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Category Archives: On the Rivers
Tournament Capital Ranch Channels
Launching a kayak from the Tournament Capital Ranch requires driving a dirt road to the bank above the river, then hauling the boat down the sandbanks to good spot. There is a bay with a back eddy and a beach south of the slow pitch diamonds area.
The river runs very quickly, too fast for most paddlers to proceed upstream, but we can paddle downstream, cross to the other side and come up channels on the west side.
In the first channel the water was still, but the shoreline was very colorful. At the end it was easier to turn around than to portage to the next channel.
The next channel ran aground after a while, but it was a short portage to get to the next channel.
Each channel was flanked by fall colors.
Most of these channels could be paddled without any portages in spring and early summer.
Some hard paddling and a short portage across a gravel bar took me back to the main channel so that I could paddle downstream to the start, turning quickly into a back eddy.
This was fun paddling, but it would not be the kind of venture that novice paddlers should try. Any route from the shoreline will involve paddling upstream into fast currents, paddling across the current, paddling in shallow water, portaging, and hauling. All safety gear would be a must, especially in cool or cold water.
I plan to return in early summer to explore more channels or to paddle downstream to Riverside Park.
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Last Day in the Floodlands
By the middle of June this year, the river had dropped at least a metre so the floodlands were reduced to channels. On a windy day, I Iaunched from the pullout near Tranquille into Tranquille Bay.
A strong wind from the east made paddling more difficult as I crossed the bay to the fenceline. I could clear the top wire of the fence in a couple of places still, but if the river drops another foot, access to the rest of the floodlands may be gone.
I followed channels wherever there was some open water, finding watery channels around the fences. The sun was coming up behind clouds in the east behind Mt. Mara.
To the northeast Tranquille flanked the shoreline with Jag Hill in the background.
I explored the channels fighting winds upriver and enjoying easy paddling back downriver toward Kamloops Lake.
The upriver paddle was very slow and crossing the wind was not easy either, providing a good workout on a soon-to-be-stormy day. I took a track while out paddling for 1 hour and 40 minutes. I do not anticipate paddling in the floodlands again this year.
Relive ‘Last Day in the Floodlands’
Into the Floodlands
During freshet, the lands near Tranquille flood and we can paddle the bays and channels on both sides of the river. We have to wait until the water rises above the fences which is usually the end of May. I launched from the parking area near the junction of the road into Tranquille and the Tranquille Criss Creek Road and paddled out and cleared the fence into the bay.
It was a calm day and the hills reflected into the lagoon.
Willow stands rise above the floodlands like small islands.
We can paddle right down to Cooney Bay, but on this day, I paddled through the bays and channels in a clockwise 6 km loop.
The water is fairy still in the bays and back channels. but the river continues to run down to the lake. On other days, i paddle across to the other side and go up the channels to create a loop route. On this day, I wound through channels on the north side of the river.
The pasture in from of Mt. Mara becomes Mara Bay with the mountain reflected in the still water.
The floodlands provide the best paddling of the year in June each year. We will be back a few more times.
McArthur Island Rabbit Island Loop
I paddled from the McArthur Island Boat Launch into the Thompson River and continued upriver.
When I had gone past (and above) the east end of Rabbit Island, I crossed the river and swept down the south side of the island, gaining speed for the downriver journey.
Below Rabbit Island I crossed the river again to the channel on the west end of McArthur Island and then turned into the channel.
There were lots of ducks and geese in the brackish water of the island lagoons, including quite a few goslings.
It is not possible to paddle around McArthur Island. I had to turn around at 12th Street, but out and back is 2.5 km. Back at the river, I knew the current was too swift on the shoreline of McArthur Island, so I crossed back to the north side of Rabbit Island and continued upstream until I could cross back over where the river does not move as quickly. The whole route is about 8 km with some energetic upstream paddling during freshet.
South Thompson River from Valleyview
On a grey, cool May day with rainshowers in the hills, I decided to paddle from the Valleyview Boat Launch. There was no wind at the start, but it was only 4 degrees.
The sun started to shine through filtered clouds over the calm river. I paddled upstream for 3.6 km.
A wind out of the southwest rippled the water and helped in my upstream paddle. There were no other boats on the river.
I turned around at about the Pineridge Golf Course and came back on the other shore, now into a 10 km headwind.
This was a 1.5 hour paddle, a good workout wedged in between weather systems. I turned on the GPS watch at about the 1.4 km mark and then created this video from the track.
Relive ‘Valleyview River’
Paddling on a Treadmill
We paddle the rivers of our area in early spring. There are a limited number of launch spots and some of those are in faster water. There is a good beach launch on the northeast side of Lafarge Bridge so we launch from there from time to time, but it makes a better landing spot for a downriver paddle than an upstream launch spot. The river moves quickly and there are a number of gravel and sand bars for many kilometers.
Progress is so slow upstream that it feels like paddling on a treadmill. It took almost an hour to travel 2.7 km upstream and only 25 minutes back downstream, mostly drifting. This is a good aerobic workout, for sure, but a lot less fun than paddling on slower rivers, on our lakes, and on the ocean. The lakes will clear of ice soon and we can take a break from upstream paddling.
Hanalei River
While on Kauai, we stayed on the North Shore and chose to paddle the Hanalei River on a cloudy, warm day. We rented boats from Kayak Hanalei and launched into the river. These were 11 foot sit-on-top kayaks. Rudderless, tubby, buoyant, and slow.
We turned upstream and paddled for about 2.2 miles into the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge. With a constant downstream flow, the kayaks stopped and turned if we stopped paddling, difficult for photography.
The shoreline was all flowering shrubs, vines, and tropical trees. The upper part of the river became narrow and shallower. In the Refuge, we spotted many birds, turtles, and fish.
We turned and paddled downstream for 3 miles to the mouth of the river where it emptied into the surf at Hanalei Bay. Entry into the ocean would be difficult, better suited to surfboards than tubby kayaks.
The final leg of 6 miles of paddling was upstream and into the wind. These types of kayaks are neither efficient, nor comfortable, but the effort is worth the experience on the river.
Kauai has the only navigable rivers in the Hawaiian Islands. The Hanalei River is the second longest. We hope to paddle the Wailua River next time.
Although we really enjoyed the river, we found the boats to be klunky, wandering, and uncomfortable. We know that rental companies buy them because novices can get back in if they spill, the boats can take a beating, and they are inexpensive but it is like playing tennis with a pickleball racquet. Next time we will paddleboard on the river.