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| Return | What a year for eagles
and rivers. I witnessed the spectacle of several dozen eagles below Red Rock when the Des Moines River Water Trail committee met there at the end of January. I want to extend an invitation for folks to pay a visit to the shores of Iowa's rivers. I am one who is drawn to the rivers of Iowa. Over the past several years I've been drawn especially to winter paddling on the Des Moines. It is very peaceful on the river in winter, there is no foliage to block the view of the shore, and the eagles are magnificent in the trees and soaring out over the water. I've observed that the eagles tend to fly with me, soaring overhead, flying downstream and perching high in the trees, taking flight, wheeling, braking and diving out in front of me as I move down the river. I've paddled through the winters 1997-2000. This year there is a spectacular difference. With low precipitation, the river is very clear. On a sunny day, one can see the river bottom down 5-6 feet or more. Where the river pitches downward and riffles/rapids run swiftly, the water is often just a few inches deep. In many places the bottom is a golden sand. In several areas of the river, near Keosauqua and Runnels for instance, the rapids are covered with multi-colored rocks and pebbles. One can paddle for several miles, then come upon the shallow areas that are these brilliantly colored rocky fields that extend from shore to shore and may be several hundred feet long. I used to think it a chore to get out of my boat and walk through shallow water. Now I look forward to these opportunities. This past weekend I had a yearning to paddle near Cliffland (by Ottumwa). On one trip, I had witnessed the spectacle of a third eagle landing on a branch occupied by 2 others, then a loud crack, and branch and eagles tumbling down. The 3 eagles got untangled, but it was such a clown show that I had to fill the wilderness with a laugh of delight. This past Saturday, I found the river iced in, so I took time to visit the gravesite of Chief Wapello near Agency. I found this to be an amazing place. The chief who ceded Iowa to the U.S. is buried with the family of the federal agent who accepted the transfer. The bluffs and valleys were peopled by the Sac and Fox tribes all along this part of the river. I learned that Ottumwa was first called Appanoose Rapids after the chief whose people lived by the rapids below Ottumwa, before they were moved to the Red Rock area (which was administered by the agents at Ft. Des Moines). Later in the morning, I found the ice had melted off part of the river, and I put in at the slough near Rabbit Run and paddled back up to Ottumwa Colliseum access. A mile into my upstream paddle, I encountered those very rapids. Even in low water, the rush of the water was awesome. I hit bottom at the first set of rapids, and stepped out of the boat, confident that my cold water gear was up to the task. I was met by a wondrous site. The river bottom was covered with flat rocks the size of paving stones, hundreds of them as far as I could see, as though this was the garden of some giant that enjoyed landscaping the riverbed. I pulled my kayak through the rapids, only to be met a few hundred feet upstream by another set of rapids, with similar stones to mark my path. At one point in deeper, swifter water that I could not master with my paddle, I thought I might have to turn back, but there was a way to a calmer passage. After a half-dozen or so of these rapids, I got to tamer water and made my way to the Colliseum access, accompanied by several eagles that glided above and out before me. If you care to see a sight that will be gone once the rains return, I have another boat and would be happy to show you beauty that few have had the fortune to see. All you need is some warm dry footgear. Gerry Rowland Des Moines |