Unfortunately, living in Western Oregon, my kayaking schedule is often dictated by our rainy winter season. However, today, the weather was 100% clear with beautiful sunshine. Thank goodness! Myself and 3 friends met at the Calkins Boat Ramp at Foster Reservoir. Yes, the water level at Foster Reservoir is very…
First and Foremost, this was a very early morning paddle in hopes of watching the sunrise. Secondly, did you know there is an old, but still usable boat ramp at Shea Viewpoint? I had no idea! Let’s talk about the launch site first. Shea Viewpoint is the first visual contact…
One thing is for certain – NOTHING in nature looks exactly the same from day to day! Today was no different! A kayaking friend I had met last summer reached out and asked if I would show her the trip up the Santiam River as it enters Foster Reservoir from…
Today was absolutely perfect! It was the perfect weather, Foster Reservoir is full again, enjoyed my kayaking adventure with perfect friends and the sights were…you guessed it – PERFECT!!! All in all – it couldn’t have gotten any better. We decided to begin our trip at the Calkins boat ramp…
Two days after nearly drowning in the Willamette River (see previous post), I met up with my kayaking buddies and we traversed Foster Reservoir from the Sunnyside boat ramp. We had decided, rather than going out into the reservoir, we would paddle up towards Green Peter Reservoir. First and foremost,…
I woke up at 4:30am this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. I tried for about another 30 minutes and then I finally got up. UGH! I was drinking my morning Diet Pepsi (yes, it’s true) and reading articles on the internet, when I thought about the weather for…
At this point, most people have heard about or personally witnessed the severe drawdown of both of these reservoirs this summer and fall. The intent, as decided by the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon on September 1, 2021, was to increase juvenile spring Chinook and steelhead survival…
Today’s journey took me back to Foster Lake. However, this time with friends, rather than being by myself. This was a planned kayak adventure and there were 5 of us total. While I enjoy kayaking by myself, I equally enjoy kayaking with other folks. I persuaded the group to follow…
I had been watching the weather, waiting to kayak again. My opportunity finally came up! I loaded my kayak on my car and headed to Foster Lake. The weather was perfect. My entire kayak adventure was fantastic! During the winter months, the water level is kept low. Therefore, the only…
My first kayaking adventure in 2024 didn’t occur until Jan. 23rd. Yikes! We had been plagued with rain, sleet, ice, and snow up to this point. I woke up that morning and saw nothing but sunshine. And so, I made an impromptu decision to go hit the water and off…