Marty Stano Marty Stano is a filmmaker, photographer, traveler, learner, and teacher.

CHILE | Friday, 5 July 2013 | Views [1415] | View Smaller Image

After we pitched our tent outside, Jess invited us in for dinner. She poured Chilean wine while the dogs stretched out across the floor. Brad played his banjo until the sun went down. We told travel stories and laughed while waiting for the chicken to cook on the wood stove. They shared advice for hikes we would encounter on our journey further south. Before the night was over, they invited us out on the river for our first fly fishing experience.

Tags: travel photography scholarship 2013

15 years ago, Brad came to Patagonia for his first season as a fly fishing guide and has been back ever since. He invited Rex and I to stay the night on their farm where he and Jess live in a simple home, one of several structures built hastily along the grid of the Rio Simpson Valley when the pioneering electrical company first arrived for construction. There is no running water inside, but it is of no importance. The running of trout in the clear crisp rivers of the Patagonia outside is what matters. The farm is quiet, except for the occasional roar of the Patagonian wind that rips across the tin roof. Luckily for us, and our tent, there was no wind that night.

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In the morning, we all piled in the truck with dogs and fishing gear and drove down to the river. Brad and Jess taught us the basics of casting, as the dogs ran along the banks sniffing for wildlife. By mid-afternoon, Rex and I each caught our first fish. Here, Brad holds Rex’s trout. It is these spontaneous invitations that make some of the most memorable travel experiences and the best ‘short rides up the road.’

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Marty Stano Marty Stano is a filmmaker, photographer, traveler, learner, and teacher.

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