We've just returned from a few days of vacation time at Winthrop. We found this cute cottage on the Methow River through a search online. It looked like the perfect retreat since it was close to Chelan, close to the river and private. You can look it up at cottonwood-cottage.com. Monica gave us a special deal because some people had cancelled.
We've been experiencing unseasonably warm temperatures so this private wooded lot was very comfortable. Lots of deer thought so too.
If you look closely at this picture, you'll see large Spring Chinook Salmon. Turns out this is the time of year that they return from the ocean to spawn. It was quite the show to watch. The water was fairly shallow and still these large fish were swimming upriver no matter what. Sometimes they would leap forward out of the water. It looked like you would be able to touch them by wading out in the river. So of course we had to try!
The water was pretty cold and the rocks were pretty slippery. Still we persevered because it would be so cool to get close to a Spring Chinook!
Only these type of Spring Chinook let us get close. There were several since this is what happens after they spawn. We talked to a couple of Fish and Wildlife employees who were collecting data about the spawning fish. We're now spawning Spring Chinook experts so ask us anything!
One of the things the F & W people check for in the deceased remains is whether the fish still have their eggs. In this case, the salmon didn't make it to it's spawning grounds.
All of that learning required sustenance. Here is Dad cooking gourmet Brats on the "BBQ."
Doesn't Dad look like a guy on Doctari Safari? We took an afternoon to hike around Buck Lake. It was a toasty 90 plus degrees and very dry. This trail emptied out onto a dirt road going straight up the mountain. Dad was the first one out, and we stopped for a minute to check out the road. Then all hell broke loose! He bent over to slap at a large insect on his leg yelling loudly in pain. I'm thinking of a biting fly and wow he's a whimp. Then he moved his foot and we see a hole where huge bees are streaming out and swarming Dad/us. He's grapping at the inside leg of his shorts so I infer he has them up his shorts. I try to help him to remove his shorts but the bees are swarming us so we RUN down hill. Wow, the hill was really steep and I was running way too fast down it. I thought I might wipe out. We make it to the bottom of the hill and determine the bees from hell are back in hell. We assess Dad's stings and determine he has several but only one bad one. Yep, the one that was in his shorts. So I began worrying about 3 things: 1. Would Dad have his first episode of anaphylactic shock since it was a sting from a devil bee? 2. Would the road we were on lead us back to our car or just get us lost? 3. If there was a forest fire, would we be able to run to Buck Lake in time?
Good news. Worrying was a waste. We made it out and had to buy some Bud Lite Lime to be a cold compress for Dad's sting. Of course beer always requires pizza, so that is what we had for dinner by the river at our cottage.
Yay! Isn't it beautiful? Now it's back to farmin'.
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