This past weekend we took a day trip to the Grand Ronde River in Washington; only about 2 hours from home. We went prepared for steelhead fishing and puppy romping. A couple of friends of ours met us in the canyon with their six year old golden retriever, Bailey. When he and Luna met, his bark definitely let her know who was boss. After the initial jolt, they got along just fine. Luna jumped all over Bailey wanting to play and he just wandered along the beach looking for an opportunity to jump in the river. (I can't believe that Luna will one day soon be almost the same size as Bailey!)
While I watched Luna and chatted with my friend, our partners were waist deep in the river steelhead fishing. Now, I really enjoy fishing but for some reason there is no allure to steelhead fishing. We were there for about 4 hours and Russ caught a whopping -zero- fish. My friends husband was much luckier with two landed steelhead and a few others on the line that managed to escape complete capture.
This is apparently typical for steelhead fishing. Russ has been out fishing at least 20 hours this season and he's managed to catch ONE fish! I just cannot see standing in a cold river casting a line for hours and possibly not catching a thing. I'd rather sit and enjoy the scenery.
It was a balmy 58 or 60 degrees with bright sunshine warming my face. The sound of the river flowing by and the quiet of the canyon was marvelous. One thing I discovered is that you cannot really do any birdwatching with a puppy at your feet. But, without really trying, I saw a variety of birds. Some along the Grand Ronde river and some from the car on the drive home along the Snake river.
bald eagles (3 adults)
flock of cedar waxwings
goldfinches
some sparrow with a lyrical call that I couldn't identify
Canada geese
mallards
cormorants
buffleheads
coot
gulls - not sure of the species
kestrel
sandpiper of some sort - in flight, moving away from me
And I can't not mention the feline like calls of the majestic peacock that was living on the farm near the river. That bird call is one I could ID anywhere! Thanks to a childhood visiting the Denver Zoo where they roamed free.
All in all a great day with great friends in a peaceful setting.
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