Deschutes River and Trout Creek near Gateway, Oregon

When I was small no one even knew where Trout Creek was except the locals. The road down to Trout Creek was rough and could not be done in a car, you had to take the pickup or truck and many times we went on the trailer behind the tractor.

When we were haying we would unload the hay off the trailer and go to the house and get the cooler and picnic and fishing stuff and off to the river we would go. Us kids loved laying on that trailer staring at the sky as we bounced our way to the river.

My dad was one of the hardest working men I have ever known and he would get so tired but instead of resting when he had time he would take us fishing. When we got there he would throw his fishing line out in the river and then take off his shoe and wrap the line around his big toe and lay back and go to sleep while mom fixed the picnic and fished and us kids ran and fished.  He was really good at jerking that leg up in the air when he had a bite and he caught a lot of fish that way.

One day we had left over watermelon and on the way home all us kids got in a big watermelon fight on the trailer and had to stop at the bridge and jump in the creek and wash off.

One of my most favorite places in the world, partly because of the beauty and partly from all the memories of the  place.

It is selfish of me but I hated it when the city people found Trout Creek as now during the fishing season there is a big campground and sometimes 200 people will be there. No longer our private little play ground for local farmers.