29/29 - TWENTY EIGHT: On the Columbia

Ron watching a passing ship
September 2007
Really digging through the archives (thank god for smugmug). Back in the dark ages before we had motorcycles we joined a group paddling Ridgefield wildlife refuge. It wasn't planned to go out on the Columbia River, but the water was so calm we did a circumnavigation of Bachelor island, which included a stint on the Columbia. Crossed  paths with something a little bigger than the kayaks. I was hoping for a huge wake, but alas, big boat does not equal big wake. :)

Comments

  1. BeemerGirl2/28/12, 6:29 PM

    Glad it crossed your path instead of it crossing yours. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. SonjaM2/28/12, 6:46 PM

    Fantastic photo! It looks kind of intimidating though. I would be very nervous with that big thing passing by.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Trobairitz2/28/12, 7:21 PM

    Wow, that pic sure shows the difference in size.

    That is adventurous. I think I'd be too chicken to paddle with the big boats on the Columbia.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dar 2/28/12, 7:38 PM

    Wow! This is a great picture! I experienced kayaking for the first time last summer it is amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ToadMama2/29/12, 4:34 AM

    Kayaking in Alaska or around the San Juan Islands is on my list of things I'd love to do. Congrats on making it to 29!

    ReplyDelete
  6. redlegsrides2/29/12, 5:57 AM

    Those things don't stop on a dime and need lots of turning room as well....good that you guys kept clear.

    dom


    Redleg's Rides

    Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner

    ReplyDelete
  7. Unknown2/29/12, 8:03 AM

    BlueKat:

    you guys are too brave. Looks so peaceful from a distance.

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bluekat3/1/12, 10:27 PM

    Thanks everyone,
    It didn't pass very close to us, but I like how it looks in the photo. It was a thrill to be in the water with such a large vessel. When it first approached it appeared to head straight for us, but turned to stay in the main channel. They're surprisingly quiet, and make hardly a wake...just a gentle swell that passed under the boats.

    @Toadmama,
    I would love to do some kayaking on big water. The San Juans or Vancouver Island. Ron doesn't like big water so it's unlikely I'll ever go. Alaska would be stunning with the glaciers and the rugged landscapes.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overnighter at the Coast

Image
March 1-2, 2026 Shake down cruise, er camp. Found us a teeny, tiny camper van to run about the countryside wreaking havoc wherever we go. Meet the new money pit. God help us it’s another Dodge, or rather a Ram. A Promaster with the infamous terrible transmission. What can we say it hit a price point that no Sprinter could meet. We actually adore her. I just hope she doesn’t fail us on some dark and lonely road.  We spent too much time and money getting her appropriately outfitted, then took ourselves to the coast for a night of camping in the rain. If anyone knows our past camping history you would know it always includes rain. Fortunately the rain wrapped up over night and the next day was pretty nice.  Spent some time at Yaquina Bay on Monday. The sea lions were busy hunting lunch and having a very successful hunt. The water was this wonderful color of blue and turquoise. Didn’t know it at the time but per another post the color is from herring that are spawning in the bay a...
Read more

Silver Creek Falls State Park, 03-19-11

Image
Warning: Long post alert! A week or so ago Ron and I took a hike at Silver Falls State Park . Warm summer afternoons will find hundreds of people hiking at the park. It's a constant battle of passing slow hikers...usually in groups, and bumping past oncoming hikers. Not exactly a peaceful forest experience. Take a hike on a cool, wet afternoon, and you'll find far fewer hikers. The hike is called the Trail of Ten Falls . On this day we will visit 6 of the 10 falls, and be treated to a number of unofficial falls running off the slopes of the canyon. South Falls is probably the most visited of all the falls. It's close to the day use area, and can be viewed without hiking down the canyon. The trail goes behind the falls, but we opt to take the foot bridge for the better view. An aside, my co-worker claims to have repelled over South Falls (and came up short on rope).  South Falls, 177 ft. Canyon Trail Off we go down the trail and to a series of stairs taking ...
Read more

Yamaha V-Star 1100

Image
Our son brought us along to be the voices of reason, strength in the face of temptation, shining examples ruled by the mind and not by passion. He probably should have brought someone else. He sold his pickup, and was looking for it's replacement, a four wheeled replacement that is. There were several options to be viewed up in Portland then after that a visit to one of the motorcycle stores to do a little shopping. I wanted try out some jackets - the never ending quest for the perfect jacket. We should have known it was a mistake to even point the car in the direction of Portland. We knew there was a bike up there, exactly what he was looking for. The whole auto shopping thing was just a ruse, a deception. We were really there to look at bikes. We were only fooling ourselves. I went to the apparel department, father and son went to the showroom. The bike of his dreams: 2006 Yamaha V-star 1100...with ape hangers Later when I joined them I found my own Yamaha...don'...
Read more