9/9/2022 - Detroit Lake, Detroit Lake State Park, OR

Time: 2.9 hours

Distance: 7.55 miles

We put into Detroit Lake at Detroit Lake State Park late in the morning on a sunny but windy day. We paddled Northeast under the bridge near Detroit, up French Creek the little until we were blocked, back down the Creek then around the point and up Breitenbush River as again until we were blocked. At that point we turned around and started back towards our put-in point. The winds had created swells of about a foot heading almost directly into us on the way out but on the way back the winds had picked up and in some places the swells were up to three feet and paddling became quite a challenge. Much of the time we were moving forward more by sailing that paddling and we were sometimes completely at the mercy of the waves as to which direction we were heading. The later parts of the trip back, where we encountered the largest swells, became pretty sketchy so we stayed as close to shore as possible but there were large sections that had been cordoned off by logs where we had to move further out into the lake and deal with waves that were a bit too large for comfort. We made it back in without incident but the paddle was without a doubt the roughest water we'd faced.

 

 Lynda preparing to put in.

Lynda on the lake early in the trip paddling into the headwind. The swells are relatively small here but got MUCH worse.

 

Looking back down French Creek at the end.

Lynda getting out at the end of French Creek for a short break.

Lynda paddling up Breitenbush River.

 Breitenbush River where we had to turn back.

Back on the Lake just past the bridge heading back. The water looks deceptively calm here. That changed drastically as soon as we passed the point on the center right. There the water became so rough we could not stop for further pictures.

After beers and dinner at Cornelius Pass Roadhouse back in Portland. Lynda looks a LOT happier than she did several hours earlier dealing with three foot swells.