Gerry Rowland's Des Moines River, Iowa's longest trail system: 160,000 strokes of my paddle

PhotoEssay of Kayaking the Des Moines River
by Gerry Rowland of Des Moines IA


Is it a river or a lake? May 1999 Preparing to launch at Bennington Access. In the distance, Lake Red Rock extends more than 3 miles north. The river still runs its separate way, but not for long. Once I complete this 14 mile run, I will have paddled all 404 miles of the Des Moines in the past year.
	Follow the river, oops, what river! May 1999 A mile south of Bennington, the river bends to the right by the treeline, but is nearly engulfed by the rising waters. At this point, I elect to follow the channel, not knowing the depth of the water in what is normally marsh land.
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