HomeForumsHowdy from Oregon

This topic has 3 voices, contains 5 replies, and was last updated by  Aggroman 346 days ago.

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
Author Posts
Author Posts
June 5, 2011 at 11:30 pm #31183

speelyei

Howdy all.  After spending 8 years on the coast of Oregon surfing every day that I could, we found it necessary to load up the family and move to the Willamette Valley.  I had to find something to fill the void, and a canoe is part of the remedy.

I have run a few rivers, most in a Perception Dancer, and a few on self-bailing rafts and catarafts.  I’ll never be a class V boater by any stretch… but I do like to get out and explore.  Here in the central valley there are a lot of tributaries to the Willamette River that get almost no use whatsoever by boaters.  There a easily a dozen rivers that are class II or less, and have nothing to offer the whitewater crowd.  These rivers meander through all sorts of forest and farmlands, and are subject to seasonal flooding and erosion.  Subsequently, the weekend flatwater crowd doesn’t want to risk the inevitable sweepers, strainers, and logjams they are sure to encounter.  There is almost no info available on most of them either… nothing in guide books and nothing on the ‘net.  Too mellow for the hardcore and too hardcore for the mellow, these odd duck rivers are perfect for somebody with a canoe and some time.

 

June 6, 2011 at 9:38 am #31184

Always January (Randy)

Sounds like some great areas to explore!

 

Good to see other West Coast paddlers on here.  Oregon has quite a bit to offer canoeists.  You’ve got Sawyer Paddles to the south making beautiful paddles in Talent near Ashland, and up in the North the Lower Columbia Canoe Club is very active in white water paddling (they have some amazing videos online!).  With the combination of rivers and lakes it is a paddlers paradise.

June 6, 2011 at 4:53 pm #31185

speelyei

Hi Randy.  Yes, the PNW has it’s fair share of runs to be sure.  I plan to buy a couple Sawyer paddles this summer, actually, to replace the YMCA camp paddles that I go with the boat.  I plan to stick to runs I can do in my “all-around” 16′ canoe.  I plan to add some flotation to it and maybe run a couple III’s…  Those whitewater canoe folks are hardcore!

A couple years ago my wife, brother, and I rented a boat and paddled a mellow section of the Trinity River.  It was really pretty, all sorts of cool rock formations.  Then last year we ran the Klamath down to Happy Camp (after being unable to get Rogue permits).  You’ve got plenty of pretty country down there, that’s for sure!

June 6, 2011 at 7:40 pm #31186

Aggroman

Hi speelyei, glad to have you here. I run into the same problems down here in Texas with these little rivers. Went out last week with my boy and got 2 miles before we had to turn around because of some pretty bad jams. I don’t mind an occasional portage, but hardcore left me a few years ago. lol. Looking forward to hearing some good stories. Let em rip!

 

Scott

June 6, 2011 at 8:09 pm #31187

speelyei

where are you in Texas?  I lived in Houston ’75-’83, and then in Midland ’83-’86.

Ever do a run on the Rio Grande?  I haven’t been back to Texas since ’86, but I’d love to come back and do that float trip!

June 7, 2011 at 9:40 am #31188

Aggroman

Born and raised in Angelo. As far as the Rio, I have played around Lajitas area in the canoe, but have always wanted to do more, it’s just so far a drive. The Santa Elena has been calling me.  The Pecos River is my passion. I’ve done the big run and have done hundreds of small ones (4-8 miles) around Pandale and heading north from Highbridge on Amistad.

 

Scott

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

Previous post:

Next post: