Kayaking and Hiking Adventures

  We went camping at Beachside, just south of Waldport. Our intent was to try the Alsea water trail, which starts at the mouth of the Alsea, heads upriver, and into Drift Creek. Leanna's sister was with us, and so we called around to rent a kayak for her to join us. The advice of the renter was to skip the water trail due to wind and waves, and head upriver about 19 miles to the Ermie Walters Boat Ramp . So we did. Ermie Walters is a nice boat ramp with decent parking lot for this far upriver. No bathrooms. There were 2 other cars in the parking lot. One waiting to rent kayaks, like us, and another belonging to a couple who had set up shop at the bottom of the boat ramp, and were cooking up some crawfish they had caught. Once our other kayak arrived, we put in. I got all the way in, unintentionally, as I was trying to get in my kayak. The water level was pretty low, and I had to pull my kayak into a deeper channel from the ramp. Just slipped on slippery rocks. Good news is the wat...

We had originally planned to go camping this weekend near Oakridge, but we not able to reserve a campsite, even with a local checking it out for us. So, we decided to stay closer to home and go to the Willamette River. We put in at Buena Vista Park, which is just south of the Buena Vista Ferry, which happened to be closed for repairs. Although the park is small, there was plenty of parking, a pit toilet, and a nice boat ramp.  When we put in, our plan was to head upstream for about a mile, until we found where the Luckiamute River enters the Willametter. We could also head upriver a bit more and check out the Santiam. We ended up going up the Luckiamute, mostly because it was closer. The Willamette River was wide and mostly slow, with a current that didn't slow us down too much. There are some interesting features along the bank, including what look like limestone cliffs, shady rock beaches, and few signs of civilization.  Except for the jet skis. Fortunately, the jet skis di...

 We visited Hagg Lake for the first time, arriving after 1 in the afternoon. Very busy, but this parking lot and boat ramp are very large and easy to get around in. It's also very clean, with a small kayak/canoe rental building, bathroom, and some picnic areas. There's even a fishing pier.  Hagg Lake is divided into the No Wake section, and the area for motorboats. The area next to shore all the way around is also No Wake area. We chose to hang out in the No Wake area, but there was plenty of room. The water was pretty calm, with occasional small waves, but nothing to worry about. If you go left after launching, and hug the left bank, you will find a small creek running into the lake. It's not a long inlet, but still very secluded.  If you head across the lake from the boat ramp, you find another small stream. This one meanders through some nice reeds and tall grass. Lots of dragonflies and small birds to entertain. Again, very secluded. Most people are hanging out on the...

 So first, don't visit Silver Creek Reservoir on a holiday in the early afternoon. Silverton Reservoir and Marine Park is not very big, and there was not enough parking. The boat ramp area is steep and crowded. There is a bathroom, but not really places to sit and eat. Parking is $5 for the day. Now, once you get on the water, things are fine. It's not a huge reservoir, but there's plenty of room to spread out. There was some shade along one bank, and there are some spots on the other side where people had set up some resting spots with swimming.  Our daughter came along to paddle board with us, but somehow her board spent a lot of time tied to my wife's kayak. The good news is that she did take turns on the kayak. While the reservoir is nice enough, the real treat is Silver Creek which feeds into the reservoir from the back. Here, nature closes in, and it's much quieter, with fewer people. We made it quite a ways before coming to some "white water" which...

 Our second outing brought us to Knight Park in Lincoln County , near Lincoln City, on the Salmon River. This is a bit closer to home for us, and close to the beach if we want to go their after kayaking. The park has plenty of parking, an outhouse, and the boat ramp is small but adequate. It was not very busy when we went on a Saturday. When you put in, you can head downriver toward the ocean, or upriver into the wetlands. We chose to start downriver. The tide was heading out, but that had little to do with it. It was a bit windy, and the water was choppy, but not too bad for kayaks. Not sure how a paddle board would handle. I had little waves breaking on my bow.  There is a wonderful beach on the south side of the river, and several families had taken a variety of boats there. We watched new parents taking their very young child across the river in a rowboat (all with appropriate water safety gear!) The grandparents filmed their journey from the shore. Very cute. Apparently t...