Devouring life, one bite at a time
My dad found this interesting lichen specimen when we stopped at the visitor center before hiking the mysterious Hoh Rainforest. Thought I’d share. There are few words for such an extraordinary place, but there are lots of pictures! Enjoy.
The next destination on our Washington itinerary was Olympic National Park, waaaay north just across the bay from Vancouver, Canada. Did I mention I have never been to Canada before? Or seen it, despite living in Northern Wisconsin for 4 years of my life. My …
When we woke up near Coos Bay this morning, we needed to get some more miles under our wheels and were quick to get back on the road. Of course, we did make a few stops on the way.
How can anyone turn down the chance to see the world famous sea lion caves? The sea lions weren’t inside, but we could still see America’s largest sea cave.
And some marine anthropology specimens throughout the cave.
Back on the road, I was surprised by the number of bridges in Oregon. This is one out of about a million.
My dad isn’t much of a city guy, but I’ve been aching to go to Portland for a while now so he had to yield. We kept it mellow with an obligatory trip to Powells Books, a stroll along the river and a fancy cupcake downtown.
Of course, we couldn’t forget the multitude of microbreweries and great food, either. At Hair of the Dog, a flight included an aged beer from bourbon barrels. Over Caesar salad and duck confit, my dad asked me to check the Niners score on my phone. Wow. I was not expecting their win to put us in such a great mood.
Little did I know it would lead to an involved explanation of how to read a box score. I guess anything to make me more well-rounded! What I love about beer is how much smaller it makes the world and all its problems, even if they are just about the intricacies of sports statistics.
Extra thanks to the Niners for making a 45-3 victory help a guy feel comfortable in a new city.
I’m on the road exploring the Pacific Northwest with my dad for the next week or so. Road trip! Adventure! I look forward to all this fall has to bring. My first photographic specimen is of Roosevelt elk as we entered Redwood National Park. Around …
I went to the coast earlier this week and finally saw the thing I’ve heard so many talk about. Do you ever think you know something because you hear it so much until you actually see it for yourself and realize you had no …
Last weekend gave me the amazing opportunity to go salmon fishing on my buddy’s boat. That’s been a major one on my list! Here’s the lovely vessel, Overtime, fitting because its owner has spent 500 hours on her in the last year.
He can load her into the water in just a couple minutes, and backs up the trailer like it’s second nature.
Out at sea with two ladies and a cute dog, we’re ready for adventure and fearless to the fog and cold.
Less than an hour out, we get our first bite. My friend, Slim, let me reel the first one in.
A hefty 16 pounder was not too bad for our first catch.
What a thrill!
The fish can flap around on the deck for a while, and sometimes even escape, so it’s important to club them and spear the gills so they bleed out.
With salmon you troll the line through the water, and often don’t even need bait. Here is one of the lures my friend is hooking up to the line.
Slim brings in another one. He thinks it was all the female pheromones that helped us get 6 salmon and 1 rock fish for the day.
Here’s a better look at the club he uses, with the curved blade on the end. If this seems cruel, remember that fish would suffer more if left to suffocate to death.
With a hook on the end, when looped through the gill, this shows the fish weight. Our biggest was over 20 pounds!
Check in tomorrow to learn about cleaning fish at sea. Look out, it’s not for the feint of heart!