By Karen Mason, F456093
June 2017
Last fall, while staying at Lassen RV Resort in McArthur, California, my husband, Andrew Richardson, and I had the strangest day of exploring. Our visit to Lassen Volcanic National Park ended at the front gate when we discovered that the park was closed because of snow. Feeling disappointed, we headed back.
About 15 miles from our campsite, we noticed a small sign for a fish hatchery. On impulse, we decided to check it out. As we headed down the road to the hatchery, we came around a corner and found at least 20 monsters, including a giant ant, a massive caterpillar, and a dinosaur!
They actually were sculptures that two brothers created on the site of their construction business, Packway Materials Inc., in Cassel, California. The creations, made from metal and other construction materials, were right beside the road, and there was no admission fee. The flying pig and Volkswagen chicken were my favorites. We had such fun checking them out. It was crazy, because there was zero advertising. If we hadn’t turned on a whim for the fish hatchery, we never would have known they were there.
After that fun, we continued on our way to the fish hatchery, but we didn’t quite make it. As we drove along, a truck came toward us and I facetiously said, “Bet that’s a fish truck.” About 100 yards after we passed the truck, we slowed to make a turn, and I saw three cars pulled off the road and people outside. Then I did a double take as I watched a woman try to grab a fish with her hands as it jumped out of a puddle in the road!
We pulled over and I asked the nearest fellow what was going on. It turns out the truck that passed us actually was a fish truck. Apparently, it was loaded and on its way to stock a lake. But the driver forgot to secure the top of the container, and when he made the turn, the tank full of fish partially spilled onto the road. Fish were everywhere!
The guy said the driver told him people could take whatever they wanted. So, my husband grabbed a bag from the back of the car and we joined in the fray. I wish I’d had time to take a picture. Most of the fish had spilled off the roadside, but you could see and hear them. They were flopping under bushes, flipping behind trees, and hiding behind rocks. It was like an adult Easter egg hunt, except with rainbow trout!
Picture seven strangers all laughing and carrying on as we grabbed the still-wiggling creatures and shoved them into bags. Poor fish! But I think the group pretty much got them all. Who would have ever thought you could catch fish on land?
When we got back and counted, we had 27 beautiful rainbow trout ranging from 9 inches to 13 inches long. Those ditch fish were delicious!
So, our planned visit to a national park morphed into a day of discovery and surprises, which is what this RVing adventure is all about. What fun!