River Trip

It was sad news yesterday when I found out fishing for sockeye has been permanently closed for the season.  I currently have two fish in my freezer; one spring and one sockeye, caught during a short five day opening last month.  Usually by this time my freezer has at least 50+ fish, as well as I've already canned, dried, and smoked a ton.  Sockeye stocks are extremely low and the Fisheries has shut down the river to all sockeye fishing.  This is extremely rare and I've never seen this happen in all the years we've been fishing.

I picked up Aunty Helen the other day and she had my new lens.  After hearing about the sockeye closure, the kids, dogs, and I took a run to the river to see if we could spot any deer roaming around and try out the lens.  None was to be found and I was disappointed with that, but I took a few other pictures while we were down there.

The kids walking along the road.




A view towards Lytton.




You are allowed to dip net for Chinook (Spring) salmon and I saw the Indians who live across from us scaling the rocks dipping their net.




While coming back up we spotted the fire across from us, the Intlpam fire 951 (Forestry has finally stuck with a name).  It's the fire that Hubby has been working on for over a week.  The fresh plumes of hot smoke told me the back burn they've scheduled for the last six days, may possibly be happening.  We roared over there and I got a few pictures.




I was shocked when I got home and realized that my new lens can see more than I can.  Although I didn't see it at the time, that is our skidder in the picture!  Hubby was only there long enough to grab the water tank and hustle back over the hill, he didn't even get out of the skidder, and you can see the dust flying around him.  It was sheer luck catching a pic of him over there!  Click the picture to view it a bit bigger.




A lone cabin sits on the hill in front of the fire.




Shortly after getting over to the fire I had to laugh at myself when all kinds of people kept stopping and either looking or snapping their own pictures.  I was prepared with all my camera gear but completely forgot that I had my rubbers (gum boots) on (I always wear them to the river), and not only that but one pant leg was tucked inside the top of my boot and the other was out.  Also having three very confused dogs in the back because they have seldom been that far away from the ranch... well I must've looked like a redneck hillbilly!  God forbid I hope no one took my picture!



If you'd like to see larger pictures, as well as the complete set of pictures I took yesterday, visit my flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kansasa/