A few weeks ago, Justin and I were perusing the classified ads at our local coffee shop on a lazy Monday morning (we're both off on Mondays- don't be jealous). We saw an ad for a used canoe, which we've been talking about wanting for a while now. There are so many gorgeous bodies of water surrounding us, its a shame not to be able to explore them.
Well, we bought the canoe! However, its been crazy windy here for the last week or so, and we had been unable to take the ol' Weh-no-nah on her maiden voyage. On Sunday, we did.
We went to Lake Aldwell, which is a lake formed by one of the dams on the Elwha River. Well, this is "the last dam summer" around here, because the two Elwha dams will be removed starting in 2011. As the dams come out, Lake Aldwell and Lake Mills will certainly change into entirely new bodies of water.
We are quite excited to see how the biggest dam removal project in US history will effect the Elwha River Watershed and all of the plants, wildlife, and people that exist in or around it. In fact, I am lucky to get to be a part of the dam removal project. This summer, I will be working on the revegetation crew that is responsible for collecting and propagating all of the native plants that will be used in the restoration efforts that follow the removal of the dams.
Anyway, it was a beautiful day for our maiden voyage. We ended the day with a Pacific Northwest-style BBQ. We had Spring Chinook Salmon, fresh asparagus, and rhubarb cobbler.
Spring Chinook are unique because Chinook or King Salmon (Oncorhyncgus tshawtscha) generally return from the ocean in the late summer to spawn. Once salmon return from the ocean to freshwater, they stop eating, head up stream, spawn, and die. The whole process takes a lot of energy. Spring Chinook return months early and hang out until the rest of the Chinook arrive. In order to make it that long they do a lot of fattening up when they're in the ocean. That translates to super oily, tasty and nutritious food for us.
Thank you for your nourishment, Chinook!
Thank you for the treats, Port Angeles Farmer's Market.
yum.
Fits on the 'Yota just right--and looks so cool.
Yep, I see the snow capped mountains. No, I don't see the alligator.
Justin's PFD, appropriately named The Chinook, didn't arrive in the mail yet. He's still a winner in the bright orange one.
Jill! Love the blog! The canoe trip looks like it was awesome!!! So glad you finally got to take it out! Mmmmm.. spring chinook! Tell Justin I say hello and I'll be waiting for your next post! Get crackin!
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