COLUMBIA RIVER SLOUGH LETTERBOX SERIES


It's time to get excited, folks! Six more letterboxes have been placed in
the Portland, Oregon Metropolitan Area. This time we go to East Multnomah
County for a wet and wild time! Please note: The first four letterboxes of
this series can only be accessed via a canoe or kayak. The final two are
handily located for hikers to seek. All can be reached from the same
starting point. Please dress appropriately for dampness and some definite
intimate contact with blackberry brambles for boxes 1-4 and 6.

DIRECTIONS: From the I-205,Veteran's Memorial Freeway heading North, take
exit 24B Airport Way East. If you miss this exit, have a good time in
Washington and check out Der Mad Stamper's letterbox at Battleground Lake!
Anyway...Take the 24B, Airport Way East exit. Continue on that road East
for three miles. Shortly after you pass the large pale blue water tank to
your right you'll make a right turn in the next driveway and then veer left
to the Columbia Slough Canoe Launch/Trailhead parking. This is located at
approximately NE 165th and Airport Way.
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ON THE WATER
LETTERBOXES 1 - 4:
CLUES: PRETTY EASY, I THINK.
DIFFICULTY: MUST USE PADDLECRAFT TO ACCESS. ALSO, DEPENDS ON HOW WELL YOU
CAN MANEUVER YOUR CRAFT, BUT IT SHOULDN'T BE TOO TOUGH. YOU MIGHT HAVE A
LITTLE CONTACT WITH BERRY BRAMBLES AND BUSHES, BUT NOT MUCH.

COLUMBIA SLOUGH LETTERBOX 1: The Simple Fish
Put your boat in at the canoe launch. Paddle beneath the bridge and
continue. When you reach a large, distinct fork in the waterway, turn
right. Keep paddling. At the next spot where cars go over and you go under
watch for a culvert on your Port side. Pass by a cyclone fence post, which
is also Port side. On Starboard a small lone standing tree is on the bank.
Directly across from that on Port side is a stump sticking sideways out of
the bank. The simple fish in Letterbox 1 is above it there for you to
stamp.

COLUMBIA SLOUGH LETTERBOX 2: The Canoe & Paddle
Keep on going. After you go under the high bridge, there is a big rock on
the Starboard side. The canoe and paddle in Letterbox 2 is lurking just
behind on the Southwest side.

COLUMBIA SLOUGH LETTERBOX 3: The Waterfowl
You'll paddle underneath the next low bridge. Just before you get to the
islands, if you're lucky, nutria might swim by to check you out. Veer to
the right of the islands on the main waterway for the rest of your journey.
Sometimes it may feel as if you're poling more than paddling. The water can
be shallow in this area, but you will get through. If you choose to go your
own way, though, you will probably get stuck. Keep paddling past the rocky
drainage and stay just to the left of that. You'll probably see plenty of
ducks here. You will go under a log with pipes attached and a wire hanging
down. Lots of nutria live around here. You will probably have to duck or
do the canoe limbo to get beyond this, but please do it. Once you've passed
beneath, go 15 strokes, turn your head and look aft. Letterbox 3 should be
very obvious from this viewpoint.

COLUMBIA SLOUGH LETTERBOX 4: The Great Blue Heron
You know, as Vanessa Williams sings, you go and save the best for last.
Truer words could not be spoken about Letterbox 4. This is the last
letterbox you have to access by water and, in my not so humble opinion, it
is the best. Go all the way to the end of the slough as far as you can
paddle. You'll be under a large concrete pipe and water will probably be
flowing from the culvert on the North side. Straight ahead and just above
is a light green pipe. A concrete pipe is right behind it. The Great Blue
Heron is tucked away in Letterbox 4 between these two pipes near the U
clamp.




COLUMBIA RIVER SLOUGH LETTERBOX SERIES
(CONTINUED)

ON THE TRAIL

LETTERBOXES 5 & 6:
CLUES: VERY EASY.
DIFFICULTY: NOT MUCH. GRAVEL & MULCH PATH. A COUPLE INSTANCES WITH A SMALL
AMOUNT OF STEPS AND A BRIDGE. DEFINITE BLACKBERRY ALERT FOR LETTERBOX 6.

COLUMBIA SLOUGH LETTERBOX 5: The Pine Cone
At the parking lot, follow the trail down to the canoe launch and go under
the bridge and up the stairs. Continue on and enjoy the sights and sounds
of the slough environment (not to mention the more than occasional airport
traffic). Keep meandering along. Soon you will pass by a blue water
structure on your left, then a picnic area. There will be a green sign just
past here on your right that says: "HIKERS ONLY" From this point go down the
path 33 steps. On your left will be several trees clumped together, two
that are kind of broken off. One of those has a hollow-looking stump.
Behind these trees the pine cone is nestled in the roots.

COLUMBIA SLOUGH LETTERBOX 6: The Dragonfly
Once you're over the thrill of discovering the pine cone keep on trucking
down the trail. Go over the bridge and keep going. When you see the beige
building with teal and gray accents, and four pine trees on the East side
you are nearly there. Walk forward. Just before the bend in the path and
at the end of the cyclone fence, please look at 8:00 O'Clock. Do you see
that wispy-looking tree closest to you? At the base of this the dragonfly
can be found, though not without effort. Some blackberry branches will snag
you in an effort to protect.