Kayaking and Hiking Adventures

  Buena Vista Starting Location:   Boat Ramp at Buena Vista Park Point of Interest :  Willamette River, just downstream from the confluence of Santiam and Luckiamute Rivers Distance : about 11 river miles. Time on float: Just over 3 hours Bathrooms:  Yes, brand new vault toilets Parking : just paved, with plenty of parking for trailers EV Chargers : No Rentals: No Our First float of the year, so we went somewhere relatively close, and had a friend shuttle our truck down to Independence for us. That was nice. The weather was great, although a bit windy. We were waiting for the ferry to head across, and then go behind, but the driver actually reversed back to shore, and waved us through. I'm assuming this is due to the kayaker who died under the ferry last year. No big surprises on this float, having done it several times before. We did stop to pee on one of the unnamed islands, but did not swim today. We only saw 2 other boats, both pulled up on shore, and on...

  Buena Vista Starting Location:  Boat Ramp at Buena Vista Park Point of Interest :  Willamette River, just downstream from the confluence of Santiam and Luckiamute Rivers Bathrooms:  Yes, brand new vault toilets Parking : just paved, with plenty of parking for trailers EV Chargers : No Rentals: No Something that I don't think I've mentioned yet about kayaking is the interesting places and views you get on the way to the boat ramp. Buena Vista is pretty close to where we live, but I don't go this way unless we are going to kayak. The back roads and variety of crops we pass are always a fun part of the journey, especially if we are able to take different routes coming back. This park and boat ramp was just redone, with newly paved parking lot, improved dock and boat ramp, and bathrooms. The boat ramp is wide enough for 2 vehicles if they are good at backing up. The boat ramp area is easy to get in and out of. There is more space to the North side to pull your kay...

 We had not floated this stretch of the Willamette before. Normally, when  we put in at Buena Vista Park , we would pedal upstream to the Luckiamute River and float back downriver so we didn't have to shuttle. Today we decided to float downstream, with a shuttle car in Independence. Our other kayaker ended up not being able to come, so, since we had already unloaded everything, we scrambled to find a ride after our float. Once we had someone lined up, we launched downriver.   The park at Buena Vista was closed much of the summer for renovation. I'm not sure what happened, but apparently the contractor fell through. The lower lot is now gravel instead of paved, but the rest of the park is no different, and the boat ramp was still accessible. This stretch of the Willamette is not very different from other stretches downriver. It is a bit wilder, with fewer roads along the river, so not much road noise. There are a few farms and houses along the way. This spot had a large pi...

    We were thinking this might be our last float of the season, and we didn't plan ahead, so we went to a place we knew we liked. We put in at Buena Vista, and pedaled upriver. I was hoping to get past the Luckamiute, and see where the Santiam joins the Willamette. This is very close, literally around the corner.  Right before we got to the confluence of the Luckamiute, Leanna pulled over to the bank to take off her long sleeves. There, she found a yellow croc (on front of kayak) that must have floated downriver. It was in decent shape, so we decided to post a picture later on Facebook Flatwater Paddling group to see if anyone recognized it. The paddle upstream was not very difficult. It seems much easier along the sides near the bank. We did attempt to get past the Santiam current over to the Willamette. I was hoping to see where the campground was on the bend near this confluence. However, the current was swift enough to discourage us, so we ended up just turning aroun...