Dane and Lynda Kayak

Time: 2.42 hours Distance: 6.95 hours We put into the Willamette River and the boat ramp next to OMSI on an overcast day. The forecast was for rain but we actually got a dry paddle. As with everywhere else recently the river was flowing quite heavily but we made good time paddling up-river to the Sellwood Bridge before turning back. Lynda preparing to put in. Lynda paddling up-river early in the trip. Tilikum Bridge from the South. Lynda paddling up-river near Oaks Park. Buoys/pylons on the way back down-river. Lynda taking a picture of the last pylon. OMSI and the submarine near the end of the trip.

Time: 1.58 hours Distance: 3.46 miles We put into the Willamette River at Willamette Park. This was our fourth time making this paddle but we ran into extremely heavy current at the up-river side of Rock Island and were unable to progress. We watched another kayaker in a touring kayak attempt to round the corner and fight through the current only to be shot back down-river. Lynda preparing to put in. Lynda launching. Lynda heading up-river. Lynda standing on Rock Island looking at the impassable water. Dane standing on Rock Island looking at the impassable water. The tip of Rock Island.

Time: 2.58 hours Distance: 6.1 miles We put into the Columbia River at Collin's Beach on Sauvie Island on Christmas Eve morning. We had a clear sunny day with very little river traffic though the current was fairly strong making for a rather short distance. Lynda preparing to put in. Lynda getting under way. Lynda on the Columbia just after starting out. Mt. St. Helens. Paddling up-river into the sun. Lynda in the middle of the Columbia River with Mt. St. Helens in the background.

Time: 1.84 hours Distance: 3.72 miles We put into the Willamette River at San Salvador Boat Launch just outside of St. Paul, OR. The river was running very fast and it was the heaviest sustained flow we'd ever kayaked in. It took us just over an hour and a half to paddle 1.86 miles up-river where we finally gave up and headed back. The return trip took only 16 minutes and we calculated our return speed at around 7 mph. On the way up-river we were having to stop about every 15 minutes after what was close to a total sprint to make only a couple hundred yards. There were several spots (including where we gave it up) where we could just barely make forward progress. Additionally, at one point, both of us got our kayaks stuck on trees that had fallen in the river as we tried to take an easier route near the bank. Lynda preparing to put in. A short video taken on our first rest which shows the current we were fighting. Lynda taking a short rest in a small calm area right after we had bo

Time: 3.8 hours Distance: 10.6 miles The weather report had shown a rainy day for kayaking all week but when we go to Saturday it was bright and sunny. We put in at Oswego Landing and paddled up-river to the falls. The weather stayed pleasant and the river traffic was very light. Lynda preparing to put in. Lynda getting into the water. On the river. Lynda on the way up-river. Willamette Falls.