Water is Life 💦🚣♂️🌊
Join me in rivers, lakes, and ocean waves and experience the power of water.
Hello, river riders, lake lovers, and coastal cruisers,
Yay! It’s summer! Let’s celebrate one of our most precious resources: water.
Here in Oregon, it’s everywhere. From gentle creeks to roaring, rapid rivers, crystal-clear lakes, cascading waterfalls, and the Pacific Ocean thundering waves, water nourishes us, invites us to play, and sustains all life.
I crave it especially now, as chaos, crisis, and challenge swirl around us. At this moment, I search for water. It reminds me that life keeps flowing. Even when the current is strong and pushes against me, I paddle harder.
So, grab your paddle, lean into the flow, and drink what’s most precious.
Water Belongs to All Oregonians 💧🌲⚖️
Oregon rain brings water from the clouds to our rivers, lakes, farms, gardens, and back to the Pacific Ocean.
Here, water is more than a resource. It’s a way of life. It’s how we cool off on hot summer days, find peace paddling a kayak at sunset, and gather with friends and family to celebrate life.
Oregon’s Constitution, through the Public Trust Doctrine, guarantees free and open access to our navigable waterways. But for years, that promise was broken here. Oswego Lake was closed to the public. A legal challenge brought an outcome in June 2025, when a Clackamas County judge ruled that the lake is public and access must be allowed. I was proud to have joined the effort to write to the City Council and stand with others who believe in access for all. The court affirmed what so many of us believed all along: Oregon’s waters belong to everyone, not just a privileged few.
Paddle, Cruise, Swim 🚣♀️🐾🌊
Over the past five years, I’ve fallen in love with the waters of Oregon.
There’s nothing better than swimming in the Willamette River, cooling down on a hot summer afternoon. We’ve taken our little boat out there too, cruising under historic bridges with eagles and osprey overhead, finding quiet stretches and scenic views with our packed picnic basket.
I've floated down the Clackamas River with friends, from Barton to Carver, laughing, splashing, and relaxing. Kayaked on the Deschutes River, in Bend, spotting river otters and soaking in high desert beauty. Every trip to Bend or Sisters means a chance to get the paddles out and reconnect with that wild, moving water.
Up the Columbia River Gorge...chasing waterfalls, and farther south, hiking the trails... in Silver Falls State Park, with ten major waterfalls.
Out at the coast, we’ve wandered the tidepools at Haystack Rock at low tide, discovering sea stars and anemones, even spotting puffins. Last summer, our black lab visited the Pacific and charged straight into the surf, crashing through waves with wild joy.
And, yes, we love to paddle, float, and swim in Oswego Lake.
Oregon Water Journey Bucket List 🏞️🚤🧭
I’m just getting started.
This weekend, a cruise on the Willamette with our rescue dog Wilbur. We’ll celebrate a birthday and the 4th of July at the Waterfront Bluesfest (an annual tradition), and an overnight stay on the Willamette River in Independence. And, later this summer or fall, a trip to the coast and up the Columbia Gorge.
I cannot wait to visit all the water spaces and places in Oregon. I want to visit Crater Lake National Park as soon as possible. This lake is the deepest in the U.S. and was formed by a volcanic eruption over 7,000 years ago. It’s filled only with snow and rain. There are so many lakes, rivers, and coastal towns to visit as I drink in the water and dream up stories for my next mystery thriller set in Oregon, coming in 2026.
So wherever you are this summer, I hope you find time to sit by a river, jump into a lake, or walk on a beach. Join me in standing up for public access, environmental protection, and the thrill that comes from being near the water we all depend on.
