2012/05/14

The Kennewick-Man Expedition, DAY 43


At long last City of Portland, Oregon appeared on the left shore, although at the beginning of this journey it seemed to be in the far distance beyond many high barriers. I was filled with a feeling of accomplishment to come here. Looking back on the past, it has been a dramatic long way with a series of challenges into the unknowns.

I have kayaked over three entirely different areas of landscapes and climates. At first, I kayaked through the canyon like Mars in the inland area of Washington State. And then, as a landscape changed dramatically, I kayaked through the Columbia River Gorge which is verdurous and cuts through the Cascade Mountain Range. And now, as a landscape changs dramatically again, I kayak through a great plain with an abundance of rain bordering the Pacific Ocean.

There were no longer any cliffs and mountains. The clear blue sky extended over the vast flat ground.

An endless number of two-storied luxurious houses with expansive lawn grounds stood side by side on the right shore where City of Vancouver, Washington stretched out beyond. Luxury yachts were tied up to boat docks jutting out from those gardens bordering the Columbia River, because in Washington state individuals can own waterfront property on rivers and oceans.

The Columbia River was very lively with an infinite number of yachts filling up all over the place. It may have been especially livelier, because today is Sunday.

Yachts have great difficulty having visual contact with my tiny kayak. Also the kayak cannot be detected by radar. Nevertheless, I was not able to paddle beside the shores for keeping away from the yachts, and had to sail in a zigzag manner in the middle of the river boldly, because a head wind blew. Motor yachts approached me at high speed from the front and the rear. Sailing yachts, which sailed diagonally in a zigzag manner across the full width of the river, approached me from the right front direction, the left front direction, the right rear direction and the left rear direction. Namely, yachts rushed at me from all directions. I had no choice but to run from place to place trying to avoid collisions with so many yachts running freely in all directions. If I had been careless I would have crashed the kayak into a yacht. Therefore I was busy looking around 360 degrees and steering the kayak to the right and left constantly for threading my way through the yachts. It was like an ant running frantically this way and that to make his escape from feet of humans going in every direction in a diagonal crossing.



I departed from Washougal at 8:50 a.m., kept sitting into the kayak for 11 hours and 20 minutes for 29 Miles, and then I pulled up the kayak in Kelley Point Park at 8:10 p.m. Although the park was “day use only”, I had no choice but to pitch the tent there because the sun was setting.