North Santiam River: Dead Cow Wave

Last Sunday (Oct. 14) I met up with some folks from The Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club (WKCC) for a paddling session near town. With the current flows on the N. Santiam between 2500 and 3000 at Mehama, a great little surf wave is in. Unfortunately, most of the riverfront property is privately owned, so we couldn’t just drive to the spot. Rather, we had about 7 miles of flatwater paddling altogether to get to the wave and paddle down to the next river access point. These guys were well-prepared though, and brought a barbeque, lots of food, and sunshine.

Here's a shot Kate took of a double surf. I'm in the green boat trying out the new '07 Jackson All-star. Jesse is on the wave in my '06

We had 15 people altogether and took turns riding the wave and enjoying the picnic. The wave was worth the effort and I got a chance to try out several different boats. The downside of paddling different boats is that you find yourself wanting a new kayak. I would share some pictures of my own, but I still don’t have a camera since Pentax won’t honor their warranty. I’ll just have to get a new one and do some more boating!