I agree that the Angst board has been a great service to the squirtboating community, so I will continue to post from time to time. I may not have much new to say, but I can at least post something so people can read real life stories and/or info about squirtboating
The Buffet is my home Mystery spot, serving it up October to May since Y2K. The spot has changed a little here and there, mostly just with reference to the slalom work/attainment to get back into the staging eddy. The downtime has been sublime the whole time. This is a greater Portland, Oregon spot that is actually in Washington on the Washougal River. It is about 8' of elevation and 1 river mile from it's confluence with the Pacific tidal influenced Columbia River. During unusually high water in the Columbia several years ago, the Columbia actually backed up into the spot, which killed the Mystery fun that Spring. The lower river where the spot is has houses on both sides of the river, and the access 100' walk to the eddy is a Washougal City park called the Sandy Swimming Hole. In the daytime, the houses can detract from the experience, but only above water. At night, the houses are a big benefit as there is plenty of ambient light for night Mysteries in the super-clear water. The spot came in last weekend, and I had my first Classic session of the season- put on at twilight, dial it in with light, then Jedi it in there for another half an hour in the dark. Awesome! Never missed a ride the entire session, but then again it is my spot. My kids have been going to school within 2 miles of the spot for the last 15 years, so I hit it mostly during the evenings in the work week. I have been there hundreds of times by my self, in the dark, and in the rain. People tend to visit our region in the Summer, so few out-of-towners have sampled the spot. Stephen Wright found his way right in several years ago when he visited while passing through. We have had as many as 6-8 sinkers there at once. It does offer the possibility for the sink/ski, which we've done plenty. Hit a sink session during the day, then head up for some skiing at Mt. Hood, which is open until 10:30 pm for night skiing. On my to-do list is what I call the Triple Crown- snowplay on Mt. Hood, sinking at the Buffet, then end up surfing in the Pacific. In our local area you can make that happen almost any day of the year, but only during the winter months with the Buffet. We do also run the river in our squirt boats occasionally. Life is good, party on squirtboaters!
