Sea Kayak - Lake Roosevelt

Trip Report

SIGHTED: DEER, ELK, BIG HORN SHEEP, SNAKE, BALD EAGLE, GOLDEN EAGLE, COMMON MERGANSER, HAWK, HUMMINGBIRD, COMMON LOON, SPARROW, SWALLOW, CANADA GOOSE,  MALLARD, GREAT BLUE HERON, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, CALIFORNIA QUAIL, WILD TURKEY

 

THU 08/21/25 – TRAVEL DAY TO SEVEN BAYS MARINA AND HAWK CREEK CAMPGROUND

Today was a day that was odd but wound up passing somewhat smoothly considering.

 

 The drive to Evan’s house in Bellevue was uneventful except for actually trying to find it. It didn’t take long to get Evan’s boat/gear in Terry’s car and I guess we got off around 8:00. The sun was a low orange ball and I was concerned about the smoke as I climbed higher up I90 East; it seemed to take a long time to get to Hyak.  We pulled over at the John Day rest stop and later the Wild Horse Monument Scenic viewpoint just up the hill from the bridge. No back up at the bridge at Vantage.  At some point we stopped and I went to a very crowded Starbucks.  Bear left to take 283/28 and reached Ephrata with no issues.We got going to Ephrata and stopped at the Safeway for gas.  Then lunched at the Agave Mexican restaurant just down the street about noon.  Get off 28 to 17 at Soap Lake and the other little lakes.  Then a stop to marvel at the fantastic Dry Falls before presently getting on 2 East at Dry Falls Junction. 

Drive over the Dry Falls Dam at the bottom of Banks Lake to soon find yourself on a black road going straight through golden yellow fields that stretch on and on in all directions. The sun was hot now; I’d changed into my shorts at the restaurant. 

 

The scenery changed abruptly again as soon as we hit the Miles Creston cut off road to ponderosa pine forest that increased as we got closer to Seven Bays.  We passed up the Hawk Creek Campground and it wasn’t long before Lake Roosevelt spread out in front of us and once again I was reminded of how vast it is and that I have paddled all of that one side and down the other and all those good times. 

 

Down the hill to the marina to park by the office and meet friendly General Manager Cameron Forsythe and Rhonda.  I had talked to Rhonda yesterday on the phone.  All the news was good, the sky clear with only a tinge of smoke now and then, no new forest fires, Rattlesnake across the lake was already out. They didn’t have any fishing maps or Wagbags but didn’t seem too concerned when I said we would use Ziplocks if needed. (This is actually posted as not good enough on the campground board). They have ice cream too—at 50% off—to look forward to at the end of our trip!

 

Cameron kindly offered us free parking in the secured area beside the store as long as we didn’t mind the 9 AM -8 PM restricted access.  No problem there.  We sat down at the shady picnic table under the beautiful trees to have a discussion of what to do tomorrow. Then back to the cars to do the short drive back up the hill and south to Hawk Creek Campground.  Once off the main road a graded dirt road delivers you to the campground, wetland and boat launch just beyond it. The campground had only a few trailers and tents and we luckily got the one place that had a spot for my hammock on the west side of the compound.  Trash bins next to the bathroom (no TP) on the east side.

 

We were soon in our camp chairs snacking on chips and sparkling water before setting up camp. It was about 5:30 when helicopters began flying right over our heads at the tops of the trees.  The group sitting a few sites over from us pointed out the smoke over the adjacent hill to the east.  Soon a series of five helicopters were taking turns gathering water from the creek via a long fat hose or long hanging bucket. One of the guys next door had been an instructor for fire fighters.  But they all said we were fine where we are unless told to get out. 

 

At 6:30 I got in my car and drove back up the main road to find a guy on the back of a flat bed truck staring through binoculars at the fire on the south east hill across the creek like he was at a ball game.  I could see the smoke but no flames and he said it had started about an hour ago but it looked like it was never out of control. I went back to camp.  Evan had changed his mind and they now wanted to stay here instead of going to Fort Spokane.  I was concerned about the noise from the aircraft—the helicopters were joined by four other planes of some kind—and they were still barely skimming the trees above our heads until about sunset when it all stopped. I can still smell smoke occasionally.

 

I walked down to admire the pretty falls on the south end of the campground.  I didn’t take the camera.  Terry and I walked down there again after dinner in the dark to admire the view and the bright stars overhead.  I think we also saw a bat a couple of times.

 

The wind really works up sometimes and at one point there was a sharp crack and a whole branch came off of one of the trees in the middle of the campground.  Luckily there wasn’t anything underneath it. You can only pay the $23 overnight fee by phone here and none of ours worked. I will see if I can do it online after I get back.

 

It’s dark by 8:00.  Evan couldn’t find his headlamp and I loaned him my spare that I keep in the car until he found it.   We decided against going on a shuttle trip to Kettle Falls.  I don’t know what the air quality will be up there as there are still at least two fires burning up on that end of the lake and another one by Inchelium.

 

Tomorrow we will launch from Seven Bays and go south to Sterling Point.  I want to go through that beautiful canyon and back to that boat launch that I’d sent the picture to Terry and Evan to see.  It is only about five miles or so and then we will decide if we want to stay one night or two there.  Go east, swing into Hawk Creek and then head north.  

 

09/21/25 – SEVEN BAYS TO STERLING PT – 5 SM – LIGHT RAIN CLEARING IN AFTERNOON, LITTLE OR NO BREEZE, TEMPS MID 50S-70S DEGREES, SEA CALM TO RIPPLED, VISABILITY GOOD

 Last night I slept on and off.  The wind continued to whip up now and then before suddenly stopping altogether.  I strongly smelled smoke at one point.  Somebody at the next campsite was coughing fit to gag around 7 AM.  I got up about 20 minutes later.  To the loo, take my hammock down, stuff everything in my car.  Down to the marina to see four deer along the way.  I filled up my water cubes at the hose; I had thought I brought three but had only two.  

A few houseboats were coming in before we left.  Cameron came down and commented on the commotion the night before.  He lives on the hill behind Hawk Creek campground so he saw the helicopters too.

 

It took me four trips to do up one side and down the other of most of the 155 miles of Lake Roosevelt; my first trip was in May 2011.  Full pool is 1290 feet. The water level was about 65 feet below capacity and rose 8’ in the four days I was there. I started at Grand Coulee Dam and turned around at Seven Bays Marina.   I was practically the only one on the water because all the boat launches were closed. I was too far to even see the boat launches and most of the docks dangled far above my head.  I saw a lot of rock and “stadium bleacher” lake bed shoreline--some of it really stunning--that is now all underwater.  My subsequent journeys had me going north starting at Seven Bays so I never got to go back to see how the lower lake looked. This trip had us starting with the water level about 1279 and rising to 1283.  I was really looking forward to seeing what things looked like now at almost full pool in those lower regions.

 

We finally got off after our brief huddle about 9:20.  The rain had just started coming down in a light but steady patter after we had our boat packed.  I laughed when I put my hand in the water…it felt so warm! 

We headed straight over to Rock Island and now it truly is one so that was a good start. A little creek bed came out close by but there wasn’t too much to explore. 

We went along the Colville side to save some mileage, seeing evidence of the recent and past fires everywhere. Much of it seemed to be in spots and not far from the water.  I wonder if any of it was airborne sparks?  With all the pine trees and their cones the hills are a tinder box right now. 

 

The rock walls began appearing as we headed south reminding me of Ross Lake.  We continued on past Lincoln on the other side with its burner looking like a badminton cock.  There seem to be a LOT more houses up on the hills that I remember, scattered on the lowest levels of the tiered hillsides. 

 

We pulled out on a sandy beach for a snack break.  As I approached the log to sit on a small snake caught my eye on the other side as it slipped underneath it.  I chose a spot some distance away.  I have the feeling it was not a garter snake as I think I caught a glimpse of a light and medium diamond pattern with a white underbelly.  It was about as thick as my thumb so was a young—and more dangerous—one. It reminded me that we had to be watchful of its kin around here. 

 

We saddled up after taking a walk up the beach to admire the many different stones; I have been finding a lot of feathers which I collect for good weather charms.  I got some pics of tracks in the sand.  Eventually a bio break and back in the boats.  The sky was brightening slowly; the rain backing off by the time we rounded into the first bend of the canyon and I could see the beginning of the beautiful rock faces on the other side of it and we stroked towards them.

 

One of the challenges on the lake is the size of things. It makes figuring out distances difficult sometimes. Like in the desert you can’t tell if the the rocks and things you see are really small or large until you get considerably closer.  We saw something on the shore that I was trying to figure out if they were cows or what when we realized they were Canada geese! They took off and we headed across the channel towards some towering and mostly smooth rock faces.  Eventually we rounded the bend and I saw the sign for Sterling Point. The long dock was on the other side of the head.  A man and two boys were fishing off the dock and obligingly moved over for me to land on the sand beside it. 

It was quite a difference from the first time I had seen it!  Yes, that is my boat down in the lower right side.

Evan and Terry pulled up on the rocks on the point but moved their boats over with mine once emptied.  And what a campsite it is!  The grass and scrub has been worn down/removed with numerous tent pads scattered all over with a couple of trees for my hammock right close to the steps I came up.  We wasted no time in getting unloaded.  I tied their boats up with mine to the dock with my tow rope as usual.  I sat and ate my lunch; it was about 12:45.  The sunshine was now weak and according to Cameron’s helpful info the rain is not due to bother us again for the rest of our trip.

 

Things were warming up quickly; I changed into a tshirt and pants after setting up my hammock.  We all went for a walk down the beach after lunch.  The sense of direction is kind of distorted here as we are in an S curve.  But oh my, the rock faces across the way are lovely. 

 

We came back and I was getting sleepy and laid down in my comfy hammock for an hour nap at 4:30.  We were sitting in our chairs after dinner and group of deer with a little one came wandering in just as it was getting dark.  I got pics but couldn’t get the camera set up properly. Talk about the deer in the headlights heehee.  There were wary but didn’t seem upset by our being there.

 

It’s dark by 7:15 here and after cleaning up my dishes and self I went to the extremely clean loo---this one doesn’t even smell!!!—and am now in my hammock.  It’s only 8:26 but I’m sleepy again.  The only sounds are the crickets and the lapping water.  So peaceful and quiet-we will be here another night for sure. 

 

MON 09/22/25- STERLING POINT TO WHITESTONE ROCK – 9 SM – OVERCAST THEN SUNNY AND WARM, 50S – 70S, NE 0 – 7 KTS IN AM, SLIGHT CHOP TO CALM, VISABILITY EXCELLENT.

 The wind came up off and on and then steady after dawn with Terry reporting 10-15 knot gusts when trying to cook his breakfast. It had quit all this by the time I was staggering to the loo at 8:30 or so.  We shoved off around 1020 and headed straight across the lake to the rocky faces.  It turned out to be a very rewarding plan. Terry spied something moving on some ledges on a hillside soon after we left and it turned out to be not one but two big horned sheep!  They stood and stared and then continued grazing, mostly ignoring us.  They looked pretty burly so I guess the fires haven’t affected them too badly.

 

We finally tore ourselves away and moved on to Haystack Rock. There are actually two large rocks but the bigger one has trees on it. It’s only a mile down from our camp. 

We continued on south being pushed by the steady breeze from behind.  It was 1130 when we stopped about five miles down across from Whitestone Rock.  We had lunch on the Colville side with a heart shaped figure laid out in stones on the sand with two poles with a cross bar along the top of either side of the heart.  There were some red ribbons cut up to look like rose petals lying in the sand too.  We figured that somebody must have gotten married or some similar ceremony here recently.  The heart pointed towards Whitestone Rock across the channel.

 

So after a 45 minute lunch we headed over to see it up close.  I had to pull over and redistribute stuff to balance my boat better on a ledge once we got to the other side.  The wind had died to a pleasant whisper as we paddled past the cliffs some 600’ high by Evan’s estimation. 

We continued on after taking some pics on that side.  There are a few houses scattered along the hills on some of the lower tiers.  One of them was next to the first waterfall I’ve seen where we got out to inspect it.  I hope it wasn’t the residents just doing their laundry or something, haha.  It had some foliage growing around it so I think it is a real natural one.

 

We continued on, mostly along the shore skirting around the rocks and interesting shoreline. It was easy to see where the trees began being more numerous south and north of the White Stone rock canyon.  The contrast beside the two shores was startling—the Colville side had long sandy cliffs with only yellow vegetation and the other side sprinkled with trees. Then it sort of switched once we were north of Hanson Creek.  We paused to view the occupied campsite.  No boat dock and we liked our place much better. No afternoon sun either but it would be a good place to be if the wind came up from the east.

 

Soon we were moving along past the sandy beach we had toiled on the day before.  This time we got to the boat dock in about 3 ½ minutes!  It didn’t take long to get out of our empty boats and back up to camp.  I got changed and was soon puzzling over my map to figure out the next move.  The mileage is not accurate; I was joined by Terry.  At one point I looked up and was startled to see a plume of smoke rising from the trees about halfway up the hill across from us. 

We grabbed our phones after failed attempts to hail down some passing power boats.  Terry’s AT&T phone worked (Cameron had told us that was the best network around here, Verizon sucks) and he called the marina to report the sighting to Sherry.  A second plume of smoke started directly to the right of the first and a few power boaters were gathered along the base.  Eventually both plumes disappeared. So did the boats.

 

It was after 4:00 when Terry and I went on to the beach to have some crackers and cheese before fixing dinner.  It’s now 7:23 and about 10 minutes ago I noticed an odd pattern on the otherwise glassy lake.  It’s now spread out more.  There is little or no wind and I wonder if it is being caused by feeding fish that are rising to the surface. If so serious fishers are wasting their time during the day!

 

After discussion with Terry and Evan we are going to go 10+ miles to Columbia Campground after topping off our water at the marina.  We will also go up the other side and see how far we can get back up Hawk Creek. Then proceed up to either Enterprise or Roger’s Bar the next day.  We will decide then when we want to head back down to the Spokane River.

 

TUE 09/23/25 – STERLING POINT TO COLUMBIA CAMPGROUND – 17 SM – SUNNY, 50S-70S, LITTLE OR NO BREEZE, SEA CALM TO RIPPLING, VISION GOOD TO EXCELLENT.

Today I was up at 8:00.  It was sunny and getting warmer by the minute.   Terry said his tent fly was actually wet when he got up.  Evan’s was ok and my tarp was dry.

 

We got underway a little after 0900.  I couldn’t find my gloves at first and held us up for a couple of minutes.  We opted to stay along the shore.  Got close up pics of the badminton cock at Lincoln. 

Lincoln has a boat launch bigger than it has a right to be!  It was 1130 when we got to the mouth of Hawk Creek and proceeded inside.  It kept going on and on.  There were only a few houses on the south side up on the hill not far from the mouth.  I didn’t get much farther than that on my first trip. And oh my, what I missed!

 

We were pretty close to the back when Terry turned a sharp corner with me right behind him.  I saw his startled look as he made the sharp right turn and I immediately cranked up a couple of strokes.  My jaw dropped when I came in behind him.  Completely hidden until you turn that corner is a narrow canyon with a huge rock cliff towering over your head at least 400’ high all along on one side.  We stayed there a minute or two oohing and ahhhing and making noises to hear the echo off the cliffs.

 

After we staggered out of there we could see Hawk Creek campground around the next bend.  The sun was getting hotter.  We couldn’t get past the dry dock at the campground so we got out and had lunch there around one of the sunny picnic tables.  We had our choice…the place was completely empty!

  We left around 1245 and it took another half hour or so to get back to the main channel.  The wind had died, the visibility improved and we made pretty good time. We passed a couple of houseboats along the shoreline which surprised me.

 

We arrived at Seven Bays Marina around 1400.  Terry went up to his car to drop off some things.  We all got our water topped off.  I had to rearrange my stern storage, getting some bags resituated so my feet weren’t getting jammed with them in the front end. Cameron came down to say hello as were packing up.  He said they had five houseboats booked for the weekend and none can go up the Spokane River due to the low water volume over the rocks around the bulkheads for the bridge.  He said they see it all on those houseboats.  They charge over $9K for six nights for the deluxe model in the high season and they still have to bring their own linen!!!

 

By the time we shoved off again the wind had died, the water was like glass as we wound up towards the middle of the lake. I was trying to spot the Spokane River opening after about 45 minutes.  We finally saw what looked like the Two Rivers Marina on the north side but no sign of the bridge beyond it.  I was puzzled by the road going along the top of the road.  I paddled over to the point on the north side to verify the light #5 (or S) on it.  My map showed that the Columbia Campground was halfway between Abraham Cove and the river which would put in within a couple of miles at the most.

 

Except it wasn’t.  All I saw was an inhospitable shoreline for camping with no signs of “Columbia” or any other campground on it.  I was getting frustrated; I couldn't see where we could have missed it. The only signs I had seen along the beaches said “Private” except for some real estate agent on one. We ducked into a small cove where I saw a big 5^th wheel parked back a bit.  I got out and approached hollering hello but got no answer.  Thankfully no barking either. A honey bucket, four rec boats, an outdoor stove of some kind so it looks like it is privately owned.  The sandy beach off to the other side had a couple of chairs on it. 

 

We had seen some little buoys farther down.  I asked Terry to go check it out while I waited for Evan to get back in his boat and underway again.  By the time we were approaching him I was pleasantly surprised to see him talking to a woman in a yellow kayak.  Her name is Mary and she and her husband live in the house that we were in front of 9 months out of the year.  The winter is spent on Camano Island!  She gave me a big smile and said, “You are almost there!!”.  She told us that we had just left Abraham Cove.  (I verified it—with the crap trailer—just now on Google Earth). The trailer belongs to a guy named Bob Keifer and it’s been there about five years.  She said tribal members can park trailers on water front public spaces for free but usually only for a few months in the summer. I don’t know how Keifer gets away with his set up which is taking the whole space but it looked pretty permanent.  She said we were almost at Columbia Campground but the location is completely wrong on my map….no wonder I was getting frustrated.  She said there are actually two campgrounds with a smaller one first which is what we wound up with.  There are a couple of trailers parked here too but they are empty.  The beach access isn’t the greatest; it is extremely flat with muck at the water’s edge.  It  would probably be fine if the water was higher though.

 

We unloaded; it was already after 5:00 so we had to hurry to set up our camp.  There are trash cans here and the toilet has TP and is fairly clean.

 

Sitting down to write all of this the coyotes began to sing for a short time on the Colville side.  The crickets are going like crazy and we have heard an owl from time to time. Today was a tiring day; we aren’t sure how far we are going to get tomorrow.  I pointed out that we won't be stopping for an hour at a marina.  Plus we are actually farther along than I had calculated we would be.  We will shoot for a 0900 launch but it will take a little longer to load our boats given the length of the carry.  I am uneasy at not tying them off but I think they will be ok.  It is absolutely pitch black now at 8:43 and I am getting into my hammock to read!

 

WED 09/24/25 COLUMBIA II NORTH AND CAMP AT MCGUIRE POINT – 6+ SM. SUNNY, 50S-80S, SEA CALM, VISIABILITY GOOD TO EXCELLENT.

We launched at 0900.  As usual the slight current and faint breeze was against us.  We got a good look at the actual Columbia Campground.  I remember the swimming platform in front of it; now it is high and dry with the water level down.  The beach was much shorter and all sand.  There were turkeys there too but they ran off before I could even reach for my camera.

 

We came across a man, woman and black Lab in a fishing boat.  He couldn’t give me much information.  Never heard of Castle Rock but there was a Split Rock up ahead. Didn’t know anything about the coves, Abraham or anything else.  The black Lab helpfully waved its tail and we went on. Soon we came to beautiful Castle/Split Rock.  And this time my camera worked!  But the water was too choppy to see the huge boulders lying underneath it this time.

 

We continued on close to the shore and eventually came to a point with a beautiful campground with a lovely sandy beach with two covered picnic areas one with some large pinkish curtains hanging. There was a trailer parked up in the trees above it along with a tent and a Subaru with reservation license plates.  I guess it was a Spokane Tribal site.

 

We got to the point just beyond it so I could finally see up north and was dismayed to see a brown cloud up there.  It was as if a switch had come on.  We halted to discuss.  It was 1100 and we agreed to go on another half an hour or so to the next point farther around the bend and see how it looked.  The drop off was quick so we had to be careful getting out of our boats.  Terry hauled out his phone to find it worked; I now owe him a dinner.  The Inchelium fire is still burning as was at least one other fire further north.  We discussed our options and decided to return to the pretty campsite for one night and leave for the Spokane River tomorrow a.m. Hopefully it won’t take too long if we leave in the a.m. with the wind and current in our favor.  The wind currently appears to be dying down around noon. We had a snack and Terry found the most remarkable rock.  It looks just like a neatly sliced loaf of bread.  He is keeping it; I got pics.

 

It was almost noon when we left to head south.  We arrived at the pretty beach in half the time to go north. There is a sign identifying this as McGuire Point but it is not surprisingly not on my map.

No sign of life although a power boat with a man and two women showed up as we were unpacking.  They went to the more northern part of the beach around the point a bit. I ate my lunch at the picnic table with the curtains; bet those come in handy when the hot afternoon sun is beating down.  All the trees are too far apart for my hammock except for some by the loo.  I settled on a pair and hopefully won’t smell anything.  There is a short clothesline already strung up close to my spot and I hung up my wet things from yesterday.  Then I went to swim a bit and wash my hair using my bucket.  Park rule is no food or soap is to be thrown in the lake.  The water wasn’t as warm as Ross Lake was for swimming but was very nice nonetheless. The sun is downright hot and I moved with my chair into the shade.  The people in the power boat sat around in it but left around 3:00 I guess and went north. I hope this place will be as quiet as it is beautiful.

 

THU 09/25/25 – MCGUIRE POINT TO CRYSTAL COVE – 13 SM.  SUNNY, 50S-70S, N =>W 0-5 KTS IN AFTERNOON, SEA CALM TO 6” WIND WAVES, VISABILITY FAIR TO GOOD.

It is amusing to hear turkeys until you hear a whole flock of them at dawn.  Then they sound like a car’s bad brakes screeching around Deadman’s Curve. There seemed to be a lot of them too.  We heard owls last night sitting down by the lake but no coyotes.  Terry said he heard an elk bugle this a.m. too.  I got up at 7:45 and we launched at 0911.  We headed over to the Colville side and soon turned a corner to go in Six Mile Creek.  Right inside the corner pocket was an elk down by the water.  I caught a look as it headed up into the trees before turning to watch us.  I don’t know how large the rack was but the rest of him was pretty good sized. 

 

No waterfall at the back of this creek and it petered out to a small trickle among rocks and we turned back and continued on. 

For once there was no north wind but we still made decent time.  I got a picture of Castle Rock when I was at least ¼ of a mile away from the shore.  A sand bar suddenly rose up out of the water with birds on it.  The water is surprisingly shallow on this side. 

Once it got deeper it was back along the shore to marker “L” with a sharp right into Three Mile Cove.  No waterfall or elk here either. 

We got out at the beach near the opening; somebody had a tent pitched there.  We had about a 20 minute break there.  Once underway we began heading straight diagonally across the lake.  I wound up switching to a 150 heading and eventually adjusting it to 135 to save correction strokes.  We got across in about 45 minutes, arriving at the “S” marker before 1230.  We slid around the corner and Terry announced flatly “This is a dead end!” 

I assured him it was not.  I had verified years ago what I had been told by a fisher that you would never know that you were at the Spokane River mouth until you get past the first bend on the left. Sure enough the opening appeared and the whole large Two Rivers Marina appeared in front of the now visible bridge.  We had to go all the way around the marina to find the dock in front of the store was too high for Evan’s liking so we left.  We had lunch at the beautiful grassy green Fort Spokane Park where we were able to get water at one of the bathrooms.  (the other one was locked). A crew was felling a tree as we ate our lunch at a picnic table.  Then it was down to lie on the sweet grass (after checking for goose poop) for a short time before getting back into our boats at 1330.  We passed up some turkeys along the way. 

We decided to look at Crystal, Ponderosa and Detillion campgrounds and then decide which one we wanted to stay at.  The wind came up behind us for once and we were moving at a pretty good clip.  But what was supposed to be a couple of miles was again becoming a lot longer.  45 minutes later we still hadn’t reached Crystal.  There was a houseboat in one cove and the woman on it said Crystal was around the next point. We finally pulled up on the sandy shore of the beach in the middle of the cove.  Nobody wanted to keep paddling.  It has two picnic tables and a somewhat broken down table. There is room on the smooth lower area close to the tables for a lot of tents.  But the only place to hang a hammock is up on the hill once again by the loo.  The guys were unloaded and set up by the time I finally finished hauling my stuff up and began installing the hammock.  This is a place where it was too bad I didn’t have my tent.  I didn’t want to set up my tarp to sleep under unless I have to.

 

The air quality has definitely deteriorated; I could see things getting worse as we had headed east.  I was not planning on paddling tomorrow. Or so I thought.  Terry made the suggestion that we go back to the take out, spend the night at Hawk Creek and then leave earlier on Sat a.m. instead of paddling over and leaving on the same day as originally planned. He wants to be home by 6:00 on Sat. Evan said he was interested in exploring the Spokane River but didn’t seem to care much either way. 

 

I had looked forward to a day off and a chance to practice setting up my tarp on the sandy beach.  But the orange sun setting in the smoky sky all around us was not making the idea of spending a lot of time there  appealing.  I said we should see how we felt and how things looked in the morning and Terry and I practiced setting up the tarp/poles in the rapidly fading sunlight. No fires allowed so we sat in the dark talking for a while.  We couldn’t see much of the stars because of the smoke. I found the air was much warmer up by my hammock than down on the beach!

 

FRI 09/26/25 – CRYSTAL COVE TO SEVEN BAYS – 7 SM.  MOSTLY SUNNY, 50S-70S, VARIABLE BREEZE RISING IN AFTERNOON, SEA CALM TO SLIGHT CHOP, VISABILITY GOOD TO EXCELLENT.

I got up sometime around 8:00 and was glad to see still no rain. As usual Terry and Evan had been up for awhile.  I wasn’t moving very fast.  After I had woken up a bit we had a discussion on what to do.  I’m never up for doing much of anything until after I have been up awhile.  The air still didn’t look the best. After giving it some thought and given the iffy air quality issues I said we would go back.

 

We packed up and got on the water a little after 0900 I think.  The sunshine was getting stronger as we made our way towards the lake.  While there wasn’t much wind the current helped as we moved along at a brisker pace than coming in.  It didn’t seem to take very long to get back to the numerous boat launches and docks.  I was going to need to stop pretty soon and began paddling a little faster as we approached the bridge.  There wasn’t much traffic on it.  The bright green grass and sloping hill was as inviting as ever but I didn’t waste any time getting up to the bathroom.  Heading back down towards the boats in the swimming area I saw Evan sitting on a sunny bench with two Canada geese wandering around very close to him.  I sat down next to him and to my great surprise they wasted no time in heading towards me. One had a slightly crooked bill.  They were obviously too expectant of getting handouts and definitely moved in when I pulled out my energy bar.  Soon they were tugging at my sprayskirt and the straps on my PFD!! 

I don’t think they would have allowed me to touch them and I didn’t try.  But their abundant feathers, dark sleek heads and bright eyes made me want to.  Terry laughed when he came back and saw us.  Not only did they follow us down to the beach but plopped in the water and came over to my boat as I was getting in.  For a moment I thought they were going to jump on it or try to get into the cockpit.  I shoved off and they actually followed me and began squawking! 

Terry said they must be confined to the swimming area; I felt sad to paddle off and leave them knowing that it will be a long cold winter ahead of them.  It would be so funny if I see that little crooked bill somewhere in the Puget Sound…..

 

The air was completely clear ahead of us as we made our way to the mouth of the river.  A slow moving power boat with a couple sitting in it trolling for fish wound up eventually going in front of me.  It wasn’t going much faster than I was.  It finally turned to the right and left when I had almost reached the corner.  I stopped and took some pictures.  It’s a lot easier to see where the river goes from the south side of the mouth than the north.

 

So then it was a hard left and following the shore down the way we had come a few days before.  The air was almost completely clear out here.  There were three hawks circling around over a house and as I got closer I realized there was a small cove or something back there; they must have been hunting.  The wind picked up a bit and it was rather welcoming as it definitely was getting warmer.  I kept my eye on Rock Island; there seemed very few boats out on such a pretty afternoon.  It wasn’t too long and we saw the red and green buoys marking the boom of the entrance to the cove.  I remarked what a contrast we had coming and going from it…our first day had been in the rain with flat seas and today was so bright and sunny with the slight chop on very blue water.

 

Nobody was at the boat launch when we pulled up; I think it was around 1130.  I made sure to get all the sand off my bags as well as the inside and outside of my boat.  Evan and I moved the boats to the staging area and sure enough somebody showed up eventually. The car was sitting in the shade so was nice and cool when I went up and changed before moving it down to the staging area. It didn’t take long after that to get my stuff piled in and the boat tied on.  Then it was up to the marina store to the friendly greeting from Cameron.  He gleefully told me that Seattle had a very good week for baseball and football.  Everything in the store was 50% off and after selecting an ice cream bar I got a sweatshirt and a glass with a mountain goat on it for Terry.  He was totally bummed not having his camera at that time and we all would have missed them if he hadn’t seen them! 

 

Cameron got a call that a houseboater needed help and I guess it was the one that was out in front of the boat launch trying to get outside the boom. It sounded like I had missed some drama. I guess by now it was blowing 10-15 out on the lake and it was getting spun around.  One of the employees told me that they have to go out in their little power boats to drag them off of the shorelines or whatever else they get stuck on and I guess a lot of towing goes on to get them into the coves.  The guys said the boat finally got outside and wisely went north with the wind; I wonder where they wound up. I sure wouldn’t want to be messing around in any kind of wind with one of those three tier boats, especially with that hot tub on top!!

 

We sat outside at the table to eat some snacks and talk about the camping options.  I went back inside to talk to one of the other staff people; he said take Hawk Creek every time.  Fort Spokane tends to be more family oriented and a lot busier.  He said he loves to walk to the beautiful rock canyon in the late winter/early spring when it is dry enough to get to it.  It’s so hard to believe it is so close to the campground and you never have a clue it is there!  I also asked him where would be a good place to eat and he gave me a couple of choices.

 

We piled back into our cars and made the short drive down to Hawk Creek again.  I wasn’t cheered to see a tip out trailer with three ankle biter dogs—surprisingly quiet!—in a kennel next to some outdoor gazebo thing they were setting up. Boy, the work people will go through just for a weekend. We were able to grab #4 again and I got my hammock set up.  People began arriving as we sat in our chair reading and wandering around. It was about 4:30 when I suggested we go see what the places offered and if we didn’t want to eat there we could come back and fix our own.  The first place was Fort Spokane and I recognized it as it is on the corner of the cutoff road and the one leading down to the park.  Lots of cars but then there aren’t a lot of choices around here.  We went in and after looking at the menus we opted to stay.  It was all you could eat fish and chips night and a lot of people were chowing down on that.  I saw a fried chicken meal two tables away and the lady highly recommended it so Terry and I ordered it too: a ½ broiled chicken…45% less fat with their new broiler!!...with onion rings, mac & cheese followed by swirl ice cream! Terry very kindly paid for mine and I enjoyed every bite...it really hit the spot and I had plenty left over for breakfast! Evan had a disappointing salad; they only had iceberg lettuce which was why I didn’t want to chance ordering one. The service was very friendly if not fast; I guess it takes a while to broil the chicken and meantime the cook was cranking out a lot of that fish.

 

The sun was setting fast and a real orange ball over the hills high above the lake; I pulled over to get some pics but the camera never does justice to it. 

I also pulled over and waited for a group of quails to make up their mind about crossing the road on the way to the campground. They are so cute with the little things sticking out of their heads!  By the time we got back to the campground it was at least halfway full.  The couple next to us had a little boy and even a beautiful kitten all in the same tent!  That is a lot more family closeness than looked comfortable, especially with that cat box in the tent too!

 

Terry and I went for a walk down to the boat launch when we got back. The wind was blowing with frequent gusts and I put on a couple of layers and released the feathers I had collected.  Unfortunately the trailer in the middle of the compound as expected was blasting a generator.  I couldn’t believe it when I read on the board that quiet time was only 10 PM to 6 AM!!  It was about 9:00 so there was another hour to go with that noise.  I passed out wax earplugs to Terry and Evan who were already in their tents before I got into my hammock.  I read for a while and put in the plugs; it helped quite a bit and I finally fell asleep.

 

SAT 09/26/25 – TRAVEL DAY, SUNNY AND HOT

I slept pretty good the last night. Terry and Evan said the generator crowd quit not long after we had gone to bed.  I got up some time around 8:00 or so.  I had some of my leftovers from the night before and it didn’t take long to get ready to go.  A few deer were at the entrance when I left; they went up the embankment and thankfully not the road. 

 

I pulled over a couple of times to make sure that I was on the correct route, to ditch my sweater and get my bottle of water as it was getting warmer very quickly.  We didn’t stop until we got to Ephrata to the Safeway gas station. Lo and behold a nice lady came out with my step stool and told me that I’d left it there!  I was overjoyed to get it back and felt so lucky that she had been working both trips!  Afterwards we went into the Safeway to get sandwiches made at the deli and stopped at the first rest stop on I90 to eat them.  It’s the one by all the wind turbines that creep me out, don’t ask me why.  Only a little bit of wind but lots of sunshine so after we finished our lunch we had our goodbyes there.  Terry was taking Evan back to Bellevue and I would continue on to Tacoma via 18. The traffic was backed up on the west bound side so I drove the 5 miles down to see another back up there too and got off, made the U-turn equivalent and got back on eastbound.  No back up getting off, just at the light with some more constipation here and there.  It took me an hour from that interchange before I finally got home in Tacoma.

 John Roskelley observed in his "Paddling the Columbia...." I found my whole journey on Lake Roosevelt to be one of the most pleasant and beautiful sections along the entire length (1200 miles!) of the Columbia." He also marveled at the lack of recreational boaters on the entire Columbia River.   With the exception of Mary we saw no other human powered craft on this trip which is one of my favorite stretches on this lake. We all agreed that the trip was well worth the time and gas to get there.  So much beautiful scenery, amazing wildlife, outstanding campsites, lots of sunshine, warm water to paddle and swim in and how many sea kayakers can say they have seen big horn sheep from their kayak?  Both paddlers performed well with excellent group dynamics.

 

 

 

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