Excerpts from books
Michael's Books
The Last Best Day
God didn't have to create trout. He could have settled for bass. Please don't misunderstand me; I have nothing against bass. Properly perceived and properly done, fishing of any sort is a gentle reflection of life itself in all its ungentle realities, where we as fishermen encounter that which we know and love as well as that which we merely endure, and sometimes even that which is repulsive.
Nineteen Years to Sunrise
There's a storm bearing down on the plains tonight. High winds are called for from the Fort Smith to Amarillo, and heavy snow is predicted across the Texas panhandle and well into the southern Rockies. And now it's early December and time to go for our winter elk. The mule deer I took last year in mid-October didn't last us much past March. and the whitetail I killed a month later in Missouri out east of Sumner is all but gone. But that's not why I go-it's not for the meat. It's deeper than that.
Ramblings-Tales From Three Hemispheres
If and adventure is a stirring thing while you are actually living it, then its resultant memories are often even more fullfilling. But the initial planning and preparation can be just as enthralling. So now as I begin to gather and organize my gear for the days and weeks ahead, I realize that a wondrous place I so recently thought I'd never see awaits me-to what purpose I do not know and dare not try to imagine. I first encountered the name "Patagonia" in some long lost tale or childhood film or text that now I can't remember.
A Fine Kind of Weary
If an adventure ends with good cheer and rich memories, then it must surely begin with eager anticipation and the fulfilling tasks of planning and organizing and gathering all the gear and incidentals that are so integral to the days and weeks ahead. Whether you're headed north or south, west of east, the truth of what you're about to embark upon begins to work its way into your consciousness long before you leave home.