and throwing them as far as she can. She seemed a little freaked out by the fish this time though. The first one we showed her made her cry (mind you, it was most definitely not the first one she's ever seen. Just something about that particular fish seemed to bother her-the logic of a toddler cannot be explained.) She seemed to warm up to them as we went along.
One particular spot on the river brought me several beautiful Brown trout all caught on a dry fly (which is always my favorite.) I prefer the excitement of watching them rise out of the water to swallow the fly. It felt good to catch one fish and then another and another all in a row. It had been a while for me! Sam is always so good to let me have the best spots.
A combo of the sun, lots of excitement, and the time of day completely wore Emma out! She fell asleep in the pack so we decided it was time for a lunch. Poor thing was so exhausted that even after Sam took off the pack and set it on the ground, she slept for another 45 minutes propped up in the shade. We used the time to prepare lunch. Sam built a fire in our portable BBQ and grilled some delicious chicken. Emma woke up just in time to enjoy it.
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| Still clinging to what was left of the dandelion I'd handed her earlier |
After lunch, we peeled Emma's muddy clothes off and put her into a swimsuit to cool off in the river. She was mostly excited about all of the sticks she kept finding. After our little break came round #2 of fishing fun where I let Sam do most of the fishing. (besides, I had already caught most of the fish!) I mostly just wandered and explored. That's really one of my favorite things about trips like this; watching the butterflies, taking in the beauty of the wild snapdragons and pines, listening to the water rush by, and just breathing in the mountain air. It's always a refreshing break from every day life.
It was a successful family adventure. Another that I hope we'll never forget. Taking Emma fly fishing with us always takes a lot of careful planning and effort but, the memories are well worth it every time. It such a special thing to share the things you love and your passions with you little one. I'm grateful for my little family and our big adventures.
LOVE
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