Columbia river cruising

[RDragon]

Good day!

Hoping to get some thoughts from the group. Having recently moved very inland, I am beginning to have serious boat withdrawal. Over the weekend I happened to pass through Umatilla, Oregon and saw a marina with covered moorage. This sparked an idea: What if we move R'dragon here and then we are only 4 hours away...New cruising grounds, new adventures, right?
Before I try to sell this idea to the admiral, I am looking for information on cruising guides, peoples experiences etc.

Because I am lazy...and cheap, we don't have a rig or trailer, so if we go through with the plan, it would be a semi-permenant move, which is a bit scary since cruising the sound is an amazing adventure not matter how often you do it!

Thanks in advance!
Drew

 

[K7MXE]

Good day
Well Slackwater Jack should be your local info person as he lives in the Clarkston area. If you look at my k7mxe page in the photo section you will have a clue as to what you will see on the river. I dont remember if its under k7mxe or the boats name Lois H but its there and I think others have posted pictures as well. Bob Heselberg in Eatonville Wa

 

[RDragon]

Slackwater and I have been talking most of the day...He has been a wealth of knowledge!

Your pictures look great. How long did the trip take? We will want to poke around a bit and probably anchor out a fair piece.

Appreciate the thoughts
Drew

 

[Stella Maris]

Drew,
You get the factory to loan you a trailer and for the cost of fuel, I will tow R Dragon over to the river for you.
David

 

[bluebayou]

I drove through Umatilla the other day, on my way back from Kootenay Lake in British Columbia, to my home in Bend, OR. Very stark place (sorry, you folks in Umatilla). Then I drove down the Columbia River to The Dalles, and headed South to Bend. I was studying the waterways along the Columbia------for I, too, have had thoughts of placing a boat in the Columbia River as a semi=permanent home, or harbor. It's reachable from Bend, Oregon, with a little driving.
OK, here's the bad news: from Umatilla down to The Dalles, the hills are barren and devoid of life, other than grasses.
I looked and looked for pleasure craft, any craft, for that matter, out on the water. I think I saw one boat in 100 miles of river. It's simply not that desireable. I can't speak for upriver from Umatilla, though. I'm sure the Tr-Cities have an active boating life, and shorelines with interest.
If you want to boat on the Columbia, why not try the town of Hood River, OR ? It has quite a variety of attractions, including breweries and wineries. From there on downriver, you enter the Columbia Gorge, It's a National Scenic Area, I believe. Once you get to Portland, of course, you can go way up the Wilamette River, South into Oregon.
But not Umatilla. Of course, I don't have an opinion on this subject !!!

 

[SlackwaterJack]

While the river around Umatilla may look barren (I grew up on the prairie around Winnipeg, and as such, prefer my scenery more or less treeless.) it has a stark beauty that is not unlike the landscape surrounding Lake Powell. sunsets and sunrises paint the landscape in ever changing shades and there is a lot of wildlife in the area. Wind can be a factor but it's not as constant as around Hood River (ask a windsurfer).
Once past Umatilla the river starts to narrow as it approaches the Tr-City area (Kennewick/Pasco/Richland) and meets the Snake River.There you"ll enter the Snake River, a much deeper, more canyon like waterway. The scenery becomes dominated by towering basalt formations and more trees as you go further west.
There aren't many people west of Umatilla, and because the cities and towns are widely seperated, there is very light boat traffic except on summer weekends. The Coast Guard Station at the TriCities is the last one as you head inland but once a year they get to Lewiston to maintain the bouys etc. Many times I have traveled from Lewiston to Granite Dam and back (approx 45 miles) on a summer weekday and have only seen antelope, mountain goats, eagles and sometimes a rancher driving herd to a new range...but no boats...either direction, except for the commercial crawfish guy dropping his traps near the Port Of Wilma. In the winter it's an area of real solitude, with only the steelheaders near the towns and the occasional barge or cruise ship.
The Port of Walla Walla has the W.W.Y.C, and there are real nice facilities at Tri Cities. From Tri cities its approx 150 miles to Lewiston/Clarkston with some nice places to tie up or anchor along the way... but no big city.

I'd recommend going to Google Earth and following the route from Umatilla eastward and click on all the photos...sort of a "virtual tour".

I should add there are lots of wineries near Wall Walla, and in Clarkston

 

[RDragon]

Wow! I love tugnuts...everyone is a wealth of information and friendship!

David - If I can talk Michelle into this plan, I will take you up on your offer!!! Thanks for being so generous.

Blue - Umatilla does seem a little sparse...I only brought that up because of the marina and it was a fairly easy drive from Boise, but going a little further west may not be a bad idea....Will have to do a bit more research with google earth (what did we do before?)

Slackwater Jack! You my friend get the award for best idea to make this plan succeed. :idea: Wineries, interesting cruising and ports o' call? The admiral will be hard pressed to shoot this down!

Yes! I may get the boat back and not have to sell her!!!!!! 😛

Take care!
Drew