Kayaking and Hiking Adventures

  Another return to a place we've been to before. We chose Turner Lake so that a friend could come with us to paddleboard, and she was nervous about going down a river. And being cold. So to Turner we went. It was a gorgeous day. Perfect temperature, gentle breeze. I'd rather be on a river where there aren't as many people, but this was fine. We had a fourth friend with us, without a board or kayak, so we brought our canopy and some chairs. After we floated for a bit, we went back so she could take a turn.  I volunteered to stay behind and take a nap, while the other 3 went out. While I didn't actually doze off, it was very comfortable laying in the shade with the breeze.  The only negative issue was trying to back up our new to us trailer down the boat ramp. Since  we don't have much practice, it took us a while. It didn't help that people kept walking behind and in front of the truck as we were trying to back up and/or pull ahead to readjust. That and the amou...

 Our third season began earlier that our first two. The weather has been so nice in May that we managed to get out on the Willamette before June! One difference in this float was now we have a small trailer to haul our kayaks in. No more lifting these heavy Hobies onto the truck racks. We got it used, and although it's a bit rusty, and one of the lights doesn't work very well, it does the job. I can even get it in the garage when we are not using them. The Buena Vista boat ramp was supposed to be redone last year, but they stopped for some reason. I hear it may be closed again this summer for construction, so it was nice to use it before that happened. The ramp itself is fine right now. The float was amazing. We only saw 2 other kayakers, and a few jet skiers for a bit. Otherwise, it was just the 2 of us on the river. Quiet, with great weather. Not a ton of wildlife, but we did see 1 small family of ducks, some osprey, and a bald eagle. There was a lot of pollen, mostly cottonw...

 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...

 Our intention was to put in at Wallace Marine Park in downtown Salem, and float to Spong's Landing in Keizer. However, when we went to drop off our car, it was apparent that there is not a boat ramp at Spong's Landing. You could carry lighter kayak's down to the river, but it's a long haul for heavier craft. So, instead we dropped the car off at Keizer Rapids , and headed back to Wallace to launch. The boat ramp is very nice here, with a small dock and plenty of parking. The only bathroom near the ramp, however, is a nasty port a potty. While Wallace is smack dab in the middle of Salem (okay, more to the West, but close...) it doesn't take long to get away from busy road noise. There weren't too many people on the river, probably because we put in pretty late in the afternoon, almost 4pm.  There was quite a bit of wildlife, including this heron which took flight when we got too close. We saw several heron, jumping fish, ducks, and hawks. But the scenery is alw...

 We've been hearing about the Willamette Narrows for quite a while, now, so we finally took the opportunity to check it out. We put in at Bernert Landing , in Willamette Park, in Oregon City. The park has a nice boat ramp, but it looks like most kayakers use an old ramp before you get to the new one. You do have to carry your boat a bit, but there's 2 parking areas nearby, so it's not a bit deal. The park has nice bathrooms, picnicking and a play area. Bernert Landing is at the mouth of the Tualatin River, and it is a very calm place to put in. There was a lot of weeds and ducks, both getting in the way. There's not much of a current when you get into the Willamette either, at least not late in the summer when we were there. There were a lot of paddle boarders present, and they had no trouble with paddling upstream.  We stayed on the right (West) side of the river as we headed upstream, and soon came to the first narrows between a small island and the bank. This stretc...

 What a gorgeous day to kayak! We decided to float a section of river that we had not done before, putting in at  Willamette Boat Landing, or Crystal Lake boat ramp  in Corvallis, and taking out at  Hyak Park  outside of Albany. As I've mentioned before, each of these parks have plenty of parking, a nice boat ramp, and bathrooms (gold star to Hyak for the clean flush toilets). There were a few large groups putting in before us, and the Benton County Sheriff boat was moored at the end of the dock, checking to make sure that everyone had the right safety equipment. Specifically a PFD, whistle, and permit for watercraft over 10 feet long.  We had our group of 5 in kayaks, plugs double checked, and we set off for our almost 11 mile float. The temperature was in the 70s, and we had a bit of a headwind to start off with. Nothing serious, but it kept swinging the bow of our kayaks to the side. The river here is wide, calm, and clean. There is some road noise at fi...

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip. That started from   Cloverdale Boat Launch , Aboard our tiny ships! First of all, finding the boat ramp. Cloverdale has a post office. Just south of the post office, by a crosswalk with flashing lights, is a Tillamook County Public Works building. You have to turn into the driveway between these 2 buildings. Then you will see some signs that direct you to the boat ramp. There is a fee for day use. The boat ramp itself is decent, paved, and wide enough to back down. There are no restrooms here. We had our sister (in-law) Dody with us, so we were planning to shuttle to the Little Nestucca Boat Launch . More on that later. We put in right at high tide, hoping to have more water under us, and a nice gentle current to the bay. The river at Cloverdale is narrow, but plenty of room for 3 kayaks to comfortably travel side by side. Lots of birds, including several heron and ducks, which flew away on our approach. Ins...