Thanks Weavers and Daniels!!

Did you hear that Paul Weaver finally gave up and bought a raincoat?  Yup, Paul and Marsha have been spending some really drippy days on the Oregon coast.  Because he doesn’t yet have his webbed feet or his waterproof feathers, Paul finally bought a raincoat…and SO, the sun came out today!!  Kinda like guaranteeing a rainstorm if you wash your car.  Thanks Paul, we enjoyed the sunshine and had a REALLY nice day.

AND, thanks to Ed and Carol Daniels, we had a destination in mind.  Ed, who hails from south Florida, stopped at an Oregon Visitor’s Center and found a booklet he knew I would like. It is an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife publication of all the fish hatcheries in Oregon!  YEAH!! We had no idea such a publication existed.  Just goes to show what you can learn from other RVers – even about your home state. 

It was too nice of a day to waste so we packed a lunch, threw the poochies in the van and away we went.  Our goal was the Willamette Fish Hatchery just east of Oakridge, Oregon on Hwy. 58.  I have seen signs for this hatchery but we have just never bothered to stop.  This is about 45 miles southeast of Eugene.

Highway 58 runs from Eugene, over the Willamette Pass and connects to Hwy.97, a major North/south highway for the state.  It is a beautiful drive in the summer and a sometimes treacherous one in the winter.  But today being such a wonderful sun-filled day, we enjoyed the drive.  About 15 miles east of Eugene, our first stop was Dexter Lake.  This is a very popular lake in the summer and is the home of power boat drag races every summer.  Today it was just peaceful and gorgeous.


This is a large park with boating, swimming, picnicking, AND a major Frisbee Golf Course.  There were some folks playing today.  Don’t know much about the game but apparently the idea is to land your Frisbee in one of those metal cages you see on the right.

Seems like a pleasant enough way to while away some time in the sun!

We stopped briefly at Black Canyon Campground for a looksee.  This is a forest service campground right on the Willamette River.  It’s beautiful but no hook-ups.  Flush toilets and water are available.  Probably wouldn’t fit the biggest rigs but there were plenty of pull through spots that would be workable for most rigs.  You’ll stay cool and comfortable in these deeply shaded woods even on the hottest summer day.


A quick stop at the Ranger Station was next.  Nice place and lots of free information.  Clean restrooms here too.  Several years ago the old ranger station was burned to the ground by eco-terrorists.  The new station is much nicer and we were glad to see it go in.

I encourage you to stop at Ranger Stations, Forest Service offices and Visitor’s Centers when you see them.  There are just full of great information on the local area they serve.

The fish hatchery we were headed for is right past Oakridge.  This town used to be a busy little place but it’s economy was mainly wood products.  With mill closures over the years the town has withered but is not quite dead!  They still have a McDonald’s, a Dairy Queen, and an A&W so if you need a snack, you’re covered.  There are still a few tourists who stop on their journey over the Willamette Pass but the town had definitely seen better days.  It’s too bad as  Oakridge is a great little town and has lots more sunshine than we get further down in the valley.

The Willamette Fish Hatchery was established in 1922 to produce catchable sized trout.  This hatchery is HUGE but beyond the trout and salmon you will see there, they also have a wonderful picnic area with both covered and open air seating.



This is a new bear, still in production.  Almost looks like a pig!!!

One unique area is a 9 hole miniature golf course for the kids.  Each hole represents a different body of water and the goal is to save as many fish as possible as you work your way through this fun educational activity.  Definitely a field trip for our grandkids this summer.


There is a display of game birds.  Not all the areas contained birds but we did see quail and ringneck pheasants and a peacock.  Russ called them and they came right up to the fence to see him.  I think he speaks “Bird.”


There is also a self-guided nature walk.  We didn’t complete the entire course but we gave it a good try.  At the start of the walk there is a “representation” of what a Native American totem story pole might have looked like.

  
There were many interesting plants including these little guys.








It was a shaded and cool path among the western red cedar, pine trees and moss draped hardwoods.

One thing I found interesting was this Pacific Yew tree.







The bark appears to have a very red cast.  I knew about this type of tree but had never seen one before as far as I know.  It’s a very medically important tree, used in the manufacture of the cancer fighting drug, Taxol.

A stop at the on-site museum completed our tour.  It is a REALLY small self interpretative museum with a large tank of live trout and then other displays of various indigenous animals (not live!).


It was a long day and we  made lots of stops but we had a wonderful time.  Fish hatcheries – there’s more there than you might think!!