First and most importantly – Happy New Year to all of my fellow kayakers! I enjoyed my last paddle of the year yesterday and I was able to venture out today for my first paddle of 2025! It just can’t get any better!
Today’s adventure led me to a local place where I’ve been just once before. I wanted to stay close to home (I had to watch the college football playoff games 😊!) So, off to First and Second Lake located right here in the middle of Albany, Oregon.
As I mentioned, I’ve paddled here once before and you can read about the history and specifics here.
Today’s trip was all about a relaxing and enjoyable kayaking adventure. My pace was on the slower side as I kept my eyes peeled for what I might discover.
First and foremost, despite no sunshine, a bit of rain, and thick fog towards the end of my trip – it was still gorgeous!
The water here isn’t clean, not drinkable and I wouldn’t eat any fish caught here. However, I never see those things when I’m kayaking. What I see is what you see in the picture above. I see the beauty of the woods, the reflections upon the water, and the stillness of the water. It really is a beautiful location.
The last time I was here, I came across a large group of turtles. Well, they must have all been sleeping today. Ha! But, what I did see were a lot of different ducks and birds and a Heron in flight! They really are beautiful to watch as they so effortlessly fly about. They’re a bit shy so I can never get very close. But, keep your eyes peeled because I saw them the last time I was here as well.
When you enter the water closest to the Talking Water Gardens parking lot, that is First Lake. It’s not very big, but there’s so much to look at. All of the tall posts standing in the water are remnants from when this area was used for manufacturing and movement of plywood and other wood products. Now, some of these wood posts have bird nests that some group installed. I always look to see if they’re occupied – nothing yet.
As you approach the north end of First Lake, the width becomes considerably smaller as you cross over to Second Lake.
The first thing that gets your attention? Noise! There is a working lumber mill on the east side of the lake and it’s very loud. But, just like so many other noises, you get used to it after awhile and forget it’s even there. From the water, it looks to be a good sized mill. (This picture was taken on my return trip because the lighting was better.)
While I mostly saw feathered friends today, keep your eyes peeled on the west side of this section as that is where I last saw the turtles and you’ll always find birds sitting atop the wood posts. The lighting was poor today and they are shy birds, so I couldn’t capture any good photos of them. After I turned around to head back, I saw a Beaver. My presence startled him and his presence startled me – ha! No picture!
As you approach the furthest north end of Second Lake, you will begin to hear running water. That is your dead end as a paddler.
There is so much natural debris in the water, it acts like a dam, so to speak. I think I could have paddled down this section today as the water level was higher than my last trip here, but I’m not sure how I would have gotten back up again. It is here that the water enters Third Lake. Unfortunately, you can’t access it from here or from the Willamette River as it is blocked. When the water level is much lower (summer time), you might be able to walk down and see where it goes. However, both of these lakes get kind of gross during the summer months because there is very little water movement. So, I don’t recommend it!
On the right (east) side of the “dam” was a wonderful sight to see – a berry plant loaded with new buds! I know we’re right in the middle of winter, but it’s so encouraging to see the new growth!
As you turn around and head back to where you entered the water, it is then that you notice several small areas of water. The first one is on the west side, just before you reach the “dam.” It caught my attention immediately because it was all green! Algae, right? Nope!
This plant is called a Water Fern. It is a very invasive species, as you can see from the photo. However, I thought it was pretty cool and kayaking through it was kind of fun. Once I reached the furthest end and turned around, you couldn’t even see the path I had taken as the fern had completely moved back to where it was when I arrived. I just thought it was neat! Looking at the green photo, it kind of looked like I was kayaking through grass. Ha!
Once you leave this area, move over to the left side (east) of Second Lake. As you paddle along, you will begin to notice that there is a small body of water ahead. Last year, I came in the month of February and the whole landscape looked different. The water wasn’t as deep and you couldn’t paddle as far. Today – different story.
I forgot to clock my distance and so I don’t know how far back I was able to paddle, but it was at least 5x further than the last time I was here. Now, I’m going to issue a warning so you’re not shocked should you choose to kayak at this location.
There are homeless camps on both sides of the lakes, mostly Second Lake. Most of the ones I saw were occupied. There are canoes, kayaks and small paddle boats along the shore line. So, don’t be alarmed. Most of these camps are very well established and it’s easy to assume that these folks have been living here for awhile.
However, please don’t be alarmed. I have never encountered anyone that I would regard as “dangerous.” In fact, most of them keep to themselves. Now and then someone might say hello and strike up a brief conversation, which happened last year when I kayaked here. But, these folks are living their lives the best way they know how and I try to remember that as I kayak past their camps.
OK, I’m done with that part of my article!
Back to the channel I was kayaking along. For a brief moment, I thought I was going to be able to re-enter First Lake from my location, but I finally came to the end and it was heavily wooded and lots of plant growth – no way through. So, I turned back around and headed back out. It was a fun little adventure anyway. I highly recommend you check it out.
As I entered First Lake and headed for the shore line, I stopped multiple times just to admire the sights. It really was beautiful!
If you’re interested in going, winter is the only time you want to go here because the water quality gets really bad during the summer months. You will need a kayak cart to move your vessel from the parking lot down to the launch area. It is located directly north of the gravel parking lot at Talking Water Gardens. You will see a walking path. It’s not a great launch area, but there is definitely an area to put your kayak in the water.
Go check it out! If you find a sunny winter day, you might find the “sleepy” turtles.
2025 – Kayak Trip #1
