Cook Park Bayou

Kayaking on the last day of the year – PERFECT!

It was more than a New Year’s Eve paddle, I hadn’t been on the water since November 6th! Yikes! On our dry days, I’ve been very busy, and the other days it has just rained too much. So, today’s trip was extra special! I think most of you feel the same way!

I received an invitation by a kayaking friend to join a group trip to Cook Park in Tigard, Oregon. I’ve never been there and thus my answer was an immediate affirmative.

When you arrive at Cook Park, the main gate to drive through the different areas is closed. I’m fairly certain that it’s closed every year during the Winter season. So, we parked in the lot just outside of the gate. From there we walked from the Cook Family Park Shelter 3, towards the left, on a paved walking path. After that, I don’t know if I could find our route again. We were walking on dirt paths and turned a few times until we finally walked down to the water’s edge.

The most significant part of our trip today is that the entire area we kayaked is normally bone dry! We kayaked over walking paths, winding around and around the trees and bushes. It was most definitely a different type of kayaking trip than I normally embark upon.

So, our path today was partially created by today’s event coordinator and a few of his friends. They sawed and cut through branches and twigs to clear a path for us to glide through. And with that effort, they did an excellent job creating a pathway. When we began our journey, each of us were handed a “map” of today’s journey. All names were chosen by our group leader! Funny Guy!

(Oh, the marking that says, “Phone Drop,” well, yes indeed, our fearless leader dropped his phone in the water. He returned six days later to retrieve it and guess what….it still works! Lucky!)

The “Bench Entrance” is where our journey began. You can see from the map that we were right along the edge of the Tualatin River. The yellow highlighted lines show the paths we were going to explore. The first time through the path, it was slow going. There were many spots where you had to stay to the right or left of the path or you’d get pitched on a log or debris in the water. The branches were sticking out all over the place.

This was, in fact, a great run to help improve one’s paddling skills. What I mean is that most of the route we paddled along, there was thick brush on both sides of you. So, you had to maneuver your paddle so it was more straight up and down. Then, as quickly as you would move through an open area, you had to quickly move your paddle so it was parallel with your kayak and thus wouldn’t catch on anything.

Our route today was quite short, but it was fun and challenging. It takes patience, skill and trial and error to learn how to maneuver around so much brush.

As we were paddling along, I especially enjoyed seeing all of the “red” branches growing all around us. They were very beautiful.

When we’re in the middle of winter, it often seems as though everything is dead and brown, but if you really take the time to look around, that’s not true at all.

I saw these tiny buds all over this plant. It was cool to look at and know that despite all the rain we’ve received this year so far, Spring is coming in the near future. Then the second photo showing the little white “berries,” I think this is a Gooseberry plant. They were everywhere, both white and bright red.

At one spot in our journey, when we were on the river’s edge, I stopped to take a short video. I’ve paddled the Tualatin River during the summer months and there is virtually no current at all. That was not the case today!

I always enjoy stopping to take a view. Despite the brown colored water and cloudy skies, it was still gorgeous!

When I mentioned that there were a lot of sticks and twigs poking out on both sides of you, this picture kind of illustrates that fairly well. But, again, the biggest part of this photo I like so much is that everything is just laying down – sleeping for the winter. I’ve never been here during the spring and summer, but I can only imagine just how beautiful it is through those months.

Our group leader mentioned to us that he had placed two stuffed bears in all of this wooded area and to keep our eyes peeled for them. It was kind of fun to paddle along and then see one of them hanging from a tree limb above our heads.

He guessed that once this area completely dries, they’ll probably be about 8ft from the ground. That information also gives you a good idea of just how much water there was in all of this overflow area.

There were six of us in total today. When we had gone completely around the loop, three folks decided they were done for the day. Myself and two others went around the loop one more time. It was a lot quicker the second time – you knew what to avoid and what to expect.

When we had finished, one more person decided they were done. At that point, it was just me and our fearless leader! So, we kayaked up the Tualatin River to the boat ramp at Cook Park (see map). The water level is so incredibly high right now that you couldn’t really even tell it was a boat ramp. During the summer months, the water’s edge is a good 20 ft further down than it was today. I turned around to take one last photo and then we went downriver back to where we had started.

All in all, it was a fun adventure. I’m glad I joined them. So, the next time the river level rises over 9.65 ft., go explore and have fun!! (Chart below shows the water level between the end of September and today, for perspective!)

2024 – Kayak Trip #43

LAST TRIP OF 2024!