What to do in Bend: Kayaking in Sau's Hole

Kayaking Sau's Hole

Listening to Rossini's Barber of Seville while taking a late afternoon walk on the River Trail near Big Eddy yesterday I saw a group of Sunday kayakers finishing a run. At this time of year they do the Lava Island Falls run because the water flow is a little lower and the falls are good.

This picture is of Jayson Bowerman at Sau's Hole just down from Big Eddy on a Sunday afternoon in high summer when the water was really flowing. I used to do pictures of Jayson and his friends on the river for the newspaper every now and then. He ended up getting a job making guitars for Breedlove Guitars and now he makes custom guitars on his own.

Sau's Hole is a really fun place for kayakers with the tiny trick boats to play in the summer. Tiny being the key word here. Maybe six feet long for the boat with their legs and feet wedged into them like climbing shoes. I've actually seen people on surfboards surfing in the hole. It can become a big standing wave when the water is really high. Again, I'm just a guy who likes doing pictures, so all the questions of names of the tricks, the required water flow, what boats work best or finding people to do this with can be answered at Tumalo Creek Kayak and Canoe near the Old Mill.

I did this picture while working at the Bulletin before becoming a full-time wedding and portrait photographer. It's always fun seeing the kayakers play in the water and they often can be seen at Big Eddy and Sau's Hole on Sunday afternoons. The Lava Island Falls run requires a person walking through the river and over lava rock to see. So I don't recommend doing this unless you schedule with a group ahead of time.

Sunday afternoons are a great time to hike the river trail for the opportunity to not only see kayakers playing in Sau's Hole, but to see birds, and have to quiet time. There's not as many people and a person can easily listen to their favorite opera while walking and relaxing the mind.

A word on why I went missing on blog posting the last few days: my new running shoes caused a tripping incident resulting in me jamming a few fingers on the left hand. Typing on a keyboard becomes a little too challenging with painfully swollen fingers. Still, I finally did 28 seconds on a 50 sprint with pushing off the wall at the end of practice last week. Almost as fast as I used to be able to kick a 50 with a kickboard. That's my goal: be faster swimming than I used to be able to kick. A person needs goals. Another goal: get the Bend Wedding Photographers website high enough people actually see the work and start hiring me. Sitting around blogging instead of doing pictures blows.

Take care, and get out there on a hike. The river trail rocks!