Trip Report

Some of the group started the trip with a sunny, relaxed paddle on Clearwox Lake in Honeyman State Park. We ate lunch on a sand bank and enjoyed watching the folks across the lake slide down a large dune. Lost, one camera into the lake.
Nine miles down a back road on the east side of Siltcoos Lake is the LCC Siltcoos Station and Learning Center where eleven of us arranged ourselves in the four funky cabins. The Eugene to Coos Bay rail line runs right in front of the cabins and I wondered about it's schedule. We had included the historical boathouse in our reservation for dinner gatherings, but LCC had unexpectedly removed all the furniture because the property had been sold. We were the last group to rent it.
Since the weather was so balmy, we were content to use a picnic table and camp chairs for our dinning area. Anticipating an evening paddle from the LCC dock, we ate an early shared meal. The crowning glory was two homemade pies by Jackie, marion berry and rhubarb. Yum! We decided to take a walk up the road and never got in our evening paddle. Someone saw mysterious lights that night and others heard a train rumble by.
The next morning we drove to Westlake boat ramp on the other side of Siltcoos Lake and went for a paddle down Siltcoos Canoe Trail which goes from lake to river to ocean. There is a small dam on the way presenting a complicated portage: getting out on the high side, moving our boats down a slide to the low side and getting back in. It seemed daunting and awkward at first, but we worked together and no one fell in. We paddled as far as the ocean beach dunes but were discouraged from going further because of the wind, the turning tide and a sign that said the beach belonged to the plovers. Portaging up over the dam was easier because we were practiced, so we just sat on the top and ate lunch.
Then another dinner and a fire in a lovely fire pit on the grounds. Lost, one set of car keys into the lake(there was a second set). A train rumbled by that night going the other direction.
On the third day, after cleaning our cabins, we drove back out the road towards Hwy. 101 and stopped at Woahink Lake to explore a couple of it's lake fingers. We discovered a sandy beach big enough for our many kayaks and enjoyed an extended lunch. Two kayakers found the calm and relatively warm waters of the lake an excellent place to swim. We parted company at the ramp, dreaming of next year's trip. Found, two empty beer bottles.