Odessa Water Trail Dedication

I usually have Odessa and the Odessa Water Trail pretty much to myself when I'm paddling. That wasn't the case today and I have a feeling there will be plenty of other times where I will have to share this beautiful place.

The trail was given it's official status as Iowa's third designated water trail. Somewhere between 50 and 60 paddlers took part in the inaugral paddle on a morning that definitely had the crisp feel of fall in the air.

The critters were cooperative and showed off for the the visitors - ducks, egrets, herons, cormorants, eagles, swallows, turtles and hawks all made appearances.

Swallows & Sunset at Snively

I’m writing today’s blog from Snively Access campground. No, I’m not actually posting from here – no wireless, but that would be a great idea. But, the photo is taken as I’m sitting here (the blob on the lower right is the edge of my tent).

You can even see a few of the swallows along with the heron fishing along the shore. There are hundreds of them zooming up and down the shoreline hunting bugs. They’re flying so close I may end up with a blob of white on my computer or shirt.

Anyway, I don’t usually camp so close to home because I consider camping a “vacation thing.” And vacations are something you do away from home - anyway, that's what I've always thought.

Over the last twenty years I’ve camped with my kids and husband in beautiful, often remote, campgrounds from Tennessee to Oregon and most of the states in between. We often reminisce about our favorite sites.

I’ll be adding this one to the list. I set up my tent about an hour ago with the idea that I would head straight to the office and get some work done (yeah, on a Saturday). I decided to sit down for a while and watch a heron fishing along shore. Then I got fascinated with the swallows. I finally gave up and got out the chair and laptop to work here for a while.

I highly recommend it, with or without the laptop. I’ll be back later today without it.

So, I did go back and had a nice but short paddle on Odessa as the sun was starting to set. The water was smooth. It was quiet except for the heron's croaking and there were no other obats out.

That'll change tomorrow morning.

Way Up North

I took the Red Kayak outside Louisa County for the first time this week. After a lovely drive along the Great River Road, we ended up near LaCrosse, Wisconsin on Lake Onalaska. Along the way we saw the devastation from the heavy rains that brought all the water down stream to us.

Lake Onalaska is actually part of the Mississippi River. If I'd had enough time, I could have paddled across to the main channel which was on the Minnesota side. But, as usual, I found so much to do that I spent more time exploring and taking pictures than paddling.

The river is really different up there because there is no levee - very wide and spread out. The backwaters are incredible, ranging from open, shallow marshes to braided streams snaking through the floodplain forests. The river up there is all part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

The water up there is full of vegetation. Submergent plants like wild celery, coontail, sago pond weed grew under the water everywhere. It was pretty neat looking and , more importantly, provides food for lots of critters.

A couple days later I paddled on the west side of the river near MacGregor. Again it was beautiful and I really enjoyed seeing a new area but I realized something: I'm spoiled.

Every time I paddle in Louisa County, I see wildlife galore. At Onalaska there were a lot of pelicans, a few grebes and some geese overhead. At McGregor I saw a few herons. When I paddle on Odessa, I've seen that many birds from the boat ramp.

It was nice to see new areas and to get a new appreciation for what we have here at home.

High Water Adventure

It's not very often we get high water on the rivers in August, especially at these levels. I took advantage of the rare opportunity and headed out to Indian Slough Wildlife Area.

Though I have to say that I was afraid it would be kind of a let down because after a summer of paddling and watching wildlife on Odessa, I've got pretty high expectations.

It was absolutely awesome!

I parked on the road (parking lot was under water) and slid the kayak into the water on the west side of the road. Actually, ON the west side of the road. Then I headed out from there.

First I paddled up under an eagle nest and got a good look at that. Then I watched a kingfisher fish, dragonflies mate, eagles soar, carp suck, turtles bask, herons wade, swallows swoop, ... well, you get the idea.

I also paddled under trees and over grass and next to the tops of buttonbush. I can't even say exactly where I went because I just wandered from one little pocket of water to the next. At one point I thought maybe I was going to end up in the Iowa River (I didn't and I don't think I was ever really very close).

After several hours of paddling I ended up right where I started - completely by accident. It was fun wandering around without a map - a bit of an adventure not knowing exactly where I was and how I would get back. My two guideposts: the sun and the eagle nest.

This trip will be worth repeating in the high waters of spring. And always in the high waters of late summer.

Odessa Water Trail

I've got a guest blogger today. Angie Sanders just moved to Louisa County from Illinois to be the director of Louisa Development Group. She's an outdoors person but new to paddling. I think we've got her hooked though. Read on ...

The Odessa Water Trail and Iowa State Extension Sesquicentennial project for Louisa County brought out over a dozen people to Odessa today. I joined one other kayak and a canoe on the North Water Trail which meanders through Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge. We set about to map out waypoints along the way, to take in the sights and have a good time.

Even with the recent rain, we were able to see the path fairly well. But I could tell that if another kayaker got in after the water level had risen, that signs would be a good idea. The North Water Trail definitely has some bends and curves, which adds to its mystique and beauty, before it juts out straight along the shore and south towards the rest of the Lake. But that’s what I liked about this Trail. It had variety.

The first section looks like some other put-ins I know, but as you start to wind down the waterway, it can look like a mini-rain forest. The hundreds of lotus flowers and lily pads add to the ancient feel. The jumping carp – that was fun! We saw several birds, of course, not the least of which was a Great Blue Heron. But that was just the tip of the iceberg.

After a few turns, which took hardly any effort due to the relaxing nature of the water and the day, the Trail led to a near straight away with a wide expanse. Before we knew it, the other kayaker asked me what the white bird was up ahead. Egret? No, a pelican! And it’s joining about 500 of its friends on the eastern shore. We were too far to get any sort of close up view, but we saw several groups, about 20 at a time, swoop in from the south. They had a magical angle to their flight – a sort of dance that came in waves, ending with their landing.

Our group was mesmerized and surprised we had already come to join the others at Schafer Access. It took about two hours when all was said and done – and that was at a generous pace.

One section of Odessa Water Trail down, four more to go.

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.