Up the Iowa

This may sound stupid but today I paddled about four miles UP the Iowa River.

After experiencing the Mississippi River, I wanted to try the Iowa and didn't have someone to help me shuttle. So, I put in at Schwob Access in Wapello and paddled upstream to the Highway 61 Access.

I could tell within 10 minutes that I had gotten into something more than I intended. A couple of times I looked over at the shore and felt like I was in one of those perpertual swimming pools. The headwinds didn't help.

But, there were plenty of sandbars for resting (you can't rest on the water or you go backwards). And there was always a corner just up ahead.

I kept thinking that once I got around that corner, I might just be where I could see to Highway 61. And while I normally want to put the sounds of traffic behind me, I was straining to hear the trucks knowing that meant I was getting close to my goal.

In all the trip took about three and a half hours - the float back took right at an hour and it was heaven!!

Mississippi River Paddle

Another first: the Red Kayak's maiden voyage on a river.

We decide to start at the top so we headed out to the Mississippi River, putting in at the Port Louisa boat ramp. (yeah, "we", I got the Camo Kayak to come along because I was nervous about the spillway).

We paddled a total of about 6.5 miles, ending up at the Toolesboro boat ramp just about exactly three hours later. We didn't paddle hard most of the time, did a bit of floating and a lot of poking along the bank looking for snakes.

The search turned up quite a few, including a copper-bellied water snake which is on Iowa's endangered species list. Just a hint, if you're trying to identify one, you'll have to lift it up and take a peek at the belly. And a warning too, when bothered these snakes give off a musk that smells exactly like skunk. Luckily, they don't actually spray it out!

The biggest surprises for me:

1. We met only a couple of boats once we got away from the boat ramp and off the main channel.
2. The spillway turned out to be no problem - the portage on the land side is very easy.
3. There really isn't much of a current since we were actually in the pool behind the dam.

Though we saw the snakes, a few herons, an eagle, a couple of tame ducks, pelicans and a tern, I have been spoiled by the abundance of wildlife on Odessa so it seemed like we saw very little.

It is a beautiful river, especially back on this sheltered chute away from the barges and other big boats. I'll definitely try this one again.

Paddling Friends

It was bound to happen sooner or later. I couldn't keep the whole 6,000 plus acres to myself forever.

I was on Port Louisa NWR floating in the quiet, shallow water and trying to sneak up on a heron. I also had my eye on a brood of ducks ahead and was prepared to inch my way along until the birds were spooked. (I got pretty close to the heron as this picture shows - and its not because I have a big lens).

All of a sudden the heron squawked and took off; the ducklings scattered and I heard voices. In a few minutes a canoe appeared around the bend. I was thrilled for two reasons: I had some fellow paddlers to visit with and it meant I would be able to get through to Shafer's access. (The water is pretty low right now, so I wasn't sure it could be done.)

Though we just exchanged a few pleasantries about the perfect weather at that point, we later ended up paddling together all the way to Shafer's Access. As they led the way through lotus beds, I learned that they have a cabin on the lake and enjoy watching pelicans, paddling and just soaking up the peace and quiet of Odessa.

It was really nice to meet new folks who have discovered the beauty of this place. They too have mixed feelings about introducing others to the place. We'd kind of like to keep the peace and quiet to ourselves. On the other hand, it's seems wrong not to share it.

What I saw today: wood ducks, herons, cormorants, egrets, turtles, eagle, vultures, carp, lots and lots and lots of pelicans.

Paddling with the Girls

Finally, I got to share my discoveries at Odessa with some other paddlers. A group of girl scouts spent a few days at Snively Campground with the sole purpose of spending time on the water. They didn't know their way around so I offered to be their guide for the day.

We put in right next to their camp site and went south toward Sand Run. The girls - ages 11-13 - were not experienced paddlers but they were enthusiastic and with a few paddling tips we were on our way. There was lots of chatter and questions as we made our way down the length of the Main Lake.

After about a half hour I heard the first "are we almost there yet" and "can we take a break." My goal was to get to the old pumping station on Blackhawk where I knew we could get out on the "beach" and also take a look at the Mississippi River. It was another 3-4 miles one way but we decided to go for it. With a few breaks for tired arms, a floating lunch, and a look at the snakes on the beaver lodge we arrived there in about 3 hours.

It was fun to watch the girls venture out to the mud flats and explore. They picked up mussel shells, looked at the dead shad along the shore, poked in the mud and admired the blooming marsh mallows. When it was time to go, I sensed that we were going to have some trouble with motivation.

Knowing that the girls were tired and that the trip back could go even slower, I knew I would have to come up with something to get them moving. A challenge was issued: if we got back in two hours I would take them out for ice cream. I could hardly keep up with them for awhile! Of course they couldn't keep up that pace - in fact the last mile was pretty grueling - but they did a great job.

Those girls ended up paddling around 10 miles - the second half in exactly two hours. And after being revived with showers and ice cream, I think they all agreed that it had been a great day on the water.

Thanks to the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois for providing these kind of outdoor adventures for girls.

Peace & (sort of) Quiet

The Camo Kayak finally joined me today and we repeated a trip on Odessa that we had made about a year ago by canoe. We put in at Sand Run Access and headed south.

It was a beautiful morning. There was no wind and the water was like glass. The only sounds were the dipping of our paddles and the gliding of our kayaks on the water. Well, except for croaks, squawks, whistles and various other calls of birds along the way. Sometimes the peace and quiet is almost deafening!

After we got around the bend, we ventured north into what we knew would be a shallow spot. We were able to get through by kayak but a canoe probably wouldn't have made it at this water level. It was a bit of work paddling but worth it to really get off the beaten path. We knew it would only be us and the wildlife out there.

There seemed to be even more pelicans, egrets and great blue herons than the week before. There were some of each in sight throughout our whole trip. In the case of the pelicans, we could usually see at least a hundred and sometimes closer to a thousand.

While we were back on Little Goose we also saw: a doe with her two fawns, a racoon, sandpipers, cormorants,

When we came out of Little Goose, we paddled toward Horseshoe bend to check out the watersnake hot spot. There is a beaver lodge that always seems to have watersnakes lounging on it. We weren't disappointed. Several large diamondback watersnakes were hidden among the sticks. We almost missed seeing one that was hidden in plain sight, laying straight as a stick on the side of a log. These non-poisonous water snakes are found in only a few places in Iowa.

Paddling with Pelicans

Finally, I got back on the water with the Red Kayak and headed to Odessa again. Things have changed a lot since May -- there is a lot less water and it's a whole lot warmer (air and water).

This time I put in at Shafer's access and struck out across the main lake to check out the Lateral Ditch. It's down to not much more than a trickle - about what I was expecting at this water level (I will try to find a link to explain the management of this area - suffice it to say that lowering the water level in summer is part of the plan).

So, I changed to plan B and paddled north into Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge. A large patch of white in the distance immediately got my attention. As I suspected, it turned out to be several hundred pelicans taking advantage of the low water to do some easy fishing.

Though they weren't crazy about the intrusion, the pelicans didn't want to move too badly either and stayed put long enough for some pretty good photos (actually, they stayed put rather well since I had to paddle all the way back to the access to get a card to put in my camera).

My next stop after I was done bothering the pelicans was at one of the many patches of American lotus. Though I've seen these plants many times, I'm always fascinated by them. There is a whole little world dwelling on the floating leaves. I even saw a red-winged blackbird walking across them.

Though I paddled about 5.5 miles, I was never more than a mile and a half from the access (the trip back for the camera card helped me get plenty of paddling in).

And I still managed to see: a yellow-crowned night heron, cormorants, turkey vultures, several broods of wood ducks, killdeer, great blue herons, egrets and bullfrogs. Most interesting wildlife encounter of the day: a little fish ended up in the seat of the kayak with me.

Odessa is low right now and I sucked a little mud with my paddle on occasion but that's exactly why a lot of these critters are out there. I plan to go out and see them again later this week. Stay tuned.