Salpare Bay Marina is located on Hayden Island, in the Columbia River, north of Portland, OR, across from Vancouver, WA.

Salpare Bay Marina is home for the crew of Kismet for six weeks while we visit family in Portland Oregon. We’ve stayed at two marinas in Portland over the years with our trailerable tug. Our first visit was in 2011 and we stayed at the Riverplace Marina. While it was fairly exciting to be in the thick of things in downtown Portland, with beautiful walking paths along the river, restaurants, and shopping within a short distance of the marina, our main problem with that location is there is little to no parking, especially for a truck and trailer. We had to scout out a vacant lot upriver to park our rig and it was a little inconvenient. However, we did have family and friends nearby to pick us up if we needed anything during our stay.

At the time, we stayed at Riverside a week before we moved Kismet to the free dock adjacent to the marina to extend our stay without committing to another week of dockage. It all worked well. We christened Kismet there on the free dock, with friends and family, and enjoyed the constant influx of visiting boats. We’ll always remember when the yacht Lady M made her appearance one day. There was a lot of speculation about who owned the yacht and we think most of Portland came down to see her. Read that post here:  trailertrawlerlife.com/last-night-in-portland.

The next time we visited Portland, in the summer of 2013, Jim found Salpare Bay Marina. It is a well-protected location on the Columbia River with plenty of parking for our truck, however, we did have to find another location for our trailer. When we first visited they were in the beginning stages of building condo units up from the marina. Today they are just finishing the second building and now they have a beautiful pool and hot tub, which we took advantage of during our stay. Even in October, we found some nice days to enjoy the pool and some cool nights that begged us to hop into the hot tub. Fun!

Check it out:  Salpare Bay Marina

Sometimes when we have to leave our boat at a marina for a period of time, like when we need to fly home, I ask Jim, “Why don’t we just leave the boat in the water at the marina?” His response is always the same, “Too many things can happen to a boat when the owner is not around to check on it.” Case in point presented itself just a few days into our stay at Salpare Marina. The boat (above and below) that was sitting side to at the dock and was for sale, sunk fairly quickly one day, very unfortunate for the owner and a good lesson for other boaters. Apparently, there was some work done on it a few days before and a clamp was not tightened on a water hose.

We were treated to quite a sight our first week here. This speed boat showed up at the marina and it really stood out. We heard it come and go and we saw it out on the water as well. You know when it’s coming or going when you hear the roar.

The road leading to the marina is beautiful, lined with trees and lots of vegetation. Can’t think of a better place to stay on a boat in Portland than Hayden Island. It is quiet, but close to everything. It has a shopping center that is within comfortable walking distance from the marina. There were a few people living on boats at the marina, and several liveaboards near us, so we didn’t feel all alone.

Our dock neighbor, Tara (below-right) brought over some Chanterelle mushrooms she picked herself one day. We have never cooked these kinds of mushrooms and were happy to try them. Thanks, Tara.

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Having just arrived at Salpare Marina, in Portland, Oregon, at the beginning of October, we didn’t want to waste any time getting out on the water while the weather was still good. A good day presented itself and we called our friends, Patti and Eric to come down to the boat for a cruise out to Government Island. It really was a great day, with blue skies, calm water, and a sunny warmth shining down on us. (Glad we did because there were not many days like that during our six-week stay).

Government Island is not far from the marina, so it was a quick trip there. We packed plenty of food for the afternoon excursion and we were satisfied to just cruise the short way to anchor. Time just flew by as we caught up on the time since we had all last been together. Patti and Eric always make us feel so welcome when we are in town, because of that and time with our family it almost feels like a home away from home.

We are primarily in Portland, Oregon to spend time with our son and his family. We’re excited to get some grandparent time with our grandson, Silas, so, we won’t be cruising much during our stay other than to cruise the Willamette and Columbia Rivers as weather permits.

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Port of Cascade Locks – Our cruising destination this week lies in the heart of the Columbia Gorge

Port of Cascade Locks is one of the oldest towns on the Columbia River. In their journals, Lewis and Clark described this section of the river – the Cascade Rapids – as the “great rapids of the Cascades.” This stretch of raging water was formed by a huge landslide long ago and is more than two miles long. In 1880, because of the hazard vessels faced navigating the rapids, the US Government started to build locks to provide safe passage around the rapids. The older locks were completed in 1896, and the Cascade Locks were born. The completion of the newer Bonneville Lock and Dam in 1938 turned the river fronting Cascade Locks into a magnificent lake known for lively currents.

Sometimes we feel as though we are modern-day explorers of the many divergent waterways in America and Canada. It is daunting to think back on all the places we’ve cruised. However, most of the time, it seems we have just skimmed the surface.

After being in Portland for a short while we felt it was time to scout around by boat. It was time to explore east, up the Columbia River and into the Columbia Gorge Scenic Area. From Hayden Island in Portland, where our marina is, it’s close enough to cruise up into the Gorge as a day trip and immediately we feel like we’ve been transported into another world. The Gorge is home to a great many waterfalls – 77 alone on the Oregon side with the 620-foot Multnomah Falls being the granddaddy of them all. We’ve seen it before by land, but from the water, it looked grandeur.

We cruised 48 miles on a sunny, clear, and calm day to our final destination of Port of Cascade Locks, to meet up with friends and family, at different times, during our two-day stay. During that time we will visit the old Cascade Lock, Bonneville Lock and Dam, the Bonneville Fish Hatchery and Sturgeon Center, and the Bridge of the Gods.

More info on the Columbia River

We stopped at Port Camas, on the Washington side of the river, for a pump out and to refuel. We made note of the nice boat ramp at the marina.

We departed for a 3-day, two-night adventure with plans to meet friends Eric and Patti, who drove up in Their “Rig” to meet and stay at the RV park adjacent to the marina. There they are (above) on the tip of Thunder Island, waving and waiting for us to arrive. After transiting the Bonneville Lock we rounded the river towards Cascade Locks (the former lock and name of the small river town we were staying) to be greeted by Eric, Patti, and their grandson.

The marina at Cascade Locks has a free dock that we took advantage of. No water or power is available and has a 72-hour limit.

Cascade Locks Marine Park consists of park lawns, historical structures, a campground, a boat ramp, a marina, a beach, public art, and a historical museum. The Port is also home to the Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge paddlewheel riverboat, leased to the Portland Spirit for seasonal day cruise operations from Cascade Locks.

Bridge of the Gods – The Bridge Through Time

The Bridge of the Gods, a 1,131-foot-long, cantilever bridge built in 1938, is located at Columbia River at River Mile (RM) 148, nearly three miles upstream of Bonneville Dam, and just downstream of the historic canal and locks at Cascade Locks. Currently, the Bridge of the Gods is a toll bridge with motor and foot traffic access and is a critical connection between the states of Washington and Oregon. The bridge is also the Columbia River crossing for the Pacific Crest Trail.

On the south support structure of the Bridge of the Gods is a large mural depicting the native American legend, local wildlife, and historical events of the Cascade Rapids, Cascade Locks, and Bridge of the Gods area. The mural, by Larry Kangas, was completed in May 2002.

Just around the corner from the Bridge of Gods sat this fruit stand, part of a weekend Farmer’s Market. We needed some fruit and liked that the apples were locally grown.

The Bonneville Dam is a hydroelectric dam built across three islands. Once known as the “Cascade Rapids“, this area was a major obstacle to navigation on the Columbia. The Rapids were a result of the Bonneville Landslide, a massive landslide that gave rise to the legend of the Bridge of the Gods.

The next day we all drove over to the Bonneville Lock and Dam in Eric and Patti’s “rig” to take a lengthy educational tour of the locks and dam which included a tutorial of the surrounding area. We all learned a lot. One of the ancillary benefits of being on the water is the history that’s associated with the early beginnings of many towns and historic landmarks. The waterways are a significant part of history as they were used to move people and goods everywhere. What better way to pique our curiosity about an area than to visit towns, by boat, we’ve never been to before to learn about how they came to be and what historical marine content they possess?

Bonneville Fish Hatchery and Sturgeon Center, constructed in 1909, is Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife’s largest hatchery facility. Featuring a very diverse fish production program, it is used for adult collection, egg incubation and rearing of tule fall Chinook, adult collection of fall Chinook upriver brights, and adult collection and spawning of coho. It is also used for the rearing of summer steelhead, winter steelhead, and coho.

On our second night at Cascade Locks, we met our son and his family for dinner at Thunder Island Brewing Co. We sat outside at a table overlooking the river, Thunder Island, and the old lock. We walked along the river, through the marine park and playground, and past the old abandoned Cascade Lock. Silas always likes being on the boat and by the water, so Cascade Locks was an ideal spot for them to meet us.

We left the next morning, leaving the eastern portion of the Columbia River for another adventure.

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