Counting Fish and other wildlife

Cedar Creek Hatchery
Hebo, OR

George and I cannot believe that we've been in Oregon for two months.

With only a little more than a month left to go at the hatchery,

we've started sketching out our plans after Labor Day.

More on that later :-)

The last couple days we've gotten more work done around the hatchery.

George continues to play with the front-end loader..

There is a buildup of sediment from the creek in the largest pond - Pond 15.

It is at the very top of the hatchery's property, and although there is no water in it,

the dirt needs to be removed so that no plants or trees take root and ruin the pond.

(It is a cement pond)

I got to help count fish in ponds 1 & 2.

These Spring Chinook will be liberated tomorrow into a couple different rivers.

They will then begin their trip back to the ocean.

Fish are counted by weighing a netful of them,

then with a counter, adding up how many were in the net.

Then the hatchery worker can determine how many fish per pound.

We got an average of 12 fish per pound, which is the correct count & size for liberation.

Some of the Chinook have a microchip inserted into them.

This chip can be scanned by Fish & Wildlife after catching by an angler,

or if they make their way back to this or another hatchery (in 4 years or so).

They have found this hatchery's fish as far north as British Columbia!

We haven't done any sightseeing lately.

I was tied to the computer all last week due to the pending sale of the water company.

However, today we took a ride into Tillamook to get an ice cream cone.

You can sure tell it's summer..

the crowds are crazy!

We had a few visitors this week..

This Great Blue Heron loves looking at the fish.

The other night, right around dusk, I heard some noise outside.

I peeked out the window and saw this little spiker munching happily at our flowerbed.

I had to get pictures out the window of Harvey, 

so not to scare them away.

They spooked at the slightest sound from us.

Our plans..

We are planning on leaving Oregon around Labor Day weekend to head east.

We'll be doing some one-nighters, and a stop at a Camping World to get a slide adjusted.

George & I are stopping in Denver to see Austin,

and in Akron, Ohio to visit some friends we made in California at Coyote.

I found a great place to stay in Indiana called Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

This will be our first 'no reservations taken' stop..so hopefully we'll get in!

In Ohio we'll stay at West Branch State Park, and we have those booked.

By the third week of September we'll be in Pennsylvania visiting George's family.

We are looking forward to that!