Kayaking on the Columbia with Gil and Jane 8/10/16

Hi There!

Shortly after returning home from my Oregon adventure, I was back on the road, this time driving south on I-5 with a 20 ft kayak on the roof. Jane had been helping a friend move from La Grande OR to Idaho Falls ID, and thanks to a generous new friend, who gave her a bonus certificate, was flying to meet me in Portland. Just as I came rolling into the Arrivals Pick-up, there was Jane. I must say, I was really glad to see her smiling face.

Soon we were on the road to Sauvie Island , the biggest island in the Columbia, several miles north of Portland on Hwy 30. This would be our first time kayaking on the Columbia. Sauvie Island is home to the massive Ridgefield wildlife reserve and at the same time it is a major farming area, supplying vegetables and fruits to  metropolitan Portland. That first day we surveyed the island, first checking out the Multnomah channel, which runs along it's east side, and noting launch sites and potential campsites/picnic spots we could make use of. Two good launch sites included the Hadley Dock at the end of Ferry Rd. not far from the Sauvie Island Bridge and the Gilbert River boat launch at the far north end of Sauvie. Here I'd like to mention two good resources that I used: the website of the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership and the book " the Lewis and Clark Columbia River Water Trail " by Hay. Sauvie Island is very popular with cyclists, but the roads are narrow with no paved shoulders and the speed limits are too high, 45 mph plus. If you do cycle pick low traffic and daylight hours.

We were both a little tired from all our rushing around, so we hunted for a nearby campsite, which we found  a little north and west just off Hwy 30 near Scapoose ( Indian for 'gravel'). It was a little county park "Scapoose Co. RV park". It cost $20/night to tent and the host let us put our tent wherever we wanted. Free hot water showers, too. It was next to the co. airport, and unfortunately, a large development was going in down the road with gravel trucks starting up early in the AM. Well... time to get some rest. See you in the morning.