Kokannee Salmon Festival at Taylor Creek Visitor Center
Packed snacks and loaded the boys—Max, Ben, Blackjack and Tom—into the car on a bluebird Tahoe fall day. Destination: The Kokannee Salmon Festival at Taylor Creek Visitor Center. Headed south via a now quiet West Shore, but by the time we got close to Emerald Bay, all were antsy. But what a fine place to make a pit stop! We tucked into the parking lot there and best of all, no fighting over parking spots at this time of year. I took Jack for a tail-wagging stroll while Tom followed the boys rock climbing. No falls or scrapes, and they had fun scrambling over “the mountains.”
After plenty of oohing and ahhing over the views, and a little planning of next summer’s hike up to Eagle Lake, we resumed our journey south, along Emerald Bay road, hanging on tightly as we crossed the terminal moraine land bridge between Cascade Lake and Lake Tahoe. A few tight hairpin turns off the ride and at last we were there (yet). Of course, with boys, that meant eating first. Lake Tahoe Wildcare was grilling salmon, so can’t exactly complain about the fare.
Once little tummies were full we met Sammy the Salmon. Jack growled and barked, transforming into mellow lab to defender against all things fish. Very amusing. Ben wasn’t too keen on the giant upright land-fish either. We plunged headfirst into collecting stamps at each of the stations set up to help the little guys learn about the life cycle of the Kokannee. Pretty informative for the adults too.
But the best part was walking along Taylor Creek and watching the bright red fish splash and wiggle their way through the shallows, looking for a safe spot to lay and fertilize their eggs, then the fight to defend territory from other male fish (the guys with the hooked jaw and hump back) and Mallard ducks looking for a little brunch. Blackjack was definitely straining at the leash to get in there too.
Cool views inside the stream profile chamber too, where you can get an underwater perspective on the salmon. Spent awhile inside the dark and cool room while the kids knocked on the window, vying for a Kokannee’s attention.
But by now, little legs were lagging, and of course, stomachs growling again, so while the boys went over to paint with dead fish—no kidding, it’s an ancient Japanese art form—I rounded up some mint chocolate cookie ice cream, which they devoured. After red and green scaly prints dried, we headed back to the car for the homeward journey. Stopped at Cave Rock boat launch and beach on the way home, and the warm day lured the boys into the water for a bit, while I chilled on the sand, soaking in the last, best days of Indian summer.
About: Susan D. Rock
The former national managing editor and content director for online city guide citysearch.com, TQ editor Sue Rock is the proud mother of two boys, Max 5 and Ben 4. "Having two young kids is like waiting tables, but harder," she says. "Someone always wants something immediately, they can yell pretty loud for it... and leave no tips."
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