Oh, What A Day!! - 9/5/15

Or: Up a Lazy River

Oh, what a day! It was unintentionally full and wildly varied. I mean, we went from the 'A' to the 'Z' so to speak.

We've been busy with things to be done here and there all week long and, to add to it, the weather has gotten a bit more damp in the last week. So, looking about and using the wonders of the Internet, I reached out and checked the weather for the week and, when I saw that Saturday was supposed to be semi-nice, I made plans to get out and hit the Siletz River for Round II.

And it worked out nicely. Saturday, in this week of this and that, was free...it was open and, because it was, it was now slotted to be The River Day.  You see, we've been to the Siletz once already but there is a second boat launch, a second park and so, since we enjoyed the river so much the first time, we wanted to try this new launch further up the river.

And so we loaded up the Faithful Mini and headed off...to McDonald's for an early morning coffee and a breakfast sandwich. Hahaha, gotta prioritize, y'all.

I know this is an old story with me, but I enjoyed the drive to the park almost as much as I enjoyed kayaking. These drives along the Central Oregon Coast are just plain nice. 

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. OK, let's move on.

But they are, you know!!

Strome Park. Nice park. Really, it's just for launching your boat onto the river. There's a small area with picnic tables but, I think, that's just a sop to justify calling it a park. It's a semi-park. 

No, it's real purpose, it's raison d'être, is to launch fishing and hunting boats onto the Siletz. Yeah, that's right, hunting. While we were launching, there were two bow-hunters waiting to put their boat into the water. They use the boats to move along up and down the river to a likely hunting location, land their boat and take off on foot. Oh, and as we drove up the river, we passed dozens of boats where they were fishing off them in the river.

Busy place. Oh, and we were the only two kayakers as far as I know. 

Launch for us is pretty easy. Back up the Ol' Faithful Mini, pull the kayaks out the back. Unload the ancillary equipment and then go park the car  and come back and get started. Simple....like me.

And here you go. A handy-dandy and easy-to-understand map of our aquatic journey. We started at the park, the green spot on the right and then paddled our....kayaks around to about where the other red star is. Over a mile, I'm sure. 

It was easy paddling as the river was moving along slowly (you'll see how slow in just a moment). We also made sure to stop plenty of times along the way. I hadn't realized that the river makes a big loop here but it's interesting to see just exactly how it travels along. 

And we are off!!

You can see here how calm the water was. There were times when I regretted disturbing the stillness of the water with my kayak. I would just stop and wait for the ripples to play out so I could be on this mirror.

And we were still early enough to catch some of the steam rising from the river as the sun climbed in the sky. 

Ah, my poor little, over-loaded kayak. That bad boy is carrying its limit!!

Here I am trying to catch some of that calm.

OMMMMMMM......

....Owhatafoolami.....

CB

We saw a number of places where the banks of the river had collapsed and a tree had fallen in. It was obvious the river rises and falls by several feet. Oh, and when you drive in along the Siletz River Road, you'll see a large number of the homes along the river up on stilts.

But for us, today, it was a steady and easy platform for taking pictures.

Tailor-made for a lazy guy. 

There aren't many places along the river where you could beach your kayak and get out. Well, I couldn't. Hahaha, watching me get in and out of a kayak can be dangerous...you could really hurt yourself bad laughing so hard. 

But for now it was just the two of us, the forest and the river. It was so quiet, I could hear the 'plink' as the fish broke the water catching some bugs on the surface. We could also hear the sounds of the birds in the forest.

I was able to catch the 'tap-tap-tapping' of a woodpecker in the woods.

And we were able to hear the Kingfisher clowning around along with other birds.

My unofficial policy for traveling is to "follow your nose." In other words, sometimes you just go along....you'll get there, eventually. Rather than plan a trip to the nth degree, sometimes its OK to just ramble 'round. 

Today, I was exercising that philosophy. I admit, you can't really vary your trip when you're on a river but, y'know, the basics remain here...relax and follow your nose.

And, if you're acquainted with the size of my nose, you'll realize how easy it is to follow that adage. 

Today, I was hearkening to my own philosophy; I was following the nose of my kayak and going with the flow.

Hahaha, I thought I was slow!!!

Ever-so-often I'd pull up and wait for Carol to catch up. She gives me a lot of space in which to take my pictures.

Hola!!

There she is, sunshine on her shoulders.

CB

And the clouds today...well, they added a special touch to the whole scene.

I'm gonna shut up for a while here and you can scroll down and peruse the river at your leisure.

But then the clouds to the East began to get a bit gray and grumbly. They were moving up fast and while I enjoyed my time on the river, I didn't want to be there when the wind picked up and the clouds moved in.

So we turned around and began our trek back.

Which was, really, not all that difficult. 

We just kicked back and let the current take us. It wasn't fast but, if you weren't in a hurry, it'd get you there eventually.

At the end of this trip, I found I had 404 pictures. I had not realized that I had taken so many pictures. One of my joys is simply taking pictures...seeing it and then capturing it.

Oh, I realize they aren't award winners but they are, for me, fun. 

There it is. That's the whole reason. And I get to look and see when I shoot. And so, while I was cruising down river, I was shooting to my heart's content.

And it was nice not having to worry about my camera. I have a water-proof (up to 100 feet) camera now and I hooked it to a float and that to a line hooked to me. 

Ain't no way I'm losing that sucka!!

And for a very utilitarian camera, it ain't too shabby. Really, the only thing I've given up is the long lens. It's a reasonable macro at 24mm but it's just about 105mm long. At times I felt frustrated by that limitation as it doesn't reach out as far as I'd like and pull things in.

Still following my nose. The only time I had to get involved as we floated back to the park was when I got too close to the shore or was aiming towards some log or such out in the river. 

Following my nose...

Hahaha, typical. I was as stretched out as I could get in my over-loaded kayak.

What a sight we must have made to anyone along the river.

We had the gray clouds to our rear, chasing us down the river. In front of us were still some blue skies with marshmallow clouds.

You always have choices: If you stick your oar in the water, you'll roil the water and ruin the calm, or, you can stick your oar in, shake things up a bit and move a little further down the river. Either way, something's gonna change.

Hmmmmm... Heavy, Man.

And as the sun shifted we were able to see into the water in some places. I am always surprised by how clean and clear the water is in these rivers.

I am a product of the 60s and 70s and I expect rivers to be slightly foul and possibly polluted. And I am always surprised when I can see several feet down to the river bed.

And, finally, after hearing them and seeing several of them flying by along the river, we got to see a Kingfisher in a tree. This fine fellow actually stayed in place for about a minute allowing me to get a bit closer for a shot at him. 

Dang that short lens!!

And, just beyond him, was a raptor. He was in a tree along the river when I first spotted him and quickly took flight before I could get close enough get a good look at him.

You can get a glimpse of the gathering clouds. By the time we got back to LCO, the sky was uniformly overcast. But it was a glorious morning.

The Siletz River

And we successfully beached without either of us taking an unintended dive. It weren't pretty, but I got out with just getting my shoes wet. 

A grand success!!

And then it was back on the Siletz River Road and back to LCO.

Doggone it, I do like to drive around here.

And as we drove down the River Road, we even got some glimpses of the river itself. What I'd like to do someday is launch way upriver and then have someone pick us up downriver. Spend the day just floating and whatever. 

This is the newly completed section of The 101 between the southern end of LCO and Nelscott. What they did was widen the road and add a center lane so now cars can turn left without holding up traffic. That's a huge plus as you can sometimes wait to turn left for over a minute.

 

We finally made it back home and I did what I do best, sack out on the couch. For a while, anyway.

I was aware that the Chinook Winds Casino was hosting a car show this weekend and so Carol and I rested for a couple hours and then we put on our walking shoes and started towards the Casino to check out the classic cars.

I get a kick out of walking around this city. The folks here, especially those with vacation rentals houses, put an extra effort into their yard decorations. For example, this place has some nice touches to it. It looks like it could easily be on the east coast in Martha's Vineyard.

And they work the nautical thing a lot here.

Then, as we neared the Casino motels, we saw this on the beach. They were having a surfside wedding. 

This was a first for us. And we saw the groom as he walked down to the beach with his parents and best man. 

There were a lot of people on the beach today....last holiday weekend of the year and all.

I was left wondering what they did to keep the chair legs from sinking into the sand.

Once we cleared the motels, there was the Casino. They have a large grassy area behind the main building where events, concerts, etc., are held. That's where the car show was being held today. 

And that's where we were headed to.

A lot of chrome died for this bike.

While I won't ever ride another motorcycle again, there is still a little pull towards them for me. Hahaha, it's that rebel, 'Then Came Bronson' thing. When I got out of the Corps in '70, I thought about getting a bike and hitting the road...I also thought about getting a Plymouth Roadrunner, too. 

Hahaha, I went back to work and got a VW Bug.

And, when we reached the event field, this is what we saw...

What a beautiful car....a '55 Chevy BelAir. 

I find it hard at times to remember what it was like when these huge cars were the norm everyday.

He's got a suicide, or brodie, knob on the steering wheel. I do like the color-coordinated simplicity of this dash. See the clock on the far right? A regular ol' electric clock mounted in the dash. I can't remember one where it actually worked after more than a year. And the glove compartment is there in the center, just below the radio. But, as I look, I wonder where the ashtray is? Every car I had or rode in had ashtrays throughout the interior.

This was a luxury car...it had an automatic!

When I saw this Chevy, my heart leapt. It looks an awful lot like the '50 Chevy I had for a short while my senior year of high school. It was a hand-me-down from my brother, Curt, and I was happy to have it. It had a flathead six with home-made, reversed gears on the floor. 

It was roomy, fun and cheap. A lot like me!! Oh, and it was a pale worn-out green, too.

And right next to it is a Nash Rambler.

I believe it was a '53 Nash Rambler that my Mom and Dad had when when we made our Great Migration from Oklahoma to California. 

I regret not getting a shot of the rear seat in this car as it looked to be the same size and shape of the car we had. Hahaha, I spent a couple hours riding on the floorboards in the backseat of that Rambler. Part of the pain of being the youngest of three boys.

I remember, sort of, this kind of grill. 

My Dad's Rambler was a deep, dark blue. Dad used to hang a canvas water bag over the front grill to help cool the engine down when we traveled through the desert going to and from Oklahoma for visits.

Hahaha, look at that!! This is the rear end of a '61 or '62 Ford Galaxie. You could have a party on the trunk lid. You could carry a whole lot of anything inside it.

I think this is a '55. Love the lines. I think I'd repaint it, though.

Then we saw Priscilla. She and Richard, her husband, were displaying their '31 Ford Roadster. Unfortunately, Richard wasn't feeling well and had gone home early. Carol got in for a quick picture

Last Monday, we met Richard and Priscilla at the Friends of the Library Sale and talked about old books. Richard told me that he had plenty of them and invited us to come and see them. And we did. While we were there, Richard gave us a tour of his house...loads of books, tons of antiques and, out in the garage, this.

It was a nice surprise, seeing it at the car show.

CB

Chevy's ruled on this day. I was disappointed not to see any Ford Fairlanes. 

Uh, Wow!!

A '39 Packard.

Uh, WOW!!

What a beautiful car. Modern cars can't hold a candle to this.

As elegant inside as it is outside.

But, alas, I can't afford it. To be honest, I can barely afford...

....this - Fred Flintstone's used car.

Fun Facts: The Flintstones was the first prime-time animated sitcom. It aired from September 30, 1960 until April 1, 1966 on ABC. Hahaha, that was a long time.

Produced by Hanna-Barbera, it showed the lives of a working-class Stone Age man, his wife and their neighbors...ala  The Honeymooners, the Jackie Gleason TV show. They successfully played on the juxtaposition of modern everyday concerns set in the Stone Age. 

The Flintstones was the most financially successful network animated franchise for three decades, until The Simpsons came along.

Flintstones, 

Meet the Flintstones

They're the modern Stone Age family

From the town of Bedrock

They're a page right out of history

Let's ride with the family down the street

Through the courtesy of Fred's two feet.

How cool is this!?! A car show next to the beach!!

Hahaha, I just included these last two pictures just because you can see the ocean so easily. I am a petty person and not above finding a sore point and poking at it just because I can.

There's the Rambler and the Chevy again.

And then I fell in love, again.

A '36 Ford Roadster.

Is this not great!?!?!

I WANT!!

And a handy and convenient, plus stylish, place to carry the spare.

Couldn't get away with putting one of these rumble seats in a modern car.  Oh, those Oldies were so reckless. What a great place to put the kids...you wouldn't be bothered by "Are we there yet?" questions.

And that was that. Our third car show in since July. I won't say I am getting a bit jaded by them all but the great excitement I felt at the first show wasn't there. Still, it was fun seeing these old beauties.

OK, the other day we got an e-mail from Jack, the Audubon Prez, telling us about a swarm of Vaux's Swifts that had been spotted right here in LCO. A woman familiar with them had spotted them down by the All American Putt 'N Bat. When she went to the Bijou Theater, this woman mentioned her sighting to Betsy, the lady who works the candy counter there. Betsy, in turn, sent a note to Jack who passed it along to others in the Audubon chain. And, that's how we found out.

Love the small town camaraderie.

Anyway, that's where we were around 1945 tonight. Hahaha, y'see, it's been a busy day.

We drove on over to the Putt 'N Bat and as soon as we got there, we saw the Swift's swarming. (Try saying that three times real fast!)

Fun Facts: The Vaux's Swift is a small swift native to North American and northern South America. It was named for an American scientist, William Sansom Vaux.

To add to the fun, we ran into Mike and Bron who were already there watching. We had a good time watching the Swifts and talking with them.

More Fun Facts: This is a gregarious species, with flocks of 30 or more birds, and often with other swift species. 

These Vaux's Swifts feed in flight on flying insects, including beetles, wasps, termites and flying ants. They forage over forests and more open areas, including towns.

More Fun Facts: In the fall, swifts concregate in large groups as they prepare for their migration southward to Central America and Venezuela. During September, large groups pass through Oregon on their way south.

Even More Fun Facts: It's not uncommon for these migrating swifts to use chimneys to roost in during the night. Once a population of swifts locate an appropriate chimney, they're likely to return year after year. Groups of roosting swifts can range in size from just a few to as many as 35,000 in some larger smokestacks.

The Last Fun Facts: Swifts do not 'perch'. With their highly specialized feet, they cling to vertical surfaces on trees and chimneys to build their nests. In fact, if you have a young Vaux's Swift who has fallen into your fireplace, you're advised to pick him up gently and, reaching up into the chimney, place him along the wall. Still unable to fly, he'll inch his way back up the chimney wall to his nest and safety.

But we got to see them. They swarmed hither and thither, constantly moving. They must require a lot of bugs just to keep their tiny engines fueled because they don't light. Then, and how they communicate I don't know, they all decided it is time to call it an evening and they started fluttering down into the chimney. 

It was impossible for us to count them so I am estimating their were over a hundred, probably a lot more, but they all, within about ten minutes of when the first ones went in, all headed into the chimney for the night.

And we stood there and watched. There was one bird that stayed out and kept flying in a large circle, sort of, around the chimney and pulling the the stragglers. We stayed there watching until the last one went in. 

What a sight!!

And, what a day!!

We had a good day. Riding the kayaks to seeing the cars to watching the swifts. It was fun. Oh, and, afterwards, we all went over to the Nauti-Mermaid for a drink and to talk over some of the fun we'd just had. 

Good times, good adventures and good people.

Life is good.

     Hooah!!