Tearing out the Driveway

The hatchery was scheduled to get asphalt a few months ago but due to the weather it got pushed back.  As part of the construction, we were to get a new driveway.  While the asphalt isn't finished, our driveway is. 

One to three inches ... or more.

So if this is what 1-3 inches of snow looks like I'd hate to see 12-24 inches.  The forecast was for just a few inches, it was over 40 degrees yesterday and hit 50 earlier in the week.  We didn't have any snow on the ground (except for the big snow piles that have been plowed up against the fence and even those piles were melting). The rain started about 8:15 p.m. last night and by the time Quent ran to Brigham City and back (by 9:00 p.m.) the temperature had dropped from 36 to 30 and we had an inch of snow and it's been snowing every since.  We're up to about 15 inches and it's still snowing strong.

Quent was able to break out the snow blower he got for the Hatchery.  He spent about 3 hours in the truck this morning plowing out the hatchery and spent a little time Post Optionson our driveway.  (I did actually start to shovel but it was a heavy wet snow with slush on the bottom, the snow blower worked much better.)

We're supposed to warm up tomorrow and more snow in next weekend's forecast.

New Flag Pole

Last August a member of the local scout troop visited the hatchery to see if there was something he could do to help the hatchery that would qualify as an eagle scout project.  One of the members of the hatchery staff suggested a new flag pole.  Quent had mentioned that he wanted to put in a flag pole over near our house (at my suggestion when we moved in) so that's what happend. 

Tonight the project came to a close with a flag retirement ceremony.  The flag that was retired was one that had flown on the hatchery pole for years and has faded and is no longer used.  In the 10 degree weather a fire was started and a ceremony honoring the flag was performed. 

We now have a new flag hanging high above the hatchery.  The picture of the new flag was taken yesterday.

All in a day's work

Quent had to go to Rich County today to stock fish in Laketown Reservoir and asked if I wanted to ride along. So I grabbed my camera, prepared to get car sick and off we went.

The most exciting part of the drive to and from the Bear Lake Valley? We finally saw a moose. Yes you heard me right, WE SAW A MOOSE, and I got a picture (in focus). But I jump ahead of myself...

We drove up to Bear Lake and then on to Laketown to stock the reservoir, a very small reservoir, about the size of two Olympic sized swimming pools really.

I took some pictures of Quent in action and then on the way back to Bear Lake we passed a cute one-room school house and other random buildings. I was just glad I grabbed the camera.

Before heading back up Logan Canyon we stopped at Le Beau's and had a raspberry shake, you didn't think we'd drive to Bear Lake without getting a famous Raspberry shake did you?

On the way back down is when I spotted the moose. I actually thought it was a horse, I said to Quent -- "there's a horse" and he said nope, I think it's a moose. Of course by then he was stopping because he knows how long I've been looking for a moose. Way too long to mention.

After we saw the moose we took a side trip and went to check out the snow levels up at Tony Grove, needless to say, we didn't make it up to the top before we were on icy, snow-packed roads. after spinning the tires and putting it four-wheel drive we decided that we didn't need to get clear to the lake and turned around and headed for home.

All-in-all a great drive up to Bear Lake and back and I didn't even get car sick!

It's a moose, it's really a moose!

On the drive back to Bear Lake

Laketown Reservoir

Random Views of Bear Lake

Laketown Reservoir (small but I hear there's great fishing)

Quent in Action

Mantua Rainbow trout stocked in Bear Lake

The hatchery made the paper! Ok so no one was directly quoted but the fish that Quent raises were stocked up in Bear Lake last week and the Tribune ran an article about it...

The Division of Wildlife Resources has restocked rainbow trout in Bear Lake for the first time in about 25 years.

Wildlife officials released about 5,000 of the fish into the lake last week near the Bear Lake State Park marina. They hope to create fishing opportunities for people who plan to fish from the shore this summer.

It's hard to catch fish from the shore at Bear Lake during summers because the lake's native cutthroat trout population moves to deeper waters as it warms up, said DWR fisheries biologist Scott Tolentino.

But he said rainbow trout will stay close to shore. "It's a good spot for the public to come out here and fish," Tolentino said. "We were lucky to get the fish this year."

Wildlife officials had stopped stocking rainbow trout, which are non-native to Utah, in the 1980s because they were concerned that the fish were crossbreeding with Bear Lake Bonneville cutthroat trout, Tolentino said. The Bonneville cutthroat are a subspecies that's unique to the lake.

But hatchery scientists have learned how to hatch and raise sterile rainbow trout. The trout stocked in Bear Lake this year cannot reproduce, Tolentino said.

Three tanks full of fish were transported May 24 in a tanker truck from a hatchery in Mantua and were deposited in the lake via a long white tube.

DWR plans to release another 5,000 on June 30.

"These fish are put here to catch and keep," Tolentino said.

Click here to see the story in the Salt Lake Tribune

Basic Video Complete!

For my basic video class I had to make three videos for the final. The videos had to be completed in movie maker which is the most basic video maker availble. (It comes installed with windows.) Here are the three videos I completed for class.


First Video: Flowers


Second Video: 30-second commercial


Third Video: Training Video

**A big thanks to the guys at the Mantua State Fish Hatchery for allowing me to use them in my training video.

Pictures of the Construction

Here are the pictures that go with the last post.

Digging out the water shut off in our snowy front yard.

Water coming out of the cracks in the asphalt.

Water coming out of the cracks in the asphalt, part 2

The construction crew.

The BIG digger!