Question about Sammamish River/Slough

[BillF]

This question is for you intrepid veterans of the Slough Run. Is it reasonable to take a 19-feet runabout from Lake Sammamish to either of the bridges crossing the Slough at Redmond Way or Leary Way? Both are a little north of Highway 520. My interpretations of the things said about the river obstacles are that they are somewhat farther north and west of those bridges. Please comment about this, and try to use a nicer synonym for "dumb". My reason for asking is that I would like to be able to go by boat to some of our appointments at Group Health Cooperative's new Redmond Medical Center at 7765 159th Place NE in Redmond, which is only a few hundred feet from the bridge on Redmond Way.

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Bill -

The short answer is No, you can't go to Group Health's Redmond outpost by boat...at least not if you hope to return up the Sammamish River following your medical appointment. You could go downstream through the fish weir and willow run, and emerge close to Group Health (although a 19-foot boat is really too big to go through the willow run, since you could get hopelessly jammed in a sideways position with a boat that large), but you'd never be able to negotiate your way back upstream through the same stretch...and then up and over the fish weir, which is like climbing over a small and shallow concrete dam. (Maybe with jet drive, but not with an outboard motor; your prop would be totally chewed up before you even got back to the weir.)

Nice try, though!

- Marty

[BillF]

Thanks, Marty. I had thought (and hoped) that the major obstacles were a little farther downstream. Too bad; it would have been a neat thing to do.