Paddling the Sixes River with a Closed Mouth

Sunday August 27, 2017 Port Orford Oregon

A surprise at the Sixes River

Today I was planning to kayak the Sixes river and check out the mouth area. The wind was down today and because of it the skies were all smoky from a forest fire down south in the Brookings area.

I took the road to the Cape Blanco Lighthouse and drove down to what they call the Hughes House where there is a boat launch near the mouth of the Sixes river.I pulled in and was surprised.

I had checked the tide charts this morning before I left to make sure the tides where favorable to paddle down to the mouth and back again.

But the surprise was that the river’s water level was real high, like the mouth of the river was closed, so that meant there would be no tides to deal with.

Launching the boat

This is the spot where I launched my boat into the Sixes River, about a mile up from the river’s mouth and the ocean.

I put the boat in the water and headed down stream towards the ocean, down that away. The ocean is down by that big rock.

Is that a seal

I saw this log and thought that might be a harbor seal on the right, but it was just the log.

But these ducks were real. Not too much bird life on this river right now.

I’m in the river but getting close to the ocean as that big rock is in the ocean, but the mouth is closed with sand.

Checking out the area

I landed here and got out to have a look at the ocean and the closed mouth.

River’s mouth is closed

Here’s the big rock in the ocean and I’m standing on the closed sand bar where the river’s mouth should be open to the ocean.

I spied these cormorants resting on the beach. All the birds here were skittish compared to the birds on the Russian River Estuary.

And these seagulls were resting there too.

Closed mouth

The river on the left and the ocean on the right showing the closed sand bar as the mouth is closed up.

Pacific ocean

Here’s a view north of the beach of the Pacific ocean just before I jumped back in my boat.

I headed back up the river going by these ducks on the log.

The boat launch is in the trees just up ahead where I’m going and calling it a short day. I may come back and go up stream at a later date.

I put the boat back up on the top of the van and climbed in the back of the van for a nap before going on back to Steve’s place for the day.

That was it for another day.