New Boat

I would guess it was about 1980 or so.  The local Rosauer's grocery store had a big, orange/red Coleman canoe on display parked on top of cases of 7up.  They were giving the canoe away and I was determined to win it!  I stuffed the box with my entries and got a phone call a few days later that I was the lucky winner.  We've used the canoe occasionally over the years.  It got me a picture in the Sunnyside Daily News as I rowed in the canal by our house with my springer spaniel Alexandria along.  It followed us from home to home in the back of many U-haul trucks.  Spencer took it on a journey across Bumping Lake.  We took it out as a family several years ago and Nate and Justin got to use it last year on a 50-mile canoe trip down the Columbia River.  But, alas, it mostly just hung on the back of our garage, collecting leaves and dirt.  It was rarely used.

 Nate had been wanting a kayak for quite a while.  He saw a listing on Craig's List for a kayak owner who wanted to trade for a canoe.  Well, we struck a deal, the kayak was never used, new in the box.  Nate had cleaned and polished the canoe, both parties felt good about the deal.  Nate wanted to take it out for a ride but the water has been too fast with the overabundant snowpack in the mountains (did someone say global warming?).

 Finally, we recently got to take the new kayak out in the still waters at the Richland Wye area where the Yakima River joins the Columbia.  Nate got the first chance to row and he was all smiles.  Justin also got a chance and he stayed out longer than Nate! 

 Finally, dad had a chance to paddle around, it is a fun new acquisition and we can hang it easily from the rafters inside the garage.  Hopefully it will get a little more use than the canoe.