This is a photo of George looking pretty proud of himself: He'd just paddled our canoe across the mouth of the Lewis River, then along a stretch of the east shore of the Columbia, then into the mouth of Gee Creek. Sounds simple enough, but, it was NOT my favorite paddle! We'd traveled almost down to Oregon, where we thought we'd get out of the torrent of rain hitting northwest Washington. That drive was a little over two hours, most of it in the rain, with the windshield wipers beating to the rhythm of Bob Dylan's "Modern Times". We came to a private RV park that had river access, so we paid our $3.00 launching fee, parked our van, and unloaded the canoe. I wasn't too eager here, as crossing open water is my least favorite thing to do in cold weather.
The sky looked ominous, and the wind was fretting into a storm. That, for me is a real warning to stay out of the water. George had always wanted to cross the Lewis, explore this side of the Columbia, and head into the Gee so he could paddle all the way into one of our favorite hiking areas - the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge. He always threatens to do it with his brother Dick, since I'm such a namby-pamby about crossing open water.
I had plenty to be worried about - just 90 feet downriver a craft had capsized, and was being towed onto the shore with it's motor clawing the air. People were wading in the water trying to figure out how to empty it out and get it right-side-up. A few motorboats had sidled up to see if help was needed. And, from a distance it looked like everyone was having a good time figuring this emergency out! Like, what a GREAT DAY for an adventure!
I'll have to include a few photos of this RV camp where it seemed everyone was having a supremely good time just hanging out, grilling burgers and drinking beer, and sharing their fishing-boating stories. 
While George was unloading our gear and getting the canoe in the water, I walked around the encamp- ment. I think I was the only woman there, and everyone stared at me as if I was like a flamingo nesting in the Arctic. 
Just tough guys here, dressed in camoflage clothing, with big rigs, lots of gear, and plenty of laughter. I bet none of them thought I'd get in that canoe and paddle away! 
Well, I sealed my camera in heavy plastic bags, put a scarf around my head, and packed my emergency backpack that has everything I'd need to survive: a heavy black garbage bag to use as shelter; a little food and water; medical kit; a knife; and florescent sticks for underwater rescue (yes, I've imagined using them if we are in murky water like the Lewis River). Then, George said he felt we could do it....."Just look at those clouds, Babe, this storm is headed North, it'll miss us here". I said "Let's try it!"I figured he was right. South of us, the sky was clearing and the wind was blowing the storm north.
We headed right into the wind, and I paddled mostly on the left, to avoid the wake from the other boats. It went surprisingly quick with both of us paddling. Then, just as we skirted the Columbia a HUGE blast from a ship bellowed across the water. It was coming down the Columbia. For us that meant GET OUT OF THE WATER, because the waves from one of these container ships can capsize a canoe. The great ship was actually warning the motorboats fishing in open water to 'step aside'. Then, we saw another huge container ship coming upriver from the opposite direction. As they pass each other, the accumulated wake from both would be like a double tsunami!
We paddled quickly onto a sandy beach on Squaw Island and watched the huge ships pass by. Then, the waves started to hit the shoreline. They roiled into the mouth of Gee Creek, causing pounding waves, temporarily flooding the little mud bay where the tide had receded. We got into the safety of the little creek just in the nick of time. Then, in just seconds, the water receded again and was completely still. 
The mouth of Gee Creek was completely blocked with a log-jam, so we couldn't explore it. (Details like that are never on a satellite image.) So, we climbed a few embankments to view the little meadows in the woods, then put the canoe back in the water. The sky had cleared a little, the wind had settled, and our return trip was completely uneventful - which is what I most enjoy when we are out on the water!
