Ockey Family Adventures: Fish Lake Day 2

Dax and Dad hit the road early because Dax was sure that the fish would be biting. We went just a mile or two up the road where we had easy shore access. It was still pitch black when Dax made his first catch, and he had to sit with his phone light turned on to see if he got a bite. Dad sat in the car and wrote in his journal while the other lucky three family members snoozed in their warm cabin beds. Dax caught one pretty yellow perch at about sun up, but that was it.

Dax is crazy!!

But I love this morning picture of him fishing!

Dax's fish he caught! He had to take this since Dad had gone to warm the car up.

Back at the cabin, breakfast was going, and Mom had pancakes hot and ready. We ate quickly and headed down to the shore for some fishing and kayaking. Mark stayed on the shore, tempting the perch and small trout with his fly. Dax went out on his kayak to deep water, hoping to a lure a larger trout out of the depths. Seth just paddled around on his kayak paying only a little attention to the goldfish crackers in his pocket. Mom and Dad enjoyed a little reading on the shore.

Off he goes to fish!

Seth was out there for the paddling.

Seth paddled over to chat.

Dax hung out on his kayak for quite some time. No fish.

Mark was catching plenty of tiny fish from the shore.

Dad was reading.

Mom walked over the check on the salmon.

They were still swimming!

More fish for Mark at Fish Lake.

Seth tried a little fishing after he got off the kayak.

Then he explored with Mom.

Then everyone went to check on the salmon.

We had lunch back at the cabin and then piled into the van. We drove the road north into the Gooseberry area, which was really pretty. There are still a few yellow leaves, some very bright and golden, though most of the orange and reds have lapsed to brown.

On the way back, we stopped at Salina Reservoir. This is a tiny little spot, and we made our way along the shoreline through the deadfalls to take a look at a beaver hutch. Unfortunately, no one was home, but we had a nice walk through the volcanic rock and silver-gray trees that littered the ground.

Mom kept saying she wants to do this drive in the summer when its green.

Walking over to the little Salina Reservoir.

It was small, but we had fun exploring.

Mark walked all the way over.

So Dad had to follow.

Seth, too! And he found some snow.

We took a second detour out to a small lake called Gates Lake. This was another tiny lake with sheared-off aspen stumps dotting its surface. We only stayed a minute, but on the way back, we spotted three ruffed grouse. They weren’t very scared of us, and we got several good pictures as we watched them for about 15 minutes. Eventually, they got bored of us, or we got bored of them, and we went our separate ways.

Gates Lake was a hidden lake.

The two females

The male

He decided to fly over to the females.

Back at the cabin, the boys wanted more fishing. This time, they all took turns from the bank. Mom went with them, and it was her job to carry the poles back to Dad when there was a problem. She ended up making 5 trips, because the boys kept bursting their bubbles. They went through a total of 6 bobbers in about 2 hours, with Dad repairing them after they cracked, split on the rocks, or took a flying leap into the lake, never to be seen again.

Mark and Mom spotted a muskrat in the rocks while they were fishing.

Seth tired of fishing so he took silly pictures!

Eventually, it was dinner time (and we were down to just 2 fishing bubbles). Mom made tacos, and we went for a ride. This time, we made the loop around Fish Lake, which goes down into Loa. We were hoping for some ice cream or another treat, but that town barely had a gas station, so we drove back home. Along the way, we saw quite a few deer, but luckily, none as closely as the night before.

We played a few games in the cabin and read scriptures before bed. Then we drove out with the boys to see the stars. They are really amazing with the dark skies, and we could easily pick out a few of Jupiter’s moons with the binoculars. There was also a gorgeous cluster in Heracles heel. All too soon, it was time to head back to bed.