| From: Greg Andrews andrews@radiks.net To: Date: Friday, August 13, 1999 11:22 AM Gerry, My son Cyrus and I canoed the Beaver Creek from camp Dodge into the Des Moines river south of the Sycamore access and then to Bentonsport July 22, 23, and 24. Somewhere around 181 miles by your mileage figures! We camped just west of the mile long bridge at Red Rock and on the river side of the levy at Eddyville. The river was quite high and there was practically no wind for the first two days. The Red Rock pool was almost like glass. A very very large pane of glass. We used your description of the river and it was most helpful. The river was different, though, in many respects because of the high water. Your description of the river north of the red rock pool was markedly different than what we found. The park ranger at the Red Rock visitor center told us the Red Rock pool was 20 ft. above normal. The river stopped flowing so far as we could tell at the 316 bridge near Runnels. The river channel was visible for some time only as a clear space between tall trees whose bases were submerged in the water. We soon gave up trying to follow the river and simply headed southeast hoping to find the mile long bridge eventually. The pool was vast. It was as close to the experience of which I have read of being a small boat in a big ocean as this a life long Iowan has had. At first edges of the pool were indistinct because the small trees and vegetation growing in the water made seeing exactly where the land rose out of the water impossible. Often there was just more water on the other side of what one might think was the river bank. As we progressed through the pool the edges did become more distinct but were so distant as to give one pause to reconsider exactly what was keeping one afloat and how thin that membrane of resin and kevlar really was, literally how thin the thread that keeps us in this world. You described a mile wide river about a foot deep for this part of the trip. We experienced a very different much bigger, deeper, river/lake. This is not to say your reports were not extremely helpful. They gave us a much needed idea of the distance to the next land/river mark. They also provided an indication of where we would need to portage. My suggestions for making the Des Moines river trail more usable: Mark landmarks so they can be identified from the river. A sign on the bridge could tell a river traveler he had finally arrived at Highway 316 or 92 or Eddyville or Eldon or any of the other small communities or landmarks along the way. Portages around the dams are extremely important and are not necessarily well marked. We were at the Dam by Sec Taylor before we saw the sign indicating its existence. I had scouted the area previous and had seen no dam or obstruction and the sign identifying the dam is not visible from the road. Fortunately the water was so high we passed over without a second thought. Looking at the dam now I shudder to think what might have happened had the river been lower. Portage takeouts need to be well documented and readily identified from the river. We took out at the steps by the Botanical Center and put in at the steps by the Simon Estes arch both provide easy access to the river and the path. Finally, some accommodations for taking out at convenient places might be added by the communities along the way. There is an excellent restaurant at Farmington, the Bridge Cafe, where my wife and I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast after an early morning trip from Bentonsport (another trip). The scramble up the bank was a little less than convenient, though. As the river towns and businesses again look to the river for trade this situation might change. Cy and I's river trip was three long, hot, days of a wide river with few available sandbars for camping or shallow easy parts for drifting. A lower river would have eased the mind and made the trip more relaxed and enjoyable. I enjoyed the experience nonetheless, and someday my son will realize he did too. For right now, though, the best thing to say about the trip is "We did it." "Been there." Thank you for making your river trip reports available. Good luck
with Greg Andrews |
