Friday Morning Follies at the Underground. (No Fishee, No Funee)
By Tom Chandler on Mar 23, 2007 in Underground Entertainment
Living near a great trout river isn’t the utopia some would like to believe.
Well, OK, it actually is, but it’s not as if I get to spend all my time on the river, drinking fine scotch served by former Victoria’s-Secret-models-turned rod caddies or anything (though it would make for a hell of a blog post).
Big Empty River: The Upper Sac rolled on without me, which I find intolerable.
Sadly, there’s that whole little matter of putting bread on the table, which in my case means putting words on paper, getting others to read them, and hoping they’re moved enough to buy multi-million dollar software products.
It’s not always an easy way to go.
Off the Water. On the Internet.
This week has been a hornet’s nest of obligations and last minute deadlines, but then, if I was going to be tied up off the water, this might have been the time.
After a run of spring weather, a cold front moved through, and while I didn’t get to fish, I missed a largely cold, windy river.
Another front is heading my way, so today might be my best, last chance to fish for a couple days. No matter what happens, you’ll hear it second.
Nestle Makes the Very Best…
I owe my readers two “Part Two” posts: follow-ons to my more misinformation from Nestle and the Bill Phillipson story.
At this point, I’d much rather finish the Bill Phillipson piece, so instead of another long, painful Nestle post, I’m going to simply outline the details of their deal with the tiny McCloud Services District and let you decide if the company’s preying on small communities.
Phillipson’s post will be considerably more fun. Look for both this weekend.
Your Friday Fifteen Minute Fun Break
How many states can you name in ten minutes? (The United States, that is.)
It’s a test of the Undergrounder’s geographic skills.
I tried to name all fifty states, but left seven behind, and Kim — one of the smartest people I know — got a nine, though both of us claim we were sabotaged by a poorly timed phone call.
Take the 50 States in 10 Minutes test and report the results back here (no cheating).
It’s harder than it sounds, but any Undergrounder who forgets a state with a significant, world-famous trout population will be moved back to the Trout Underground’s Elementary School site, where we teach kids to tie Bimini Twists using fingerpaints.
My own fingers are messing up my keyboard as I worked my way West to East (damn you North and South Dakota!) but somehow left out Colorado. Oy.
Fishing’s not that good there anyway.
See you on the big, empty river, Tom Chandler.
Technorati Tags: fly fishing, nestle, bill phillipson
rriver | Mar 23, 2007 | Reply
Missed:
Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Utah
However, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire were due to spelling, which slowed me down. How I forgot Utah and Kentucky, Illinois, and Oklahoma, I don’t know.
Connecticut, Delaware? When did they become states? Shit, I’m going to make by backyard a state. Its bigger.
- rriver
Snowbug | Mar 23, 2007 | Reply
I forgot VERMONT. What is up with THAT?
And what’s worse… I tried to remember by picturing the movie “White Christmas” in my head.. and I even knew they were on a train going someplace with snow and an Inn. But Vermont never popped into my brain. :(
rriver | Mar 23, 2007 | Reply
Looking through the latest Orvis Fly Fishing Catalog, they have have teamed up with Rocky Mountain Log Homes to offer “homes for the sporting enthusiast”. Of course, the top of the line model is “The Rogue”. All models are named after famous rivers, though the choice of names seems to have no pattern, except that we all know the Rogue rocks. I’ve informed my wife we are no longer hicks, but hip.
Bill Markwood | Mar 23, 2007 | Reply
missed: Kentucky & Maryland. I need to read the sports page more closely.
Tom Chandler | Mar 23, 2007 | Reply
Perhaps the homes should take on the characteristics of the rivers they’re named after. For example, the Henry’s Fork would be open and tranquil, but inside you’d have a stranger standing every 30 feet.
And the Ruby River would be beautiful, but there’d be a stranger outside every door denying you access.
Bamboo Addict | Mar 23, 2007 | Reply
So who cares about states that don’t have blue ribbon trout streams I got all of them. Now TC get to work on the Phillipson story I want more, then maybe EC Powell and the Powell family, then etc. etc. etc………….
David
Michael Rasmussen | Mar 23, 2007 | Reply
The clock stopped at 4:21 and I can’t enter any more states, what does that mean?
Tom Chandler | Mar 23, 2007 | Reply
Run, Michael. Run. You triggered the failsafe…
shastacc | Mar 23, 2007 | Reply
As Mad Dog as my witness, got ‘em all. I swear. Honest. Really!
Matt Dunn | Mar 23, 2007 | Reply
I did it with 6:04 remaining. But I had to look up how to spell Massachusetts. Stupid double t.
Richard Byrne | Mar 24, 2007 | Reply
Got them all.
Tom Chandler | Mar 24, 2007 | Reply
OK. The Underground’s readers are officially smarter than me. But how do you fail on Massachusetts’ “tt” yet remember Tennessee’s plethora of doubles?
HH | Mar 24, 2007 | Reply
Missed Maine and Wisconsin. Are they really states?
Matt Dunn | Mar 24, 2007 | Reply
I knew Tennessee probably because I lived in western North Carolina for two years.
Will | Mar 24, 2007 | Reply
It took me 3 minutes to get 49 states and 5 minutes to get Nebraska.
Richard Byrne | Mar 25, 2007 | Reply
Those double “t’s” and double “s’s” tripped me up a bunch of times. If I could have spelled everything correctly the first time I would have saved a lot of time. Just trying to spell Louisianna (sp?) took me about a minute.
Who asked if Maine is really a state? Yes, Maine is a state, it’s the tax capital of the east coast! It’s also the only monosyllabic state in the Union. Most importantly it is one of the only places in the lower 48 where you still have a chance to catch a native brookie in the 4lb+ range. Now if we could only get rid of some of the damn dams I might have a chance to catch a wild Atlantic Salmon before I die. Sorry for the digression.
Tom Chandler | Mar 25, 2007 | Reply
I think Maine kicks butt. The L&T Nancy and I are trying to figure out when we’ll be in Grand Lake Stream this year: June or July?
Hmmmm.
frogmorton | Mar 26, 2007 | Reply
Forgot Michigan. I’ve never fished for steelhead so I should be forgiven. I work for USPS so I used the first three digits of zip codes as a mnemonic. Don’t know where I’ve been sending the 480 mail.
Richard | Mar 26, 2007 | Reply
Tom,
Definitely come in June, early June for the landlocked salmon. By July most fish have moved into the lake and gone deep.
Richard