Dave and I are ending our season early this year because Dave is having a knee replacement on Monday.  We tried to remember how many years we have been paddling together.  Since neither of us could remember for sure,  we decided it must be for a very long time indeed.  We had such a fun run today coming down from Sweet Home to Waterloo.  It was fast and splashy and bouncy almost all the way.

You can’t see much splashing in these pictures.  I can’t take pictures and negotiate rapids at the same time.

It was a great way to end the season on what I think may be our very favorite run.  But, who knows?  Dave says he’ll be playing tennis again in six weeks, so maybe he’ll be back on the river in time for the fall foliage paddle

Interesting wildlife along our rivers.  Mostly osprey and great herons along the Willamette, but today we were blessed by the company of a bald eagle and some friendly farm animals who I think were hoping for a handout.

And the usual Canada geese.  I can never understand why these ubiquitous birds are not found on every Christmas dinner table around here. They certainly are not endangered.  They are very beautiful but they just must not be very tasty.

I spotted this large, beautiful gastropod on the bank of the Willamette at Champoeg last weekend.  I bet the geese eat these.  Maybe that’s why people do not eat the geese.

I’ll be thinking about Dave on Monday while I’m back on the Willamette with Jim, another great paddling buddy who favors that long, smooth river.  Dave was a good sport about the Willamette a few years back when he agreed to do the entire thing with me from the Mackenzie right into the Columbia, even though he holds its generally flat current in some disdain.