18 September ‘09
We’ve been busy over the last 2 weeks. After leaving Anacortes we drove up to Monroe and stayed at the Thunderbird Resort. Fortunately we were able to stay a week with only partial hook-ups, as they had a great place for us on the banks of the Skykomish River and open up a chance to do a little kayaking right from the coach.
We’ve been busy over the last 2 weeks. After leaving Anacortes we drove up to Monroe and stayed at the Thunderbird Resort. Fortunately we were able to stay a week with only partial hook-ups, as they had a great place for us on the banks of the Skykomish River and open up a chance to do a little kayaking right from the coach.
Another advantage of staying at the resort and on the banks of the river was to watch the 3rd largest run of “Pink’s” finding their way deep into the rivers for their last time. One morning after going in Monroe for the farmers market, we stopped by a roadside stand selling “fresh wild salmon”, we bought one for dinner…it was so good we went back 2 days later and bought another one. Ric brought Drew over one morning so that the 4 of us could kayak the Skykomish from Sultan down to Monroe. The water was running fast, and we were able to find our way pretty easily around the shallows and into some pretty good rapids. This run was the “wettest” run we’ve ever had but it was also one of the most exciting as far a surf and speed. We did the 12 miles in just over 2 hours…pretty fast for us…. The next day we did it again, but this time Lil Louise joined us.
Again, the salmon were jumping everywhere and the banks of the river were lined with fishermen/women and all were limiting out in a short time. Just about half way down the run a salmon came to the top of the water and headed straight for Drew’s kayak. It rammed into the side of it twice before diving under it and heading straight for my kayak. Ric was in the front of the kayak, and as the salmon got closer he put his paddle down at the same time as I put my hand into the water just in front of the charging fish. I don’t know what this salmon was thinking but with a short scoop of water from my hand and Ric’s paddle we had a 5 pound salmon in the kayak and on my lap. I don’t know where the camera was, so you’re just going to have to take my word for it…oh ya, it fought so hard and was so damn slippery that it did slide out of my hands and made it out the other side. On Saturday I joined Doug in Darrington for a bike ride.
We had signed up for a 29 mile “Fun Ride” that would take us through Darrington and up into the foothills of the Cascades. We had a great ride and I can prove it…my butt is suffering. While Doug and I were out biking, Louise, Bonnie, Mike, Whit, and Mattie took in the sights and found some interesting things in the forests around Darrington.
On the way back to the coach a very unfortunate thing happened, a bolt holding my bike rack to the car broke and let the rack and the bike fall to a quick death (of my month old bike). Hell it was a tangled mess so I just threw it off the road for the night thanking the good Lord that nobody following got hurt. Well I did go back and here is what I've got...
