January Weather In The PNW 2024 (Part III) - The Warming Shot

[TT-SEA]

It all comes down to where the glaciers were during last ice age.   Western Oregon is not blessed like we are up here.   Or in places like Minnesota. 

[Dave]

1 minute ago, TT-SEA said:

Puget Sound is cold for sure.   Detroit Lake is a haul and its not natural.    Water is all around us in the Seattle area.

Detroit lake is super clean at least and probably in the top 3 of boating destinations in Oregon. The drive wasn't too much of a burden when my buddy had a cabin there and we could stay for a couple of days. There is a back country route from Eugene that is a terrific drive. Unfortunately the cabin is gone now due to the fire and I haven't been back much since. The town is rebuilding nicely though and I hope to spend more time there soon.

[MossMan]

9 minutes ago, Dave said:

Most of the waterways up there are freezing other than the urban ones that have plenty of asphalt runoff and unclean crap. I'm looking at you swimmer's edge Green Lake. I've been to Detroit Lake many times when the temp was over 72 degrees and once it was even 77 degrees and totally clean.

Lake Goodwin will typically get up to the upper 70’s in August as it is a fairly shallow lake where the deepest part is 50’ but most of it averages around 30’ and is quite clean! Some times I can go out on a calm day and see 20’ down! All the pictures I see of lakes and waterways in places like Texas seem to always have a brown look to them which doesn’t seem very appealing to me. 

[TT-SEA]

5 minutes ago, Dave said:

Detroit lake is super clean at least and probably in the top 3 of boating destinations in Oregon. The drive wasn't too much of a burden when my buddy had a cabin there and we could stay for a couple of days. There is a back country route from Eugene that is a terrific drive. Unfortunately the cabin is gone now due to the fire and I haven't been back much since. The town is rebuilding nicely though and I hope to spend more time there soon.

Seems like that would be the best option down there.   But climbing uphill into the mountains with a boat seems tedious for just having some fun on the water on a spur of the moment.   We can be at launch on Lake Sammamish in no time and being centrally located we will have people just meet us there and doesn't require planning your entire day around it.   Definitely wouldn't be the same down there.

[Slushy Inch]

2 minutes ago, TT-SEA said:

Seems like that would be the best option down there.   But climbing uphill into the mountains with a boat seems tedious for just having some fun on the water on a spur of the moment.   We can be at launch on Lake Sammamish in no time and being centrally located we will have people just meet us there and doesn't require planning your entire day around it.   Definitely wouldn't be the same down there.

If only lake Chelan could get a little warmer. I love that area.

[Phil]

3 minutes ago, TT-SEA said:

No... its pretty special.   Highest boat ownership rate in the country as well.   Western Oregon doesn't have anything Iike it.   And the Midwest lakes are shallow and turn green in the summer.   And lakes in the SE US have all kinds of strange things that we don't have here.  

You truly can't beat the Puget Sound and all the islands for natural beauty so close to a metro area.    It's second to none.  But it's more challenging boating in salt water so we stick to lakes.

The Chesapeake is nice for boating as well. I have a friend in Annapolis that goes out almost every weekend from spring to fall, weather allowing. Lots of space and large swaths of protected land.

But W-WA probably has more favorable weather. Especially during the summer months.

[TT-SEA]

2 minutes ago, Phil said:

The Chesapeake is nice for boating as well. I have a friend in Annapolis that goes out almost every weekend from spring to fall, weather allowing. Lots of space and large swaths of protected land.

But W-WA probably has more favorable weather. Especially during the summer months.

Yeah... that seems like a really cool area too.

[Slushy Inch]

4 minutes ago, Phil said:

The Chesapeake is nice for boating as well. I have a friend in Annapolis that goes out almost every weekend from spring to fall, weather allowing. Lots of space and large swaths of protected land.

But W-WA probably has more favorable weather. Especially during the summer months.

Chesapeake bay has way better fishing and is way warmer. And has thunderstorms. Unless you’re a salmon guy. Always love visiting relatives over there. My Grandma owns a very nice house with a dock on one of the many creeks that drain in. 

[SnowWillarrive]

31 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

I don't think Seattle is as unique for boating opportunities as @TT-SEA thinks. Other than the Sound, it is similar to many other places. Including big cities like Dallas, Tulsa, Houston, Nashville, Austin, etc... The list really goes on and on. Even Eugene. 

@TT-SEA is right. Washington State has quite a few more lakes than Oregon. Oregon is pretty. But Washington State really blows it out of the water. Washington has substantially better access than all the places you mentioned. Much better mountain lakes as well. 

[Slushy Inch]

3 minutes ago, SnowWillarrive said:

@TT-SEA is right. Washington State has quite a few more lakes than Oregon. Oregon is pretty. But Washington State really blows it out of the water. Much better mountain lakes as well. 

The mountain lakes are exquisite.

[Dave]

8 minutes ago, SnowWillarrive said:

@TT-SEA is right. Washington State has quite a few more lakes than Oregon. Oregon is pretty. But Washington State really blows it out of the water. Much better mountain lakes as well. 

Debatable. But I will say that Washington's beautiful lakes are more accessible. This is in the Wallowas.

 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

48 minutes ago, TT-SEA said:

Puget Sound is cold for sure.   Detroit Lake is a haul and its not natural.    Water is all around us in the Seattle area.

Who cares if it’s a natural lake or not and I meant the lake you always talk about sammmmammmmdwich. 

[MossMan]

36 minutes ago, Slushy Inch said:

If only lake Chelan could get a little warmer. I love that area.

Yeah I usually slap on the wetsuit when playing on Chelan, however my kids never seem to care about the cold water lol. 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

21 minutes ago, Dave said:

Debatable. But I will say that Washington's beautiful lakes are more accessible. This is in the Wallowas.

 

Yeah… or Green Lakes in the Three Sisters Wilderness, the Strawberry Lakes, Jefferson Park lakes… both states have beautiful lakes. 

[Phil]

29 minutes ago, Slushy Inch said:

Chesapeake bay has way better fishing and is way warmer. And has thunderstorms. Unless you’re a salmon guy. Always love visiting relatives over there. My Grandma owns a very nice house with a dock on one of the many creeks that drain in. 

Thunderstorms and boating don’t mix well, though.  

Autumn is by far the best season for boating here. Not windy like spring, and not oppressive with unpredictable storms like summer. Not to mention warm waters and foliage.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

According to the internet Washington has a lot more lakes than Oregon. Oregon unquestionably has better rivers. And I’m not dissing them either. Some just like to put down what they don’t know. 

[TT-SEA]

6 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

Who cares if it’s a natural lake or not and I meant the lake you always talk about sammmmammmmdwich. 

Natural lakes are more stable in terms of level.  Lake Sammamish and Lake Washington are pretty much always at the same level all year round.   No changes from year to year or later in the summer.  

Just looked it up... Detroit Lake is 60 miles from Salem and 115 miles from Eugene and 1,500 feet higher.   That is not a spur of the moment thing.   And no one just stops by and you pick them up at the launch for a couple hours of fun in the sun.    That is an ordeal when hauling a boat.  

Nope... Seattle area is way better for boating and water activities compared to western Oregon.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Im hoping to do the 187 mile Willamette River kayak float soon. Maybe not this summer because I’d like to get my experience level up a bit, I prefer rivers to lakes personally. Kayaking on a lake can be nice but you have to worry about the Tim and Randy’s of the world not noticing you. 

[Dave]

50 minutes ago, TT-SEA said:

Seems like that would be the best option down there.   But climbing uphill into the mountains with a boat seems tedious for just having some fun on the water on a spur of the moment.   We can be at launch on Lake Sammamish in no time and being centrally located we will have people just meet us there and doesn't require planning your entire day around it.   Definitely wouldn't be the same down there.

That's why you leave your boat at one of the two large marinas. Not mine, and it it is a good deal to have your best friend owning a nice boat and cabin (before it burnt down).

[SilverFallsAndrew]

4 minutes ago, TT-SEA said:

Natural lakes are more stable in terms of level.  Lake Sammamish and Lake Washington are pretty much always at the same level all year round.   No changes from year to year or later in the summer.  

Just looked it up... Detroit Lake is 60 miles from Salem and 115 miles from Eugene and 1,500 feet higher.   That is not a spur of the moment thing.   And no one just stops by and you pick them up at the launch for a couple hours of fun in the sun.    That is an ordeal when hauling a boat.  

Nope... Seattle area is way better for boating and water activities compared to western Oregon.

They don’t lower Detroit until after Labor Day. It has stable water levels in the summer. I avoid it in the summer because it’s full of pleasure boaters. 
 

And the lake I mentioned was Fern Ridge, there are many large lakes much closer to Eugene. And the Willamette River which is a national treasure. 

[Slushy Inch]

12 minutes ago, Phil said:

Thunderstorms and boating don’t mix well, though.  

Autumn is by far the best season for boating here. Not windy like spring, and not oppressive with unpredictable storms like summer. Not to mention warm waters and foliage.

That why we always turned on the weather radio 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

1 minute ago, Dave said:

That's why you leave your boat at one of the two large marinas. Not mine, and it it is a good deal to have your best friend owning a nice boat and cabin (before it burnt down).

Detroit is really coming back now. Great to see people rebuilding. And nothing beats a lazy day fishing on the upper north Santiam. 

[Dave]

5 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

Im hoping to do the 187 mile Willamette River kayak float soon. Maybe not this summer because I’d like to get my experience level up a bit, I prefer rivers to lakes personally. Kayaking on a lake can be nice but you have to worry about the Tim and Randy’s of the world not noticing you. 

I've kayaked for 20+ years, but mostly whitewater. I've also had my eye on this trip. There are plenty of blogs and guides about where to camp, get supplies, etc. out there. I'll do it one day before I get too old.

[TT-SEA]

4 minutes ago, Dave said:

That's why you leave your boat at one of the two large marinas. Not mine, and it it is a good deal to have your best friend owning a nice boat and cabin (before it burnt down).

Then you are limited to that one lake without a big ordeal.    And its still a long haul for the day.

[Dave]

2 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

Detroit is really coming back now. Great to see people rebuilding. And nothing beats a lazy day fishing on the upper north Santiam. 

Done that multiple times before boating was available. There is a large park on the North Santiam fork with a ton of picnic tables and good fishing. I like the one on the Breitenbush fork better though. Caught many tasty planters there.

[TigerWoodsLibido]

15 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

According to the internet Washington has a lot more lakes than Oregon. Oregon unquestionably has better rivers. And I’m not dissing them either. Some just like to put down what they don’t know. 

Now we need to discuss which state has the better nightclubs.

Hint...they aren't in Eugene.

[TT-SEA]

Oregon coast kicks the crap out of the WA coast.   Its not even close.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

1 minute ago, TigerWoodsLibido said:

Now we need to discuss which state has the better nightclubs.

Hint...they aren't in Eugene.

I turn 40 this year…IDGAF about nightclubs. Too bad we can’t go to Taylor’s anymore.

Edited January 27 by SilverFallsAndrew

[Dave]

2 minutes ago, TT-SEA said:

Then you are limited to that one lake without a big ordeal.    And its still a long haul for the day.

It's a huge lake. Many arms to explore and enjoy. When you get back, there are (were) multiple restaurants and bars to enjoy. It was the source of great weekends which I still look back fondly upon. It definitely isn't a day lake from Eugene. But there are others like Fall Creek Reservoir that are still real nice.

[TigerWoodsLibido]

2 minutes ago, TT-SEA said:

Oregon coast kicks the crap out of the WA coast.   Its not even close.

The Pelican Pub agrees. Worked there for over 2 years and it's still the best job I've ever had.

[TigerWoodsLibido]

1 minute ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

I turn 40 this year…IDGAF about nightclubs. Too bad we can’t go to Taylor’s anymore.

Ah yes, the EUG meat market. RIP.

[Cold Snap]

2 hours ago, Phil said:

Second half of Feb could be pretty fun out here though. If it’s possible to delay your trip I would.  

Do you think the SE could get in on any of the action? I’ll be in NE Alabama from the 20th-25th.

[Dave]

2 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

I turn 40 this year…IDGAF about nightclubs. Too bad we can’t go to Taylor’s anymore.

Too many druggings by the employees to unexpecting young ladies was the downfall. What a shameful bar that became. Disgusting.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

2 minutes ago, Dave said:

Too many druggings by the employees to unexpecting young ladies was the downfall. What a shameful bar that became. Disgusting.

Oh yeah, I was joking. I only went there once and it was during the middle of the day. Mostly been to Starlight and The Horsehead in Eugene. 

Edited January 27 by SilverFallsAndrew

[MossMan]

20 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

Im hoping to do the 187 mile Willamette River kayak float soon. Maybe not this summer because I’d like to get my experience level up a bit, I prefer rivers to lakes personally. Kayaking on a lake can be nice but you have to worry about the Tim and Randy’s of the world not noticing you. 

Or 75 year olds that can’t see over the helm!

[Slushy Inch]

11 minutes ago, TT-SEA said:

Oregon coast kicks the crap out of the WA coast.   Its not even close.

No doubt 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

8 minutes ago, Dave said:

It's a huge lake. Many arms to explore and enjoy. When you get back, there are (were) multiple restaurants and bars to enjoy. It was the source of great weekends which I still look back fondly upon. It definitely isn't a day lake from Eugene. But there are others like Fall Creek Reservoir that are still real nice.

I can’t even remember the name (The Cedars?) of the one right off the highway across from the market. My brother and I would always go there on our way back from Olallie or Jefferson Park. J-Park being a 12.2 mile day hike, we were always plenty hungry after that hike! 

[Phil]

6 minutes ago, Cold Snap said:

Do you think the SE could get in on any of the action? I’ll be in NE Alabama from the 20th-25th.

Yes the odds are elevated. Classic late-winter niño pattern working to establish mid-Feb onwards.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Oregon and Washington are very different. Both have natural beauty and both are beautiful in their own way. Oregon is much more rural and isolated, like I’ve said before outside of Portland and Bend it’s pretty much a backwater. 

[TigerWoodsLibido]

4 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

Oregon and Washington are very different. Both have natural beauty and both are beautiful in their own way. Oregon is much more rural and isolated, like I’ve said before outside of Portland and Bend it’s pretty much a backwater. 

The empty west on I-5 starts at Eugene and ends at Redding or so.