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...

 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...