# Now, That's an Eddy!



## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

Wow! That looks like it could be one nasty little cauldron!


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

Big cauldron!


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

Hydrology is so freakin cool! Thanks for sharing, this is a great shot and great find.


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## The Mogur (Mar 1, 2010)

Willamette Falls, in the background, is a 41-foot drop. At extreme water levels, the pool below fills up, and somewhere around 160,000 cfs the falls starts to look runnable. At least with one of these:

Two Creature Craft Rafts hand crafted white water rafts


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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

The Mogur said:


> Willamette Falls, in the background, is a 41-foot drop. At extreme water levels, the pool below fills up, and somewhere around 160,000 cfs the falls starts to look runnable. At least with one of these:
> 
> Two Creature Craft Rafts hand crafted white water rafts


I remember maybe 15 years ago we saw a floating house "run" the falls at levels similar to those - all that exited was splinters. I haven't seen the spectacle of the falls at high water in a long time. Thanks for the reminder.


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## BrianK (Feb 3, 2005)

Looks pretty runnable at lower levels:

https://vimeo.com/22015608


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

The Mogur said:


> Willamette Falls, in the background, is a 41-foot drop. At extreme water levels, the pool below fills up, and somewhere around 160,000 cfs the falls starts to look runnable. At least with one of these:
> 
> Two Creature Craft Rafts hand crafted white water rafts


Would never think of running the falls in one of those boats, 18" long!?!
It would need to be at least,,, two or three times that size!


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## The Mogur (Mar 1, 2010)

BrianK said:


> Looks pretty runnable at lower levels.


Thanks for sharing that video. I live on the riverfront just above the falls, and I heard about the kayak run, but this is the first time I've seen it.

The water level in the video is intermediate. When the flow is low, most of the water goes through the power plant, and the falls itself is mostly dry. The run in the video involves a careful approach to avoid the spillways to the right and the power plant intakes to the left. 

And even then, you can't drop over the dam just anywhere. In most places, you'd land on rock. These kayakers knew what they were doing.

At extreme high water, the falls smooths out, but there are still HUGE hydraulics. I'm not tempted to do it.


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## The Mogur (Mar 1, 2010)

mattman said:


> I would never think of running the falls in one of those boats, 18" long!?! It would need to be at least,,, two or three times that size!


I wouldn't try running ANYTHING in an 18-inch (18") boat--or even one two or three times that size. Luckily, the Creature Craft in the ad is an 18-foot (18') boat. 

But there really are water levels (well above flood stage) where such a craft could make the run. The photo in this thread was taken at two feet below flood stage.


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

Ya, Just had to poke fun at there typo, and make zoolander referances!


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

Yah know, 
strapping two of those boats together could make one heck of a rainy weather
Party barge, if you had a big enough tarp over them, and a porta bar...


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