Salmon Run
So peep it, One of the first places I hung out in during my very first moments in downtown Olympia Washington, back in 1992 when I was arriving to start school, was at the fish ladder that connects Capital Lake to Puget Sound. Within minutes I saw my first giant Salmon, Harbor Seals, and a Blue Heron (though the Herons never really hung in that spot so much, during my many visits to that area). I was in Fucking Oly Wa, and I had just drove from Champaign Illinois, I was shocked and super happy to see such big fish, the tide was falling, and the fish were making mad dashes up the ladder. It was cool, its still cool, and hopefully it will stay cool forever. There is some over fishing, and pollution that might have something to say about that. Just to the east of the ladder is a little spot where you can just hang out and watch, I always loved that spot. Nice view of the sound, as well as the lake, and there was even a moment in time when there was a KFC just to the east of the landing….. I know, a gross KFC in such a special location, it was kinda messed up for sure, and it wasn’t just any KFC, I use to refer to this KFC as the Castle of Chicken, there was a freakin’ turret style seating area at the top, it literally looked like a majestic castle. Everyone hated it, but I have to tell you, I would secretly have some homesick breakdown moments at that KFC, I would kinda freak out with all of my healthy eating habits that sometimes happened during my six years out there… Often after a week of tofu, and the like, I would find myself at that KFC standing in a trance at the counter, staring at all the images of fried chicken on the menu. Eight Pieces often went down, and with a greasy smile on my face I would go back into the veggie friendly world of Olympia. The KFC is gone now, the bright red and white of the building have been replaced with a low key tan and brown kind of vibe, the castle shape is still there, the fish ladder is still there, and the fish were even still there, looking so lovely and nearly 3 feet long. My friend Ali told me that that whole block might be the future home of some high rise building, with a shopping area down low, and birds eye high condo’s filling the rest. 