My first winter 2000 kayak trip was quite spectacular, with deer, eagles, cold water, warm breezes, and tasty fudge.

I camped over at Bentonsport (3 hours south of Des Moines)  Friday night.  It is quite beautiful along the river, with the bright stars overhead and the sound of the water to send you off to sleep.  There was heavy frost on the window in the morning.  I slept on an air mattress in the van, warm in a well-insulated mummy bag.

At the crack of dawn I moved the tow car to Bonaparte, about 4 miles down river, then headed back to Keosauqua, the city of the "great bend."  I got into my wet suit, set up the boat, and got launched at 8 AM.  In less than 5 minutes I hit the first obstacle, low water at the first set of rapids.  The bottom was rocky, and the shallow water extended several hundred feet, so I got out of the kayak and plunged ahead with the boat in tow.  The icy water hit my feet right away, but the neoprene socks and insulated boots kept things bearable.  I noted that there was new ice on the river and that the river was covered with frothy patches of ice until the warm breezes melted them away.  With little current and colder temperatures on the way, this stretch of the river will be frozen over in no time.

So, I was through the rapids and on my way.  It's about 4 miles to the end of the great bend, and the eagles were waiting, 6 of them soaring through the trees and out over the water.  I had eagles the whole way.  At one point I paddled right up to a magnificent great bird perched on a branch about 25 feet above the water.  I had no camera, and this was the first time an eagle has not taken flight when I came within 200 feet.  

 It was another 4 miles to Bentonsport, with many low water areas and about 20 short hiking trips along the sandy bottom.  As the sun grew brighter, I noticed that the water was clear, and that the sandy bottom was visible in even 5-6 feet of water.  This was a new experience, the river has always been too cloudy to see to the bottom.  It was fascinating to watch the changing rock formations and mini sand dunes in an infinite variety of patterns.  The wind came up and the waves refracted the light into thousands of dancing golden bands along the riverbed.  As the wind increased, small waves moved across the water, crystal clear and filled with a golden light that dazzled the eye.  So the low water had a golden lining.  This is the clear water that early explorers and settlers reported when this was the river Moingona.  It would be so wonderful to have both adequate moisture and clean, clear water.

In all this natural beauty, I was delighted to come on a family of deer fording the river.  4 does, a young buck, and a mature buck with impressive antlers were about 1000 feet away and pawing at the river's edge.  The does bounded in up to their necks and began swimming.  The bucks followed, and appeared to be pushing off the bottom.  I paddled hard to get closer, but the deer were very fast,  covering the 300 feet to the far shore in less than a minute.  Then they were all up on the shore and into the forest.  I was within 200 feet of them as they exited stage west.  Another fantastic photo missed.

It was fun to stop in Bentonsport, have some fudge and good hot coffee, and chat with the folks at the general store about the river and the river trail.  Then, on to Bonaparte, another 4 mile leg.  With no current and all that hiking this 12 mile stretch took me 6 hours and I was sore for 2 days after.  It may not be winter on the calendar, but winter kayaking season has definitely begun.
 

Gerry Rowland
Des Moines