The unofficial advance party for the Idaho Fish-In is packing up and heading out this week, with most arriving Thursday. That would be myself and my lovely wife and fishing partner VEE, David L and his lovely wife Dianna, and our buddy Z, with his faithful dog Miss Lady.

We are depriving ourselves of TV, Cell Phones and Computers, so we can check out the rivers to insure that there is actually water in them and that some trouts inhabit those waters. We'll also be sampling the local cuisine to make sure it meets FAOL standards, making sure the firewood burns well in campfires and lastly, ensuring that the stars are as bright as they should be.

We will do our best to make sure there are ample deer, wild turkeys and squirrels wandering through camp.

Some of us will also remain after the Fish-In is over to make sure we haven't disrupted the water flow or spooked all the fish so the locals will welcome us back next year.

It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

So, if members of this community disappear from the BB and chatroom for a week or more, don't fret. They're probably in Idaho braving the wilderness with the rest of us.

REE