So long Klamath...Hello Irrigon

We had a great dinner with a few of the guys from the Klamath Hatchery just to say good-bye and hope to see all next year. Donna and I will miss working with the crew and the wonder bird life in the area.

             Greg, Joann, Regen and Donna having a wonderful farewell dinner.

After adding 15 lbs of pressure to the tires I had to say adios to the rest of the crew, Rich and Gayle. I was surprised that the tires had only lost 15 pounds pressure in the last 8 months.

Willy Nelson has a great song that seems appropriate..."On the Road Again".

We took it easy on the way up to Irrigon and stopped on the Columbia River, right across the river into Washington, at Maryhill State Park.  From what I have seen so far...these state parks (Oregon and Washington) are clean, landscaped, secure more spacious than some of the private RV parks.  

We always toast the fact that we have accomplished one leg of the journey safely and hope for many more.

Some of the sites at Maryhill are right on the river...we were very close, but our site was about 100 yards away.

The next day we have made it to our post at the Irrigon Stealhead Hatchery on the Columbia...and of course this calls for a toast!

Saying good-bye to Riley

 Mom and dad came down for a couple days to claim their little boy and Riley was so excited to see them. Donna and I had a great week with Riley, who was very good, and we miss him already.

 I wish I would of gotten a picture of Lisa's cake before we got into it. Lisa baked a "Snickers" cake and I was surprised that it tasted just like a Snickers bar.... amazing! Awesome Lisa, Thanks.

We followed the kids up to Crater lake which is only 25 miles from the hatchery. First, Jason wanted Riley to catch a fish and with fishing experts Opa and dad...how could we miss? Granny keeping an eye on RiRi while we rig up.

Jason and I may of cheated a bit because we stopped at a private pond that was planted with fish only a few weeks ago...just so Jason and I can really impress Riley with our fishing prowess. 

After 45 minutes Lisa and Donna decided to show the boys just how it's done!

Granny baited the hook with a worm and Lisa casted to the right spot so Riley could finally catch a fish. ( but Jason and Opa picked out the right pond!)

Riley was so proud of his fish, which was released back into the water unharmed.

Made it up to Crater lake and as usual it was cloudy, rainy and snowy.

Riley loved playing in the snow...what kid doesn't?

Granny and Opa have to say good-bye to our little buddy. See you in an other month Riley!

Donna took this great shot just to show you that no matter what the weather here at Crater lake...it is a beautiful place.

A day of fishing on Klamath Lake

Greg, the manager of the hatchery, took my son Jason and I fishing on Klamath Lake. After an early start we hit the lake on a cold, wet and near snow level day. It's hard to believe that July is only a few days away.
   
                   My son looks like a big "smurf" in is frog togs rain gear.

                         Jason was the first to hook up with his fly rod.

I was so proud that Jay brought in the nice 7 to 8 pound Klamath Lake wild rainbow with the expertise of a professional guide.

The frosted trees behind the eagle gives you some idea just how screwy this weather is at the end of June. 

Jason's second of three nice trout he caught this day.

Greg caught this beauty after being our guide most of the day.

You might notice there is no photo of me with a fish...there is a very good reason, I didn't catch any. We did have a very nice lunch at Rocky Point.

Jason wasn't done fishing, so we hit a couple of creeks and rivers in the valley. This happens to be Woods river.

Ok, finally... it's off to home for dinner. We had a very good father/son day.

Last week at Klamath Hatchery.

Well, we are doing some last minute maintenance before we leave for Northern Oregon a week from now.

     Donna and Riley are hard at work checking for weeds.  Ah, to be three again!

Riley insisted on helping "granny' water so please don't call Oregon Child services.

My job is to keep the weed population to a minimum.

Regen and I are chasing the last of the brown trout out of a raceway so we can put some new trout in, probably rainbow or cutthroat.

Opa needs a little help getting his rubber boots off. "Pull Riley, pull!

Donna says I can either watch our 3 year old grandson or power wash one of the older building mmmmm...I like working outdoors.

With every beautiful community there is always a draw back or two. San Diego, the traffic. Las Vegas, the heat..... 

Here in Fort Klamath ...can you say "MOSQUITOES?

Ya, they can be bothersome but with the right equipment... all is conquered.

We hope this is not the last we will see of "Oscar, one feather" the osprey. The hatchery tells us this is the third year for Oscar. He has always been missing the same feather so it's easy to identify him.

Grandson's visit

Our grandson Riley is with us for a week. We sure miss seeing him on a regular basis.
     I think it may be hard, looking cool, when you are sitting in a child car seat!

 First things first...

after a long drive to Klamath and a shower and it's TV time with Opa.

Granny and I had planned a special trip to "Train Mountain" here in Chiloquin with Riley, it is very close to the hatchery.

Art, the oldest member of the train club, has an authentic miniature steam engine. We were all set for a special trip by Art around the 2000 acres of miniature track when he had trouble with the engine.

Train Mountain is only open one day a week, a couple hours for the public...otherwise it is members only. Donna and Riley had three other trains to choose from to ride besides Art's. These members own their own trains and have more money than they need.:-)

Opa and Riley ready for a fun trip throughout the 2000 acres and 25 miles of track.

Riley and Opa on the campaign trail!

Train Mountain also had an assortment of large original trains and repair cabs such as this one. Riley is funny...he has the same wave as England's Queen, sort of move your wrist back and forth.

Who's a good boy for dinner?

Our biologist is leaving....

     Kyle, the hatchery biologist, is done with his work for the year and heading for the next assignment in Corvallis. We had some brats, chips and beer for a good send off. Kyle is in the blue tee and Grendell is the hatchery watch dog.

The camp biologist pretty much dictates where we stock fish and finally we have  some beautiful lakes to stock. Regen is checking the water temperature before stocking the rainbows.

This is my one of my favorite meadow ponds in the Warner Mountains.

This is quite an overlook to have lunch. Situated near Overton Reservoir at approximately 6500 feet in elevation I couldn't ask for a more beautiful view.

As we traveled on dirt mountain roads we came around one corner and this swath of un-natural land startled me. Turned out to be a just finished 42 inch natural gas line installed by the Ruby Pipeline LLC. 

I might come back here in the next week in the evening for a bit of fly fishing.