Bonneville Hatchery - Cascade Locks - Oregon

Inside the same area as Bonneville Dam, lays the Fish Hatchery. When I was little, I remember coming here to feed the trout and visiting Herman, the sturgeon.



I keep wanting to call him Sherman the sturgeon. Seems to have a better ring to it. But no, he's Herman.



Sturgeon are part of an ancient group of fish that haven't changed much since they appeared 200 million years ago during the Jurassic era.





Instead of scales, sturgeon have bony plates called scutes. Whiskers help them feel their way on the bottom where they scavenge for food.



Female sturgeon do not spawn until they are 20 years old and reach more than 6 feet long. Male sturgeon spawn when they are 12 years old and reach 4 feet in length.



Various fish pens.

The hatchery was built in 1909 and raises a lot of varieties of salmon -- 8 million Fall Chinook, 1.2 million Coho, 200,000 Summer Steelhead, and 60,000 Winter Steelhead.



The hatchery doesn't raise rainbow trout, but brought them in to amuse visitors. For 25 cents (It used to be 10 cents when I was a kid.), you can toss fish food to the trout. The money goes back into maintaining the hatchery grounds.



Notice the shape of the leaves? Duck foot. Another plant I learned the name of at outdoor school.



And our state flower, the Oregon grape. See the holly-like leaves? The berries taste sort of like blueberries. Maybe a little spicier, not hot spicy, but spice spicy for lack of a better word.



In the gift shop, I came across "The Cowgirl's Cookbook: Recipes for Your Home on the Range" by Jill Charlotte Stanford. Inside was a recipe for Oregon grape jelly! Mmm.



And Rocky Mountain oysters. Eek!



You know how much I like cheesy souvenir socks so I couldn't leave without buying a pair of these "dam" socks. :P



All Oregon posts can be found in the tag, Series: Oregon. I suggest reading this particular trip in this order:
I-5 From LA to Portland
Mom and Dad's Garden
Burgerville - Portland - Oregon
Hakatamon - Beaverton - Oregon
I Think I'll Go For a Walk Outside Now...
Vista Point - Oregon City
End of Oregon Trail Interpretive Center - Oregon City
Stevens-Crawford Heritage House - Oregon City
Museum of the Oregon Territory - Oregon City
Mom's Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Sizzling Crepes)
Blackberry Cobbler
Bonneville Lock and Dam - Cascade Locks - Oregon
Bonneville Hatchery - Cascade Locks - Oregon
Multnomah Falls - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Horsetail Falls - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Wahkeena Falls - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Bridal Veil Falls - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Historic Columbia River Highway - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Latourell Falls - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Crown Point Vista House - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Banh Cuon Tan Dinh - Portland - Oregon (Closed)
Downtown Portland - Oregon
Lan Su Chinese Garden (Portland Classical Chinese Garden) - Portland - Oregon
Powell's City of Books - Portland - Oregon
Mom's Geoduck, Dynamite-Style and Chao Oc (Vietnamese Rice Porridge with Clams)
How to Prepare Geoduck and Razor Clams
Geoduck, Japanese Dynamite-style
Chao Oc (Vietnamese Rice Porridge with Clams)
Le Bistro Montage - Portland - Oregon
Kenny and Zuke's Delicatessen - Portland - Oregon

Bonneville Hatchery
70543 NE Herman Loop
Cascade Locks, OR 97014
541-374-8393

*****
1 year ago today, Chicken Parmesan redux.
2 years ago today, one of my favorite fruit and vegetable combos - Waldorf Salad.