Humboldt Bay Kayaking

Gray skies and cool temps didn't keep us from having a great afternoon kayaking on Humboldt Bay.  As much as I don't like boats on the ocean, I do love a marina!  They are just so picturesque!  Most of these boats are commercial fishing boats.  I never knew that a good fisherman can make $300,000 in a year!  I still don't think that is the job for me.

My favorite part of the kayaking was in the marshy canals where we enjoyed seeing a large egret rookery. 

 Lots of beautiful snow white egrets flew above us with sticks clearly visible in their mouths as they made their way to the big trees where nests were being built.  Here you can see two egrets and a blue heron.  A birders paradise for sure!

I love using a double kayak.  I know I spend a lot of time taking pictures while letting George use his muscles to keep us going.  He doesn't seem to mind. 

Life is such a fun adventure! 

Amazon Explorers

Well, ok technically not the Amazon, the Napo River but it is one of the head waters of the Amazon so that counts!

 We did a little kayaking and canoeing.

And Katherine was the Piranha Queen as she caught the biggest fish...

George and I even swam in the river with the piranha.  No worries though as our guide assured us that piranha only attack humans in the swampy areas where food is not so plentiful.  I'm glad the piranha in this part of the river were well feed!   And that the caiman are nearer the shore!!!

 Their teeth look like this......so I am glad they weren't hungry!

And here's my handsome fellow explorer!  I'm glad he shares my love of travel!

Beat The Heat

Portland is HOT!  I keep reminding people that it is summertime and it is supposed to be hot but Oregonians are just not used to 99+ temps!

We stayed cool by taking to the river!

It was a lovely afternoon on the Willamette!

Can hardly believe that you can kayak and see bald eagles and osprey this close to the city of Portland!!!

Scappoose Kayaking

George and I were supposed to go kayaking near our home today.   Unfortunately the Willamette has had a 'toxic algae bloom' as you can see by the bright green color near the shoreline   The health department is quite clear in their advisory to avoid all contact with the water.  

Lucky for us just past Portland in a little town called Scappoose the water was clean and safe so we did get to enjoy, what might be one of the last days of summer, kayaking on the Willamette River.

We saw geese and cormorants and just as we headed back to the marina an osprey did a successful fishing nose dive into the water and came up with his dinner!  

Hard to believe that we were just 30 minutes from the city of Portland.

Scappoose Bay with Mount Saint Helens in the background!

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Kayaking on the Willamette

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day; just perfect for trying out our new kayaking skills on the Willamette River.

The Oregon City bridge was built in 1922 and recently renovated.  Some motorcycle gangs require their new members to ride up and down the arch.  The concrete is about 4 feet wide and very steep.  Crazy! 

We paddled down to Willamette Falls, which has the 2nd largest average volume of water of any waterfall in the US.   That is hard to believe when you look at this photo!  Our guide said that it was almost the 'Willamette Cliffs' tour. There is not much water right now.  Still a fun day and so great to still be enjoying the sun!