And it’s not just the river that’s hot right now. It seems like the fish in the Henry’s Lake are sensing that there’s about to be several feet of ice form, and they’re eating everything you throw at them. That’s especially true for the brookies over by the hatchery, but it’s still good over on the south side by the cliffs as well. Actually, Henry’s is hot no matter where you fish.

Island Park Reservoir is also good right now. Down by Trudes (and the rest of the West end, for that matter) have been really good for both trolling and bait. There have been some lunkers coming out of Island Park Reservoir in the last few weeks so don’t put that boat away just yet.

If you like fishing, this is the time to fish Island Park. No crowds, no overcrowded boat ramps and parking lots, no fly fishermen elbow to elbow in the river. This is the time. So get your gear back out and get up here. Winter’s on the way — no question about that. We’re having snow almost every day. But there’s still plenty of time to catch some late season fish. See you out there!

There are many people here in Island Park who make regular runs to Bozeman for food, dining, and recreational opportunities. Of course many go to Idaho Falls for shopping too, but Bozeman and Idaho Falls are about equidistant, and if you’re looking for a change, Bozeman is a great change.

And it’s not just Bozeman, of course. Ennis is a fun town to walk around in for a couple of hours. There are several antique stores, art galleries, real estate offices, and so forth on the main street and everything is within walking distance. One caveat, you’ll want to avoid eating in Ennis. Your get better food and better prices in Bozeman and it’s only 30 - 45 minutes down the road.

If you’re a fisherman, the Madison flows all along the road to Ennis. This is blue ribbon trout water and there are trout shops all along the way where you can buy supplies and licenses, get advice on what’s happening currently and just talk a little fishing with knowledgeable folks.

This is a great loop and I highly recommend it. We do it about once a month, just to break the monotony of going to Idaho Falls all the time. Bozeman is a college town with plenty to do for an afternoon. Plenty of gas, food and other services all along the way, so no worries there. See you on the road!

But it hasn’t been that way this year! An early HARD frost (temperatures below zero) in September froze things just like they were. There was no additional change in color. Everything just froze hard and died. Leaves have been ripped from the trees by the pounding of wet, heavy snow coming almost daily. Sure, it gets up to the thirties and forties during the day to melt the snow, but the early signs of winter keep on punishing what’s left of the leaves and ground cover.

But the good news in all this is, the national weather service says this winter is supposed to be warmer and drier than usual. Hmmmm. It’s rained or snowed almost every day in September and October. There have been many days that have been 25 degrees below what we would normally expect for this time of year. There has really been no fall this year (traditionally the most beautiful time to be in Island Park.) We jumped right from summer to winter.

I guess that’s just global warming at work for us. And praise Allah we’ve had it. I can’t imagine where we’d have been this year without it.

With that in mind, here are five things I learned this year from my (mostly failed) attempt at gardening here in Island Park:

1. Tomatoes are like candy to bears. If you’re going to grow them (and they are difficult to get a good harvest from) you must do so in grow boxes that can be taken into the garage (or house) at night. It’s not enough to put them up on the porch or hang them from a doorway. Bears will get them wherever you put them unless they are actually inside.

2. You must have some sort of greenhouse to grow food here. Now that doesn’t mean you have to invest thousands of dollars. It means your veggies have to be covered virtually every night of the summer. I’ve seen some “greenhouses” that were as simple as a two foot high frame all the way around the garden covered with viz queen and then a layer that can be pulled over the top at night and pulled back in the morning. Some people use an “A” frame arrangement. It doesn’t matter what you use, but you must use something.

3. You can garden later if you put buckets of water into your greenhouse before you button it up for the night. The water will heat up from the sun during the day and then give off its heat at night. It’s a small thing, but it makes a huge difference. If you use buckets of water you can usually garden clear into October. If not, you’re done in mid September. That could be the difference between having a garden and not.

4. Root vegetables do better than most others. That includes carrots, onions, radishes, potatoes, parsnips, etc., etc. Other veggies that do well here are peas, strawberries, and other crops with a short growing season.

5. You must be long-winded if you’re going to garden here. If you’re the kind of person who gives up with just one failure, you’re going to be out of the gardening business very quickly in Island Park. There is a process to learning how to garden here and it requires patience and creativity.

Gardening can be successfully done here. But like anything else, you have to work at it. you have to twist it and turn it until it makes sense. With food costs rising like they are, a garden is more important now than at any time in recent memory. Use these guidelines to get started and then move on from there.

If you would like to add to my lessons learned, please reply to this post and we’ll get a discussion going. If not, you’re armed with the basics. Get going on your own.

What does that have to do with Island Park? Well, if the montanans are successful in their bid to keep trucks off their roads, it will mean there will be no trucks on our roads either. Because most of the truck traffic coming through Island Park takes highway 87 to Ennis then on to points northward. If highway 87 was to be closed, highway 20 (through Island Park) would be a dead end as far as trucks are concerned. The only truck traffic we would see would be trucks heading for West Yellowstone (and that would amount to a miniscule percent of what we have now.

If we’re being completely honest, I have to admit reducing the truck traffic would bring a measure of peace to Island Park I have been missing for some time. On the other hand, however, any time you start telling people where and when they can travel, you’ve just reduced the level of freedom for a whole nation. Not to mention the fact that the increased cost associated with “going around” this area will immediately manifest itself in higher prices for goods and services.

So do I support it? I’m not sure. From a purely selfish perspective there’s a definite upside. From a “common good” perspective, I don’t think it makes very much sense. But the good news is, our friends from the Madison River Valley are wearing the burden on this one. I just hope all sides of this issue are thoroughly considered and that it works out in such a way that it’s good for everyone.

At the end of the day, nobody wants to see energy prices increase, but the reality is we still enjoy some of the lowest per-kilowatt-hour rates in the country. At less than ten cents an hour, we’re well below all of our neighbors in Idaho and significantly below high-energy-cost states like Alaska, where they pay over thirty four cents and hour.

If this still makes you crazy and you would like more information and a chance to express your displeasure, you can go to www.fallriverelectric.com and look for information in the “FAQ” section. Then you can raise whatever Cain you think is necessary by going to the “contact us” section. Our advice is roll with the punches on this one. They’re doing the best they can with what they have to work with and they’re still considerably lower than almost anywhere else you can think of.

You can ride in a foot of snow as long as you’re darn sure there’s no hidden obstacles to reach out and mangle your undercarriage. So what that means is, if you’re willing to ride nothing but roads, you can ride. If you get off the road at all, you’re going to have a mess.

Last year (kind of pre-winter) I saw a guy at the gas station there at Elk Creek who had just come from the dealer in West Yellowstone. The repair bill on his sled was nearly $4,000. There was precious little snow and he decided to do a wowie on the bank where the road had been carved out. He hit a big rock (apparently disguised as a sagebush) and tore the whole bottom out of his sled.

So if you’re thinking about coming and trying out your new sled, don’t. There isn’t enough snow yet. We’ll let you know the minute there is, but right now the risk is too high. If you just can’t stand the thought that someone got to the snow before you, make sure you never leave the road (or trail.) See you soon!!

If you have exposed plumbing, you’d better get some heat tape on it right away. As I write this it is 18 degrees and snowing pretty heavily. When skies clear (if you believe the forecast) later in the day, the arctic express will bring ridiculously cold air from the north. The next several days look like snow and continued cold.

The weather service says temperatures are predicted to be about 25 degrees colder than you would expect at this time of year. Makes you wonder what December and January will bring (maybe those 50’s we have been missing . . . . . Naw. That would be too good to be true.)

For those who haven’t noticed, the folks over at the landfill have placed bins for those who care about our community and want to do their part by recycling. There are specific bins for glass, cardboard, magazines and newspapers, aluminum, etc. Please note that these are by the entrance to the landfill, not over by where you throw everything else.

Yes, I know it’s inconvenient to separate the garbage. Yes, I know you don’t have room at your home for three or four garbage bins. Yes, I know you’re only here infrequently and it’s not you who is responsible for all the garbage. But at the end of the day, would you rather separate out your garbage or come to a formerly pristine wilderness now dotted with old landfills?

It’s not that hard. Please consider keeping our garbage impact to a minimum by recycling. If everyone just does a little, the result will be huge. Please join all of us here at Island Park dot com and recycle while you’re here. Thanks!!!!

If you’re out and about on four wheelers or in your car, please be respectful of these fine men and women as they go about their business. Cattle don’t do well with motorized vehicles, so please slow down and let them pass you (instead of trying to pass them. If you can find another road, please do so. This will be over soon enough and we’ll all get along better if we can treat each other with courtesy, respect and patience.

If you would like to watch (and perhaps photograph) the cowboys as they do their jobs, you can go to Harriman for the next week or two and watch the work unfold. After that, you’ll have to wait until next year. Snooze you lose!