Portland New Years Paddle

[gorgebob]

I would like to invite all to join me and a couple gorge paddlers for a new years paddle. Sunday 11 AM at Willamette Park. Weather should clear by then and the current will be up. Want to check out the 2 new bridges with a Ross Island loop.6 miles. Hope to see you there.
Bob 503-246-6646

[lee]

What's the winter water temp there Bob?

[ObviousSup]

Sounds like fun. Unfortunately I'll be out the gorge until late afternoon. That and I am not in enough shape to keep up yet. Eventually I'll get there but I have a long ways to go.

[pdxmike]

I went out today.  30 minutes from boat dock to end of houseboats, then 7 minutes back.  No wind.  Felt like I was paddling on a treadmill going upriver.  Lots of weird currents--got spun 90 degrees a couple of times. Lots of logs and debris.  Still very beautiful, and should be fun Sunday.  Everyone coming should bring along a reason why we are happier to be here than in Hawaii. 

Lee--don't know what water temp is, but I fell in on Thanksgiving and it wasn't bad. 

[PonoBill]

Lucky we live Maui. Have fun though guys. Take pictures.

[lee]

Mike
Does the tide affect Portland area waters?

[pdxmike]

Lee--other people might know.  I do know the river level swings all over the place.  It rises during heavy raining like you'd expect.  But it also can go up or down a few feet in a day, unrelated to rain.  I've heard there's some control point--maybe the locks at Oregon City?--where the level can be controlled.  Don't know if tides are influencing the river level or not. 

I look right at a little island from my house, so I'm aware of it.  At the highest water levels the island disappears.  At the lowest, you can walk to it, and the island is probably 10' high or so. 

[PonoBill]

The Willamette is tidal all the way to Willamette Falls. The dam at the falls doesn't control river level, just tides, but the tidal flow can reverse the current. On my long paddles in the Willamette I always included tide in the plan.

[TDoc]

Looks like a breezy paddle out there today. I was gonna try to go but I've had a sore throat for 2 years now.

[Aiyah]

That sounds so awesome! Bummer that I don't live in portland.....

[lee]

Thanks for the info Bill.
I looked at some of the tide info sights for stations up the river but didn't see any.
I know when I go to the Delta tides go well past Rio Vista .
Think I'll google Portland tides.
BTW Had A nice NEW YEARS hereIn Gig Harbor.
A Sunny 50 degree day ,Feels Just like Summer.
Happy New Year Zoners.

[gorgebob]

The New Years paddle had gusty east wind , strong current and the big Portland tour boat. Sunny weather and mid fourty degree temps. Mike ,Mike and I took Ross Island counter clockwise to try to find shelter from the wind. Whirlpools and a out of the blue horn blast from the big Portland tour boat made navigation interesting.

[gorgebob]

add photo

[PonoBill]

Brrr. Paddles like that are fun though, the Willamette is a different place in the winter. I especially like paddling in the Multnomah Channel in cold weather. So much life, so few people.

[pdxmike]

Fun paddle but can't believe how the wind died completely as soon as we turned around and would have finally had it at our backs.  So we had to slog the whole way back upriver against the current with no wind to offset it. 

The only thing missing was the BBQ at the end like the Australians seem to always have.  Although I suppose we don't have to deal with giant lizards stealing cameras, either.