Our Favorite Ending to Fall

Fall seems to encompass a majority of our traditions. One particular favorite is watching the Kokanee Salmon spawn up the river near our home in northern Utah. When we first learned about this happening in our own backyard yard we couldn’t believe it, I only thought this only took place in Alaska or coastal areas, not in the desert state of Utah. The process starts happening in early September after the Reservoir water has dropped to its lowest level and usually tapers in late October.

Every year we tend to gather at the highest point on the river where the fish jump a 1-foot incline before pressing through to the more swift parts.  My sweet little Ali always seems to find the underdog, the one Salmon that looks the most tired or beat up becomes its number one cheerleader. I don’t think she has ever had one of her fish complete the jump but she never gives up on them oftentimes asking me if she can grab the fish and move it past the high point all the way up the river.  I wasn’t sure if my other kids had quite the same concern for the Salmon until last year when a group of teenagers happened to be watching the Salmon at the same time we ventured down. Apparently, these teenage boys were throwing rocks and trying to hit the Salmon with sticks. This infuriated Nicholas (8 at the time) to the point of yelling at the boys to stop or he was going to call the cops.

This year the trip ended an amazing sunset and a barrage of questions about how far the Salmon travel and where they actually end up. The boys seem to think they make it all the way up to Bear Lake but Ali is convinced they make it to the Ocean.

Click here to watch the video blog from this trip and here to watch the video blog from last year.

https://youtu.be/XSFMTWFiiqk