The Beginning of a New Adventure

Haystack Rock in the Cape ~2 miles from my house.
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/1234b3/

I am moved into the double-wide (or as my boss calls it "Whisky Tango" for white trash haha). I don't have photos because I had a sad loss in my life... my camera. Somewhere in the excitement of moving from Idaho to Oregon my precious little guy got lost. So in a paycheck or two I may have a replacement. 

Chinook Salmon
http://www.usgs.gov/features/lewisandclark/images/Chinook_Salmon.jpg

Week one as an ODFW employee was 1000x better than being an intern in Idaho. Tonight at 6pm we will go out and go "fishing." ODFW "fishing" goes something like this: head out to a deep holding pool for migrating Chinook, set a net, watch the net until a fish hits it, retrieve said fish, then take scales, fork length, and mark it with an "opercle punch." This is a mark-recapture study, so we mark as many chinook as we can, then once they have spawned and died we look at the carcasses and determine the population through ratios of unmarked and marked carcasses. To administer an opercle punch, we use hand held paper punches to punch a hole, or mark, in the fish's operculum (the hard bony part protecting the fish's gills). We work nights to avoid the public eye. The chinook fishery is a very touchy subject out here, and in order to efficiently fish without too much disturbance, we fly by night. So I will let you all know how it goes!

Well, once Andrew gets out here, I will put up pics of the double-wide, and hopefully have some good fishing tales!

“All creation is not for man.” -Edward Abbey

Sampling has carried on! We are approaching our last stint! We have Skeleton Creek left on the docket for next week, then we are done! Then I  head to Oregon to start my next adventure! The adventure begins next weekend when I move into the mobile home that Andrew and I will be living in until December. Yes, I said it, mobile home. Our new landlord sent us photos (so we know it's not too hillbilly). We have a wood stove, new floors and cabinets, two bedrooms, it's right on the Nestucca River, and 2 miles from the ocean… I am too excited to care that it’s a double wide! Andrew got a job for Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife as well, and will be moving to Pacific City starting on August 28th and arriving as soon as his dad and him cross the many miles from Willmar, MN to Pacific City, OR. 

Edward Abbey  

The past two stints have been 3-nighter’s so I have had a lot of time to read in my tent. I finished The Bill McKibben Reader: Pieces from an Active Life. Andrew sent me the book for my birthday. His sister, Janelle, gave it to him for Christmas and instantly became a “must read” from Andrew. I am now passing on the “must read” message to all you folks! It is an exceptional collection of works from one of my favorite writers. He is part of an exciting movement called 350.org. Check it out! I won’t give too much away, but he touches on subjects like Christianity, activism, and appreciation of nature. He speaks on the divide between Christianity and the ideals of many American “Christians” and how that ties to people’s ideas of “land ethic.” He draws on the leadership of the greats such as, Martin Luther King Jr. and Edward Abbey, author of Monkeywrench Gang (another “must read”). He then also describes his version of nature appreciation, taking place in his home in the Adirondack’s in Vermont. He describes a love for the everyday around you, not just “eco-porn”, referring to appreciation of only the grandeur, such as the Tetons. All right, I’ve given away too much, go buy it or check it out from your local library! It will stimulate some interesting conversation!

The 5 pickle jars, 2 with hot peppers!

Pickles with John Prine Lyrics on them!

Weekends in Fairfield have been pretty uneventful, so I have created my own fun! I tried out making pickles! I found a recipe online, and adjusted it a bit (we will see how successful that is in 2 months!). I have never pickled anything, nor been taught by anyone, so we shall see how it works!

*all italicized text is a link to the book or the website! Just click to get there! Woop Woop!

Stubborn as a Mule

The mules all loaded up for the hike out

The past two weeks have been.... interesting. Last week was our first stint using horses and mules. It was a long and tiring hike, but the view was unbelievable!

Dan riding "Red" the horse and leading "Gomer" and "Rachel"

Camp: Desmond, Dan, and My Tents & the Mules!

The hikes have been long, about 6-10 miles in, camp, electroshock (usually about another 4-6 miles), then hike back out. The work is tiring, and when one teammate isn't fully "into it" it gets very frustrating. Needless to say, I am excited to start a new job!

Big Ol' Bull Trout

We finally caught our first big bull trout! A 20 incher! We also caught a bunch of our target size (150 mm). We look for the small Young of the Years to determine if the stream we are sampling has a spawning population. If we find the bigger fish it doesn't necessarily mean they can survive in the stream they could have just migrated in and are just hanging out eatin some delicious macroinvertebrates.

Mom and I before Zippin!

Mom came for her birthday weekend, it was so good to see her! We went for a hike, we summited Couch summit (7000 ft), sat in some hot springs, shopped (of course), and Zip Lined!

I officially accepted my position in Oregon this week! Andrew and I also found a place to live! I move in  on August 15th, and Andrew moves in as soon as he is done Looning!

So.... Pacific City, Oregon here I come! Yahoo!