[Paddlewise] The Advantage of Vantage

Almost halfway across the state of Washington on Interstate 90 and just
before one crosses the mighty Columbia River, there is a dent in the river's
shoreline called Vantage, WA. The original town was submerged by the water
behind Wanapum Dam in the 1950s and the residents moved to a highsd place
nearby and rebuilt. Many people who drive past on the freeway scurrying
between Seattle and Spokane probably wonder why they bothered. No natural
trees except some petrified gingko and scoured by high winds in the spring,
Vantage hardly looks like a good place to stop except maybe for gas and a
burger.

So naturally, this is where Pam and I met on a Saturday in February when all
the still water in central Washington was mostly hard and white. The old A&W
restaurant sits on the hill next to the freeway and overlooking a small
harbor and marina. Greg and Sue, who run the restaurant and the marina, were
more than happy to let two kayakers launch their boats at the tiny marina.
And serve up a mean burger and shake, to boot.

Just north of town the old highway (US Highway 10 for anyone who cares)
disappears into the 35 degree water and reappears 1/2 mile east. In between
the old town of Vantage and a bridge across the original river rest in
peace. Pam and I wondered whether we could see any of the old buildings in
the clear winter runoff but we headed the other way because the shoreline
looked more inviting.

Or perhaps "inviting" isn't the word. North, past the bridge are shear
basalt cliffs. South, past the freeway, is a more peaceful shoreline with
wetlands and shorebird where we could meander along and I could regain my
paddle-legs.

This was my first paddle since October so I wasn't eager to take on much of
a challenge.  I stayed in my familiar Mariner Express and let Pam paddle the
new (to me) Mariner Coaster. I can fit into the Coaster but not nearly as
easily as I fit into the Express and with such cold water the thought of a
dunking was not inviting.

We paddled along the freeway and then south waving at the half-dozen or so
drivers who honked their horns at us in greetings; clearly paddlers
themselves who appreciate that someone is out no matter the water temp. Once
in the wind shelter of the freeway fill I gave Pam my wing paddle and a few
minutes instruction on how to use it. Paddling with a wing paddle is
different from using a European or Greenland paddle unless one is used to a
high-angle style of paddling. If you are accustomed to low-angle paddling
then I suspect it might take a bit of time to get used to the change to a
wing. Pam struggled for a bit and then, suddenly, caught on to the method
and accelerated away from me. She then tried some sculling strokes and
quickly decided that the wing - especially *my* wing (created for sprint
paddlers on the US team) - was not the tool for that.

About 15 miles south of Vantage lies Wanapum Dam; named for the tribe of
Indians who still maintain a village on the eastern side of the river and
scorn the very idea of Federal recognition. Below Wanapum is a 20 mile
section of water that lies behind Priest Rapids dam. After Priest Rapids you
come to the only free-flowing section of the Columbia River as it passes the
Hanford nuclear site and then the cities of Richland, Pasco and
Kennewick(the "Tri Cities") before the river turns west and heads for the
Pacific Ocean. Priest Rapids and Wanapum are not equipped with boat locks as
are the dams downriver of the Tri-Cities. So, with only two portages around
the dams you could conceivably paddle all the way to the Columbia River bar.
Or maybe a closer bar, who knows?

North of Vantage lies 35 or 40 miles of winding river mostly untouched by
humans. There are lagoons and inlets but generally it's scrub-covered desert
canyon lands made from basalt laid down as lava over eons of history. The
western side is high and precipitous and almost completely unoccupied but
the eastern side, up on the sagebrush-covered hills, has orchards,
vineyards, and even an amphitheater (the "Gorge at George"). One small
housing community hugs the eastern shoreline about 10 miles up-river.

South of Vantage on the eastern shore of the River are lava pillows which
form rock gardens you can play in and around if you like as well as the
outlet of several creeks swollen by irrigation waters in the summer. If you
do paddle the eastern shore be aware of easterly winds blowing down from the
mountains west of Vantage. These can come up quickly and make it virtually
impossible for you to paddle west across the river.

The best time to paddle the Columbia River at Vantage would be, in my
opinion, September and October and even into early November. Sunshine lasts
a long time here in the desert regions of the Pacific Northwest and once
school starts in the fall the crowds of jet-skiers, water-skiers, and
boaters find play-spots closer to their homes in the Seattle area. The river
seldom freezes over because there is about a 1-knot southerly flow so if you
paddle north first you can ride the current back to your car.

Spring can be very (even dangerously) windy and summer finds hordes of Puget
Sounders intent on escaping the rainy "wet side".

Greg and Sue would like you to check in with them before launching at the
marina. There is a public boat launch (free!) right next to the freeway but
it can be choked with cars and partyers and even if it's not, your gear
sitting alone in a huge parking lot might be more than some people could
resist. You can also park and launch where old US 10 enters the water just
north of the town.

Greg and Sue maintain a campgrounds in the summer right next to the marina
and there is also a State Park (Wanapum) south about 5 miles. Once you get
north of Vantage you can probably camp almost anywhere you can get ashore on
the east shore. Getting ashore can be the trick as in most places the canyon
walls rise vertically from the river. There is a nice lagoon about 10 miles
up river that does have good camping.

Exit 136 on I-90 (Huntzinger Road) is where you are headed if you want to
paddle at Vantage; only 136 miles west of downtown Seattle. You can even go
to Wanapum State Park south along the west side of the river about 5 miles
but you'll probably pay a fee.

See if you can't locate the old buildings and the bridge under the water.
They can't be *that* deep and the water, at least in spring, is very clear.


Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
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