Wanderings onward: A visit to family

As usual, I'm a bit slow posting my wanderings so here's another one from recent travels. In late June I went to visit my kids and grandkids in Washington, the state. I was pleased to learn that reservations can be made at no cost on the ferry from Sidney, BC to Anacortes, Wa, just an hour or so north of Seattle where my son lives. This is a very lovely and quiet ferry ride with great views of the Gulf Islands and San Juan Islands

Sidney Island
and Mt Baker

I spent the night at my son Demian's place, long enough to hang out with the family with the plan to return to spend more time. I set off in the morning for my daughter's place in southern Washington, some 60 mi up the Columbia River Gorge from Portland.

A beautiful area with Mt Adams to the north

and Mt Hood to the south,

the Columbia River Gorge and many other rivers feeding it

My daughter lives in BZ Corner, Wa where there's a gas station/convenience store, The Logs restaurant and numerous river businesses. This is a prime area for river sports: rafting and kayaking, windsurfing and kite boarding. My son-in-law is a raft guide in fact. A prime rafting river, the White Salmon, runs literally in my daughter's backyard, a frigid river with big rapids and waterfalls. A short but exciting ride including a 10ft waterfall when the river flow permits. Often, like right now, the water is too high to run the waterfall.

The Columbia River, right at that spot at Hood River, is a mecca for windsurfing and kite board due to the frequent high winds blowing upstream.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9GrZzeXGOc

There were one or two windsurfers who had a foil on the skeg that allowed them to lift the whole board up a foot over the water, gliding smoothly along like they were levitating.