[BarePaw]

I would like to take my girlfriend paddling over labor day weekend. Does anybody know where I can rent 2 kayaks and gear and paddle around someplace scenic for a day, and about how much it would cost? I've been baking in Yakima all summer and she in Tri Cities, so it would be nice to go west and soak up some nice cool rain.

[solohiker]

don't know about Yakima or Tricities areas but over on this side of the mts, Cascade Canoe and Kayak center rents some pretty nice demo kayaks out of the Renton boathouse on the mouth of the Cedar River. Their Labor Day sale is hard to beat, too, if you should decide you like the boat so much you wanna take it home. They have a wide range in stock, daytrippers, overnighters, racing boats and everything inbetween.

[mike]

http://sanjuansafaris.com/

[Opus]

Lots of places to rent in the San Juans and great places to cruise around too. On Lake Washington I like starting at the Enatai Beach boathouse instead of Cedar River. You can go through the Mercer Slough nature preserve, see alot of herons and turtles, then detour through the Newport Keys on the way out and see all the big yachts. Or you could rent at Lake Union, paddle through the Ballard Locks into Shilshole Bay, up to Golden Gardens and back. Or through Lake Union / Portage Bay / Washington Park Arboretum near the University of Washington. One trip I've wanted to do but never had time for was a trip through Ross Lake / Diablo Lake. Took my kayak out over the weekend for the first time in a long while. It just doesn't get enough attention since I started hiking!