Wow oh wow! Today we were blessed with another picture perfect day! The sun shined brightly, the temperature was in the low 70’s, and the water, of course, was PERFECT! This is my 3rd day in a row of another kayaking adventure! Life just can’t get any better!
I’ve kayaked this section of the Willamette River many times. But, it seems as though each time I go, it’s different…today especially. This is the earliest in the year I’ve been out on this section of the river! It was HUGE! What I mean is that because the water level is still so high, the river was wider than I’m used to seeing it during the summer.
The above photos were taken as your leaving the water area where the Peoria Boat Ramp is located and you head out to meet the Willamette River. I was just overwhelmed with the beautiful site of everything. It was so incredibly picturesque!
One of the things I’ve really noticed kayaking this winter is how colorful everything is even with all of the dormant trees and vegetation. And now, as everything begins to bud, the colors were fantastic! Of course, adding the brightness of the sun shining, well, I just love the colors of Spring!!!!
To me, personally, Spring is about hope! Spring is about having endured the long drawn-out darkness and silence of winter to finally re-emerge! How can you just not smile when you see all of the new growth and the fantastic colors?!!
One of my personal favorites regarding this section of the Willamette River is all of the wildlife I normally see. Other places I’ve kayaked this winter I haven’t seen much, but we were not disappointed today! We saw numerous Eagles, a Hawk, several different types of ducks/geese, black birds, and all kinds of other birds.
I love how the Eagles always sit atop one of the tallest trees with the fewest branches. I think of them as “King of the River” sitting so high and majestic! And that Eagle was so high up that tree, that is the best picture I could get. The second picture shows a very large bird’s nest. We saw many empty nests. Mating season is quickly approaching! And, finally, this beautiful Mallard Duck who didn’t seem frightened of me one bit!
Probably the biggest reason I enjoy this section of the Willamette River so much is because of all the wildlife. But also because as you’re kayaking down the river, there aren’t any people, cars, or other noises pestering you. It’s just you and your kayak (and the birds talking). There are just a few homes along the East side of the river, but I have never heard one sound from anyone of them. I feel like when I’m out kayaking here, it’s me and “mother nature.” And to me – that is perfect – and the way it ought to be!
Some of the other “fun” pictures I took today.
The first two photos show this year’s first growth. With all of this sunshine, if I went back in just a couple of weeks (and I may), I guarantee you these plants will be fully immersed in new growth! It’s been so fun seeing the plants engaged in new life! The last picture shows erosion from this winter’s higher water and fast current. This was just one area of about 5 or 6 that I saw along my journey. And that folks, is why you should never build along the shore line!
Before we began our journey today, I had spoken with our paddling group about accessing Muddy Creek. This is a channel of water that is nearly directly across from our ending spot. I’ve paddled up this creek a few times during the summer, but the water level was so low that I couldn’t maneuver my kayak that far. Well, today was a completely different story. If you haven’t kayaked Muddy Creek – DO IT soon!
After reaching the first water hole on the left (shown in the map above), most everyone stopped. Myself and one other decided to journey ahead and see just how far we could go. The above picture of the bridge is to Knife River CVO from Hwy 34. At that point, when we realized no one was following us, we decided to turn around and head back.
Muddy Creek was really extraordinary! The water is a bit murky (thus “Muddy” Creek), but all of the vegetation was phenomenal. There were small bodies of water (as shown on the map) that we were able to see while we were kayaking. I am definitely returning to this place after our upcoming rainfall. I may see if I can enter the small pool of water from Hwy 34 and meet up with Muddy Creek that way. I’ll let you know if that’s doable.
Now, here are my words of advice from this journey. During the summer months, it’s normally fairly easy to cross back and forth across the Willamette River because the flow rate is considerably slower. That was not true today. So, in order to get back to Willamette Landing, we had to not only cross the river, but also go against the current to go back upriver a bit.
If you’re a strong paddler, such as myself, then this is totally doable. If, however, you struggle a bit dealing with the swift current, then you may need to wait until the water level goes down some. Everyone in our group made it across the river, but not without some effort. And, of course, it was more taxing on some than others.
The most important piece of advice I can offer – just take your time! If you need to stop and rest, do so. Be confident that you can do it. The moment you start to wonder or doubt – well, that’s when problems occur.
Enjoy the river and the sunshine and go back often!!! I’ll see you on the water!
2024 – Kayak Trip #14
