Tag Archives: travel

First Impressions

Posted on May 2, 2024 by rivertoprambles

1. It was the end of April, and I fished the Founders’ Rod for lake trout at the northern end of Seneca Lake. The Founders’ Rod is the Slate Run Sportsmen’s Heddon bamboo that once belonged to a founding father … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Belize, birding, Central America, culture, fishing, Guatemala, history, impressions, Mayans, nature, rainforest, travel, tropics, writing | 8 Comments

Meeting the River Trout

Posted on December 12, 2023 by rivertoprambles

The break in December weather was like a holiday gift from the gods. The air temp rose to 53 degrees F., the river temp to 44. Although the sun hid behind the deep gray clouds, I stood in the northern … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged art, books, brown trout, entertainment, flyfishing, food, gifts, good luck, nature, photography, poetry, river trout, small streams, travel, winter fishing, writing | 18 Comments

Reykjavik Poet

Posted on September 1, 2023 by rivertoprambles

Part 6, probably the final post from Iceland (at least for a while) The bronze statue of The Unknown Bureaucrat Stands in downtown Reykjavik, Its torso thankless, servile, Lost inside a block of stone. All around us: bookstores, bars, boutiques, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birds, bureaucrat, Iceland, nature, poetry, Reykjavik, sculpture, Tomas Gudmundsson, travel, Walt Franklin, writing | 10 Comments

When the Land Knows You are There

Posted on August 8, 2023 by rivertoprambles

[Part 3 of the Icelandic series] In the morning I met Stefan, my fly-fishing guide for the day, and we were off to the Holaa River for Arctic char and possibly a sea-run brown. Since Iceland requires visiting anglers to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Arcti char, ecology, environment, flyfishing, Holaa River, Iceland, philosophy, tourism, traditions, travel, Walt Franklin, writing | 10 Comments

Icelandia, Part 2

Posted on August 1, 2023 by rivertoprambles

[For now, I’m calling it Icelandia– Iceland & my personal take on what we gathered there while visiting this fascinating country. If you missed Part 1, my introduction to the place, make sure you scroll back to my previous post … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged camping, democracy, economics, exploration, hiking, Hoala River, Iceland, Icelandia, Reykjavik, Thingvellir National Park, travel, writing | 6 Comments

Iceland, an Intro

Posted on July 26, 2023 by rivertoprambles

[It’s taken me a while to process recollections from a recent visit to the beautiful country of Iceland but I’m working on them and now offer something of an intro to July’s visit there, accompanied by Alyssa and Leighanne. Following … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birding, camping, glacier, hiking, icebergs, Iceland, nature, travel, volcano, waterfall, writing | 16 Comments

A Blue Jay Way

Posted on May 11, 2023 by rivertoprambles

I’m not sure how George Harrison arrived at his lyrical “Blue Jay Way,” but I arrived at mine by heading down to metro Pittsburgh for a Pirates game against the Toronto Blue Jays (the latter slightly favored by most of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aviary, baseball, birding, Blue Jays, family, fireworks, fly-fishing, hemlocks, Laurel Hill State Park, nature, Pirates, Spruce Bog, travel | 18 Comments

Wood River Sunday

Posted on April 11, 2023 by rivertoprambles

The midday air temp on Easter Sunday was a pleasant 53 degrees Fahrenheit. The bright tannin-colored Wood River flowed alluringly through the 14,000-acre Arcadia Wildlife Management Area in a surprisingly wild section of tiny Rhode Island. The first-time angler to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Arcadia Wildlife Area, brook trout, conservation, ecology, family, fly-fishing, Nature writing, Rhode Island, travel, trout, trout fishing, Wood River | 16 Comments

Tarantula, Rainbow, Mesquite Night

Posted on March 11, 2023 by rivertoprambles

This post is basically a photo album of our winter break near Big Bend National Park in southwestern Texas. This is the fourth and final post about our visit, a reflection of family time enjoyed in the desert environs of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Big Bend National Park, desert, family, hiking, mountains, nature, photography, Terlingua, Texas, travel, writing | 15 Comments

Boquillas and Beyond

Posted on January 29, 2023 by rivertoprambles

[For this third installment of my Big Bend series, all photos, again, by Brent & Alyssa Franklin.] Start the day with coffee on the patio, with wren and quail and thrasher stepping near, with three dawn coyotes hunting leisurely in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Big Bend, Boquillas, burros, donkey, hiking, Mexico, poverty, R.L. Stevenson, Rio Grande, Santa Elena Canyon, travel, writing | 11 Comments