Kayaking and Hiking Adventures

   We've been wanting to visit Waldo Lake for some time, and this weekend we were going to be in Oakridge anyway. So, we decided to make a day of it. We got to bring along our daughter and Leanna's sister with us. There were some fires near Oakridge, so you will see some smoke over the lake, but it was clear when we put in.  We chose the Shadow Bay day use boat ramp  mostly because it was the first one we came to. It has plenty of parking, easy shallow incline ramp, and bathroom. Melia had her paddleboard, and Dody had her small purple kayak. The lake was calm and clear, and a bit cold. No mosquitoes in late August! Yay! As you can see in the background, the smoke is beginning to creep over the mountains. Waldo is a pretty big lake. We decided to go straight out from the boat ramp. The water is very clear, and we could seen the bottom, until it got very deep and blue. We stopped about halfway across to swim, because I was feeling warm, and the water looked so invitin...

  We found ourselves in the Eugene area, and decided to take the kayaks for a spin. Because we had another kayaker coming with us, we decided to float downriver and shuttle back, unlike our other trips where we put in and take out at the same place. We put in at Whitely Landing County Park  near Santa Clara, and take out at Marshall Island Access near Junction City, about a 6 mile trip. Both parks have restrooms (although Whitely's is a bit sketchy), lots of parking and usable ramps (Marhall Island's is better). The river is beautiful here, away from most traffic noise. We didn't see any other kayakers, only a few fishermen on the entire float. The water was a bit low, and there were a few other obstacles along the way, but nothing we couldn't get past. My kayak did scrape rocks a few times, and I didn't put my pedals in for most of the trip because of how shallow it was. We came across a few rope swings, including one for river surfing, but again, the water is low...

 We put in near the beginning of the T ualatin River Water Trail , at the Farmington Paddle Launch (top left of map). The park has good parking, restroom, and a small gravel path to the river which is longer than I thought. The actual boat launch ramp was not there. Not sure what happened to it, but there is not a great place to take in and out. Manageable, but not ideal. The river here is not very wide, and it stays about the same width most of the way upriver, which is the way we went (easier when coming back). It is beautiful, with lots of trees, flowers, and shrubs on the bank. The water was slow and calm, easy to paddle. There are also a lot of trees and branches to look out for. Nothing impassable, but there were several times I hit a snag underwater I didn't see until I hit it. I didn't have to take the pedals out to navigate, although I did a few times just to be safe. We had the pleasure of our older daughter meeting us here with her paddle board. There was only one pl...

We spent 2 nights at Siltcoos Lake, at the Siltcoos River Resort.  They have a small motel, and also rent kayaks, but we were able to stay at the Yurt, which is right on the river, and came with 2 kayak rentals.  You can also put in at the  Westlake Park Boat Ramp  nearby. Lots of parking, restroom, and some picnic tables right on the lake. There is also a small campground nearby, Tyee Campground . We put in the first evening, and went just a short way downriver, passing the campground, and turning back at the Hwy 101 bridge. Very quiet, not many others on the water. We did see a beaver who slapped his tail at us a few times. Someone said they saw an otter, but we missed them.  In the morning, we went to the lake, which was very calm, and very foggy. We hugged the shore for a bit, but we were going to go kayaking with friends later, so we didn't go too far. After lunch with our 2 friends, we headed toward the ocean. There are a few trees down across the river, b...

 Today happened to be our anniversary, but we wanted something close to home, so we tried the boat ramp that we see when we go to Salem, at Wallace Marine Park . The website doesn't mention a boat ramp, but the signs make it easy to find. The parking lot is plenty big, and there was an outhouse in use.  Part of the fun for this spot is that Riverfront park is right across the river, so we headed over to check out the new bridge from below, and get a different perspective on the Willamette Queen.  You can get almost under the bridge before you run out of depth.  Plenty of wildlife and scenery. There is a heron in this picture. We decided to head upriver. The river is a bit low, but the only place that was a problem was the island (sandbar) about a mile upstream. We decided to go to the left, but there was not enough water to get by. We could have portaged across to the other channel, but opted not to. We did go to the other side, and pedaled upriver until we were not ...