Medicine Bow - Routt National Forest

Yesterday afternoon after we visited the Wyoming Territorial Penitentiary we stopped at a local tackle shop and my brother bought me a two day fishing license.  We then started the long drive up to Medicine Bow so we could go fishing at the Rob Roy Reservoir.  Not knowing exactly what we were going to do in Laramie after the Penitentiary we packed a cooler with lots of water, hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, and all the fixings.  My brother had brought his tailgate grill from the job site so we could grill our lunch wherever we wanted to!

It seemed like a long drive from Laramie up to Albany but in all honestly it was probably a lot shorter of a drive than from Laramie back to Elk Mountain where we are staying.  I forgot to get a photo of the city sign when we got to Albany but I'll never forget this tiny town perched on the side of the mountain.  Albany, population 55 people.  Did you read that Emmy?  55 people!

Photo Cred: Myself
Looking out over the larger part of the Rob Roy Reservoir.

We stopped at the Lodge in Albany so we could use the restrooms since my brother told us it was the last "civilized toilet area" we'd encounter for a few hours.  Then we headed up the mountain on the dirt roads that wound around.  It was an interesting drive because there were so many people riding four wheelers and we were trying not to dust anyone out as we passed them.  At one point, looking out over the edge of the road we were on we were several feet above the power lines.  I've never been able to say that I've been above power lines before!

The drive took quite a while to reach the reservoir, mostly because the road had been really washboarded with all the four wheelers that had been going up and down to the Lodge and the lake.  We finally got there and the view of the lake was amazing as we crossed the bridge.  My brother told us that there wasn't a road to follow all around the lake, which surprised us because in Kansas we're so used to getting on a back road that takes us around the entire body of water.  But then again, Kansas is flat compared to the Medicine Bow area!

Photo Cred: My Ma
My brother was putting away his new lures as he
and my dad waited for our burgers and hot dogs.

The cove that my brother was wanting to fish at was full with people dry camping in their campers and we ended up going higher up in "high country".  We were going to take the back road through the national park to the town of Centenial but at one point we couldn't get my brother's truck to fit the road and we had to turn around and go back, which was fine because we found a nice spot in a meadow to pile out and start up the grill for lunch!  At this point, we're about 9,750 feet above sea level and we could see snow from where we stopped to eat.  That's right, I, the little Kansas girl, got to see snow in July!

Photo Cred: My Ma
This is me figuring out how fast to reel in my lure after
learning how to use open faced rods.  This was before it
started to rain.

After we ate we made our way back to the lake and my brother and I started to fish.  He had to show me how to use his open faced poles since all I've used have been closed faced and heavy lined for the Kansas catfish!  I also got to experience fishing with fishing lures for the first time.  Normally in Kansas since I've grown up fishing catfish I've only ever used lived bait (worms) or bits of hot dog or stink bait made from chicken liver.  Fishing for trout was a completely different experience!

We weren't fishing too long before it started to rain.  By now it was starting to drop in temperature and with the rain I was expecting to get a least one fish since fishing in the rain back home basically meant that you were guaranteed a fish.  But then again, Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore.  I toughed it out, in my shorts and hoodie for a good ten minutes after it actually started to really rain.  I wasn't too concerned since there wasn't thunder and lightning.  But then the wind started to pick up just a little and with the rain and the right temperature I called it and threw my pole into the back of the truck and loaded up to go back to the Lodge.

Even though my allergies were bothering me (turns out I didn't take my allergy medicine at breakfast by mistake, which I figured out this morning when I found the small pill still in my medicine planner) because of the cotton wood trees down in the "low country" and then with all of the dust that was in the air from the trucks and four wheelers, I had a fantastic time up in Albany and in the "high country".  I do wish that we hadn't needed to leave so fast though because of the rain!