Well, Siltcoos Lake is still there and I'm assuming the boat dock we launched from is still there, but the cabins and property have been sold. I haven't heard anything more about it so I believe that it's probably not available to rent anymore. 

Siltcoos is another of our favorite kayak places, partially because of it's beauty, partially because of it's location. It's close to the ocean, the sand dunes near Florence and close to town if you want do have a meal out or do a little shopping. It's a huge lake and is 68 square miles according to wikipedia. We've been there a bunch of times and have never even been down to the west end of the lake where most kayakers go.

Siltcoos Station

When we go we rent a rustic cabin like room from Lane Community College  called Siltcoos Station on the east end of the lake. It's a room with a queen bed, a kitchen, bathroom and a view! No TV, no cell service, but there is WiFi. Bring your own entertainment.

There's lots to do an explore around the lake. We like to kayak the "bay" area off to the north of where we stay. The water is generally pretty calm in this area, if you go out into the lake it sometimes gets windy so keep an eye on the weather.

This is the dock and boat launch area and view to the west.

Pink water lily near the dock.

Last summer when we visited the caretaker's cat decided we were OK and moved in to take a nap!






Things to do:

• Other things we like to do in the area if explore the town of Florence. There's a nice little shopping area on the bayfront to visit. 
• The amazing Oregon Dunes are all around, stop by Honeyman State Park just across the highway and see what you can see. There's a small lake, big dunes and it's a nice place to sit in the sunshine and people watch.
• Like to gamble? 3 Rivers Casino is just down the road in town. We like to stop by for lunch at the buffet, which usually offers a really fresh salad bar, some cooked to order items in the hot food area and some of the standards...fresh sliced roast beef, mac-n-cheese, etc. Desert bar is also really good. Then we go throw some money in the slot machines and try to break even on lunch!
• Go see the ocean...play on the beach, make a sand castle, walk until you drop, search for treasure.

I hear stories of a small river channel with a place you ford your boat to continue on to the ocean. Heard of it, never done it! Here's what I found on the internet describing it:

"Siltcoos Canoe Trail--Getting there: Follow U.S. 101 to Dunes City/Westlake, six miles south of Florence. Turn east onto Pacific Avenue and follow it to the boat ramp at the end of the road. The day-use fee is $3."

A Rainbow of Kayaks

Kayaks loaded and ready for a trip! Rich can pack 4 of them on the BigDog (our Xterra). My personal favorite is green one. 

Waldo Lake

I'm starting with Waldo Lake since that's the first place we floated our boats. If you haven't been to Waldo I have to tell you it's well worth the trip. It's out Hwy 58 past Oakridge, Oregon about 30 miles and then on up the mountain. The elevation is 5,414 feet so don't plan on going in the winter. They don't plow the roads up there so when it's closed for snow, it's really closed. It's a huge lake and the blue-est blue you can imagine. I like to paddle out to where the water changes color from greenish blue to blue-blue and just float a while. It's my moment of zen!

Things you need to know about Waldo:

• The water is cold, cold, cold...don't fall in! =)
• Gas powered boats are not allowed at Waldo, so it's just us paddlers and a few sailboats out there...nice!
• Beware of the mosquitoes...they will eat you alive if you are not prepared. Be sure to bring bug repellent. Usually they aren't too bad out on the water, it's the put in and take out when they will get you. Also, mid-August they are mostly gone.
• Bring something for lunch, there's no place to buy a snack up there. We like to stop in Oakridge at the A&W and grab a burger and a root beer...just because it's fun! (It's also a good bathroom stop.)
• Sometimes we camp at Waldo, there are a couple forest service campgrounds up there. They are sort of primitive, but have decent pit toilets and running water. When we camp we usually stay at Shadow Bay but there is another campground further up the mountain.Be prepared for the cold at night, at that elevation it gets really chilly even in summer! 
• I'll say it again...the mosquitoes will eat you alive. We only camp up there mid-August or later! 

Enjoy!

Update for 7/9/2014
Another beautiful trip to Waldo for RnR and neighbor Barb. Beautiful blue lake, a little bit of wind but a great day on the lake. Today we explored the south end of the lake. The mosquitoes on and near shore were ferocious, but out on the lake they didn't bother us.

Rich did a little bit of exploring on one of the beaches and found deer tracks AND cougar tracks in the sand. We've never seen any big predators around there but I guess they might be there! 

On the way home we stopped in Oakridge at Brewer's Local 180 brew pub. We each found a  cold beverage to enjoy.The people were friendly and the music was music that I knew the words to. Bring you growler

Our perfect day took a turn for the worse on the trip home. There was a horrible accident that blocked traffic for several hours. Sooooo.....our little trip turned into an adventure. It was recommended that we turn around and go home by way of Bend. Not a short trip, we stopped in Bend and fortified ourselves with some coffee and hit the long, long road home. All is well that ends well, our "day trip" ended at 11:30 at night. Wow, what a day! 435 miles roundtrip.

The drive home was long, but beautiful! Sunset over the Sisters...pretty nice, eh?

Hello Friends!

My husband and I (Rich and Ruthie) enjoy kayaking whenever we can. People always ask where we've been and what we've seen so we decided this would be a way to share the great (and some not-so-great) places we've floated our boats.

Some things you should know about us:

• We live in Oregon...so most of our kayak adventures are in Oregon.
• I am a flat water, fair weather kayaker. Rich is not so picky. He's been known to bundle up and go float his boat in rain and snow. 
• We are fast approaching senior citizen age...how in the world did that happen? 

If you have questions for us, or suggestions of places we can kayak we'd love to hear from you!

RnR