Look out Portland - Here we come!

A few of us WOWers had a lovely adventure this past week. We took the train to Portland to see the Lincoln Street Kayak and Canoe Museum. We were also interested in taking the train because Amtrack is changing the route. After Dec 18 it will no longer go along the waterway. Like a bunch of kids on a field trip! Quite a few others got caught up in our excitement too (hard not to when we were so joyous, giggle). It was great fun.

After our arrival we walked to the Bus #4 stop passing these rock things along the way.

 

We excitedly gathered our exact change.

It was nice to be recognized an an honored citizen!

When we got to 52nd St. it was a bit showery, but the hike of 4 or so blocks past

nicely maintained gardens was a pleasant distraction. 

We met Harvey Golden at the Lincoln Street Kayak and Canoe Museum just as planned. 

As he shared the whole collection we were flabbergasted to find out he had personally made over 80 kayak replicas (made to current standards - no hides, bone, or tusk). He traveled to the museums all over the world gathering his own measurements. He came home and made them in whatever space he was currently living. One at least was built in a dorm room.  He also made the paddles, harpoons, and other items to demonstrate the kayak's purpose. What started as an simple interest developed into a life's work. He has since written at least 3 books documenting his efforts. We were in awe. We were somewhat shocked to hear that he uses these wonderful replicas in the Columbia River! Well, he had to know if they would function, right?

 The coracle is a small, roundish shaped, lightweight boat of the sort traditionally used in Wales but also in parts of Western and South West England, Ireland (particularly the River Boyne), and Scotland (particularly the River Spey); the word is also used of similar boats found in India, Vietnam, Iraq and Tibet.

Wu-Hu tub boat from China

A skin boat

This was a folding canoe seat.

A different caliper for different kayaks. 

And detailed plans... if you could understand builder speak. 

Needless to say - it was a great day. If you would like to visit... here is the website:
http://www.traditionalkayaks.com/museum.html

It wouldn't be a Portland Trip if we didn't have some street food... (okay so we went inside because it was raining) but it was a cool place on Hawthorne. The roja beef and rice dish was delish!  We rolled onto the #14 and back downtown, then caught the #35 to Burnside. Why? Because you can't leave Portland without stopping at Powell's Books (the Rare Book Room was very interesting). We stopped at the galleries as we hiked back to the train station. Fun for one and all.

No to plan our next adventure....

Summer's ending

It has been a the most unusual of summers. A summer without rain. It has felt "other country" and then "other worldly".

In August many of the crew had an opportunity to see a play called "The Other Country".  It was all about Thea Foss - a heroine that continues to inspire us all.

And then the "other worldly" event happened. A sunclipse!!!!

Oh, my goodness. Was that fun or what?

Can you see the seagull passing through the sun?

Can you see the moon shape?

We had spirit Yes WE DID!

and good food too!

There is no end to the spirit once it is stimulated by good friends, good food and good times.

A great environment always helps.

Whether it be on the west coast or on the east coast - there are women who like to gather by the sea.

To spend some time upon the water with like-minded folks is heaven on earth.

A small little contingent of the WOWers went to the "other side" of our US world.

Guess what they found...

They found good food, good times and water to play on. 

But in the end... I think they will agree - there's no place like home near the Salish Sea.

To have a full boat 

and our own personal mermaid

 is almost all one needs!

New adventures are to come.  Just you wait and see!

Sturgeon Moon

Look who greeted us on our way to the boat.  This little guy was strutting around... barely clothed... only dressed in pin feathers.  He wasn't very shy either.  Looks a bit prehistoric don't you think?

Our happy troop of 10 WOWers pushed off the dock during mid tide for a lovely row on Monday 

and with a few sets of power strokes and we were around Felicity. 

Fortunately the smoke wasn't too overwhelming.  

This is the second week of thick haze and smoke from the fires in British Columbia.

I wish I has taken a picture of the stuffed figs wrapped in bacon. Talk about spoiled!

Yes, yes we are!

Later that night... the sun was a glorious pink. Or should I say red?

The Sturgeon Moon of August is sometimes referred to as the Red Moon because, as the Moon rises in August, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. August’s full moon has also been called the Green Corn Moon and the Grain Moon.

According to one of our WOWers she saw sturgeon while kayaking over by Key Peninsula on Sunday. She said they were amazing and huge as they traveled under their kayak and on up the river. We peppered her with questions.

 
Of course this could be one of "those" fish stories you hear about. Or it could be the effect of the full "sturgeon" moon - you know how the moon affects some people. 

It is interesting to know that Sturgeons are long-lived, late maturing fishes. Their average lifespan is 50 to 60 years, and their first spawn does not occur until they are around 15 to 20 years old. Sturgeons are broadcast spawners, and do not spawn every year because they require specific conditions.

The ecology and life history of green sturgeon have received little study, evidently because of the generally low abundance, limited spawning distribution, and low commercial and sport fishing value of the species (Moyle 2002). Green sturgeon is the most marine species of sturgeon, coming into rivers mainly to spawn (Moyle 2002). Green sturgeons do not spawn every year, and it is believed that the majority of adult green sturgeons are in the ocean at any given time.

Next big event - the Solar Eclipse on August 21! We can't wait.