Saturday I paddled 13 miles from Ft. Dodge to Dolliver State Park.  Water was low, so I had plenty of time to view the high shale bluffs and the forests all along the way.  It was 6 hours of hard paddling, with little or no current.  The put in point was the new ramp that the city put in after my letter to the editor.

I camped north of Ft. Dodge overnight (at Gotch Park).  The inflatable matress in the van worked just fine, as did my newly remodeled nose and throat.  The park has a heated rest room, which was quite convenient.

Sunday, I left the tow car at the ramp just north of the Ft. Dodge hydro dam.  I checked out the work on the dam and park at Rutland.  There is a new concrete boat ramp, which will be great for taking the boat out.  Next, I used Farmer Erickson's portage road and put in below the REC dam just below Gotch park.  The 13 mile paddle was really a challenge.  This part of the river has numerous rapids, which also have lots of boulders that have been rounded by the sands of the river in the 10,000 years since the retreating glacier abandoned them.  So I could see the current running through the rocks, and I had to run a slalom course and try to stay off the rocks.  Great fun it was, although once or twice a mile I had to get out and pull the boat off the rocks or the river bottom.  The boat draws 2 inches, and 4 inches with me in it, so you can see how low the water is.  This was also a 6 hour effort.

I had nose and throat surgery on Aug. 19, and complications from surgery on Sept. 7.   It's been a long recovery and I did not go out except for a brief paddle during the bridge dedication on Sept. 19.

On Oct. 9, Greg Vitale and I got out on a warm October day for the 9 mile run down to Yellow Banks.  We left his car and my tow car downstream, and loaded his kayak on my van.  It was very foggy even at 10 AM as we got ready to put in at SE 14th St.  We talked about having the paddlers take on this access as a cleanup for Earth Day.  It is badly trashed out.

The water levels are very low, and many times we had only 5-6 inches of water (why can't we get a little more water from Red Rock and Saylorville?).  We could see the sandy bottom quite well, however, and there was no shortage of sandbars.   We paddled into the fog for about an hour, and the great blue herons were emboldened to sit in the trees and watch us get very close before they took flight.  Our visibility was not more than 200 feet, and the effect of the sun shining through the fog, and the mist hanging in the trees, was quite lovely.

About 5 miles downstream, past the sewage plant, the fog broke and the herons departed.  As we passed the Hwy. 65 bridge, we began to see flights of cormorants and gulls, and then a few egrets on the sandbars and in the trees.  Nearing the bluffs by Vandalia Rd., with its festive fall colors that stretched for miles in front of us, we came upon a spectacular sight.  A flight of large white birds with black wingtips and large bills came over us, perhaps 20-30 birds.  It was the first of more than a hundred pelicans that stood on the sandbars, took flight and wheeled overhead, then joined the circling squadrons.  Pelicans filled the skies as we watched in awe.

As we floated and watched, all the waterfowl we had been watching seemed to gather in front of us on the river.  The entire river was covered with birds floating, taking flight with loud beating wings, or soaring overhead.  Ducks, geese, cormorants, egrets by the dozen, gulls, herons, pelicans, and killdeer all moved downstream as we paddled.  We soaked in the sights and sounds, happy to bask in the warm sun and revel in nature's glory.  As we approached the Yellow Banks boat ramp, the strangest thing happened...all the birds were gone.  By the time we had our boats out of the water, none of these hundreds of birds was anywhere to be seen.

1. Hardfish Access at dawn
Mist on the river and the bright sun at dawn promise a scenic 17 mile paddle.

2. The canoe and kayak parking lot
This was Hardfish Access (near Eddyville) before it started to get really crowded.

3. Don’t drop that canoe
Kip and Ann, from Ottumwa, really enjoyed the paddle, once they got the canoe down off the car.

4.  Preparing for the mass launch
The Ottumwa Courier staff did a great job of organizing the event.  More than 200 people and 120 boats participated.  At this point, people were still registering, but the fun was about to begin.  Note the big war canoe.

5.  I wasn’t kidding about all the boats
I’ve never seen so many boats going into the water.  It took at least 45 minutes for everyone to get launched.  Launch time was 7:30 AM.

6. Under the Eddyville bridge
The Des Moines River was covered with 80 canoes and 40 kayaks.  What an amazing sight.

7. Moving right along
This was a floating party, with so many boats there was always somebody to visit with.  We are about 2 miles south of Eddyville, making about 5 mph.

8. Happy campers
This guy got a free ride for about 7 miles, then his wife put him to work.  People were having such a good time, it was just fantastic.

9.  Law enforcement and a power plant
The Wapello County sherrif’s department watched out for us all along the way.  The power plant at Chillicothe was our landmark for the first 8 miles of the trip, and made an impressive backdrop with the deep blue sky.

10. Chillicothe Bridge
This was our mid-point, about 9 miles downstream.  The bank was too high to take out, so we made for a sandbar.  This is an excellent place for a new boat ramp and a park (we could call it River Ripple Park.)

11.  Sandbar in sight
It was good to find a sandbar after 2 hours in the boat.  The water, the sky, the cool temps, the great people all made this a wonderful experience.

12.  An amazing assortment
At the sandbar, we began to get an idea of the incredible variety of boats that were participating in the event.  Note that the war canoe was keeping up with the kayakers.

13.  Kayak rodeo
After refreshments at Rock Bluff Park, we had some kayak rodeo events, such as the lost hat pickup.

14.  Greg and Bob
These paddlers came down from Des Moines and represented the Central Iowa Paddlers with grace and style.  The variety of the river is evident, with wooded areas giving way to a stretch of beach every few miles.

15. A train treat
About 4 miles from Ottumwa, we were treated to a long freight train whistling it’s way across the river.

16.  A canoers’ delight
The lush greenbelt provided shade to our hardy paddlers and were a delight to the eyes.

17.  Nearing Ottumwa
The railroad bridge at Turkey Island is just a mile from our landing.  Sky and water are a dramatic setting for the lead kayakers.

18.  Passing Turkey Island
This is truly the Des Moines River Canoe and Kayak Trail, with paddlers of all ages completing a 17 mile trip and having the experience of a lifetime.

19.  Whoa!
These canoers paddled so hard they lost the back of their boat!!  Just kidding.

20   Ottumwa ho
It was a bit of a shock to come around Turkey Island and see the City of Swift Water.  We appreciated very much the hospitality and good spirit of the people of Ottumwa.

21.  A marshy landing
The landing point was a bit muddy, but all got safely ashore.  The first boats arrived a little after noon, and the last boats got in about 4 PM.  Most paddlers left their boats and went to the festival, or took the shuttle back to Eddyville to get their cars.  It was just amazing to see 120 boats all lined up along the shore.
 
 

I've decided to do the whole river again this year.  I'm about 200 miles done, and I plan to do about 40 miles a month for the rest of the year.  One of these days I'm going to do the whole river as a fund raiser for the Rutland Dam and park.

On July 24, I made the 32 mile run from Dolliver State Park near Ft. Dodge, through Lehigh, past the confluence of the Boone River, and on down to the upper Fraser boat ramp.  I discovered several new boat ramps, which will be included in the float trip section.  I found the Dragoon Trail signs in Boone and Webster County to be very helpful in finding the gravel roads that run along the river.  South of Lehigh, the roads had been closed due to flooding, but are open again.  I used the new Canoe Guide from the DNR to plan the trip, and discovered that I had been misreading the mileage information, which I have always found confusing.

In late June and early July, I paddled from Fraser down to Boone Hwy 30, and then on down past Ledges State Park to the Luther boat ramp.  The work at the waterworks in Boone continues, and one wonders if it will ever be a park again.  The boat ramp at Hwy. 30 is a pit, just like Harriet St. in Des Moines.  This would be a good place to have a clean-up day.  The high water is up almost to the Ledges, and there wasn't much current from Ledges to Luther.

Doug Wood, Don Olsen, Ron and Phyllis Warren, and many others are working hard to make the Humboldt County paddling experience even more of a delight.  With plans to improve the park, add docks and portage trails, and restore the utility building and dam at Rutland, the group is well on the way to making Rutland one of the premier stops on the Des Moines River Canoe and Kayak Trail.  Their first fund raiser, which involved a duck race with more than 800 plastic ducks, as well as T-shirt sales, raised more than $10,000.

This was a great day to paddle.  The trip from Rutland down to the lower dam in Sheldon Park was about 5 miles through the wooded bluffs that make this such a visual delight, then past the many houses that have been landscaped in a "seascape" style.  The fund raisers had a picnic with wonderful pork burgers, and it was a pleasure to talk with all the friendly folks who enjoy the river and want to be part of a great river trail.

Actually, I test paddled this 8 mile stretch the day before.  The river was running at about 3 mph, and the water levels were down a foot or so from previous trips.  Since this was my first time as a trip coordinator, I was making sure we had places to rest and all.  My only problem was that the lotion I used as sun screen turned out to be insect repellent, so I got a bit of a burn. 

On Sunday, June 6, 10 people and 6 boats gathered at Sycamore.  Rob Tull and his trusty side kick Dave had paddled up from Birdland as part of their training for the Lake Superior marathon, and had left 2 vehicles downstream.  We waited until 10:30, and got launched.  It was a gray day with storms possible, but the radar had shown no storms in the immediate area. 

We had 2 canoes in the party.  Leslie and Jerry from Corydon had been on the Chariton River float several weeks ago, and were pleased to be on the Des Moines.  Peggy and Marty, recently arrived from Virginia, had their 2 kids along and had a great time.  I have a nice photo of them if they contact me at 277-3092.  Rob and Dave had some fun knocking around an old fishing bobber with their paddles, and at one point we were treated to some kayak jousting which involved paddling at full speed and gettting as close as possible to splash before the opponent.  Bob Modersohn from the Register seemed to get the worst of it, waiting just a little too long to get his paddle in the water. 

I had not paddled on Saylorville Lake since March of 1998.  At that time, much of the lake was still ice, there were bald eagles on the ice floes and in the trees, and all was peaceful. 

It's a shock to come from areas of the Des Moines River that are remote and peaceful into a crowded recreational area.  Even though several boat ramps are closed because of high water and there is debris in the lake, there are still boats putting in at Lakeview Access and at the marina, and there seemed to be a large number of big speedboats going flat out up and down the lake (which takes about 8 minutes at 60 mph). 

I left my tow car at Lakeview Access, and drove up to Jester Park.  The road down to the boat ramp is closed with a locked gate, so I strapped the kayak (with gear loaded) on the kayak cart and pulled it down to the water.  The entire area is under water, so it was only about 100 yards down the hill to put in.  I had a leisurely paddle along the banks on the west side of the lake.  It is about 8 miles, and it took me 3 hours with some resting and sight seeing. 

I've wanted to visit with Ruth Egeland, our river site webmaster in Keokuk, so I thought I'd combine a visit with some paddling.  It was about a 4 hour trip from Des Moines, since  I can't go quite as fast with a tow car behind me.  Shagbark Studios, where Ruth works with Rita Noe, is in a spacious building with computers and design equipment in abundance.  I enjoyed visiting with Ruth and Rita, we had lunch by the Mississippi River and met the mayor, and I had a demonstration of their amazing ramp-equipped van that easily handles Ruth's wheel chair.  I also got to show them my sit-on-top kayak and expedition gear.  Rita and Ruth are really neat and talented people, and Iowa paddlers are fortunate that they are willing to give of their time and talents to advance the cause of river trails. 

I had not done this stretch of the river since August of 1997.  I remember vividly the tall marsh grass, the scores of herons and egrets, and the low water after the Boxcar boat ramp that almost kept me from getting out onto the lake. 

It's about a 90 minute trip from Des Moines to Elk Rock Access, which is just west of the mile long bridge on Hwy. 14.  The lake was obscured by low clouds and mist, but in my mind I could see the 14 miles back to Bennington.  The wind was out of the NW, with some pretty good waves.  Elk Rock Access was under water except for the access road, so I left the tow car in a parking lot just up the hill.  One new feature on the east shore is the new Cordova observation tower, which stands 100 ft. high and not only provides a wonderful view but also is a good landmark as you're coming downstream. 

More about the river swallowed by the lake, surfing the treeline, and painted rock . . . 

The first week in April, I paddled the 8 miles from Eveland Access south of Red Rock dam down to Hardfish Access near Eddyville.  I camped out at Eveland, which is a great camping area with all the amenities, a good model for the rest of the river trail.  This is a pretty run, even without the greens of spring.  The water runs deep and sparkles in the morning light.  I enjoyed talking with a local man about how he and friends found this spot when it was just brambles, had cleared a path for fishing and paddling, and then the county came in and made it a recreation area.  He also talked about the river before Red Rock dam, and the work that hundreds of volunteers put in in 1993 when Red Rock dam and Eddyville were nearly swallowed up. 

The last week in April, I made the run from Yellow Banks to Bennington.  This is a 19 mile run, with the most curves per mile of any section of the river.  It was neat to have the river bank full, because you could see for miles.  Normally, the river bank is several feet above, and all you can see are the trees.  The view across the farm fields and up into the bluffs on either side was wonderful at every turn.  It was sad to see the upper boat ramp at Hartford under water, but the lower Hartford ramp is set up several feet and was usable.  The lake had already extended all the way up to Runnells from Red Rock, but the river was well defined and running fast.