Sunday, September 14, 2014

Waterfall and Salmon

Hello and how is your weekend going?  I know for some of you it's over!  It's 10:45 am on Sunday for us and we're just enjoying a mellow morning.  I have a big bowl of sourdough pancake batter fizzing away in the kitchen, I'm going to make sourdough pancakes/flapjacks for lunch for Dayle, the boys and me.  We are taking care of the boys while our son and DIL are away for 4 days for their anniversary.  On Thursday I volunteered at Multnomah Falls with my friend Shirley.  There is not a lot of water coming over, but it's still pretty and you can feel the change of seasons in the air.  


We've had the hottest and driest summer in my memory.  Even the moss at the falls is crispy.  I wonder when the rains will come?


I was taking photos of the bridge and people are taking photos of us.. lol.


Remember this water amount and we'll compare it to after the rain and see how different it is.  The water comes from snow melt (which is over for now) and rain (which we've had very little of) and a spring - which happily produces a lot of water, so this falls goes all year.  I hope it never dries up!  Can you imagine?


The boys loved their gummy SNAKE we brought them from Sunriver.. :-)


On Friday I met Gracie for lunch at Bumper's Grill and then we went swimming for an hour.  Then we took the boys out to dinner.  Then yesterday I had a volunteer gig for the Friends of Vista House held at Rooster Rock - but it only lasted 1 1/2 hours - Dayle and the boys went with me and they played on the play structure there while D watched.  After my duty was over we headed to Bonneville Dam to see the Salmon swimming up the fish ladder - we are having the most fish swimming upstream since the dam was built!  Up to 70,000 fish a day!  I've never seen so many fish in the underground viewing area at the Dam interpretive center!


They were HUGE, too!  Up to 3 feet long and approximately 20 to 40 lbs!


Aren't they beautiful?


We then walked outside and watched the fish jumping up the levels of the fish ladder.  They built this ladder when they built the dam so the salmon could get around the dam and go upstream to spawn in their native stream beds.  


I tried hard to get a photo of them jumping over the ladders but they are too quick!


Here is a part of the dam that connects to the Washington side.  The gorge cliffs behind are the Oregon side.


They are letting water through one part of it.


Next up was the fish hatchery at the dam and first stop was the Sturgeon pond where you get to walk under ground level and there is a big window where you can see the big fish.. and they are HUGE!  There was one that was almost 12 feet long!  Isn't this one just cute?  LOL!


Do you have sturgeon where you live?  They are a prehistoric fish and produce caviar.  They are bottom feeders and live a long time.. over 100 years.  They can get to 20 feet and 1,500 lbs!


They also have several salmon and trout ponds at the fish hatchery, along with many many hatchery ponds filled with all ages of fish from 2 inches on up.


Our two grandsons scampered atop the rock pillars in the entrance to the hatchery.


After that we headed across the Bridge of the Gods to Stevenson WA where we tried out a pizza restaurant where we'd never been - it was good!  Then we drove up to Wind River and did some adventuring up into the mountains there, we never did find the river.. lol.. then we headed back to the bridge, crossed over and took the boys up to the East Wind Drive-In for ice cream, then quickly took the boys and the ice cream to the park play area nearby.  Hayden is on the tire swing on the left and Caleb is running along in the red shirt on the right.  


Isn't this a picturesque park?  It's the Port of Cascade Locks Marine Park and the Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge is at home here.


Every time I'm here I drive out to the end of the park on the East where there is a parking area where you can turn off your car engine and enjoy the river and the sound of the wind in the trees.  A great place to think.  Of course the boys wanted to run along the beach, why not?  The end to a busy and fun day.


The sternwheeler was out on a dinner cruise so I zoomed in and got a good photo of it out on the water.  Usually I'm ON the boat!


I have googled and looked for a photo of a young bear cub to show you - here is the closest thing I found to the 2 bear cubs we came upon on the road home from Kahneeta.  I'll never forget seeing them 15 feet ahead of me!


OK, time for me to get busy in the kitchen making sourdough flapjacks (that's what the pioneers and miners called them).  We're taking the boys to a movie this afternoon and then to dinner at Red Robin.  THEN.. baths so they'll be ready for school in the morning.  Whew!  I hope you have a fun week ahead!
((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

23 comments:

  1. Sounds like you have had a wonderful time with the boys, the appropriate amount of treats and time to burn off energy. The pictures of the Falls are gorgeous, I love how they change during each season. Hugs to you and Dayle Teresa, you deserve a nice calm morning tomorrow after the boys head off to school.
    Meredith

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  2. The memories you are making with those boys Teresa! I'm so happy you see them so much. I've always wanted to stop at the Salmon ladders but never manage to be driving by at the spawning season. These are great pictures. When I drove home from Portland a few weeks ago the sternwheeler was at it's dock and of course my thoughts turned to you! Whenever I see it I think of you and the fun times you have aboard. You and Dayle will be relieved when Monday arrives!
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  3. You are so busy all the time! You make me tired just reading about all your trips and adventures, but I love see everything, especially the landscape where you live. It's so different than anything around these parts. Sounds like a fun day for the boys too. I haven't been to Red Robin in 10 years or more. There's not one very close to us that I know of. Wouldn't one of those salmon be good smoked for dinner? I love smoked salmon and then making cold smoked salmon salad for crackers with the leftovers.

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  4. THorooughly enjoyed each photo and description!! Teresa I hope to take care of my grands some day when I'm blessed with some!

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  5. THe fish jumping ladder thingy is amazing

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  6. We like going to the fish hatchery and Bonneville dam. Gorge-ous area. We enjoy Hood River alot. It is same distance as the coast. That is what is so great Oregon....mountains, rivers and ocean. Sounds like you had a great time with the grandsons. Have a good week!

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  7. Looks like you all had loads of fun! Loved the pictures. I love tagging along on your adventures!

    ((hugs)) to you sweet friend. :)

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  8. Daughter just got home from working in Ketchikan filled with bear stories, fish stories, summer stories.
    Even though she brought back about 500# of salmon & halibut, she wanted TacoBell for dinner.

    Even though last summer was a record (since 1970's) for the cannery there, this year was darn close for volume.

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  9. So far so good, Gramma and Granpa :-) Loved all the photos, Teresa, and the one of the sturgeon reminded me of the time my nephew caught a hundred pound one in the Sacramento River and got his picture in the paper with the fish. The fish seemed almost as big as him! xx

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  10. Love seeing those Salmon. I have to say that it is great that you are able to spend time with these boys. Children need the influence of awesome grandparents!

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  11. Educational trip especially the Huge Salmons !

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  12. You always have so much going on, Teresa. I'm so glad you're able to take care of the boys while their parents are away. It sounds like you always make it really fun for them. I thought of you this morning when my husband made his weekly sourdough pancakes. :)

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  13. Wow Teresa- how can you cram so much into one day ? You sure do live a hectic life - which is wonderful of course - wish I could do that much and still be alive to tell the tale. I found the bit about the fish ladder very interesting. Those two little boys are so lucky to have such fun grandparents who obviously love them very much. Hope you enjoy the coming week. xoxox

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  14. Gosh, Teresa, you pack so much into your posts that I never know what to comment on! That last fish photo is lovely, with all the colours and the shimmering water. The salmon are amazing - have you ever seen the movie "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"? If not I think you'd really enjoy it. We do have sturgeon here in Wisconsin, also a town called Sturgeon Bay. Native Americans still hunt the sturgeon with spears.

    Here's a fun sturgeon story for you:
    http://www.suntimes.com/sports/outdoors/11849015-452/7-foot-3-240-pound-wis-sturgeon-thought-to-be-125-years-old.html

    Bridge of the Gods - a dear friend just participated in a run there! I think the event was called "Bridge of the Goddess". :)

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  15. That must have been pretty neat to see bear on the road in front of you! I've never seen a bear in the wild; here we mostly just have a lot of deer on the roads. Great photos of the falls and dam. The fish look interesting.

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  16. You really make being a grandparent such fun, the kids are so lucky to have you and your DH! I was fascinated by a salmon ladder we saw in Scotland some years ago, those fish are amazing. I can really see some glimpses of autumn now in your photos, which are, as ever, lovely.

    Helenxx

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  17. Loved your photos of the salmon swimming underwater! That would be quite a thrill to see:) That beach is beautiful as is the falls.
    I heard a rumor that we might get some rain or showers later this week. So hoping...
    Blessings,
    Aimee
    PS: Now that one 'snake' I would like--LOL

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  18. Some wonderful memories in the making with those handsome boys. What an amazing post with some truly amazing pictures.

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  19. Beautiful pictures especially the Sturgeon,.
    That is my sisters last name and I had never seen one I must share with her.
    The bear looks scary.. I would of been so scared.
    Great post.

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  20. Sounds like a good time was had by all! =D

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  21. Great pictures, and how nice you are taking care of the boys while your son and daughter in law have a romantic getaway.
    The boys have such a fun time with you and Dayle. That is one loooong gummy snake....I think my grandson would love it!
    Wishing you a wonderful week.
    Helen xox

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  22. Wow, Teresa, you can sure pack a lot of doings into a day! Everything in your part of the country is so beautiful. I always love seeing your photos of the waterfalls. I absolutely love them and don't get to see many any more since I can't walk very far now. Thank you so much for taking me along for the ride.

    Hugs,
    Sharon

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  23. Your pictures are amazing Teresa and while away I miss not seeing all of your posts so will have to catch up proper when I am back xoxoxo

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