Monday in Maple Valley

Went on a bike ride with two coworkers on Monday. See photo with Mt. Rainier in the background. We stopped to admire a stream and saw the most amazing thing, salmon swimming upstream to spawn. Their struggle was profound (reminded me of myself on one of the steep hills earlier in the ride). Wow I have never seen anything like it, it all happening in this little stream right next to the road. In the picture, you can one live and a pile up of dead salmon. If you've never seen a documentary about Salmon, look for one. It is truly fascinating. Some highlights: They return at all odds to the place they were hatched, traveling miles and miles upstream. They turn bright red when they are in the process of spawning and then die once they are finished, their organic matter left to fertilize the forest. Unfortunately the glare on the water prevented me from taking better photos, there were a whole bunch of fish in the pool just past this one.