E-16 Mini Update

Fellow Extravaganzers:

Here’s your weekly update on the comings and goins’ of E-16:

All is ahead full to begin our mid-winter preparations for Extravaganza 2016. As part of every Extravaganza, I reserve the right to treat each of you extravagantly and E-16 will be no exception. E-16 swag is now showing up on a regular basis and, as with every prior year, even you wily veterans out there are going to be in for some surprises—and just when you thought that after thirteen (count ‘em!) prior years I couldn’t come up with anything new with our Circle C logo on it!!

There are just a handful of openings in each of our groups with a multitude of folks eyeing those opportunities.  Rather than wait, I would prefer filling all groups now, so if you Ones or Twos know of two worthy additions to each of your group let me know; and if you Threes know of four folks that would like to join your merry band, likewise let me know. Sweet Sixteen is the magic number for each of our groups this year, so look for a kinder, gentler, less hectic experience as we begin to gear up for (y)our June arrivals.

Shane Clouse has just confirmed that he will again be fishing with me during Group Two and, rather than serenading us après fishing on Sunday, will be joining the MT governor to perform for us all on Monday, June 20^th. I have an invitation out to the inimitable Bob Wire to perform for either the Ones our Threes and am waiting to hear back for him and, yes, folks are lining up on all fronts to be dinner guests and presenters…the word is definitely out, gang, that the Extravaganza is an event not to miss, even for the MT locals!

As we did last year, this year we are going to focus our E-16 charitable efforts towards our now wonderfully close friends at the Montana Natural History Center. Last year we provided funding to purchase a school bus for their getting kids out into nature programs and, in meeting with them in Missoula over the (appropriate) Christmas holidays, this year our efforts will go to providing funds for a naturalist to travel in the bus that we helped purchase last year—what fun!!

Look in your email boxes early next week for our suggested 2016 Extravaganza travel itineraries. As most of you know, since we meet and greet you at the airport, with Headquarters 45 minutes driving time from the airport, it is imperative that you arrive and depart as close to noon on each of your incoming and outgoing days. Also, each of our groups will be resultantly occupying a goodly percentage of those flights and those who book their flights earlier will get better pricing and resultantly pay less for the same experience. As you will again see, based on reliability and number of available flights, the recommended itinerary will be to fly from the Bay Area on Delta Air Lines into Missoula (MSO) through Salt Lake City (SLC)—over the past years each of the other carriers connecting through different cities has provided us with near missed fishing opportunities and the chance for you to unnecessarily rent cars to drive to Headquarters. If you are coming from the East Coast, as many of you are, look to taking Delta from Minneapolis directly into MSO.  All:  Leave the flying to Delta, and the driving to us!!

That’s about it for the moment; let’s get these last few slots filled and begin our planning process in earnest…oh, and Montana snowpack and water equivalency is still stroking along in the 90 percent of 20 year average range, with a lot more of El Nino ahead to add to the mix!

Best to all in the early stages of it all,

Rock Creek Ron

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Greetings Fellow 2016 Extravaganzers:

For those of you wily veterans out there, I know that you know that E-16 is getting a later-than-usual start on my constant stream of emails to you, but, fear not, that respite has come to a screeching halt as we now begin in earnest to gear up for Extravaganza 2014—our fourteenth excursion into the wilds and wonders of western Montana!  Get a hold of this, gang:

1.      Steve Bullock, the governor of Montana, paid me a visit last week and, having heard about our past extravagant outings, is going to attend Extravaganza 2016 in person, and will be present for and present to Group Two on Monday, June 20^th—an Extravaganza first!!

2.      Double Up Outfitters and the Rock Creek Mercantile are robustly continuing in their main roles for our Extravaganzas and will treat us in the wonderful style to which we have so well become accustomed.

3.      Our 2016 blogsite is up and running, so mark www.montanaextravaganza2016.blogspot.com as one of your favorites; it will feature a link to our 2008 Extravaganza movie, provide links to our Outfitter and the Merc as well as a weather link so, as we get closer to your arrival(s), you can track just what is going on in our Montana climes where, get this, right now snow water equivalent and precipitation are running right at 95% of twenty year averages—a great pre-report card on our fishing conditions to come.

4.       Just like our Montana precipitation, we are right at 90% full for E-16, so if you know of one or two wonderful folks that would like to join you and your group, just let me know!

As I mentioned to many of you in person and via email in my earlier E-16 notes, running an Extravaganza solo at the fever-pitched rate that we did last year is not for either the sound of mind or meek of heart.  Accordingly, to preserve my sanity and to make a better experience for all involved, I am intentionally cutting back the size and complexity of E-16 so that it is a better overall experience for us all. 

Specifically, this year we will not be renting the bunk house just up the road from Headquarters, but, rather, housing everyone in my two homes, one on the Blackfoot River and Headquarters on Rock Creek.  In those houses we can comfortably accommodate 16 fisherfolk and, resultantly, the size of each group will total 16 Extravaganzers, rather than the 24+ of last year.  The intended result is a kinder, gentler, less intense experience for all concerned and, to that end, I will also be cutting back the number of evening presentations that we have had in prior years to ease up a bit more fire pit time, horseshoe pitting and (horrors!) hours for actually sleeping. 

Also, with my caretakers’ home on Rock Creek now completed and occupied, caretakers Larry and Peanut have gladly volunteered to take a more active role in E-16, such that Peanut will be quarterbacking the kitchen fare and Larry will oversee breaking in the brand new, permanent mega-bbq that is currently under construction in the back yard.  It is quite a set up and Larry has convinced me that he and his brother will put on a show the likes of which you have seldom seen.

So, there you have it, gang; things are in full swing for a(nother) bang up Extravaganza where the swag orders have already been placed and the end product of this year’s event will stand up tall to each of its thirteen predecessors!!

Best to all in the early stages of it all,

Rock Creek Ron