I came to fish, not sure what else to expect. I left after the weekend with memories that will last a lifetime.

As a trout bum, when I travel, be it business or pleasure, I always look for a place I can get to the water for some me time. It's how I unwind, it's where I spend quality time with God and where I get rid of the rat-race mentality that will trap us if we let it. We all need to find places where we can take off the masks and just be ourselves. Elk Springs Resort is such a place. They allowed me to set my own pace, fish when I wanted to fish and just relax and let the world drift by for a day or two; and I did.

For the fly fishing fanatics (like me) they have a private spring creek that runs through the property that is FULL of big honkin' fish. I'm talking bruisers that waste no time letting you know that they'll be calling the tune if you don't focus on business. I caught several fish on 'the creek,' four over 20" and one over 24" and then I went to the river that borders the property. I caught several 'lesser' fish of 8"-10" and, just at dark, during that sacred time that all fly fisher's know is THE time when the big boys come out, I tied into the biggest brown of my life! We were all over that river and it was coming in to the net for picture time. He had one more dogged run in him and just as he shook his head, the drag on my reel stuck and BING! and just like that he was gone.

For me, vacation is about head-clearing and making memories for the winter ahead and I did that at Elk Springs. They are a non-pretentious kind of place with rustic luxury, great food prepared simply and the kind of warm and friendly service you get too rarely nowadays. John and Marcia greeted me like kinfolk, took good care of me and let me know they'd love to see me again - not like a customer, but like family. Yep. I'm going back. I have a grudge-fight with a brown trout that kicked my tail-feathers - this time. And, I'm going back to talk with John and Marcia, eat one of John's steaks and let the rest of the world fade away for a few days.

Don't expect to see a uniformed wait-staff or silky, frilly doo-dads at Elk Springs. If falling asleep to the lullabye of a river that's headed somewhere, scenery that reminds you that only God can make this kind of beauty and big fish on the line doesn't get your engine revving, maybe you should go back to google and keep on lookin. Tell them the fishing pastor sent you!