Last journey home

This evening Nate and I took a hike down to one of the coves.  We heard that there was a trail.  We followed what one could call a trail on the way down and then veered off of it towards the ocean.

It was an adventure to say the least.  As we walked, we crawled through thick brush, tall grasses, and even jumped over streams.  At one point there was a cliff that had a stream at the bottom with six or seven eagles around it.  When we got to the water we saw the reason for the eagles.  Salmon.  Coho Salmon to be more appropriate or Silver Salmon around here.  (They are the same kind as pictured in the fishes entry)

The parts of white are not an illusion.   What you are seeing in the image above is damaged scales on the fish.

How could these red fish be the same as the ones pictured  in the fishes, fishes, fishes blog?  When these salmon are ready to spawn they change from a silver to a reddish muddy tone.  Here, they proved to be quite difficult to get pictures of since their colors camouflaged their bodies so well and any sound or quick move spooked them.

Boy, could they move in such shallow water. 

The story of the salmon goes, in case you are not familiar...  The fish are born in fresh water and stay there until they're are big enough to fend for themselves.  Once they have matured a little, their bodies go through a change that allows them to leave fresh water and go into salt water.  Before leaving, these fish remember the scent of their nesting grounds and later return to spawn, then die.  The dead fish become nutrients for life in the stream and add to the life cycle of future generations.  There is a bit more to the life of a salmon; look it up if you get a chance.