7/10/18 Tuesday

Today was a very exciting day for me because we finally left camp Chaparral. Do not get me wrong but I liked there but the part that I was more excited for in this trip was to travel to Deschutes National Forest. What was not so exciting was the schedule that our day started at, which was at 5:00am. I woke up earlier at 4:30am and already had all my equipment packed up and ready to go.  However, when we left the camp we did not travel straight to Deschutes. We met Jeanette Burkhardt for the second and final time at Lyle Falls Fishery and Research Facility located next to the Klickitat River. When we arrived there she was in the company of Shawn Bechtol a fish biologist and his colleagues John Washings a technician and Jared Bartholomew in charge of maintenance. They all provided a guided tour of their facility which was truly amazing to have seen their operation at work. They explained how their facility was upgraded to state of the art technology in the year 2012. After that, they actually demonstrated step by step how their facility operates. They actually trapped the fished from the river and send them to the fishnet building in were a platform rose 40 feet high to the top and we actually got to see Steal Head and wild chinook up close. What was cool was seeing them jump up a ramp like a waterfall platform as if they were trying to go up a waterfall. John Washing talked about the meaning of the Klickitat river to his people, he stated that the river provided them with the opportunity to fish and therefore fishing to them is more than just a sport it is a way of life and tradition that is passed on from generation to generation. He also said a really good quote that got to me he said: “our people often drown in the river but what the river gives it must take back”. He also stated that their tradition is at risk from sports fishing and easier methods that are nontraditional. 

My favorite part of the tour was how Shawn Bechtol showed us how he tags and takes tissue samples from fishes using a method known as electronarcosis. The fish is knocked out through a series of shocks that leaves the fish immobilized and free to study. Bartholomew then showed us the control room he is in charge of regulating the water throughout the fishery. He controls a 50,000-gallon water tank. After that tour, we made our way to Horse Thief national park to have lunch. Visiting that park was touching for me because I got to see a last glimpse of Goldendale. We also got to go on a brief hike located in the same park to see the Native American wall carvings. The carvings were very nice and detailed it is incredible how they still exist. After that, we finally headed to Bend Oregon but we first made a quick stop in Madras to stop at Safeway. As simple as that may seem that was my favorite part of today because I finally had time and service to call my loved ones. It was so nice to hear their voice, especially my girlfriend. Overall today was a very busy day but we finally made it to Deschutes National Forest and all I got to say about this location is that is beautiful and feels like the start it should have been for this trip.