Road Trip sights

Our Road Trip Continues

Erik with Alyson, Dad, and Cara.

In background you can see the falls and the bridge.

This little house shows how to live more energy conscious.

I just think it looks like a fun place to play.

Alyson is well loved by both her parents. They take good care of her.

Alyson just needed to get out of her seat and stretch like the rest of us.

I love this picture with the rain on the window. She did not get wet though.

What a little doll.

We went to the Bonneville Fish Hatchery on the way to Montnomah Falls. We saw some fish here. Some were really big. Some were tiny. We learned about Sturgeon, Trout, and Salmon. Sturgeon is a big dinosaur fish.

See the big fish behind me? They are Sturgeon.

See the big fish? That is a sturgeon. They are bottom feeders like catfish.

This pair of Mallard Ducks was in the parking lot. The male is pretty with bright colors. The female is subdued, brown, camo. This is so she can blend into the wild and protect her babies.

We saw this pair on the way home when we stopped for gas.

Teething!

I had a really cute teething picture before this one but it got lost somewhere and I do not know how to get it back so I will have to post it some other time.

Special Teething Bib from Karen.

We also went to the Bonneville Dam and saw the fish ladder. This ladder is how the Salmon swim upstream from the ocean to the place where they were born. When a Salmon is hatched and grows to about the length of your thumb they start the journey to the ocean. At this stage they are called fingerlings. They stay in the ocean about 3 or 4 years then swim home to their birthplace to spawn. After they spawn the males die. The mothers bury the eggs in the sand. Then the babies hatch. There are no fish running now. It is the wrong season.

Mist on the Mountains. Beautiful scenery all the way. This is the second largest bridge in the country. It is 4.1 miles long and spans the Columbia River. One side is Oregon and the other is Washington. We went across it at night but could not see much because it was dark. So we went back across to the Oregon side and spent the night in a hotel. The next day we went back over it, hoping to take some great pictures but the fog was so thick we could not see very far at all. It was still quite a sight and an experience. Beautiful clouds, beautiful sky, beautiful country. This is the pacific ocean in Washington. It was cold and rainy. I am holding a paper cup full of black sand that is packed to come home with me. This is my first visit to the Pacific Ocean, to Washington, and to Oregon. We had a great trip and really appreciate Erik and Cara for showing us so many wonderful things. We appreciate all who helped us be here.