Hi All, We live around the Portland, Oregon area and are newbie kayakers, totally bitten with love for being out on the water. Want to spend rest of life doing recreational, up to Class III whitewater, and protected sea/ocean kayaking. The climate in Oregon is changing to hotter and dryer, and we're seriously thinking of moving up to Washington State to access more lakes, rivers, saltwater, and Canada's bounty. What are some of the best places in Washington State to live and be within 1 - 2 days of splendid water? TIA, Ashton & Leska in Cascadia *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> What are some of the best places in Washington State to live and be within 1 > - 2 days of splendid water? > > TIA, > Ashton & Leska in Cascadia I'm partial to Bellingham. It's a great little town. I went to college there, at Western (great little university!) There are big lakes - Lake Whatcom, Lake Samish - and there's the ocean. From what I remember, you're within paddling distance of some of the best islands in the San Juans (I didn't own a kayak when I lived there, but did have a canoe, so I enjoyed those lakes.) Ross Lake is within a day's drive. There are a series of beautiful, big lakes across the border in B. C. - Pitt Lake, Stave Lake, Lake Alouette, Harrison Lake. You're within a couple of hours of Deception Pass, Anacortes, the ferry to Port Townsend . Bellingham itself is a pretty hip little town (visit Fairhaven, Old Town - I wonder if the Old Town Cafe is still in business?) There are plenty of other recreational opportunities nearby - bicycling, camping, backpacking, skiing, mountain climbing, etc. Check out the Sea to Ski race. (http://www.bellingham.com/skitosea/skitoseaguide.html) Of course, you might not want to live right in town. There's Ferndale (home of Ocean Kayak), Deming (The Deming Logging Show), Glacier, Nooksack, Lummi Island... *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Thank you, Gordon. We almost moved to Bellingham many years ago after spending a few days there. Whatcom Lake was the most beautiful place we had ever seen. The only reason we didn't move there was worry over it being colder and wetter than Portland. Now that the weather has changed so much, that would be a plus. Wondering if any Washington State kayakers have noticed a 15-year climate change? Bellingham is actually the only Washington town we're a little familiar with beside Vancouver, so any other info would be appreciated. We look at our DeLorme Washington map book at all the blue water ... what an incredible number of paddling opportunities! *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> We don't want to live right > on > or very near saltwater because we've heard that proximity rusts cars > quickly. Ashton/Leska, don't discount living on or near the ocean due to rusting cars. I've lived on salt water for 28 years. In fact, the water is within 50ish feet of where I park my cars. I've had a Honda Accord for 12 years with no rust whatsoever, and a Toyota 4x4 for 17 years, and the only rust is related to throwing things in the bed that bang up the paint and exposs raw metal (no bed liner). However, things like brass tarnish quickly, exterior light fixtures corrode quickly, and the house needs painting more frequently (every 10 years or so) due to frequent salty winds battering the paint job. But, the corrosion is cheap and quick to fix (and preventable, but I employ my maintenance time elsewhere). BTW - the salt used on roads during the winter will rust your car FAR faster than just living near the ocean (at least, that's been my observation). Anyway, before you discount living on or near salt water, do some more research for your specific area and the salinity of the water you'd be on. It might change your mind. Rick - Poquoson, VA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Greetings soon to be neighbor, My wife and I live in Gig Harbor. Great protected waterways paddlable all year long, including several watertrail campsites. It's 2.5 hours to Deception pass for thrill rides and the jump off for the San Juans. It's 90 minutes to Port Townsend for the awesome Juan De Fuca. Neah Bay is 3+ hours for open coastal, rock gardens, and a great surf training bay-Makah. It takes me 3 hours to get to the south edge of Vancouver, BC. If you have a folding kayak it's less than an hour to the airport and then 90 minutes direct to Ketchikan, AK. For Backpackers it's 90 minutes to either Rainier or the Olympics and the Cascades are accessible from anywhere along the I-5 corridor. Willapa Bay paddling is 2.5 hours and Westport or Pacific Beach surf paddling is 2 hours or a smidge over. In short, neither here nor there, but what the heck, it's home! Rob G *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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