Kayaking and Hiking Adventures

  We seem to be going back to places we've been before lately. This week was Larison Cove, in Oakridge, which we kayaked last year . However, the water level was much lower this time. Significantly lower.  This was also a fun practice at backing up the trailer down a long dirt road with lots of potholes, maneuvering around cars. Good times. 5 of us kayaked today, including Dody and her Drippy Plum kayak. No big adventures today, with calm, flat water. Also, very few other people here on a Saturday. I took this photo to help show how far the water level has fallen recently. And I also thought the texture looked cool.  There were a few places we couldn't get to this year because of the water level, smaller coves or inlets that we could navigate last year just didn't have water in them this year. We did see some turtles and a mama duck with 9 very small ducklings. The highlight of the float was getting out of the kayaks, and swimming. It wasn't super hot out, but there was...

 We spent the 4th of July at Larison Cove , just outside of Oakridge, Oregon. It's been quite a few years since the water level in the reservoir has been high enough to provide good kayaking, but this year, the water level is higher that it's been in many years. We stopped by the evening before to check out the boat ramp, and make sure it was accessible. The sun was just setting, and we were treated to a gorgeous sunset. The boat ramp is a bit rough, with potholes in the dirt, but was manageable. There is also a toilet available in the small parking lot. We went out with our 2 youngest. Leanna was pulling Amity on her paddleboard, while Mason was using a borrowed kayak. There were not many people around, although a few more showed up later in the afternoon. It was very quiet. I headed toward the western part of the cove, away from the boat ramp. The cove stretches out the long way. Near the end, I found a lot of butterflies. You can see them in clumps on the bank. There was als...