Kayaking

We bought some used kayaks and have been kayaking on the Tualatin River near our house. I'm not used to paddling anything on a river. Mr UAW used to white water raft class 5 rivers, so he has plenty of experience with a raft on a river. Kayaking is a bit different than a raft. So since I'm the one with the least water/river paddling experience, we have been sticking to the Tualatin River. It is a slow meandering river at this time of the year, perfect for learning how to kayak. We usually spend 2+ hours on the river paddling up and relaxing as we return to our take out point. Each time we kayak I get better. I remember the first time I needed help getting in and out and now I can do it by myself. I used to accidentally hit the side of the kayak with my paddle as I was paddling...frequently. But now I'm practicing proper paddling technique and I do better. And I've learned how to use my core and legs to help me paddle, not just my arms. So for the remainder of this year's kayaking we will be sticking with the easier areas. We'd like to go to some mountain lakes but it's getting late in the season so that might have to wait for next year. To date we have gone four times. The weather is starting to turn so I'm not sure how long we can continue to go out.

         

The "traffic" is sure better down here on the river than up there on Hwy 99