Around 10 years ago, possibly less, I decided to go out fishing the whole day on the longest day of the year.
This year on June 21st, sunrise is 5:20 AM and sunset is 8:31 PM. I would imagine it was the same the day I went. Give or take a few seconds.
I remember being out on the Fox River at 4 AM. Though the sunrise and sunset have very definite times, it gets lighter and darker an hour earlier and later. Even if the sun isn’t officially in the sky.
I stayed out till almost 10 PM that year. I fished for just about 18 hours. Back then I lived an hour drive to the river. I remember my head nodding and bobbing on the way home. I remember sticking my head out the window while doing 60 miles per hour in an effort to stay awake.
I have no notes from that day. No clue where I went even though I remember driving to different locations all up and down the river. I have nothing that says whether the fishing was good, bad or indifferent.
But I do remember enjoying it.
Since I was a kid I remember staying out late. I remember my dad keeping us out late to see the last of the light of the day. I remember doing the same with my daughters, though they may not.
Tuesday evening I’ll be out fishing the river somewhere. The river is in near perfect condition and the brief storms that have been coming through have had almost no effect on the river level. I have to drive over a handful of creeks early in the day. If any of those are any good, that’s where I’ll go instead.
Unless, of course, I can convince my wife to do as ancient Swedes once did:
A Midsummer tree was set up and decorated in each town. The villagers danced around it. Women and girls would customarily bathe in the local river. This was a magical ritual, intended to bring rain for the crops.
I like the bathing in the local river thing. It’s only a two minute walk down the hill.
Mike
21 Jun 2011A beautiful sunrise/sunset. I can’t be sure which, but it’s lovely either way.
And good luck with the “wife convincing”…
Ken G
21 Jun 2011This would be sunset. When I take that 2 minute walk to the river, that’s what I get to see. I’m hoping the cloud cover will cooperate today and do something similar. We’ve had more clouds than sun.
I’m thinkin’ that one scene from Oh Brother, Where Art Thou. . .
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Erin Block
22 Jun 2011I remember staying out late with my dad too. And I remember lightning bugs. And glassy waters and loud cicadas. And eating junk food my dad stashed in the bottom of the banana-yellow canoe. Good stuff, Ken G., good stuff. And yeah, best luck to you with the ancient Swedish bathing beauty re-enactment thing. 😉
Ken G
22 Jun 2011The dancing around the tree and a wading bath in the river got me a lot more than I bargained for. I would have settled for just rain.
bob
3 Jan 2014I will remember this, Sir Ken of G, the nude bathing. I know it will be exquisite. My partner will not bathe nude alone. I will bathe too. Somewhere on the hidden stretches of the Kankakee.
Ken G
3 Jan 2014Be careful of Norm Minas. He can tell you a few stories of coming across people that thought they were in hidden stretches of the Kank.