Giant Salmon Flying Through the Air

Fall is certainly a glorious time of year in Manton, California. Most of the grapes have been harvested in local vineyards, the annual Apple Festival has just concluded, and the acorns are falling from golden black oaks. Perhaps the most dramatic of all annual events is now occuring in Battle Creek, the return of the Fall run Chinook salmon. After four years in the Pacific Ocean, these magnificent creatures have magically returned to their birthplace, somehow negotiating many hazards from the Golden Gate Bridge to the northern Sacramento River. The Coleman National Fish Hatchery on lower Battle Creek, near Cottonwood, is the place where their lives will end, but not without revealing a heroic passion to continue their race. You may have watched shows on the Discovery channel with stunning footage of bears wading into mighty Alaskan rivers to catch the returning salmon. A similar scene, minus the bears, is now on view right here in northern California. It is truly thrilling to see these fish, some 25 to 35 pounds in size, hurtle themselves up the creek and into the hatchery fish ladder. Saturday, October 20th marks the "Return of the Salmon" celebration. For more info, go to www.fws.gov/redbluff/coleman . Check out the area on my website: www.mantonproperty.com