Outdoors with Don Q final column: Thanks for the memories

As of Saturday, I am retiring as the Outdoor Editor for Carson Now and a very special outdoor photographer (my wife Elaine) will also be retiring.
It's been a great run, full of great memories, but sooner or later all good things must come to an end, and Oct. 31 is that special time for the two of us.

Having had the personal pleasure of serving as the Outdoor Editor at Carson Now since February 2011, I am often asked about my personal background; so here is all kinds of information about Don Quilici (AKA Don, Don Q, Donnie Q, DQ, Q, the Q Man, etc.)

Background History:
1. Born and raised in Carson City; and schooled in Carson City (Carson High School) and Reno (UNR) many years ago. A true Native Nevadan.

2. The only time I have been gone from Carson City for a prolonged period of time was to serve four years in the Strategic Air Command of the U.S. Air Force at the end of the Korean War.I enlisted in the USAF in October 1954 and came home on my one and only leave in June 1956. Somewhere in between those two dates, Carson City paved its streets and put in curbs and gutters. It's true!

3. Retired many years ago as the Data Processing Manager for the Nevada Department of Transportation.

4. For 22+ years, served as the Outdoor Editor for a local newspaper, with a weekly, full page on all kinds of outdoor activities.

5. For 12 years, Co-Hosted a weekly, live, one-hour, outdoor television show until the untimely death of my close friend and Co-Host Jim McGee.

6. For almost 15 years, have been the featured, front page writer for the annual fishing publication "Fishing The California Alps."

7. Elaine and I were married on March 30, 2002, and we took a 19 day honeymoon to Southeast Asia (Singapore Malaysia, Hong Kong China, Bangkok Thailand and the Island of Bali Indonesia), where we were accompanied by my new mother-in-law. It's true! How's that for courage!

8. Since our marriage, Elaine and I have traveled all over Nevada and California, plus Southeast Asia (our honeymoon), a 44 day vacation trip to Italy, Sicily and Switzerland (The two of us took 5,000 digital photos, would you like to see all of them?), two winter vacation trips to Hawaii, a car tour of Oregon, Idaho, British Columbia and Alberta Canada, another car tour of Alaska and the Yukon, fishing trips to Sitka, Homer, Pelican and Valdez Alaska, visiting friends in Missouri and Tennessee, visiting friends in Watson Lake, Yukon and Smithers, British Columbia, and visiting relatives in Denver, Colorado; Indio, California and Goodyear, Arizona.

Some past Don Q activities:
01. Freshwater fishing: Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada and Wyoming, plus British Columbia and The Yukon in Canada.

02. Saltwater fishing: Anchor Point, Homer, Pelican, Sitka and Valdez, Alaska, plus San Francisco and Bodega Bay.

03. Ice fishing at Red and Silver Lakes, California; and Chimney Creek and Wildhorse Reservoirs in Nevada.

04. Big game hunting in Nevada (Mule Deer, Pronghorn Antelope, Rocky Mountain Elk, Rocky Mountain Goat), California (Mule Deer), Oregon (Rocky Mountain Elk) and Idaho (Mule Deer).

05. Backpacking for many years in the Sierra Nevada Mountains from the Lake Tahoe area to the Mt. Whitney area.

06. Packhorse trips in the Hoover Wilderness Area of California.

07. Hiking over nine Sierra Nevada Mountain Passes: Bishop, Mather, Mosquito, Paiute, Pinchot, Purple, Summit, Taboose and Thunderbolt. My favorite is Taboose Pass, which has been crossed a total of five times.

08. Photographing wildlife, scenery and wildflowers.

09. Cross country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.

10. Traveling to the Far North: Alaska (15 times - yes 15!), plus British Columbia (5 times), The Yukon (3 times) and Alberta (1 time) in Canada.

11. Touring our state for the unique Nevada 10-In-10 Challenge of 2004.

Community activities in past years:
Chairman of the Board (5 consecutive years): Greater Nevada Credit Union.
Chairman of the Board: Carson City Game Management Board, now known as the Carson City Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife.
Chairman of the Board: Carson River Advisory Committee.
Chairman of the Board: Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Chairman of the Board: Governor's Advisory Board on Natural Resources.
Co-Founder and Chairman: Operation Game Thief Citizen's Committee, which pays rewards for convictions of poachers of Nevada's wildlife.
Honorary Life Member and 4 time Past President: Ormsby Sportsman's Association (now defunct).
Member: Carson City Open Space Committee.
In 2006, Governor Kenny Guinn designated March 21 as Don Quilici Day for my dedication to the conservation of Nevada's wildlife. A very special honor that will be remembered forever.

Selected outdoor feature stories:
Since February 2011, I have written many weekly outdoor feature stories for Carson Now, and thought that it would be fun to recall some of them.

See if you remember these selections:
AmTrak train ride from Reno to Sacramento and return
Annual Don Q Awards
April Fool feature story that conned many readers
Carson City and Juneau, two cities similar but different
Carson City geographic facts
Carson Valley Chukar Club annual fund raiser
Christmas gift ideas
End of the Ormsby Sportsmen's Association (OSA) in Carson City
Fall colors in Hope Valley, California
Fire danger and how to try to prevent it
Five Cooper's Hawks as welcomed newcomers to our neighborhood
Fishing for Lahontan Cutthroat Trout at Pyramid Lake
Fishing for King Salmon and Halibut at remote Pelican, Alaska
Fly-in, fishing trip to remote Mitchell Lake, British Columbia, Canada
Go prepared when in the Great Outdoors
Great Basin National Park
Harvesting and preparing eye-watering Horseradish roots with our neighbor
Having fun vacationing with relatives in Kauai, Hawaii
Italian Festival in Reno
Irish Spring Soap on our flower beds as a deer deterrent
Nevada Day parade and celebration
Ookpik Wilderness Lodge at Babine Lake, British Columbia
Our continuing, devastating drought
Our six-week vacation trip to Italy with my cousin and her husband
People successful/unsuccessful in Nevada big game drawings
Picking and cooking pine nuts
Rural Nevada road trip by Elaine and I with her Mom Mary
Scouting for buck mule deer above Carson City
Things that you may not know about Nevada
Two surprise visitors from the Yukon for my birthday
Vacationing and fishing with friends in the Ely area
Visiting our good friends in Watson Lake, Yukon, Canada
Where to go on Free Fishing Day in Nevada
What you need to know about ice fishing
Where to look for wildlife and what to look for
Wildlife at the Quilici Cabin near Davis Lake, California
10th Anniversary of the Nevada 10-in-10 Challenge

Future plans for 2015:
We have a full schedule between now and December 31; with a two-week vacation trip to Missouri, a mid-week visit in November to Apple Hill, California, a week-long early December trip to visit relatives in Indio, California, helping friends move to Denver, Colorado, plus all of the usual holiday activities at the end of the year.

Future plans for 2016:
They include spending several weeks in Hawaii in February, a month-long river cruise in Europe with my cousin Lorraine and her husband Bob; a two-week visit to friends in Watson Lake, Yukon; a week-long visit to the Prince Charlotte Islands, British Columbia; a week-long fishing trip to Pelican, Alaska, a motorhome camping trip to the Steen Mountains in Oregon with my cousin Rob and his wife Denice; and enjoying relaxation time at our family cabin near Davis Lake, California.

Here is the very best, saved for last:
01. Don Q is a full-blooded Italian, who cannot speak Italian, cannot understand Italian, cannot read Italian. And, is allergic to garlic.
It's true! An Italian who is allergic to garlic!

02. The biggest fish I have ever caught is a 115 pound Halibut, on that same day Elaine caught a 148 pound Halibut.

03. I am color blind, so don't ask me to serve as your interior decorator or you will be very, very sorry.
Now, you know all about that unique person known as Don Quilici.

A special thanks:
To all of my readers through the years, you have been and are the best.

Finally, in closing:
Before Elaine and I say Good Bye, very special best wishes for the continued growth and success of Carson Now, a class act website. It is the top source for local news and is getting bigger and better each day.

Carson Now reports the news when it happens rather than having to read about it in a newspaper the following morning. Well done, gang!

It has been a personal pleasure to work with and be associated with good friends Kirk Caraway and Jeff Munson since February 2011. Good luck, guys, in the many months and years ahead.
Thanks for the memories everyone!

— Don Quilici may be retiring as Outdoor Editor from Carson Now but we will certainly check back with him and Elaine from time to time during their travels and maybe even get a few pictures. We graciously thank Q for his humor, insights and for bringing Nevada, Sierra and their favorite place, Alaska, outdoor knowledge and spectacular visual presence to Carson Now each week. Thanks Don and Elaine!