By Chuck Woodbury
ROADSIDE JOURNAL
Whether you live in the Northwest or are just visiting, you’re never too far from a reminder that in these parts salmon are a real big deal. Salmon are to the Pacific Northwest, especially Washington, what cheese is to Wisconsin.
Check out this photo that greets visitors to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. When it comes to social distancing, you don’t measure how far to stay away from each other here in feet but in salmon – specifically Chinook salmon. In other parts of the country, you stay “six feet” apart. Not here – you stay two “salmon” apart!
And when you’re driving city streets or country roads, every so often you see a sign like the one below. Yup, it’s a fish crossing sign. And by fish, it means salmon!
But don’t expect the fish to hop out of their stream to cross the road. Nope, they’ll be swimming down below, under the bridge, not paying any attention at all to signs above that show them the greatest respect any fish could ever expect.
Just got done smoking 8 Sockeye Salmon from the waters of Cook Inlet in Alaska. Vacuum packed and in the freezer for winter enjoyment.
If you are interested in Salmon Fishing at the turn of the century ((1914) there is a great book by Zane Grey called “Rogue River Feud”. It is fiction with a lot of true facts about Salmon. It could be about any river inlet in the northwest that Salmon use.
The Chinook sign doesn’t surprise me that it is in the SEATAC airport. The same airport that has brass salmon in the floor leading to the water fountains. When you operate the fountain there is a speaker that plays the sound of a babbling brook! Makes me smile every time I’m there.