While Jim and I were out paddling from Harrisburg to Peoria on Friday, Dave was driving down to Linn County to get the key for the gate on the South Santiam at Sanderson’s Bridge, where they told him that the bank had pretty much washed away and made him sign a disclaimer.  So, the very next day, we had to go see for ourselves.

And we did.  We found only this narrow, eight-food drop off where just last year there was a good bank.

Not willing to risk life and limb,  we just turned around and, after buying some cherries at a farm stand, headed back to the Willamette at Peoria where I had taken out just the evening before and started paddling to Corvallis.

The illusive heron was still standing in the slough and the red ribbon was still marking the entrance.  A bald eagle was sitting in the sentinel tree.

The river was moving along zippah-dee-do-dah.  Before we knew it, we were at mile 136.

In just 2-1/2 hours, we were taking out at Michael’s Landing where we made friends with a third year OSU chemistry student from Beijing  whose father had come over for a visit. I believe the father videoed my entire conversation with the son on his iPhone.

Dave was able to drive the big car right down to the bank where we loaded up

without disturbing this mallard who was napping nearby.