After a year of Covid, and what felt like a year of winter, our little Portland Area experienced an absolutely gorgeous day, and we were both off work. A truly grand day, the kind that was meant to be enjoyed outdoors. AAAAANNND,... we literally JUST got our new Aquaglide Chelan 140 a earlier that week, so it was a perfect day for her maiden voyage. And it was a stunner! 60+ degrees not a cloud in the sky and only the slightest breeze. Damn skippy, Scappoose Bay here we come!!! |
Of course, everybody else was headed for the water too.... and The Gorge, and the beach. Aaaugh the masses of people on weekends!!! But that is where the infamous "flip-flopper syndrome" actually helps folks like us. Parking lot full like I have NEVER seen it before (not expecting that) but there as 1 or 2 spaces left, a line of trucks at the boat ramp (as expected), Next Adventure in full kayak rental frenzy (as expected) and the main channel of the bay was just like a freeway (figures). But we had a different plan. Scappoose Bay is pretty full of water this time of year and you can REALLY get back into the "back country" channels and meadows of the bay. Now, today was not like the amazing September "flooded forest" level that it CAN be, (that is super cool BTWs) but it was full enough. So we started weaving our way through the winding channels full of downed trees, occasionally scraping along a branch or log, always thinking our path was blocked but still finding a way through the seemingly impenetrable brambles. After the FIRST downed tree obstacle we were almost completely alone. It was AWESOME! We found open partially flooded meadows full of Herons and Egrets, narrow tight inlets that we couldn't even turn around in with HUGE fish jumping, which was funny. Ya know, when you are floating along blissfully in perfect peaceful silence and a 2 foot long fish jumps 2 feet out of the water 2 feet in front of the boat.... it scares the Holy CRAP out of you, in case you were wondering. It was all the things water exploration can be. You can always tell when you are nearing the end of a channel when the water starts getting all mucky, and we had SO much fun hitting dead ends all afternoon.
On the way out of the last channel, as we headed back to the bay, Ang got all excited and quiet at the same time. She had spotted a mature female Bald Eagle sitting in a tree right on the edge of the water about 15 feet up. We were So close! I know that our eagle population is BOOMING and we are lucky enough to see them all the time but this was unusually close and she was was completely unfazed. Let the photo shoot begin! If it wasn't for my very observant wife I never would have seen it. If you look at my wildlife photo page I have a few awesome Bald Eagle shots, this is one of my favorites even if I WAS fighting with the sun almost directly behind her.
Then it was off to the bay, back to the dock and home to make our latest Hello Fresh masterpiece, Middle eastern Chickpea Bowl. And it was fabulous. Ahhhhh, I FEEL BETTER!
On the way out of the last channel, as we headed back to the bay, Ang got all excited and quiet at the same time. She had spotted a mature female Bald Eagle sitting in a tree right on the edge of the water about 15 feet up. We were So close! I know that our eagle population is BOOMING and we are lucky enough to see them all the time but this was unusually close and she was was completely unfazed. Let the photo shoot begin! If it wasn't for my very observant wife I never would have seen it. If you look at my wildlife photo page I have a few awesome Bald Eagle shots, this is one of my favorites even if I WAS fighting with the sun almost directly behind her.
Then it was off to the bay, back to the dock and home to make our latest Hello Fresh masterpiece, Middle eastern Chickpea Bowl. And it was fabulous. Ahhhhh, I FEEL BETTER!