We like to visit nature centers. It’s one of our family’s hobbies. Becky’s been going to the Bonneville Fish Hatchery since childhood, and the kids and I started going in probably 2011, when Becky started dragging us to them.

This is part of our 100 Things in 2017 challenge. Click on the photos for a closer look!

While Will was home on his second visit in October, we wanted to find something to get us all out of the house and back to our roots. (Plus we had to get out of the house so some potential buyers could come see it.) We discovered that the Vancouver Trout Hatchery isn’t too far from us, so we hied hence.

The juvenile trout at this time of year are about 6 inches long, and once the clouds covered the sun a bit we were able to see loads of them swimming in the tanks. There was even a tank with giant adult trout, and you could feed them! Will and Lucy decided to try out the fish food; you can see the results in the last two photos.

This site also has several hiking trails. We picked one, and set off with Hank, who is not very well-trained at walking, and he’s pretty strong for his size. We spied a big blue heron in a pond nearby, and the kids both found these super-spiky seed pods from the trees.

On our way back to the car, we spotted a train carrying APCs. Lots of them. It was kind of mysterious, and made Becky and I think of that TV show we just watched. Hopefully we’re just imagining things.

Anyways, it was a fun little adventure. We discovered a new place, had a nice hike, and learned about trout. Not bad for a Sunday afternoon.