RIVERQUEST

gwb's EEL RIVER (Stockdale Mill to US 31) 7/20/09 journal

2009-06-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

Prologue: I can't remember when I have enjoyed a trip this much! I honestly believe this is the best stretch of paddling river in northern Indiana/southern Michigan! It has everything except serious whitewater. Beautiful, secluded, good current, peaceful, with plenty of riffles, fast water, and low dams to keep it interesting! And with only one small livery on the entire river, not many weekend warriors to contend with!

I apologize for the lack of photos. Our regular photographers were absent.

Saturday, June 20 (all paddling times approx,)

5am: Alarm goes off. Need to fuel truck and go to atm before checking river levels at 6. Hit snooze instead.

5:10: Hit snooze again.

5:20: Ditto

5:30: Finally get XXL buttocks out of bed. Shower and dress. Now too late to run errands, dammit!

5:55: Fire up ancient eMac. Check weather report. Storms and heavy rain have moved on. Overcast in a.m., sunny in afternoon. High 90, decreasing humidity. Perfect!

6am: Check river level. Have told people that I would cancel trip if levels are over 600 cfs. 4am level was 560 cfs and rising, no further info available.

6:02: Helen calls, put her on hold as I call Scrapper John. After brief consultation, it is decided trip is a go. Return Helen's call.

6:10: Post email and board message saying trip is on. Field several phone calls.

6:20: Awaiting arrival of Scrapper John. Now really kicking myself for failing to run errands earlier.

6:30: Scrapper John arrives. We transfer his canoe and gear to my truck.

6:40: We're on the road. Pretty much on schedule. Stop at McClure's for gas. Try to use their atm, it's out of order. *&#$%^#$##!@^! Now reduced to praying to Gordie Howe (he's God, y'know!) that restaurant takes Visa.

7:10: Oil pressure low, blood pressure high! Stop in LaPaz for oil. Amazingly, the station has no atm! Oil pressure returns to normal, blood pressure still high!

8am: Turn off US 31 onto Deedsville Rd. Amazingly we are only 15 minutes behind schedule. Seven minutes later we breeze through Deedsville, another five minutes, we are passing Stockdale Mill.

8:15: We have arrived at Lynn's Restaurant in Roann exactly 15 min late. Already present and sipping on coffee are Dave and Helen, Dick and Jean, Pat, Bev, Sid, June, and Dot. Sid and his sister June have never paddled with our group before, and we enjoy getting to know them a bit while we consume an excellent breakfast! Lynn's is a guaranteed return visit!

9:15: Convoy leaves restaurant to arrive at Stockdale Mill PAS 2 minutes later. There is a lot of water going over the mill dam, but not nearly as much as I feared. I would later find that the river volume had already dropped to under 400 cfs by this time.

Boats and gear unloaded and carried down to put in. Another large group from Hoosier Canoe Club is already there. We spend a few minutes exchanging pleasantries while group leaders organize their respective shuttles.

9:30: Scrapper John leads Canoeguysandgals shuttle to US 31, about 17 miles by river, around 20 via roads. According to mapquest, it's a 1 hour and 14 minute round trip. After making an extra stop to drop an emergency vehicle at Denver, Scrapper makes it in 1 hour 10!

10:40: Shuttlers have arrived back. Final preparations are made and boats launched.

11am: Last boat (yt) hits the water. About 50 yds downstream, we encounter the first of numerous riffles. The Eel in this section drops in steps, areas of relatively flat water connected by quickly dropping riffles. These are a lot of fun.

11:25: We pass under the first historic iron bridge. Butler Bridge, built in 1903 by Pan-American Pratt. A Thru Truss Iron Bridge, it was built with vertical eye bars and rivets instead of angle iron and bolts. This bridge is eligible for listing in The National Register of Historic Places.*

11:45: Swift set of rifles pass either side of an island just past the E950N bridge. Along the way Scrapper John and I have gotten to spend considerable time chatting with newcomers Sid and June. We really enjoyed having them along on this trip!

12:15pm: Pass under E900N bridge. Again, a nice set of riffles. I am so impressed at this point not only of the beauty of this river, but the feeling of seclusion it offers. Almost no houses or buildings in view. A nice green canopy stretching well out over the river. Lots of Maple, Cottonwoods, and Sycamores. And a constant choir of songbirds!

1:45: Creek merges from left. Temp approaching 90, most long sleeves, long pants, pfds have long been shed, bathing suits and t-shirts now order of the day.

1:55: Pass under E700N bridge. More riffles!

2:15: Water slows considerably as it backs up behind Chili (both I's pronounced with long vowel sound) dam.

2:35: Some excited squeals from the ladies as we run the dam. Everyone stays dry.

2:55: Pass under SR 19 bridge.

3:05: Creek merges from river left. Nice sandy beach affords good lunch break spot. Again, an amazing variety of food. Subs, wraps, pb&j sans j! I had the old standby, summer sausage, Ritz Bits, and Cherry Pop tarts! UMM UMMM!

3:30: Everyone is refreshed, relieved, and back on the river!

3:40: Pass under historic Lost Bridge. This bridge got it's name because it was built before the connecting road. Built in 1915 Lost Bridge is the last bridge still standing built by the Rochester Bridge Company.*

3:50: Pass under Meridian Rd. bridge in Denver.

4:20: Run a small stone dam followed by long set of riffles. Again, squeals and whoops!

4:40: Stop to stretch legs.

4:50: Back on river.

5:10: Run dam at Mexico. Again lots whooping it up! Dick decides to swim!

5:20: One last long riffle before US 31 takeout.

5:30: Exit river left, at southeast corner of US 31 bridge. Mediocre takeout, but very convenient with lots of parking area!

6pm: With everyone packed and safely on the way, Scrapper John and Greatwhitebear sit on the end of someone's trailer while enjoying the river view, reviewing the days events, and nursing the last two pints of Miller Lite. Love those 16oz aluminum bottles!

*www.ironbridgefestival.com

KANKAKEE RIVER (Kingsbury F&WA to Kingsbury F&WA), 7/6/09

2009-06-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

Lucy and Morgan enjoying the sceneryFirst, let me say right now, if you are looking for a high adventure paddling trip, the Kankakee isn't for you. However, if you are looking for a pleasant, no stress paddle with a lot of wildlife and birds to watch, this stretch of the Kankakee might be just what you have in mind! The river is very straight, with few obstacles. We had only two limbo logs, no pull overs or portages.

The morning starts VERY early as Scrapper John, Greatwhitebear, and Curmudgeon hook up the canoe trailer, load Curmudgeon's canoe and gear into the Scrappervan, and drive the hour and 20 mins to the Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area. Here they drop the van/trailer and GWB's car at the takeout, pile in the Scrappervan, and drive 50 mins back to Fish Lake IN. We meet up with our surprisingly prompt comrades at 8:30 for breakfast at the Channel Cafe. After an excellent but extremely tardy breakfast was consumed, we pile in the vehicles and drive the 15 mins to the Kingsbury F&WA put in. The last craft hits the water about 10:45.

Scrapper John and gang are not amused at overdue breakfast!

About 200 yds downstream, a large tree lays across the river from bank to bank. There is a spot right along the right bank just high enough to duck under. Being the gentleman that he is, GWB goes through first, clearing out all the spiders and webs for the ladies following one canoe behind. Mostly, he does this with his face!

There are lots of birds to see and hear! We spot the first of several Orioles, fairly unusual for northern IN. On a tree hanging nearly horizontal over the river, a Red Fox stands on the trunk, looking into the water. As we approach, it scrambles off the log and disappears into a bank side den. We can see it peering out of the den as we paddle by. In the three hours before lunch, along with all the common song birds, we will see Great Blue Herons, a Sandhill Crane, several species of Woodpeckers, Kingfishers, and Swifts. We will pass under a bridge where a couple of dozen Swallows have built nests, sending a whole flock of them swooping and gliding around us. It is so much fun to watch their acrobatic flight!

Either Toolman or Darcy appears to be confused!

Just before the US 30 bridge, we stop for lunch at the mouth of a large ditch where a decent concrete boat ramp is located. There is a surprisingly large variety of fare consumed, from Curmudgeon's wheatnut and dried fruit enhanced GORP and large apple, to Stormy's (ugh) organic power bars, to GWB's summer sausgage, cheese Ritz Bits, and Pop Tarts (gourmet river fare!). The "highlight" of the lunch break was seeing Toolman laying face down on the concrete slab so Stormy could stretch out his back. Closely followed by the small animal jawbone discovered and proudly displayed by young Mistress Morgan.

The river takes on a much wilder look after you cross under US 30. The trees appear to be more dense. There is a large heavily wooded floodplain river left. The river actually has a few bends in it. Hot Lips spots an Owl standing motionless on the river bank. So perfectly camouflaged he appears to be part of a log.

About this same time, Cap'n Stormy's crew of bored ten year olds stage a mutiny. She is forced out of her craft, and into Scrapper John's, while Miss Lucy and Mistress Morgan paddle happily on alone, setting a brisk pace for the rest of the group!

A few minutes later, we pass a tree full of Turkey Vultures, who then begin to circle overhead. Fearing they know something he doesn't, GWB immediately demands that someone take Curmudgeon's pulse.

The fleet!

We arrive at out takeout about 4:10. Boats and gear are loaded onto the trailer, and a caravan of two vehicles, led by GWB, heads back towards Kingsbury. Unfortunately, GWB can't talk and drive at the same time. He soon makes a wrong turn, and takes the group on a highly circuitous route back to their vehicles.

While the transfer of craft and gear is taking place, Hot Lips, wife of Castanza (formerly known as Beerman, who wants to be known as Flashman), is showing off Castanza's half golf ball sized, badly infected spider bite. Stormy decides that his new river name should be Spiderman. So the debate rages on! Beerman, Castanza, or Spiderman? However, it cannot be Flashman. Any fan of Seinfeld knows you are not allowed to pick your own nickname. That's how Beerman came to be known as Castanza in the first place. For trying to pick his own nickname!

Prologue: Our day ended with dinner at a little, unassuming, rednecked bar called the Wabash Tavern, in North Liberty IN. As is often our experience, these kind of places often turn out to be the best places to eat. We were not disappointed! Not only did the waitress actually laugh at Curmudgeon's risque jokes, but our cheesebugers turned out to be 1 1/4 inch thick. and 2/3lb if they were an ounce. Served with chips for all of $3.25.

Finally, GWB leaves tavern around 7:40, and arrives home just in time for the opening face off. Watches Red Wings crush the Penguins 5-0. The perfect ending!

the end

KANKAKEE RIVER (Crumstown Hwy to New Rd) revisted

2009-06-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

Being short on time and cash, GWB and Toolman decided to forgo the Muskegon River trip and do a quick trip locally. In hopes of viewing some wildlife, it was decided that and early morning trip on the Kankakee would be in order. Thus it came to pass that a pick up with two men and two boats arrived at the Crumstown PAS at the buttcrack of dawn on Sunday morning, May 31.

Besides being high and with good current, the river bears little resemblance to the one we paddled in March. The lifeless brown grass is now a lush green. The barren, leafless trees and bushes are now beautifully filled out and vibrant.

We were greatly rewarded for our extremely early departure. A myriad of song birds serenaded us all morning. We saw chickadees, goldfinches, cardinals, red winged blackbirds, swifts, flickers, downy woodpeckers, and many more.

Along the way, two deer swam across the river in front of us. A beaver disdainfully watched us before disappearing under the surface. An otter swam within 20 ft of us, and 30 yds farther downstream, we watched another emerge from it's den on a high bank and slide down the bank into the water. A largemouth bass cleared the surface by a good two feet.

For future reference, the takeout at New Rd leaves a bit to be desired. Do yourself a favor, and paddle the extra 20 min to SR 4!

It was truly a lovely paddle, and we were off the water in plenty of time to meet Stormy and Dr. Phil for a 9:30 breakfast at Allie's Cafe!

PIGEON RIVER (Howe IN to Scott IN), Sun, May 24, 2009

2009-06-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

8:50am: GWB is eastbound and down, loaded up and truckin down SR 120. Just hitting outskirts of beautiful downtown Howe IN when he spies unfamilier car with unfamilier kayak approaching a from rear at high rate of fuel consumption. Figures it must be the two "newbies" planning to paddle with us. Car follows him into parking lot at Howe Restaurant, so his assumption is correct!

9am: Introductions completed, Bev, Pat, and GWB are seated. Howe Restaurant is one of the Canoeguysandgals favorite breakfast establishments, a must stop when paddling the Fawn or the Pigeon! Soon they are joined by the long lost Officer Rick, and the always fashionably late Castanza and Hot Lips!

Bev, Mailman Mike and Scrapper John, Greatwhitebear

10 am: An excellent breakfast having been consumed, the aforementioned group sits at the put in, awaiting the arrival of the also always fashionably late Scrapper John, and his brother Mailman Mike. Upon their arrival ( 10 min tardy), shuttle is run. Surprisingly, group hits water at advertised time, 11 am!

11:05 am: Last craft hits water. River is a bit high and fast. GWB worried about "newbies". Turns out, he should have worried less about them and more about the "vets"! Bev and Pat were awesome! They got the hang of it immediately!

The last two times we ran this stretch, the leg between Howe and Pigeon Lake was terribly tangled and a bit treacherous. We had been told that a couple of guys had spent several days clearing it late last summer. They did a marvelous job. We had a couple of tight maneuvers, but no pull overs or portages!

Officer Rick approaches ancient, long abandoned one lane bridge along side SR 120

12:45: GWB breathes sigh of relief. The group has just crossed Pigeon Lake and are approaching SR 12o. The difficult stretch is behind them (so he thinks). Pat and Bev have performed marvelously and are dry (as is everyone else!). Just past the highway, the river widens a bit. The river is very scenic, with only the occasional dwelling intruding on the scenery.

1:15: Minor disaster! A large log jam just at the spot where the river bends hard right. There is a narrow opening river right, with swift current trying to take you into the log pile. Officer Rick makes it past, followed by GWB. However, MM & SJ get swept into the log jam and dump. Bev gets tangled in logs trying to avoid the wreckage, but manages to extricate herself without incident. Discretion being the better part of valor, Pat, Hot Lips, and Castanza find another path around the island/log pile, river left. Fortunately, Scrapper John and Mailman Mike are unscathed, and manage to get their canoe unpinned and emptied of water by the time Officer Rick and GWB have retrieved paddles, cooler, canoe seats, dry bag, etc.

Hot Lips "sweeps" as group passes Riverbend Campground

1:35: Group is back on the move. Paddle is leisurely, beer is consumed, scenery enjoyed!

2:10: Large island looms ahead. Forgetting experience of previous year, and fearing going up mill race instead of river (there's a story there, ask me sometime), group goes right around island, only to come upon major log jam. Memory jarred, GWB, along with Bev, paddles upstream around head of island, and proceeds down tangle free left channel. As we drift by, we can hear the sounds of boats being dragged over and around logs. GWB thinks this sounds like even more work than paddling upstream! Congratulates himself with another Old Milwaukee!

2;30: Scenery changes dramatically. Gone are woodlands. River meanders through marsh with lots of reeds and cattails. Tons of songbirds. River looks deceptively still. A group of boats are bunched up chatting, and at a rather tight meander, Officer Rick inattentively fails to leave himself adequate room, gets run into a sweeper and spills. Fortunately, he manages to get untangled without incident. His paddle is retrieved, but sunglasses and hat become property of the river Gods.

Dryer times: Officer Rick, Mailman Mike, and Scrapper John

2:50: Rick is back and upright in boat and group is back on move. River narrows and moves swiftly through a series of bends. We begin to see more cabins and people as we approach Scott PAS.

3;30: Group arrives at Scott. Boats are loaded on vehicles. Charcoal started, hot dogs and chips devoured. Beer consumed. Perfect end to great day on the water!

Pat caught on quickly!

EEL RIVER 4/11/09 (Laketon IN to Roann IN)

2009-04-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

Castanza: Why aren't there any signs on Marty's Bluebird Cafe?
Greatwhitebear: Signs? Signs? They don need no steenkin signs! Everyone in Laketon knows where the cafe eez!

Marty's Bluebird Cafe, Laketon IN

9:30 am: Group begins to assemble at the afore mentioned cafe, which fortuitously turns out to be one block from the public access. Restaurant is quaint, clean. Attractive middle aged waitresses. Good coffee, good food. Eggs cooked as ordered, excellent American Fries.

10:30 am: Arrive at Laketon PAS to discover more paddlers waiting. Fort Wayne paddlers now outnumber Michigan paddlers 6-3. Outnumber South Bend paddler 6-1. Time is spent catching up until Greatwhitebear points out he will get reputation like Raincrow if we don't get shuttle started (gwb once paid a waitress to kick Raincrow out of Chubby's so we could get a shuttle going).
11:30 am: Shuttlers have returned from Stockdale Mill PAS. Boats are quickly launched. Weather is beautiful. Even though water has dropped 2' in last 24 hours, it is still very high, fast, and muddy. Castanza calls it "Willie Wonka's Chocolate River", which looks pretty accurate. Indiana DNR website calls this a five hour paddle. We will expend very little effort and paddle it in three. The normal riffles are non existent at these high water levels, so it quickly becomes evident that this will be strictly a beer float!

A few things are immediately noticeable when you paddle this river. The bottom is mostly sand and gravel, which makes for very numerous easy pull off spots. And good swimming in warmer weather. And there are numerous islands very suitable for canoe camping!
1:30 pm: Stop for snack break and leg stretch. Front runners report seeing an otter and a pair of fox. Jay's beautiful hand made wooden kayak and paddle are subject of much interest. GWB will later try the paddle out and marvel at its light weight and comfort!

We return to the river and I come to the realization that there are virtually no treefalls on this river. I have paddled on it at least 6 different times, and have yet to pull over or portage around a fallen tree. GWB finds this to be a great plus!

2:50 pm: We pull off to explore the magnificent Roann covered bridge. This is truly a remarkable structure! I first visited this bridge many years ago when scouting the Eel for access points with Curmudgeon. It inspired me to do a little research. I needed the answer to one basic question.......

aerial view

Why cover a bridge? Turns out to be pretty simple answer. Most bridges built in newly settled areas were made of wood, because wood was available, on hand, and cheap, as opposed to hauling in steel and concrete from great distances. However, the average working life of a wooden bridge exposed to the elements is less than 10 years. Covering a bridge and protecting the planking and substructure from the elements increases its working life to about 90 years! And yes, things like this are why the Greatwhitebearcubs derisively refer to me as "Mr. Encyclopedia" or "Cliff Claven"

3:30 pm: We have landed at the Stockdale Mill PAS. Another day of camaraderie, enjoying nature, and consuming beer is done. We say our goodbyes, and head home!

Prologue: Castanza and Hotlips request a post paddle meal somewhere "kinda divey". I tell them I know just the place. We proceed to nearby Warsaw IN and Rex's Rendezvous. Rex's is owned by the wife of a friend of mine. I am happy to report that the beer was cold, the burgers juicy, the barmaid courteous and efficient, and the homemade potato salad and macaroni salad outstanding. I am not so happy to report that the owner is looking to "kick his ass" for referring to her fine establishment as "kinda divey"

Kankakee River 3/21/09

2009-03-22T13:00:00.001-07:00

10am: All arrive at the PAS on Crumstown Highway just west of South Bend. Greatwhitebear (yours truly), Scrapper John , Stormy, Pink, Castanza, Kennykayaks and his friend, Caroline are present. Boats and gear are unloaded, and shuttle begun.

10:30: Arrive at SR 4 bridge. Drop Stormy's vehicle so she can leave river early. Proceed to Kingsbury F&WA. Drop vehicles, pile into Castanza's van, head back to launch site.

11:15: Arrive back at PAS, prepare to launch. Temp is only 39 degrees. There is a rare sighting of GWB in a pfd. He is not fearful, just needs it for the added warmth. Weatherman predicts rapidly rising temps after noon. All are hoping he is right.

11:30 We're on the water! Water in Dixon Ditch is moving pretty well. Scrapper John and Kennykayaks attempt to paddle upstream under bridge, somewhat less than successfully. Ditch is straight and narrow with no obstructions. Lot's of songbirds serenade us. Tree full of squawking starlings brings to mind Alfred Hitchcock movie.

11:50 Dixon Ditch and Geyer Ditch merge. The Kankakee officially begins. River is straight, and despite water near or over flood, padding is simple, with no obstacles, treefalls, or tricky riverbends.

12:30pm: Paddling is peaceful and uneventful. Everyone is busy catching up on each others doings over the winter. GWB is already well into second beer. The girls, who have never paddled together before, are chatting merrily, and paddling about thirty yards ahead of the guys.

12:40: We pass under an ancient railroad bridge. Pink loves her new pogies!

12:50 Weatherman was correct, temps are rapidly rising. Stormy and GWB shed unneeded pfds! Large swimming beaver watches girls disdainfully before disappearing under the surface.

1:10: The girls kick up a flock of about 15 turkeys. GWB is highly amused. He has never actually seen turkeys fly before. He is even more amused at their clearly awkward tree landing 25 yds downstream. Apparently, turkeys don't spend much time in trees.

1:20 We pass under New Rd. bridge.
1:30: We reach SR4 bridge. Stormy departs river to go biking with hubby, Dr. Phil. River has gradually widened to about 25'. Still running due southwest. GWB opens beer #4. Decides he is not fond of the new Michelob Irish Red. Will stick to Murphy's Red or Leinenkugel Red, thank you.

3:00: Little Kankakee merges from west. River veers SSW and widens to about 30'.

3:10: Pass under CR E525S bridge. Begin to see significant farm field flooding. Scrapper, Castanza, Kennykayaks, and Caroline take detour to paddle in cornfield. GWB and Pink decide this looks like too much work, and are content to crack open a couple of beers and watch.
3:30: Large paddlable ditch enters from east.

3:50: Pass under SR 104. Nature of scenery changes dramatically. Flooded farm fields are replaced by large trees, berry bushes and marsh. Clearly a heavy canopy when trees have leafed out.

4:00 Pass under active RR bridge.

4:30: Arrive at Kingsbury F&WA PAS. Boats are loaded, stories swapped, and everyone heads back.

see all Steve Shuran's Kankakee River pics HERE

Prologue: GWB, Castanza and Pink meet up with Stormy, Dr. Phil, and GWB's daughter Shelley at the southside Applebee's. Bo the Bartender is disappointed we choose table over bar. Lies are told, beer and burgers are consumed, and a good time is had by all!

THE INDIANA PADDLERS RENDEZVOUS-aug. 1-3, 2008

2008-08-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

Once again, another Indiana Paddler's Rendezvous has come and gone! And what a grand one it was! A near record crowd, good water levels, fantastic weather. It was as close to a perfect weekend as one could possibly get! The following is the Greatwhitebear's IPR journal:

FRIDAY, 7:40 am: Dog and I are on our way to kennel. He is excited, he gets to hang out and run back and forth with other dogs. Once we turn on Pine Rd. he is pretty much uncontrollable. Jumps on Sandy with all 80 lbs of Airedale might and gives her big doggy kisses. Pretty sure it was not what she is hoping for, but she is gracious about it.

9am: Finally out the door. Daughter Shelley takes for ever to get around, dammit! We stop at Meijers (Mishawaka south) for groceries, and by 9;50 we are on our way to Lafayette.

10am: Meet up with Middlebury Mike and we are a caravan of two vehicles headed down US 31. A stop at the LaPaz McDonalds for badly needed coffee and we are on our way for good!

12:30: Arrive at Wildcat Park and discover we are about the first campers there! We grab a prime spot and quickly set up camp. Limbo Lady arrives around 2pm. Raincrow, plus Castanza and Hotlips are MIA. A couple of phone calls determines that neither has left yet, so their is no need to wait for them to paddle.

3pm: We run shutlle then put in at Mi-So-La PAS. Shelley is visibly nervous, she has never been in a kayak before. But she has excellent teachers in Val Boruff and Theresa Kulczak and is soon off ahead of me. She is a quick study and is soon picking her own paths through the riffles.
This stretch of river is mostly gravel bottom and rocky. A series of flat stretches between rocky drops. After a very leisruely 2 1/2 hours, we arrive back at camp.

6pm: Raincrow has arrived, and Castanza and Hotlips arrive shortly thereafter. I relax with a couple of beers before starting dinner of grilled chicken and red beans and rice. Friends drift in and out of our campsite, lies are told, beer is consumed. A lovely night is had by all!

12:10am: In bed.

SATURDAY, 6am: Up and running. Face washed, teeth brushed, business taken care of. Water on for coffee. Griddle covered with sausage links and bacon. Hash browns in skillet. Limbo Lady arises and mixes up pancake batter. Good thing we have 4 burners. Breakfast is delicious (if I do say so myself). Friends wander in and out. Food, of which there is ample supply, is mooched, er, shared. Time gets away. Dishes are left unwashed as we scramble to get in line for shuttle.

8:20 am: Shuttle departs. Plan is to put in upstream from Friday's put in and paddle back to campground. It is a 7-8 hour paddle. Some of us decide to take out at Mi-So-La PAS, figuring going on down to campground would be redundant.

9:45 am: Shuttles are done and we are on the water. Water is thinner, and reading it is more difficult. Shelley gets a bit frustrated, but carries on. Weather turns sunny and warm. Scenery is very pretty, lots of song birds and wildflowers. River bottom is mostly gravel and strewn with rocks. Lots of riffles.

4 pm: Shelley, Limbo Lady, Stormy, and Middlebury Mike are happy to see Mi-S0-La. I briefly consider paddling on, but decide to take out also.

5 pm: Back at camp, beer is consumed, dishes done. Friends start to gather. Raincrow and Chuck Weis are in fine story telling form. Dinner of roasted smoked sausage and Canoe Camp Chowder. Chowder is a hit.

8 pm: Muskrat's Chili dinner is over and the charity auction begins. Chuck Weis, the auctioneer, tells hilarious lie as to how he came about his bruises and stitches. Some items, like the paddle bag, go for way too much, while some, like Limbo Lady's hand made camp chair with original art, sell for far too little. This was a neat item, with a the back showing a canoe on the water and and the words Indiana Paddlers Retreat 2008.

Overall, the auction was a big success, and everyone had a good time! Afterwards, there is a huge community campfire, beer is consumed, lies are told. A good time is had by all.

12 pm: In bed and snoring.

SUNDAY, 6:20 am: Overslept! Rushing to get breakfast going. Coffee is on. Sausage links (regular and maple), and bacon are on grill by 7. Hash Browns soon after. Hot lips scrambles 2 dozen eggs. Eggs are cooked and smothered with Mexiblend cheese. Breakfast is eaten hurriedly and everyone is done by 8. Only then do we discover that the shuttle has been moved back to 9. Oh well, time to get dishes done.

9 am: Shuttle is underway. Plan is to take vehicles to take out site, a PAS on the Wabash River. We will then launch boats from campground and paddle down Wildcat Creek to where it empties into the Wabash, then down the Wabash a half mile or so to the Public Access site.

10:15 am: We hit the water and almost immediately, near disaster! 20 yds downstream from the campground, the north fork of Wildcat Creek empties into the mainstream, river left. The stream then takes a sharp left, and you must turn sharply and go through a very narrow chute. Shelley couldn't get turned fast enough and found herself up against a tree. Her kayak dumped and she was briefly caught under the tree.

After about 10 secs, she managed to surface and and stand on a submerged limb. She told me she was fine. And not to get out of my boat. She had a lot of rescue help almost immediately, and it appeared she would out of there in a matter of no time. Then disaster struck!

The kayak shifted, pinned her legs, and started to drag her under. She would not be here if not for the skill of one man, Garry Hill. For those of you who don't know him, Garry, or Muskrat, as we like to call him, is a world class paddler and expert at river rescue. He, with help from Steve Shuran and many others, managed to extricate her. And her kayak. We owe Garry a huge debt we could never repay. He has our undying gratitude. As do all the others who participated in her rescue.

To Shelley's credit, she never even briefly considered quitting, got right back in her yak, and continued on.

The rest of the paddle was uneventful and very scenic. The nature of the Wildcat changes drastically just above the confluence of the north fork. Where east of Wildcat park you have mostly gravel and rocks, west of the park you have mostly sand. The creek meanders through tall sand bluffs, and there are plenty of picnic and swimming opportunities. You see a lot of Swallows, Swifts, and Kildeer on this stretch.

We stop and eat lunch next to railroad trestle that soared high above us. Those at the head of the group get to experience a train going over head as they paddle under. They said the noise and vibration was more than they expected, and kind of startling. Awesome!

Lunch over, everyone piled back into their boats and continued their leisurely paddle onto the Wabash. Shelley, Castanza, Hot Lips and I stop and take a dip, just so we could say we swam in the Wabash. We paddle on to the take out, disembark, load the boats, and head back to camp.

3;30 pm: We are on the road and lost. Seems they have built a new State Park (Prophetstown) between us and Wildcat Park since our map was published! The lady at the park gate sends us back through Lafayette, and we finally arrive back at camp.

4:30 pm: Beer is consumed, and everyone is relaxing. Nobody has much motivation to accomplish anything. Hot Lips takes a nice, long nap in the hammock. Raincrow, Limbo Lady, Castanza, Shelley and I sit around sipping beer and chit chatting. We pretty much have park to ourselves, with the exception of a few locals. All of the other campers have packed up and gone.

6:30 pm: Coals lit. Dinner consists of Brats, Italian Sausage, and leftovers. Still spectacularly unmotivated.

8:30 pm: Castanza starts campfire. I tackle final set of dishes. Shelley starts to break camp. Drops tent, packs up clothes. Stacks stuff by truck. Goes back and enjoys fire. I piddle, packing kitchen boxes. Dry dishes and a pack away in my blivet box, a name given it by Raincrow. Drink some beer along the way.

9:30 pm: Packing begins in earnest. Shelley starts packing away kitchen boxes and her gear while I drop my tent. All tents and clothes packed, followed by propane tanks and stoves. Final camp gear box, including lantern packed, followed by ice chests and grill. Done!

10:20 pm: Relax around fire and have one more beer. Wizard warns off a raccoon, otherwise, all is peaceful. The night is beautifully clear and the stars are magnificent.

10:50 pm: Say goodbye to our friends, who are staying one more night, and hit the road. Have less gas then I thought, only a quarter tank. Reach main road and start to turn into gas station just as they turn out the lights. No gas stations open in Delphi, starting to worry.

11:40 pm: Find open gas station in Logansport, with FRESH COFFEE! The truck and I are both quickly fueled, and we are on our way!

2:10 am: Truck turns on to Fox Street, and we are home! And we are already looking forward to IPR 2009! This IPR was the first for Kim and I. We had a ball and will be back for sure. Everyone, tell Mark that you enjoyed hearing about the trip thru his GWB IPR Journal. Maybe we can get him to keep on writing for future paddles. Thanks to my wife for taking all the other pictures I seem to miss. If you liked these pictures and want to see more, go to the Paddle Michiana website at> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paddlemichiana/. There are more trips coming up, but not many. Summer is almost over. Paddle now before the snow flies! Hope to see ya on the water ..............Kim, Mark, and Steve

THE ST. JOSEPH RIVER-Colon to Mendon-July 20, 2008

2008-07-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

We met Sunday morning in Colon, Michigan. Every year this little town hosts a gathering of magicians from all over the world. Breakfast was had at the M&M Grill on a street all torn up for construction. Bob, using a little driving "magic", maneuvered van and trailer between traffic pylons into a custom parking spot.

The food was resonably priced, plentiful, and good. We were met with drizzle two steps out the door. No one's spirit was dampened and we proceeded to the put-in on Sturgeon Lake. We shuttled the vehicles earlier on the way in and they were waiting for us at the take-out in Mendon. We launched all of out boats under grey skies. We rain seemed to quit as soon as we hit the water. The St. Joe River travels into and out of Sturgeon Lake. There are huge mansions and cute little cottages along it's shoreline. Bob knew exactly where the channel was located among several possibilities. A narrow channel loaded with water plants opens up into a wider river looking more like the familiar St. Joe River we all know. It is of course narrower than the River futher downstream.

The dark skies gave way to the sun and the temperature warmed up nicely. The rest of the day was quite comfortable thanks to a gentle breeze. The river bottom on this section is sandy and gravely. The river appears to be in good health as there was plenty of wildlife and vegetation. An organization put out informational signs along the way pointing out various historical points of interest. Bob showed us where a ford across the river actually was and not where the sign was mistakenly placed. The man is certainly a wealth of information! Many bridges cross this section of the St. Joe. There were several "Iron Bridges, creosote covered wood piling bridges, and well worn ancient looking concrete railroad bridges minus their steel. They sort of looked like the statues on Easter Island.

We had some firsts on this paddle. Ron got his brand new canoe wet for the first time. He bought it last year but got into someones kayak and decided he would rather paddle a kayak. Last year Ron paddled the kayak he also purchased. So after sitting for a year, the "banana boat" was put into active service. He claims to enjoy both. Dustin, Bob's Grandson, paddled a canoe with us last year. This year Bob bought him a kayak not very unlike Michelle's "Pink Slipper". Good for Dustin, it is not pink! At first he said he felt claustrophobic in it. Once he stripped off his life jacket while in the river, he seemed to master the boat as if he'd paddled it for years. He layed on top of it (very tippy) and was doing spins. Way to go Dustin!!

We stopped at a new campground called En Gedi. Some of us went to check it out only to find the camp store and everything else was deserted. I thought the campground should add a spa to it. Then they could rename it "Spa Gedi". Bet you saw that one coming!! The day turned out very nice for all. We passed under one more iron bridge in Mendon before we reached the take-out. We all went back to Colon to have dinner. Bob did double duty on a reshuttle so things would be easier for the rest of us. Thanks Bob!! All regrouped at Curly's bar just three doors down from where we had breakfast. Bob had the pizza that he and Mark always seem to argue about. Bob says it's the best in the world.....Mark says it's not! I'm not getting in on this one, I had the all you can eat perch, and it WAS good. If you want to see more pictures, go to the Paddle Michiana website at> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paddlemichiana/ The Canoe Guys and Gals are doing the Elkhart River from Benton to Dunlap next week. Hope to see ya on the river..........Steve and Kim

THE PIGEON RIVER-Howe to Scott-July 13, 2008

2008-07-14T16:27:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a beautiful day on the Pigeon River. Saturday morning was a different story according to Carol's account. "It poured on us", she said. This was a camp weekend. Many Canoe Guys and Gals came and went from Friday thru Sunday. Nick and Carol actually stayed over to Monday. The game plan was to stay at the Trading Post Campground so Mark could use a shower to bathe his leg which is under medical attention. The campground was full, so they headed to the equally crowded Fish and Wildlife Area. Luckily some sites were available. Maybe I can get Mark and Carol to add to this posting as Kim and I didn't make it for the camping. The Pigeon's water was up from previous day's rains. It was nothing like this last year's trip when the water was about 2 feet higher! The first part of this trip (before we got to the lake) was loaded with a number of treefalls. We had to get out and pull around several times. Other obstacles were either pulled over or limbo'd under. Once we got past the lake, the problems (Bob's favorite parts) dissapeared. We heard that this part of the Pidgeon is not often paddled. I can't imagine why because it was beautiful and a delite to travel. We pulled out onto a deserted campground for a break. The owner came out to see who was invading his land. He was not happy with us at first but warmed up after talking to us. We all admitted that this beautiful yet empty campground would be a perfect place to come on a future trip as we would probably have it all to ourselves.

Turtles seemed to be the stars of this trip. They were everywhere. I even heard of a beaver being spotted. I've never seen one in the wild. The current in the river was fairly swift and caused a few minor problems. It was a test everyone's moving water paddle skills. I think a baseball hat was claimed by the River. Nick, who lives in Ft. Wayne, brought with him a sizeable contingent of new faces (at least to us). The Canoe Guys and Gals are always glad to have new people paddle with us and we hope to see you on future trips. We had a little bit of excitement toward the end of the trip. Nick and Dennis had taken a fork in the river which looked like the better route. There were several forks at different spots in the river so who knew which one was the last one. On the last one, we were all supposed to take the right fork. Carol, Kim and myself decided to wait for the last two canoes (Nick and Dennis) to catch up. After a half hour we felt something might be wrong. I got the short straw and headed UPSTREAM. Anyone who knows me knows how much I like to paddle upstream......especially in a strong current!! I went for quite a distance (at least for me, it was exhausting work) and kept in touch with the Gals by cell-phone. Thank goodness Kim has convinced me to carry one on all canoe trips. I, at one time, thought that was a silly thing (packing a cell-phone) to do when all I want is to get away on these trips. They eventually called me that the wayward duo had taken the left fork and were waiting for us at the take-out. We were all glad that everyone was safe. I would hope that we would all do the same for each other. Friends making sure friends are safe. Earlier in the trip I was a real "nudge" and convinced Carol and Mark to have an Apre-Paddle Party at their campsite. Soooooo......that's where we headed after we packed up the gear. Kim and I left after dark and didn't get home till after 1:00 am. That makes for a long day! We had a great time with good friends. See ya on the St. Joe next week.........Steve & Kim

More pictures on the Paddle Michiana Website at; http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paddlemichiana

THE ELKHART RIVER-Goshen to Elkhart-July 6,2008

2008-07-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hello Newcomers and Welcome! The Canoe Guys and Gals are glad to have you come aboard. The Elkhart River Trip this past weekend brought with it a whole slew of paddlers trying us out for the first time. There were eleven canoes and kayaks, and several canoes had two paddlers. We all met at the McDonalds in Elkhart. We left vehicles at Studebaker Park and shuttled the boats to Roger's Park in Goshen where we put in. Some of us were first time paddlers, as in never paddled a canoe ever! I hope we were able to provide you guys with a great experience on your first time out. Our wish is that your time on the water with us will lead to a lifetime of appreciation of the outdoors and the joys that paddling with friends can bring. We love to share the fun we have, and pass it on to others. The entire trip was sunny and clear. The temperature was in the 80's with a light breeze to keep the bugs off. In other words, a near perfect day. Everyone, including the "paddle virgins", adjusted to the task at hand with few if any problems. They were the proverbial "Ducks taking to Water". The Elkhart River was much cleaner this year. My first trip on the Elkhart was last year found it was littered with lots of garbage. A year later has made all the difference in the world and changed my opinion of the Elkhart. It is a beautiful river. The water was clear with many of those "wavey green water plants". There were many fish and turtles to be seen and I saw a doe and her fawn plus many birds. Herons and Kingfishers were a common sight. We had heard from people on shore that spring rains had flooded the Elkhart and scoured away much of the debris. I'm quite sure I read that there was a vounteer clean-up this past spring. If things are clean because of you guys....GOOD WORK!! You did one hell of a job!

There were no obstacles to go over and we never had to get out to do a walk around. The water was warm enough to swim in. Steve M. brought most of his family along including his wife Michelle, his Mom and his Dad. Louis and his wife Debbie came with some of their offspring. This was truly a family affair. We passed under a number of bridges and trestles. An "Iron Bridge" was reminiscent of some of the bridges our group saw on the Eel River Iron Bridge Festival a couple of weeks back. Kim got a good picture of some tanker cars going over a railroad trestle. As we have before, we stopped at Oxbow Park for lunch. Why is it that even a humble sandwich can taste so good when it is eaten outside. Yum, mine was my favorite, ham! Food was shared and we all chowed down. We didn't stay long and were off again. There were other groups of paddlers on the river. It was probably a good weekend for canoe liveries. Bad if you had to work in the livery! Bob was making sure our Newbies all had a good experience. He wanted everyone to have a chance in the front and back of the canoes. He had two of the boys switch places in their boat. Simple enough, right? Noooooo....Bob had them change seats in mid-stream.....in deep water!! Bob and John put their canoes on either side of the boy's canoe and they made the exchange by stepping in all three canoes. I think Bob was going for stardom on this one. I'd have opted for a shallow sand-bank myself. The operation went off without a hitch. No one even got a drop of water on them, amazing! Rose on the other hand took a little unexpected plunge earlier. She was a real trooper about it, never complained, and commented it felt pretty good. We arrived at Studebaker Park in Elkhart for the take-out a little later than expected. Hope you made your Birthday party in time, Steve and Michelle...or a least before it was over. I think all who were there would agree, it was a wonderful day and a successful paddle.
It seemed everyone had someplace to go afterward so there was not a gathering for dinner. Kim and I wanted to go to the pizza place we went to on this trip last year. Alas, they were closed. We called Mark from the van. (He was under medical advise to stay home and miss the trip--we hope you're getting better!!). We asked him where on our way home was a good pizza place. He advised us to go to Bruno's on State Road 23 just off of the bypass. Thanks Mark, for sending us to the right place. The pizza was a little pricey but boy was it good! It had probably the best crust I've ever had, Yum again! What a finish to a great day. If you want to see more pictures and my comments of the day go to the Paddle Michiana website at> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PaddleMichiana/. The Pigeon River Paddle/Camp is next weekend. Check out the itinerary on this site and watch for Mark's trip alert on the SBPaddlers site. More new people on this outting made for an enjoyable trip. The more the merrier holds true. Hope to see ya on the water......Steve & Kim

The Huckleberry Finn Float-June 28, 2008

2008-06-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

The Huck Finn Float this past weekend was again organized by our illustrious taskmaster, Bob Owens. Bob graciously gives of his time and efforts to assure each of us has a fantastic time. We did Bob, Thank You!! The day started out on the ominous side with dark clouds and sporadic downpours of rain. No one seemed bothered and the rafts were assembled as if the sun was out. Bob has the whole operation down to an exact science. Parts of rafts packed tightly to perfection on a flatbed trailer are unloaded, strapped together, and dragged into the water. Most of the rafts are platforms placed on top of canoes. Others float on large plastic drums. There was quite a variety of floatables including canoes, innertubes, and a John Boat. Each raft has an umbrella, a table, cooler and ice, Grill and charcoal, cooking utensils and condiments, seats, plastic Zip-Locs and garbage bags.....all provided by Bob. Yes there is a nomial fee for all this, but Bob would gladly return your money if you wanted it back. You can't have a better time for $15 anywhere. It was money well spent! The rain seemed to quit as we lauched our floatilla. Liquid refreshments consumed on the riverbank were now drunk in earnest. We were off...Argh!!

The day improved as the miles and hours went joyfully by. The clouds cleared out and the sun shined brightly. Rain gear was put away and the swimsuits appeared. I took my T-shirt off as did many of the other guys. Our raft had Bratwursts for the main course at lunchtime. Everyone seemed to share whatever they had with other rafts. There was plenty to eat and one group even shared some BBQ pork with us. For desert we had Banana Boats(split bananas in the peel with chocolate, marshmallows, and chopped walnuts put into the groove)wrapped in foil and heated to melting on the grill. Yum! The water in the river was warm enough to compel many revellers to take a swim.
As the day wore on the wind picked up at times and we actually had to paddle in earnest. The wind, as it turned out, added a bunch of time to the length of the trip. Hey, it's just part of the package! Some of us actually got a sunburn over the course of the day. As I said, it WAS a nice day. This section of the St. Joseph River from Mottville MI to Brstol IN is one of my favorite stretches. It is mostly wooded with some houses along the way. Some wildlife was spotted, but today, WE were the Wildlife! Last year's Huck Finn boasted a number of 60 participants. I'll bet we had close to that number on this trip. I'm sure we were quite a sight as many people on shore waved at us. John became an ambasador, of sorts, on this trip. He was like a busy little honeybee as he paddled his canoe from one raft to another. Bob and Mark also rode in canoes. Bob regailed us with his adult limericks of bawdy Kings and Queens. Many drinks were consumed by all. Is it just me or did the current pick up as we headed downstream? I had my first taste of Wapitui. I'm not going to tell you what that is if you don't already know. You'll have to come on a trip and ask someone who has some. Maybe you'll be lucky enough they'll share some with you. We arrived in Bristol, later than expected, and just as the clouds came back in. Perfect timing! Everyone helped to pack up all of the gear back onto the trailers, racks, and vans. Bob creates themed T-shirts for each year's trip. He handed them out when we were done loading up. Clever on his part. As I said before, it was a very enjoyable day. Too bad for you if you missed it. Try to make it next year. If you care to see more pictures you can click on the Paddle Michiana link> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paddlemichiana/
Click on Photos when you're on the site. The two Huck Finn albums are clearly marked at the front of the pack. Click on an album, hit slideshow, and enjoy. What's great about the Huck Finn is that it allows you to be a kid again. Sometimes it's a good thing to let the child out that is in all of us, at least for awhile. The Elkhart River is on tap for next week. Gear up! Hope to see ya on the water..............Steve & Kim

The official website of the Canoe Guys and Gals-2008

2008-06-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

If you were looking for us, then your search is over. The Canoe Guys and Gals is a group consisting of canoe AND kayak enthusiasts. We venture down some of the most beautiful waterways in the area. We do leisurely paddles to enjoy wildlife and appreciate the spectacular scenery to be had right here in our backyard of Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan. If you want something else, the South Bend Paddlers have groups to suit any tastes you may have. They participate in racing, exercise/aerobics, and have whitewater enthusiasts. We on the otherhand are slower. We are not everyone's cup of tea. But if what we do sounds good to you, then come join up with us. It costs nothing to join. All you have to do is show up at one of our trips which are listed in the itinerary (of our paddle trips) on this website. We generally have one or two paddles each weekend. Mark will post a trip alert several days before to let everyone know where to meet. The postings are on the Paddle Michiana website http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paddlemichiana/ . By joining Paddle Michiana (the instructions are at the top of the page), you will be put on the mailing list to receive all of our communications. Paddle Michiana / Canoe Guys and Gals also have trips which include camping and may be a weekend long and further from home. We have a Pine River trip coming up which is located in West Central Michigan. On our paddles, we try to stay together as a group. This helps to create a safety factor and we all help each other over treefalls and around obstacles. We enjoy each other's company and frequently converse along the way. Be forewarned, this is a group of Adults, so don't expect a Sunday School class. On the other hand, we have paddlers of all ages on many trips. You are RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF! We are not liable for any injuries or mishaps you may incur. Everyone takes responsibility for their own actions. And guess what, we still manage to have a great time and haven't lost a paddler yet! We are looking forward to having new people join up with us. Don't be shy, come out and join us for a paddle. You have nothing to pay and nothing to lose. We usually don't bite....usually. Hope to see ya on the water with the Canoe Guys and Gals.

KALAMAZOO RIVER: Augusta to Morrow Lake, 7/14; Merrill Park to D Ave., 7/15/07

2007-08-09T18:24:00.000-07:00

see the rest of Kim Nelson's pic's HERE

Day 1:

Raincrow, Speedwagon, and myself (RPtLL)..... Speedwagon camped with us Saturday night after our trip and learned that she CAN sleep in the back of her vehicle if she REALLY needs/wants to. Camped at Augusta, enough said on THAT! Pleasant enough, sorta, pretty pricey!

I had never camped under my favorite tree, sycamore. I thought THAT was pretty cool! The guy next to us offered firewood, but we had more than we needed, without Cindy along to keep the fire going.......

Forgot to leave paddle stuff at camp before we went for breakfast and shuttle, ended up moving all equipment to one vehicle to go back to campground for put in. Breakfast at Riverview Cafe was great. Egg poacher broke, but cook did a fine job anyway.

Started the day in a pretty good downpour, but considering the lack of recent rainfall, it was a very welcome intrusion.

Half a dozen muskrats, unusual

A full grown moose on river left, VERY unusual

Speedwagon may have finished first (barely), but DID spend ALL of the trip with us, even more unusual

There were a LOT of downed trees, but there was almost always a pathway to be found around and through them, whether naturally or by someone's efforts to clear the river. It was a great exercise in maneuvering, considering that the Kalamazoo has a very steady current, something definitely to be taken into consideration.

Watched the finches along the river in the evening while watching the river flow by and enjoying a cold beverage or two. Also watched several herons quite near the campground catching dinner. Listened to and watched the many red headed woodpeckers. Saw a muskrat from the campground also. Lots of tubers and paddlers going downstream while we were camped. One kayaker lost her paddle, it was wedged under the front of her kayak, she had quite a time figuring how to retrieve it, no rescue attempt was launched on our part.

I would definitely repeat that portion of the trip. Great steady flow, doable obstacles, NOT a bobtrip.

Took out midway down Morrow Lake. Pretty strong wind to paddle against, definitely a GOOD workout, plus none of us knew quite where the takeout was or what it looked like, we forgot to check it out earlier in the day when we left a vehicle there. I have been told that the whitecaps were pretty high on Morrow Lake, but as long as I kept my head down and paddled I did not see them. We DID take a short welcome break on the downwind side of an island.

Guess that is about it, it was actually a very nice trip, the rain did not last long and it stayed cool after the rain quit.

We had a REALLY lousy shuttle leader, screwed it up BOTH days all the way around! I hear that person has since resigned leading ANYTHING!

Any questions? DAMMIT!

RP the Limbo Lady

Day 2:

The gang, consisting of Curmudgeon, Raincrow and his trusty sidekick, Wizard, RP-The Limbo Lady, Speedwagon, Castanza, Hot Lips, AA1, AA too, and (y.t.) Greatwhitebear, met at a small, nondiscript diner called the Riverview Cafe. While it didn't look like much, the wait staff turned out to be extremely friendly and helpful, and the food excellent and reasonably priced.

After breakfast, we did the car shuttle, then put in across the street from the diner at Merrill Park. Nobody really remembered what this stretch of river was like, but it turned out to be almost a perfect stretch for a hot summer day! Adequate water, plenty of current, no dams to portage or treefalls to climb over. In fact, pretty much a beer float!

It was, indeed a very interesting trip. About 60% of the trip was very urban in nature. We passed old abandoned factories, a fairgrounds where the Blues Festival was taking place, and a number of working business. We met up with a very nice family out for a day's paddle, and paddled with them for a while, until they left the river to listen to the Blues.

Eventually, the city gave way to quiet farmland and countryside. Enough current to let the river do the work so you could enjoy the scenery and beer. About a mile from the take out, the river widened and the current disappeared. About 200 yds from the take out, the river became extremely shallow and gravely, and canoes briefly needed to be dragged. The take out was easy and convenient.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was dinner afterward. At the suggestion of AA1, we dined at a Jimmy Buffet themed restaurant appropriately named "Cheeseburger In Paradise." Good food and great atmosphere. A lot of fun.

All in all, it was an excellent day!

GWB

KALAMZOO RIVER: 7/8/07

2007-08-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

see the rest of Kim Nelson's great photos HERE

This turned out to be one of the most interesting trips of the year. In attendance were RP - The Limbo Lady, Speedwagon, Hot Lips, Castanza, Scrapper John, (yt) Greatwhitebear, and a newbie, Sandy. There is a very nice put in on D Street, private, minimal fees. The river runs through mostly wooded and rural settings. There is a runnable dam about half way between Kzoo and Plainwell that was a lot of fun!

We arrived at the town of Plainwell in about 2 1/2 hours and took our first break. A very scenic town where all the bridges have flower boxes and ribbons decorating them. Very pretty. We were slightly concerned about the signs declaring the river closed from that point on. Seems that the state of Michigan is dredging up PCB's and mercury left by a closed paper mill in Plainwell. We briefly thought about sending someone for the emergency vehicle we dropped in Plainwell, but decided to press on.

The trip from Plainwell to Otsego is a bit more work. There are two dams that must be portaged, with a pretty good distance around them. The first offers an excellent swimming hole, as you can see from the pics, one that was greatly appreciated in the 90 degree heat!. PCB"S you say? A number of us grew up in Michigan during the great PCB scare. We figure we consumed so much PCB as kids, a little now couldn't possibly hurt us! One final portage in Otsego, and the trip was near complete. It was about 3 1/2 hours paddling to Otsego from Plainwell, making it about a six hour paddle. The evening ended with excellent food and libation at a sportsbar named Ryno's in Plainwell. A great end to a great day!

PIGEON RIVER CANOE/CAMP 6/30 - 7/1/07

2007-08-07T07:12:00.000-07:00

see the rest of Kim Nelson's great pics HERE

Day 1: Friday afternoon. Met at Chubby's in Orland for breakfast. Put in at SR 327 public access. In attendance; Raincrow (aka Nick Norris), his trusty sidekick Wizard, RP the Limbo Lady, Rain (aka Sue Olds-Browning), and Tiny Dancer (aka Cindy Forgue.). Trip pleasant, scenic, and uneventful, with the exception of Rain taking bruising fall attempting to enter RP's Old Town Pack. Take out at Fish and Wildlife area campground. Campers begin to arrive. Greatwhitebear, Toolman, Speedwagon, Pink, Ohio Mike, Earth
Adventurer and friends, Middlebury Mike all drift in. Food is grilled, beer is consumed, all is well.

Day 2: Castanza, Hot Lips, and Scrapper John arrive. Caravan gets lost on shuttle. Finally put in at campground. Paddle across mill pond, portage Mongo dam. Pink, Raincrow, and RP the Limbo lady swim playing in whitewater under the dam. Wizard laughs from the safety of shore. Trip is very pleasant and scenic. Lots of wildlife, including nesting Osprey seen. Portage Nasby dam. Somewhere on the way to Ontario dam Wizard discovers he is sitting in rising pool of water. Emergency disembarkment ensues. Raincrow and Castanza apply lots of Gorilla tape. We paddle uneventfully across Ontario mill pond to take out. We return to camp. Meat is grilled, beer is consumed, stories are told (some of which are even true). Castanza, Hot Lips, and Scrapper John leave us.

Day 3: Breakfast in Howe across from SR 9 public access. Very convenient. Car shuttle goes off uneventfully. This turns out to be perhaps best paddle of weekend. Enough water to keep it afloat (if you read the river carefully). Very scenic. Not many weekend warriors. Quiet, very peaceful. Nobody mistakenly paddled up millrace instead of taking river to take out. The best beer was saved till take out at Scott PAS, where Leinenkugel Reds and Creamy Darks were consumed. Dinner was at Wall Lake Tavern, where the fish and ribs are both excellent.

Postscript: This was a terrific weekend. The second time in three years we have done this, and by consensus, this will become an annual event. Great river, great food, great company. Doesn't get any better.

June 23: HUCK FINN FLOAT 2007

2007-07-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

A little over 70 people gathered this year for the annual orgy of sun, food, and adult beverage we like to call the Huck Finn Float. Where rafts are assembled, Weber kettles lit, and the whole kit and kaboodle launched onto the St. Joseph River.

While the Finn float is always fun, this years event not only went off particularly smoothly, but was probably the most enjoyable in years. I didn't hear a single person who wasn't disappointed when it was over, and the 5 hours it took to complete the trip from Jasper Dairy PAS to St. Joe literally flew by.

I would really like to thank the folks who were on the two rafts built by Ron (Toolman) Clements and myself. So let me raise a glass to Ron's sister Deb, who came all the way down from Pontiac MI to join us. To Michelle G. and her dad, Tony, who was just a riot, and kept us laughing all day. As did his daughter. To my sister in crime the MI Canoegirl aka RP the Limbo Lady aka Carol W. You always keep me laughing. And to Julie C., who stepped out of her comfort zone to complete our group. Your wit, patience, and sense of humor were the perfect compliment to the rest of our madcap band.

I would also like to thank Martin's Supermarkets, who had the impeccable timing to put Johnsonville sausages, Aunt Millies buns, and Grandma's salads on sale just in time for our trip. Even the bananas for the Banana Boats were on sale!

And of course, to our fearless, peerless leader. The man who at age 74 still organizes this event every year, comes up with the theme for the souvenir t-shirt, and still finds the energy to put together and transport 7 rafts. Tip two to the one and only Curmudgeon, aka Bob Owens.

To view all of Kim Nelson's great pics, click HERE

EEL RIVER; June 16, 2007

2007-07-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

Pink can't resist GWB's glutes

Yours truly always looks forward to the Iron Bridge Festival. It takes place every year in Roann IN. It celebrates Miami County's historic iron bridges, two of which you pass under on your way down the Eel. You put in at the historic and scenic Stockdale Mill and paddle down to Denver IN, where you and your boat are shuttled back to the mill for tours, entertainment by the Bluegrass Buddies, and a hog roast.

This stretch of the Eel is one of my favorite places to paddle in Indiana. It is a very scenic trip, mostly wooded. The river drops in a series of steps, giving you a variety of paddling conditions, from quick and riffly to almost still. The bottom is mostly sand, with plenty of good swimming holes. There is a broken down dam to run at Chili, which in normal conditions is fun, but the water was low and it wasn't much of a challenge this year. The locals are very friendly and invariably you will get invited to stop and and have a beer and some grub.

One downfall of paddling the Eel is that it is very sensitive to weather conditions. There are very few marshes along the Eel to moderate water levels. It gets low extremely quickly. and suffers sometimes ferocious floods if there is a torrential downpour upstream. With the dry weather we had all spring, I was expecting it to be a tough paddle with a lot of dragging. But I was amazed to discover the night before that the Eel was one of only two rivers in Indiana that had normal water levels (the Pigeon being the other).

As it turned out, the only downer in the whole trip turned out to be the heat. Mid 90's and bright sun, the weather sapped your strength in a hurry. So much so that the normally mediocre hog roast suddenly seemed like the best feast I'd ever had. Course, the five iced teas I had probably tasted as good as anything on the menu.

It is unfortunate that our contribution to the 70 or so paddlers that made up the canoe rally was so small. We only had five, one of whom (canoegirl, aka RP the Limbo Lady) opted to do a different stretch with a group from the Kokomo/Lafeyette area. Which left yours truly, Speedwagon, Pink, and a newbie, Sue (aka Rain). Rain paddled my newly purchased Coleman kayak, and did amazingly well, with no spills. Speedwagon and Pink turned out to be excellent coaches. It was an excellent day featuring excellent beers (Leinenkugel regular, Creamy Dark, Berry Weis and Summer Shandy), greatcamaraderie, lovely scenery, good food, and good entertainment. Doesn't get too much better than that!

See all of Sue Olds-Brownings pics HERE

St. Joe River: Tekonsha MI, June 9

2007-06-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

view all Kim and Carol's photos HERE

Tekonsha, Michigan is one of those typical Midwestern towns where everyone knows everyone and news travels faster than the Millennium Falcon in hyperspace. And for our little band of paddlers, this turned out to be fortuitous! For just as we were leaving the Tekonsha Cafe, a pick up truck pulled up and asked us if we were the ones putting in at 20 Mile Rd. The occupants then informed us they would be paddling with us, and were going to get their stuff and meet us at the put in.

Their "stuff" turned out to be an old aluminum canoe, a couple of bow saws, some rope, and a very large chainsaw. Seems these guys are kinda the local "guardians" of the river, and go through weekly and keep the river open for paddling. Since there had been a big storm go through earlier that week, they had their work cut out for them. They actually arrived at the put in before we finished the car shuttle, and decided to forge ahead. As we put in, we could hear the sounds of chainsaws in action. This would be a frequent theme for the rest of the afternoon.

This paddle would have been an adventure even without the treefalls. For in addition to the usual suspects, we had three special paddlers along. Canoegirl's granddaughters, age 9, 5,and 4 were along for the ride! The oldest, Amber paddled her own canoe, while five yr old Katie paddled with Curmudgeon, and four yr old Becky paddled with Scrapper John.

This is really a lovely section of river, surprisingly secluded. With lots of wildlife and greenery. And apparently constant treefalls to be dealt with. Thank heavens for the "guardians." And, of course, there were plenty of adventures and misadventures, beyond just dealing with little girls and treefalls. There was the dam that Scrapper, Castanza, and Hot Lips ran. There was the muskrat who did his best torpedo imitation, leaving a wake that made a beeline up to my canoe before diving underneath at the last possible moment. And then there was Speedwagon's big adventure, er, misadventure.

As you know, Speedwagon got her nickname because she likes to paddle fast. She invariably ends our trips a good two hours ahead of everyone else. So when I got to the dam, I called her to see if she paddled the main branch or the mill race. I was quite shocked to learn she was still paddling. She said she was on the main stream and it was very tough going. No need to tell me twice, I decided to take the mill race. About that time Scrapper John, Canoegirl (aka RP the Limbo Lady), and Curmudgeon arrived on the scene. Since Scrapper wanted to run the dam, I put little Becky in my canoe, and we proceeded up the mill race. The "guardians" caught up with us and informed us that while they keep the mill race clean, they hadn't been down the main channel in four or five years.

So we arrive at the take out, and still no Speedwagon. I call her, and she says she is still on the river, fighting the treefalls big time. I ask her where she is at, and she says she crossed under a six lane highway about about a half hour earlier. I inform her that the six lane highway is I-69, and she is at least 2 miles past the take out. She says she just passed a tiny private campground, so I tell her to go back there and wait, that we would find her. And eventually, we did. The young gentlemen there were nice enough to help her get her yak and gear up from the river to the drive, and even put it up on my truck for us! Speedy swore she had learned her lesson and would no longer paddle ahead of the group. A vow that lasted about as long as my New Year's resolutions to lose weight and give up beer! Which is okay! She wouldn't be Speedwagon if she resisted the urge to go fast.

So that's the tale of our Upper St. Joe trip. Hopefully, I'll have the report and pics of our Eel River trip up soon!

TTFN!
gwb

Prairie River, Saturday 6/2/07

2007-06-03T11:17:00.001-07:00

Mating Dragonflies on leaf

Greatwhitebear and Curmudgeon wait patiently
as Scrapper John gets ready to put in.

Speedwagon is set to go.

New storm damage slowed the start of trip

Greatwhitebear powers over obstruction

Exiting gracefully on the other side

Wild Iris

There were beautiful wildflowers everywhere

River vista

Speedwagon pulls over treefall

Scrapper John laughs at our lack of athletecism

No Comment!

Greatwhitebear and Curmudgeon pull over treefall

Greatwhitebear disappears

Slightly soggy, Greatwhitebear reappears

Private party spot

Lunch break at canoe park

Bob getting up from his afternoon nap

More wildfowers

unique view of river, limbo THAT!

Lillies are about to bloom

A lost and somewhat fore lorn GWB waits for rescue

So it was that our somewhat smaller than usual group descended on McDonald's in Centreville in preparation for a day on the beautiful Prairie River in south central MI. Present were Curmudgeon, Scrapper John, Canoegirl, Speedwagon, and yt, Greatwhitebear. After partaking of sustenance, we headed to the PAS in Centreville, and embarked.

This is usually a very easy trip, but new storm damage made it a bit more difficult than anticipated. There were a few obstacle encountered, especially at beginning of the trip, and at the delta where the Prairie empties into the St. Joe. Most were not so difficult that you had to exit your canoe (although our lone kayaker, Speedwagon, spent considerable time out of her craft), and there was only one minor disaster. Which would be yours truly going for an unexpected swim off a log. But nothing earthshaking.

The Prairie is a very pretty, surprisingly secluded river. It runs through mostly woodlands, with the occasional farm. LOT’S of songbirds and wildflowers. Speedwagon scared a deer out of the middle of the river. Not much current, some paddling is required. But a very enjoyable paddle. At least as far as Lutz road. Which is as far as yours truly can vouch for. I became ill from the heat and had to stop there. With the exception of Canoegirl, who graciously volunteered to stay with me, the rest paddled on to the take out, a private campground on the St. Joe about 45 minutes downstream from the mouth of the Prairie.

Having re-hydrated and spent considerable time in the water cooling off, the dizziness and nausea were pretty much gone by the time my rescuers arrived. We got things gathered up, retrieved canoes and vehicles, changed clothes at the campground, and with the exception of Scrapper John, headed to the Harvey House Hotel Restaurant in Constantine. Where we consumed huge, tasty meals, very reasonably priced. Everyone got to go boxes.

We encountered some scattered rain on the way home, but the return was pretty much uneventful. Except for Canoegirl, who encountered some storm damage on her way back to the outlying areas of Battle Creek (hopefully, nobody was out lying in those areas!). And speaking of Canoegirl, many thanks for the fine job on pics this week!

Tippicanoe River, Sunday 5/27/07

2007-05-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

1. Mike and Chris wait patiently at Old Tip Town

2. Chris in his patriotic yak!

3. Greatwhitebear, Pink, and Castanza celebrate 5 pm London time with beer break!

4. Monious (aka Chris) and Castanza haul over deadfall

5. Greatwhitebear and Curmudgeon attempt to get canoes and ample behinds over deadfall

6. Mike (still working on nickname) smiles for camera as Curmudgeon hams it up in background

7. Speedwagon is all smiles after needed break!

8. Curmudgeon or Walter Brennan?

After breakfast at Allie's Cafe in South Bend, the caravan left at 9am for Old Tip Town, where we were to meet Mike (who's last name escapes me and needs to get in touch with me) from Middlebury, and Chris Braman from Huntington. Even though the caravan was fashionably late, we found them waiting patiently. The shuttle went off without a hitch, and shortly after 11 we were on the water.

With the exception of a brief shower, the first couple of hours were relatively uneventful. the section of the Tip between SR 331 and SR110 is mostly woodland. A lot of pretty wildflowers and songbirds grace this section of the river. The bottom is mostly sand.

The last mile or so above SR110, we encountered our only obstacles. The canoes were able to bump over all but one, but the kayaks experienced a few pull overs. But these were the only obstacles of the trip, and they were soon a thing of the past.

Once you get beyond SR110, the nature of the river changes. The current picks up, and the bottom changes from sand to gravel. The landscape varies from wooded to urban and back. it is a pretty , enjoyable, easy paddle. We took a brief break at the public access in Talma, where we were suddnely blessed by the return of sunshine, and the rest of the trip to Mennominee State Fishing Area was extremely pleasant.

Dinner in Rochester at a railroad themed restaurant completed a great day on the water!

Once again, a terrific job on pics by Kim! View all the photos of our trip

MUD CREEK/LONG LAKE/TROUT CREEK/ST. JOE RIVER

2007-05-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Photo #1: Curmudgeon, Our Peerless, Fearless Leader

Photo #2: Long lake Swans

Photo #3: Scrapper John, Castanza, Great White Bear relax on Trout Creek

Photo #4: Pink on Trout Creek

Photo #5: Preparing to launch, Mud Creek

Photo #6: Beer little girl?

Photo #7: Leading the charge across Long Lake

Photo #8: Connie and Charlie on Trout Creek

View all Kim's great trip photos HERE

What a difference a week makes! If last weeks trip was a chore, this trip was a real joy! We put in at a mill on Mud Creek, about a mile north of Long Lake. The mill owner, a friend of Curmudgeeons, opened up the sluice to make sure we had adequate water. We bumped over a few beaver dams, meandered through a lovely marsh, and came upon a real historical artifact; The remnants of the corduroy road that was the original Sauk Trail, the first road between Detroit and Chicago.

After passing under US 12, Mud Creek empties into Long Lake. It was a nice leisurely paddle across the lake, with a few beers consumed (yes Canoegirl, people DO like Berry Weis). Then a paddle through a Lilly pad marsh, and on to Trout Creek.

Trout Creek is a lovely little creek, move nicely through a variety of environs. Through grasslands, pine woods and hardwood, it is lovely, quiet, and relatively pristine.

The final leg of the trip was a leisurely float down the St. Joe to Hermatage Park in Bristol.

The trip started and ended with meals in Zimmyville. Breakfast at a little diner, and Dinner at Zimmy's Tavern. A grand time was had by all.

Christiana Creek 5/12/07

2007-05-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

The story of upper Christiana Creek as told by Canoegirl.......

The weather promised to be beautiful. I was personally looking forward to a good breakfast and an adventure on a new stream. Since I arrived early for breakfast and everyone else was late (LOTS of road construction and detours), I walked a bit of the stream from the proposed putin and quickly reached the decision that we needed to move our putin to the next road downstream.

Everyone arrived at Vandalia, Mi with a vehicle already spotted at the takeout and a bicycle mid way. When breakfast was over, Six people were on their way to the new putin (Bonine St.), Speedwagon Marilyn, Rerun Wendy, Curmudgen Bob, Scrapper John, Greatwhitebear Mark, and Canoegirl Carol.

Speedwagon stood and looked for a while at where we were putting in, perhaps contemplating the wisdom of embarking on this trip?

She may have had a good point.

The small stream was full of bushes,
trees, and other snags.

Rerun learned quickly not to put anything atop her kayak, the bushes and limbs can dislodge it, sometimes unaware to the paddler.

Scrapper John spent a lot of time up front with the nippers, clearing the path for the rest of the group.

Curmudgen makes it under a tree.

There are always interesting sights along these backwoods streams. Someone went to a lot of work building this bridge and platform.

I don't like pulling my canoe over trees, but sometimes there's just not enough room for the canoe AND me to fit underneath. In this case, I forced the canoe under the limb and then just stepped over it. I decided to take a break and sit on the limb while everyone else caught up.

You can see that we were gathering debris in our canoes. At one point I even had a very surprised frog jump in.

When Curmudgen got to my "sitting" limb, he decided to do a bit of sawing, while Speedwagon patiently waits and Rerun gets her camera ready for a picture.

Later in the day, Speedwagon showed off her strength by breaking offensive limbs with her bare hands when she got tired of waiting on Curmudgen!

I also saw her do an impressive lean with her kayak under a tree and arrive on the other side completely dry!

Everyone helped pulling boats over downed trees that were too large to saw through and too low to go under.

Think of it as team building exercise, GWB!

Curmudgen found a nice resting spot, sitting high and dry atop two downed trees.

Before we reached the mid point where the bike was parked, Rerun had decided that she had had enough of our adventure and that we were NOT going to make it to the takeout in time for her to meet evening obligations. Scrapper John road the bike to the nearest vehicle, and drove back to where we all waited. A home owner had given us permission to make use of her lawn for resting and waiting. Scrapper John took all the drivers back to the vehicles at the putin. Rerun started home, the rest of us bought some beer, re-spotted vehicles at the takeout, and went back to resume the journey.

From left to right.... GreatWhiteBear, Scrapper John, Curmudgen, and Speedwagon as we take on the second half of the stream.

I really liked the tiny log cabin sitting alongside the stream.

The second half of the trip was much clearer than the first half, however...... by this time, we are all getting a bit weary. Scrapper John and Canoegirl both got a good workout, balancing on trees and seeing how quickly they could pull all the boats over.

Curmudgen decided to stay in his canoe for one pullover, thinking that he would be too heavy to get pulled over while staying IN his canoe...... WRONG! Nothing quite like a good challenge! We were all in laughter when his seat tipped over and he had to struggle against the fact that the bow of his canoe was quite a bit higher than the stern, where he lay flat on his back! I was laughing too hard to take a picture!

There were a number of low bridges that had to be portaged. Scrapper John and GWB take a timeout on this one.

Speedwagon takes a break in a shady spot before pulling her kayak over the tree.

What a great spot for a treehouse!

The evening was turning still and cool before we reached the takeout at Calvin Center Rd. Everyone had worked up an appetite! We drove back north to Vandalia for dinner.

This was a trip for the adventuresome, otherwise known as a "Bob Trip". I enjoy the challenges that are presented and the physical workout that goes along with them. I am always surprised by what we find both in the water and on the banks of the streams.

Team building, GWB, TEAM BUILDING!

CHRISTIANA CREEK 5/06/07

2007-05-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

From Top: Hot lips, Rich, Canoegirl, the Ann Arbor Mafia, (always the gentlemen) Greatwhitebear and Scrapper John help Pink into her skirt, Pink, Scrapper John, Castanza

It was a less than promising start to the day. Temp in the mid 40's and steady 25 mph northeast wind. As Scrapper John and I watched the whitecaps slosh over the Elkhart Dam, McNaughton Park was quickly ruled out as a take out in favor of the much closer and more sheltered Beardsley Park. Pink arrived and immediately accused me of luring her there under the false pretense of 70 degrees and sunny, as she shivered and returned to her car for another jacket. The crowd was getting restless, not a good sign. Soon the whole gang was assembled, the shuttle organized, and we were headed north to Redfield Rd. in Cass Co, MI. We met up there with the Ann Arbor mafia, launched our craft, and were off. In attendance were:
Hot Lips, Castanza, Pink, Rich (a friend we met at IPR last year), Double A, Double A Too, his sister Shannon, and cousin Casey, Scrapper John, Canoegirl, and yt, the Greatwhitebear.

By far the most interesting craft was the Ann Arbor mafia boat, four people crammed into a 16' Mad River. About an hour and a half into the trip, 9 yr old Double A Too, with apparent great foresight, decided to lighten the load and paddle with yours truly. A fortuitous move, as about a half hour later, the Mad River 16 capsized in circumstances still not exactly understood. Fortunately, nothing much was lost except a pair of glasses and a bit of dignity, and judging by the smiles and laughter emanating from Casey and Shannon, not even much of the later.

Christiana Creek is an interesting stream. With crystal clear water, it alternates between beautiful woodland stream and very pretty residential waterway with beautiful houses and lawns. We saw a lot of wild life, including deer, an otter, a couple of herons, and lots of geese with goslins. The fish poulation appears to be healthy.

Just inside of the Elkhart city limits, it meanders through a very nice country club. The downside here is a number of small bridges, several of which must be portaged in high water. Unless you are the 95lb, amazingly limber Pink, who, determined not to have to remove her spray skirt, manged to lay flat on her back and limbo under all five bridges. The rust marks on the tip of her nose attest to how close the clearance was.

It is upon exiting the golf course the trip becomes exciting. In the final mile before it dumps into the St. Joe, Christiana Creek drops an amazing 25 ft. The water levels in northern IN are quite high, giving you some serious class I and II rapids. You must shoot five small dams, with the stream getting narrower and faster with each successive drop. Right after the last dam, which you must go over far left, is a small bridge with a large brush and rock build up on the left. You must bear hard right than hard left, and go down a narrow chute where the water drops about 3ft in about 10 yds. One more hard right and you suddenly spill into the mighty St. Joe. The take out is about 100 yds, river right.

Amazingly, every one survived this stretch upright and dry. Scrapper John took about a quart of water over the bow running the last dam, but that was as close to disaster as anyone came.

It was about a 4 1/2 hour run. After boats were loaded and stories swapped, we headed off to BETWEEN THE BUNS on the north side of Elkhart, for delicious grub and more great camaraderie.

Canoegirl says it was one of the best trips she has ever been on! I think I would concur!

THE DOWAGIAC 4/28/07

2007-04-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

After a lovely breakfast at Hopper's Family Restaurant in Berrien Springs, and the requisite car shuttle, our band put in at the M-51 bridge about 5 miles north of Dowagiac. Our band included Scrapper John, Speedwagon, Greatwhitebear (yt), Steve, Kim, and first timer Wendy. The latter three earned their canoeguysandgals nicknames on this trip (more later).

The water was high and fast, but surprisingly clear. So quick in fact, that the normally four hour trip took just over three. Doe-Wah-Jacks canoe rental had recently cleared the river, so there were no pull overs, but the high water made for some very interesting "unders" with extremely minimal clearance. These made the trip on this largely trenched river interesting. That and the sound of the song birds, and the freshly blooming wild flowers, which were just beautiful. And of course, any trip with this gang is interesting!

We took out at the Sink Rd. PAS with everyone dry, and only one close call(yt shipped a little water over the gunwhales going under a pair of tree falls).

As for the nicknames. Wendy (who was a great deal of fun and a terrific sport), is now officially Rerun. She is a paddler of great energy. So much so, that she would paddle back up river and repaddle the previous stretch. Thus the nickname.

Steve wasn't pleased with our previous choice of nickname (beerguy) and thought "cammo guy" would be more appropriate. Kim said it reminded her of the Seinfeld episode where George tried to pick his own nick name. Steve then said Kim couldn't be called "Doc", because technically, she was a nurse. He said we should call her "Hot Lips", in honor of the famous M*A*S*H nurse Margaret Hoolihan.

So Steve and Kim are henceforth known as Castanza and Hot Lips!

Happy Trails!

FAWN RIVER, BRUSH CREEK (Sat 4/21 and Sun 4/22)

2007-04-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

Fawn River

After two glorious days of paddling, it appears that spring HAS sprung.

Day one on the Fawn, (Fawn River, Mi to Star Mill, In), saw the "Fearsome Four" accompanied by 5 first timers and 1 second timer! The weather was beautiful, the companions were entertaining, and a great time was had by all. We finished the day with dinner at Wall Lake, joined by one more person, a local to the area, Sue.

Day started at local diner Howe IN. I expected it to be just Curmudgeon, Scrapper John, Canoegirl, myself (greatwhitebear), and a newbie from Mishawaka, Michelle. Michelle showed up with a pink kayak, pink baseball cap, pink bathing suit, and sweats with the word Pink emblazoned across the derriere. Henceforth, her official canoeguysandgals nickname is PINK. But I digress.

So we are sitting there waiting for breakfast, and a woman comes in, sits down next to Curmudgeon, and says "I know you!" Took the old geezer a couple of seconds before he recognized an old paddling partner, Marilyn (hereafter to be known as "Speedwagon", explanation to follow).

Then in came Steve and Kim from southwest MI. Steve had introduced himself at the river cleanup a few weeks earlier. Now our band was up to 8. I was delighted with the turnout, feeling somewhat vindicated that our use of the web was showing results!

Then canoegirl says,"are you expecting someone else, because a big silver pick up with wine colored canoe just pulled in". "That sounds like Randy." Sure enough, our old friend Randy had traveled down from Ann Arbor with Christopher, his son. The official, self appointed nickname committee (canoegirl and myself), has decreed that in honor of their hometown, they shall henceforth be known as "Double A" and "Double A Too"!

Anyhow, this was a great group, and I really enjoyed paddling with everyone! Even the ever so hard to please Curmudgeon, commented on what an enjoyable group it was!

How "Speedwagon" got her nickname: Marilyn was paddling hard trying to catch up with the early leaders, Curmudgeon and Pink. She didn't realize that they had taken a wrong fork and fallen behind. So Marilyn kept paddling in a determined effort to catch them. She beat us to the take out by and hour and a half. Hence, the nickname.

Still thinking of nicknames for Steve and Kim. Leaning towards "Beerguy" and "Doc" (Kim is an NP).... but these are still negotiable. I am sure we will have something official by the end of the next paddle.

Day two was on the Paw Paw River (Brush Creek was scrapped for the day). We went from Hartford, Mi to Lawrence, Mi. According to the jeep, it was about 8 miles, but as the Paw Paw goes....... at least double that! The temp reached 80, the sun was warm, the breezes gentle, and there were just enough obstacles to make it an interesting trip. We saw deer, squirrels, dogs, people, turtles, fish, ducks, geese...... forget what else! One turtle had a head the size of my fist! Fables say that turtles are slow, but...... they can move pretty fast when they think they need to! We have all noticed a total absence of Blue Heron this spring, not sure why! The plants are all waking up, the green was beautiful.

One of my favorite sightings...... a silo converted into what appeared to be 4 floors of living quarters, complete with outside decks. I really should remember to take my camera along more often!

All I have to say is, if Curmudgeon, Scrapper John, and Canoegirl won't attempt it, Brush Creek must be virtually impassable, save for the use of dynamite! Had I known they were going to end up on the Paw Paw, I'da turned down the call in to work!

Carol
Mark

AND A NEW SEASON BEGINS

2007-03-31T14:22:00.000-07:00

The 2007 paddling season is off to a terrific start. First, we had a great time on the Pigeon Sunday, March 25, with Nick Norris' group. The water level was perfect, the temp was pushing 80, and the sun shone the whole day. I even got a bit of a tan!

There was only one downer! I feel responsible for the tear in Carol's cedar and canvas canoe. I was really sure she could bump over that log no problem! Otherwise, it was a terrific day, with breakfast at Chubby's and dinner at the Turkey Lake Inn the perfect bookends to a great paddle! A big thanks to Nick and friends for their hospitality and camaraderie!

Yesterday, March 30, Scrapper John and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful afternoon and make a quick trip down the St. Joe. We paddled from Leeper Park (downtown South Bend) to the Darden Rd PAS. Actually, paddled is a bit of an exaggeration. The water was high and fast, and the only time we really had to paddle was when we were exploring the mouths of a couple of creeks. Or more pointedly, Scrapper John was exploring. That small creek stuff seemed like a lot of work to me.

Mostly, we floated and drank copious amounts of OM. Besides the usual ducks and geese, we saw a pair of coots who appeared to be preparing a nest, and several otter, including a pair who seemed a bit anxious that we were hanging around the mouth of what they apparently considered THEIR creek. The day ended perfectly when when SJ and I were joined by his lovely wife, Lisa, and my entire family (including the granddaughters), for the all you can eat fish dinner at the Pony Express Tavern in Mishawaka.

Then, this morning, it was rise and shine early for the FRIENDS OF THE ST. JOE's annual riverbank clean up. Around 125 people, including Mayor Steve Luecke, showed up and worked their hinders off, in spite of the chilly temps and occasional bursts of rain. Many of these people returned to the sign up area for the post clean up cookout, where the Great White Bear cooked about 90 hot dogs (and 8 vegetarian franks), which were consumed with great gusto.

Thus, the season starts, with the promise of even better times to come!

GWB

FAWN RIVER: Town of Fawn River MI, to Star Mill IN 9/2/06

2006-09-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

Scrapper John and I agree, this is as pretty a stretch of river as we have been on. The first thing you notice is the amazing clarity of the water. The river is fed by 40 morainal lakes, and it's banks are lined by numerous marshes. The result is amazingly clear water. Putting in at southwest side of the bridge in Fawn River, the stream meanders between banks of oaks and marsh willows. You will often have a tree lined bank on one side, with a marsh on the other. A large variety of birds and wild life are seen. The marshes were full of Red Winged Blackbirds and Swifts. We saw deer and a large number of Great Blue Herons. The highlight of the day was coming within 20 yds of a pair of Sandhill Cranes.

For most of this trip you are amazingly secluded. And though the sounds of the Indiana Toll Rd and SR 9 disturb the tranquility of the last couple of miles, they do little to distract from the sheer beauty of this stretch of river. Take out is on CR700, about a mile west of IN 9.

There were no pullovers or portages on this trip, making it an excellent trip for beginning canoeists or kayakers. Travel time about 4 hours steady paddling.

It is just very difficult to describe how really pretty this stretch of river is. It is an under utilized gem!

I'll post a pic or two once I figure out how to download from the new camera.

Aug. 26: TIPPECANOE RIVER, SR 331 to Old US 31

2006-08-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

Sadly, nobody thought to bring a camera, because this is a very scenic stretch of river. The Brown Eyed Susans and Cardinal flowers are in full bloom, attracting lots of lovely little white butterflies. This stretch is mostly woodlands, with the exception of a brief stretch through the town of Talma.

This trip can actually be broken into two, very different sections. Put in at the Old Tip public access. The upper section is narrow, secluded, heavily wooded. Because of low water, we had to pull over fallen trees five different times, three of which we would have bumped over at normal water levels. If you are a bird watcher, this is and ideal stretch for you, as the songbirds are very numerous! The Tippecanoe just west of Warsaw has the largest Great Blue Heron rookery in the US, and these magnificent birds are very numerous here.

Once you pass under the SR 110 bridge, the nature of the river changes significantly. It widens and becomes shallower. The current picks up. The bottom changes from predominantly sand to predominantly gravel. No pullovers, and even at low water. At these water levels however, careful reading of the river is a must, lest you get stranded on a gravel bar. Having said that, we were never out of our canoes on this stretch.

We saw a lot of Kingfishers on this stretch. It is really fun to watch them fish. They make a big splash when they hit the water. Their success rate appears to be about 1 in 4.

This has to be a great stretch of river for fisherman! We saw lots of fish, and numerous varieties. Sunfish, Rock Bass, Smallies, Northerns, Suckers.

Word of warning: The public access at the takeout comes up on you very suddenly. Two of us, intently watching the river channel, shot right by and had to paddle back upstream. If you get to the old US 31 bridge, you have missed it! Next time, I'll put a red flag out.

A special thanks to Roy Calvert of Talma, who not only let us sit out a thunderstorm in his picnic shelter, but came down and entertained us with the history of the property, where his great, great, great, grandparents operated a grist mill. We had an extremely entertaining visit during our 1 1/2 hour layover.

At a steady paddle, this trip took 5 hours of paddling time, about 2 1/2 hours to Talma (where there is a nice public access also), and the same to the Menominee State Fish area landing.

Trip: Old Tip public access (SR 331), to Menominee State Fish area (just of Old US 31)
Time: 5 hours steady paddle.

Dowgiac River 8/12/06

2006-08-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

This is a really great river, very close to home. It has a little bit of everything. Leisulely stretches of woodland, the occasional treefall to pic your way through, rapids, open water. The last 3/4 hour is pretty much one rapid or rifle after another. Lot's of fun! The trip ended with dinner at a very nice bar in Dowagiac called the WOUNDED MINNOW. It is housed in what used to be an old ballroom. Nice patio, excellent food!

1. Scrapper John and Lisa 2. Curmudgeon rocks over fallen log 3. Canoegirl waits patiently in eddy 4. Creek end dam (note slot where undershot wheel went) 5. Little girl plays in pool above Dodd Parl rapids 6. Mill pond 7. Pucker St. dam

View the rest of our trip pics HERE

Elkhart River pics (from Sat. July 29)

2006-08-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

View the rest of Garry Hill's pics HERE

INDIANA PADDLERS RENDEZVOUS 2006

2006-08-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

Scrapper John awaits his turn to show his "cannonball" form

see Tim Criswell's event photos HERE

The Indiana Paddler's Rendezvous on Wildcat Creek was a huge success. About 100 people with 70 canoes and kayaks turned up at Wildcat Park in Lafayette for three days of paddling and comradarie. The weather was great, and the water levels cooperated for the most part. We made lot's of new friends and had a blast!

Much thanks to Garry "Muskrat" Hill and Chuck Weiss for the organizing of the event, not to mention Garry's talent as chili cook, and Chuck's auctioneering skills!

TRIP REPORT: Sat, July 29; The Elkhart

2006-07-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

When you have really great company, a terrific stretch of river, and a really good variety of beer... it makes for an AWESOME day!

We paddled the Elkhart River from Rogers Park in downtown Goshen to Beardsley Park in Elkhart. A really nice 17 mile, 7 hour paddle. Yes, it was VERY hot (still 93F when we got off the water at 6), but there was a nice breeze on the river most of the time, and plenty of Murphy's Stout, Boddington's Pub Ale, Leinenkugel Berry Weiss, and our good old stand by, Old Milwaukee, to keep us nicely cool and hydrated! And I am sure we could have made the trip faster, but it was just the perfect day for a lazy paddle!

The water level was up, so there was a nice current, and only a couple of serious obstacles the whole day. The river winds through a number of differnt environments, from urban to secluded woodland. The stream in spots is lined with incredible mansions, then suddenly returns to secluded woods. Even the downtown stretches are interesting, with an historic iron bridge in Goshen, and a newly revitalized downtown in Elkhart.

Unfortunately, Garry still hasn't seen his first otter in the wild, although Carol spotted two, and we found several dens along the way, plus a "slide" on a hill where the otters play. There were numerous trees felled by beaver, and a number more gnawed half through.

The trip ended with great burgers, onion rings and potato skins at Tony's Famous Grill in Goshen! Garry, I owe you big time for dinner!

My deep gratitude and thanks to Garry Hill and Carol Wyble for their most excellent companionship! It was a terrific trip!

PICS FROM THE PAST

2006-07-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

Scrapper John running Homer Dam (Kalamazoo River) two springs ago. note: this dam is higher, rockier, and longer than appears in photo. (click on photos to enlarge)

16th Annual Huck Finn Float

2006-07-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 16, was the 16th annual Huck Finn Float, where about 60 people or so get together for a six hour float down the St. Joe on makeshift rafts. A glorious day of BBQ, libation, sunbathing, swimming, and comraderie. And even though the temperature reached 97, no one complained. In fact, everyone agreed it was one of the best ever. And why not? The water was clear and the temp perfect for swimming. The food was great, and there were plenty of beverages to help keep one hydrated!

All the following pics were taken by Susan Olds-Browning. From top:
1. The view from the cow's tail!
2. The Great White Bear with a Leinenkugel and a story!
3. A Murphy's Red? For Me?
4. Raeanne wearing the greatwhitebear hat!
5. Ron's not gonna get sunburned in THAT hat!
6. Hey dude, can we throw you a life jacket?
7. This looks like the perfect place to stop and swim!
8. Turtles working on their tan!
9. Are those brats done yet?
10. Say WHAT?
11. The stoners are gaining on us!
12. Don't get downwind of these guys if you have a urine test upcoming!

Days 3 & 4

2006-06-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

more Riverquest pics HERE

MAY 27, 2006: TGWB was unable to make trip #3 due to some other business. However, Canoegirl, Crapper John, and Curmudgeon pressed on somehow! By all accounts this was a great trip. The river varied wildly from meandering marsh, to scenic stream, to wild, fast chute through downtown Jackson. Crapper John went exploring in an old storm tunnel. The group came upon the remains of an old overshot mill wheel. Unfortunately, the photos didn't turn out well, so we may have to do a repeat of this trip.

June 3, 2006: Crapper John was unable to attend this one, as he was busy paddling on the Pine with some old friends. However, we had a new paddler for this trip, Canoegirl's 8 yr old granddaughter. We informed her that all canoeists must have a river name. And it is better to pick your own, or you might end up with a nickname like Crapper John. Quickly seeing the wisdom of choosing her own river name, she declared that she would henceforth be known as Turtle. Much better than having someone choose you a nickname with a potty connotation.

We put in just above the park/sewage treatment plant (yes, I see the irony in that). We hadn't gone 25 yds when I saw an animal slide gracefully down the bank and into the water. Moments later, I saw a little brown head peering over a concrete pumphouse, watching me with curiosity. I drifted slowly, not moving a muscle, in hopes of getting a photo. Just as I was about to get into camera range, the little otter disappeared behind the pumphouse and down into a den. This pair of otters are just the latest in what is becoming a very long list of wild creatures we have seen in the most urban of environments. It is amazing how adaptable some of these critters have become!

Unlike the previous stretches of the Grand we've done, the river here is relatively straight with only a few fallen trees obstructing us. We drifted past the Michigan State Pen's farm, prompting more than a few questions from Turtle. We came across a few treefalls, and Turtle became very adept at getting over them almost immediately, needing little coaching from Grandma Canoegirl. Soon it was time for lunch, where Turtle got another lesson in outdoorswomanship from Canoegirl. The delicate art of leaning against a tree while squatting to pee. Mission accomplished, we sat down to a fine lunch of Old Wisconsin Beef Sticks and Ritz Bits. Along with the accompanying beer (or in Turtles case, pop).

Once back on the water, Turtle started asking some seemingly rather personal questions. Like how much did Curmudgeon weigh? Who weighed more, TGWB or him? How much did Canoegirl weigh? How much weight would Curmudgeon's canoe hold? You could see the wheels turning as she made a number of calculations in her head. Curmudgeon and Canoegirl were rather baffled by this sudden line of questioning, but I got it right away. "Turtle", I asked, "would you like your grandma to paddle with me for a while?" Her face lit up like a kindergartener on Christmas morning! She nodded her head eagerly. Moments later, Canoegirl was occupying my bow seat, and Turtle was paddling on her own. Which she did for the next two+ hours, including hauling herself over and through treefalls! There is now talk of grandma getting a second Old Town Pack so Turtle has something to paddle when she comes to visit!

This trip went so smoothly and quickly, we actually respotted vehicles and proceeded farther downstream than originally planned. It was a really grand day on the Grand!

RIVERQUEST, DAY 2: The Ordeal

2006-05-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday, April 16, 6:30 am.

Short on sleep, patience, and funds. Gear is loaded, Old Milwaukee on ice. Large 100% Columbian from Speedway in hand. We're off to meet Canoegirl in Concord MI. I have the feeling I am going to want to burn something from Columbia before the day is over. Thought turns out to be prophetic!

Only restaurant in town turns out to be highly overpriced yuppie place. Only thing affordable was the "special". 2 pecan pancakes and and sausage links for $5. Admittedly, the pancakes were excellent. But the sausage turned out to be three little off brand smokie links with no flavor. Tasted like mild ham. Of course, as soon as I groused about it, the Curmdgeon, who picked the place, became defensive and insisted that these were excellent sausage, much better than Eckrich. Okay,they sucked, the place was way overpriced, but suddenly this was the best restaurant we've ever had breakfast at. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

By the time we finally get on the river, it's past 11. I look at the map and think; "this is an awfully ambitious trip to make before dark." Especially since we didn't park a bike along the way, as the Curmudgeon insisted we wouldn't need it. That little mistake nearly cost us big time.

We get on the river and almost immediately run into problems. There are more tree falls in the first couple of miles than on the entire trip the previous week. Going is slow.

After a few miles, we enter a huge, meandering marsh. Miles of tight switchbacks. Probably as big as both the marshes we paddled the previous week combined. After we had paddled about an hour and a half in the marsh, it narrowed as we approached a highway bridge. About the time we reach the bridge, a storm blows in. We decide to take shelter and eat lunch.

After the storm blows by, we take off again. After about a half hour, the meanders give way to straighter channel. I notice what appears to be another storm coming in from the west. I know that we have to cross the first of three connected lakes shortly, and decide to pick up the pace, determined not to be caught out on the lake in a storm. CJ keeps up okay, but pretty soon we have left Canoegirl and Curmudgeon far behind. Should have been my first clue something was amiss. Canoe girl NEVER has trouble keeping up with Cj or I, unless it is on open water.

When we hit the lake, we are really paddling, and even though the wind is starting to kick up, we get across in very short time. I find a very convenient boat ramp, complete with porta potty. Cj decides to scout for channel to next lake, while I take care of some business. About 20 min later, Curmudgeon and Canoegirl arrive, and we set off across the second and largest of the three lakes. Canoegirl's shoulders are hurting, and she tells Curmdgeon she doesn't think she is going to make it. Curmudgeon thinks she is so tough, she surely will, and tells her so. Now she is not only in pain, she is pissed too.

We find ourselves paddling straight into a 30 mph wind. CJ and I have canoes that sit low in the water and have round bottoms, so they track pretty well. The wind is not much of a problem for us. But both Curmudgeon and Canoegirl have flat bottom canoes, and the ends of Curmudgeon's canoe sit high and really catch the wind. Soon they were struggling mightily. It took them a very long time to reach the channel to the third lake, by which time Canoegirl was in enough pain to be on the verge of tears. We feed her 600 mg of Ibuprofen, and Curmudgeon applies a liberal amount of DMSO to the area. We head across the third (and smallest) of the lakes. I paddle up to her and say, "I am going to do something I swore I would never do... proposition you!" I get a faint, weary smile and a reply, "go ahead, I can always turn you down, I'm good at turning guys down!" To which I reply, "my proposition is, that at the next bridge, you and I take the Bud Bucket, and get shit faced, while Curmudgeon and Crapper John go on and get the vehicles. She allows that this is one of the best propositions she's ever had, and agrees. We inform CJ and C about our intention. They allow that there is about 3 hours of hard paddling to vehicle. We quickly count the number of beers, discover there are still about 16, and decide 8 a piece is about right for three hours. CJ and Miss Daisy (Curmudgeons alter ego) paddle off at a good pace, and soon have disappeared around the first bend of the river.

Canoegirl and I are now free to paddle at a leisurely pace. The combo of Motrin, DMSO, and beer has her feeling much better, and we spend most of the better part of an hour with the canoes lashed together, drifting through a wide, slow moving area, consuming beer and chatting. Eventually, the stream begins to narrow and move more quickly. We fight our way through a treefall, and enter an area of very nice houses and lawns on the far south side of Jackson. The water is moving much quicker here. We pass under a footbridge and come up on a house with a beautiful lawn. The lady of the house is outside and comes up to chat with us. She informs us that two other guys came through about 10 minutes earlier. TEN MINUTES? Hell, they shoulda been at least an hour ahead of us by then!

The river is now running past very nice homes, and shows evidence of being paddled regularly. We paddle by three girls in their early teens, preparing to launch a sit-on-top kayak. Up ahead, we see a bridge, and on the far shore is Curmudgeon, waving a paddle at us. It turns out to be a rather perilous little take out, but we manage. As we struggle to ferry canoes and gear up the steep hill, over the guard rail, and across the bridge to a better loading spot, we hear the story.

Curmudgeon had gotten severely entangled trying to pick his way through a tree fall. So severely, it had taken he and Crapper John well over a half hour to extricate him. They were now so far behind schedule, there was no way of making the vehicles before dark. So they had pulled out at the bridge, and CJ was hitchhiking to retrieve Canoegirl's Cherokee. At this point, I was expecting a VERY long wait. This is Jackson MI, after all, home to one of the largest and most notorious state penitentiaries in the country. There are signs on almost every block that warn: PRISON AREA. DO NOT PICK UP HITCHHIKERS! So I was amazed when, a few minutes later, a familiar blue Jeep Cherokee pulled up. Apparently, literacy is a problem in Jackson!

Gear loaded, we head off to Homer MI for burgers and beer. I inform CJ that I will never again paddle an unfamiliar stretch of river without parking a bike or two along the way. He agrees. Curmudgeon allows that next week, we just HAVE to go back to that fabulous restaurant in Concord for the pancakes.

All I could do at this point was roll my eyes, and wish I was Tutor Turtle. At least that way Mr. Wizard the Lizard could chant in his German accent: "drissle drassel dressel drone, time for this one too come home." And poof, I'd be home in my comfy, lumpy, warm bed. Alas, I'd have to settle for tilting the van seat back and using my dry bag for a pillow. However, it worked, and before I knew it, we were home, and I was headed up stairs with the last cold Old Milwaukee. Already planning the next weeks trip in my head!

Photos:
top: Crapper John leaving put in.
middle: Curmudgeon sawing through fallen tree
bottom: Curmudgeon trying to pull canoe through treefall

current recipe on THE CHURCH POTLUCK: My Best Beef Jerky

PROLOGUE/DAY ONE

2006-04-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

Sometime in the early months of 2006, Canoegirl expressed her desire to canoe the entire Grand River. Having already covered every stretch of the St. Joseph and Kalamazoo rivers, she needed a new challenge. Agreeing that the quest was indeed good, The Curmudgeon (a.k.a. Miss Daisy), Crapper John (a.k.a. Hoke), and the Great White Bear (no printable aliases) decided to join the quest. Thus Riverquest 2006 was born.

So it was that on a cold Friday morning, April 8, with heavy frost on the ground, Curmudgeon, Great White Bear, and Crapper John found themselves sitting in a diner in Homer Michigan, awaiting the arrival of Canoegirl. After a much too hearty buffet breakfast, we embarked for the headwaters of the Grand.

The photo at the left is the headwaters of the Grand, just as it leaves Grand Lake in Jackson County. What appeared to be an easy put in soon proved to be problematic. An elderly couple with an air superiority about them soon showed up and announced that we were on a private road surrounded by private property. Even though they had no idea who owned the land adjacent to the river, she insisted we needed the permission of all 7 members of the Lake Association to embark there. She told us she would return in twenty minutes with their decision. As soon as she left, Crapper John and I suggested we take the van to the farm at the top of the hill and across the highway and seek permission to park it there. By the time the lady got back we would be gone and she would be clueless as to what had happened to us. Probably assume we had gotten pissed off and left. But the Curmudgeon insisted that since he had the keys to the van, we were waiting till the lady and her hubby returned. CJ and I decided to hike up the hill and get permission, so we would have a plan B. The lady at the farm house was more than gracious, and was happy to let us park there. By the time John and I returned down the hill, 40 minute had passed, and still no old couple. Curmudgeon grudgingly relented, and CJ took the van up the hill then jogged back down.

He and Canoegirl had already launched their canoes when the snooty couple returned. The lady was incensed that the farm lady had given us permission to park on her property. Because we were still "trespassing.' At which point I got fed up, pointed out to her that since we were well within the normal high water mark of the river, we were on public access, so she could stick it. I than launched my canoe and left Curmudgeon to deal with her. It was the first of many times that day it took all my strength to avoid drowning him on the spot.

Considering how narrow the headwaters are, it was amazingly free of deadfalls. I think we only had to pull over a couple of trees all day. However, at it's start, it meanders more than any river I have ever been on! After a couple of miles of relatively easy paddling, we entered the first of a couple of VERY large marshes, With literally a couple of dozen very tight meanders. The photo at left is of Canoegirl going one direction while I was going the other. We are only about 10 yds apart. These turns are extremely tight, and you had to be very technically correct when you set up into them, or you found yourself in the scrub and thorns along the bank. I would guess that for every mile as the crow flies, we probably paddled three.

Upon exiting the first large marsh, we crossed a mill pond and portaged a picturesque little dam. The next few miles the river was very narrow, probably averaging no more than 6' across. It meandered through pretty, well manicured backyards. It was on this stretch we encountered most of the obstacles we would have to deal with. These came in the form of foot bridges. Probably about a dozen. Most you could get under by laying on the floor of your canoe, but occasionally you would have to get out and pull over one. Only a couple were any real challenge. You can tell that this stretch rarely sees any paddlers, as we had lots of excited onlookers as we passed through. People waving, and asking how we got there, where we came from. A lot of them were amazed we could actually get there from upstream.

After a few miles of backyard and foot bridges, we reached the first of five places where the river passes under M-127, a busy four lane highway. Our vehicles were parked one bridge farther downstream. With only about three hours of sunlight left, we briefly considered pulling out there, and letting John retrieve a vehicle. But the cool weather had minimized fatigue, we still had some Old Milwaukee left, so we decided to push on. We would spend the next two hours paddling through a very large marsh where the river meandered incredibly.

I should point out that while everyone else I know HATES paddling through marshes, they are one of my absolute favorite places to paddle. In this one marsh alone, we saw swans, geese, several species of duck, a couple of different species of hawk, a flock of Sandhill Cranes (who make the oddest noise I have ever heard), numerous Great Blue Herons, and a Snowy Egret .

We finally arrived at our takeout with about an hour of sunlight left. While Canoegirl and Curmudgeon retrieved the van from the farmhouse, CJ and I prepared the gear for stowing. Canoes were secured quickly and gear stowed, and four famished people headed for Union City, MI for dinner. We arrived at this little bar about 9 pm. The special of the night was any piece of broasted chicken for fifty cents. And the pieces were huge! We each had 4 pieces of chicken, plus fries. We killed two pitchers of beer. Yet the bill was under $20!

We finally arrived home about 12:30 am. After an early (5:30 am) and rocky start , and a long day, it was finally safe to declare day one of the quest a success!

See more photos of Riverquest HERE. Just click the Riverquest folder!