With summer winding down, there aren’t as many events happening around the region. But if quality trumps quantity, it will be a great month to tour the area.

September 3-5 – Chelatchie Prairie Railroad Trip – The Chelatchie Prairie Railroad will be taking 10 mile trips out of Yacolt on Labor Day Weekend. Check the Web site for reservations.

September 3-5 – Kumoricon – Anyone who is interested in Japanese anime should head to the Kumoricon 2011 convention in downtown Vancouver. Events will be at the Hilton Hotel and the Red Lion at the Quay. Anime lovers in costume will be wandering the streets. Should be very interesting!

Kayaks along the Columbia

September 9-18 - Lower Columbia River Kayak Roundup – These folks are into serious kayaking! It’s a great way to explore the Puget Island area. is an instructional retreat for kayakers of all levels. 2011 will be the 5th and final event. Full-day and half-day classes are offered on the weekend, and intensive multi-day programs are offered during the week.

The Rainy City Roller Dolls

September 10 – Roller Derby! - Centralia’s Rainy City Roller Dolls take on Salem Oregon’s Cherry City Derby Girls at the Back to School Beat Down.

Cars in a Past Rod Run

September-10-11 – 28th Annual Rod Run to the End of the World – A mass of vintage cars are expected for this annual auto gathering in Ocean Park. But it’s not just about the cars. Jamie’s Rock & Roll Legends with Elvis, Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline & Connie Francis will perform live on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The beach will be rocking this weekend!

Seattle's jazzy Groove for Thought

September 11 – Groove for Thought – They were fabulous on The Sing-Off (watch their performance here) and now the Seattle a cappella singing group performs a fundraising matinee concert for Pearson Air Museum. Get your tickets here.

Alpaca from the 2009 Tour

September 17 – 13th Annual Clark County Harvest Celebration Day – Nine farms will be open for visitors from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is a great way to see rural Clark County and it’s free!

September 17 and 18 – ARTrails – Check out the 9th Annual ARTrails Open Studio Tour. This self-guided, free event takes you though the towns and backroads of Lewis County to visit the artists and studios of Lewis County.

September 30 & October 1 - Columbia River Country Days and Grays River Covered Bridge Dinner – There will be a Farmer’s Market, Pumpkin Patch, Farm Tours,
Old Time Auction, and an October 1st dinner at Grays River Covered Bridge. For more information, call 360-795-3278

It was a rare hot day in late June when we set off from the shores of Vancouver Lake Park – four explorers, three kayaks (two Necky Narpas and a brand new Folbot Greenland II ), with views of five mountains (St Helens, Hood, Adams and even Rainier and Jefferson).

View of Mount St Helens from Vancouver Lake Park

Mt Hood and Youth Regatta at the Vancouver Lake Sailing Club

Paddling behind the lake’s main island, we arrived at the opening to Lake River about 45 minutes later. The south end of this water route to the Columbia River was busy at Felida Moorage, a unique collection of floating homes of various ages and styles, and boat ramp users.

Expedition members sans the photographer's boat

Paddling toward Felida Moorage on Lake River

The strenuous paddle paid off just beyond the houseboats with an osprey nest perched above the channel. Osprey parents and two chicks wearily watched us watching them from their stick-filled condo on a power pole.

The osprey family watching us watch them

We had heard rumors that it was possible to paddle from the Salmon Creek Greenway to Lake River so, after a floating lunch in the boats, we set out to discover the opening.

About 10 minutes later there is was! Reminded of William Clark’s famous quote and (and misspelling, his, not mine) “Great joy … we are in view of the Ocian,” we found it! Paddling into new territory, Salmon Creek featured a much wider mouth than I expected.

While Lake River is fun to paddle (albeit sometimes strenuous due to the currents), Salmon Creek offered more variety in both flora and fauna. About 15 minutes into the creek, next to the BN Railroad Bridge, all the hard work of getting there paid off with the sighting of two beautiful bald eagles.

Eagle above Salmon Creek

“Turn around” our weary arms said so, while we really wanted to explore the creek, we saved it for another trip. Next time, assuming there is enough water in the creek, we’ll start from NW 36th Avenue at the Salmon Creek Greenway and explore the route to Lake River.

Paddling back, we saw the eagles again and more herons, some in flight, others lounging in the shade of the willows. Total wildlife count for the day: two majestic, adult bald eagles, countless herons, plethora of seagulls, Osprey family, kingfisher, geese, red-winged blackbirds, martins and other unidentified species.

Salmon Creek eagle

Heron in the willows

Heron in flight

Humans census: only two other kayaks, a few fisherman, a couple of pesky motorboats breaking the Vancouver Lake speed rules, and dozens of sailboats with young sailors, way across the lake, waiting for wind for the youth regatta at Vancouver Lake Sailing Club.

Four hours and about 10 miles later, we were back…hot, sore, downright weary and ready to go again.

by Julia Anderson
Kayakers from throughout Southwest Washington gathered on the East Fork of the Lewis River in Clark County on Saturday for a competition they call “creek boating or creeking.” Some 40 competitors sized up Sunset Falls with its roaring spring run off before testing themselves against other kayakers and rafters on a timed course.

Creeking on the East Fork of the Lewis River

Sponsored by Alder Creek Kayak with a store on Hayden Island and Next Adventure, an outdoor gear store in Portland, the event is one of several hosted by organizers of Northwest Creeking Competition, a loose group of kayak enthusiasts.

On Saturday, the parking lot at Sunset Falls, east of Battle Ground and south of Yacolt was filled with kayaker vehicles, trailers and gear and lots of fans including a large number of dogs (on leashes). Volunteers staffed a registration booth with race fees ranging from $10 to $20 depending on the event.

Believe it or not, kayaking can take many forms…hard-shell long- and short-boats, inflatable kayaks and even rafts with both men’s and women’s races. About mid-day, two-man rafts were plunging over the falls with a few landing upside down with their paddlers forced to swim. Don’t worry, despite the sunny warmer weather most competitors were wearing dry suits to protect against cold water temperatures. The day ended with a raffle and barbeque.

For more information on Northwest Creeking Competition, visit http://www.northwestcreekcomp.org/

I love cranberries.  With about 30 percent of West Coast cranberry farms located along the Southwest Washington coast, it makes perfect sense that we have The Cranberry Coast to visit.

I thought this area could be easily explored in one trip. I was wrong. There is a LOT happening in this part of the state. This is Part I.

Thursday Afternoon and Evening
We leave Vancouver on a one of those frying, triple-digit July days. As we pull out of Chehalis on SR6, after our ritual stop at the Dairy Barn for milkshakes, the Wachovia clock reads 100 degrees. By the time we get to Raymond in Pacific County, less than an hour from I-5, we are down to a cool, marine 67 degrees. The Cranberry Coast is looking good already.

The Elegant Russell House

4 p.m. An Elegant Bed and Breakfast in “The Oyster Capital of the World” Our host Beverley warmly welcomes us at the historic Russell House Bed and Breakfast in South Bend. Russell House is a stunning 1891 Victorian home, built by John Russell as a 25th anniversary gift for his wife, overlooking South Bend and the Willapa River. Beverley has graciously agreed to store our tent camper and kayaks in the backyard while we are exploring the area. We settle in to the Bay Room with its turret window seat and spectacular view of the river.

6:30 p.m. Well-worn tavern, good beer, succulent oysters. Beverley recommends two diners in town for great oysters. We start with dinner at Chester Club and Oyster Bar, which more than one person points out has been written about in The New York Times. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us. A few older guys are hanging out at the bar, occasionally wandering out to smoke and greet a very popular dog in a pickup. When I taste my first oyster, I slap the table. It’s that good. Lightly battered and fried but not greasy. And it’s matched perfectly with Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale. I hope The New York Times was very, very kind to this bar. They deserve it.

[Read more →]