Water, Water Everywhere

What a rotten time to be out of commission for paddling!

There are endless places to drop a kayak in the water and take off for as long as you want to paddle. Paddling on the rivers wouldn't be a smart thing to do - way too much debris. But, with all the water in the floodplains right now, who needs rivers?

If I could paddle, I'd probably put in at Millrace Flats Wildlife Management Area, just north of Wapello. You can see all the water as you drive between the Iowa River bridge on highway 61 and Wapello. The picture here is of an area that is normally a field. While there is always some water along that stretch, right now there is almost no dry ground. Right now it's a great place to watch wildlife - maybe a bit too good as it's hard to keep my eyes on the road.

It's been tough though to watch the wood ducks go from guarding nests to swimming around the submerged boxes. If you look closely at this photo, you'll see just the top of a box in the background; several others are completely submerged.

After I finished paddling the 700 acres at Millrace - which would probably take just a little while - I'd move on to the 2000+ acres at Horseshoe Bend division of Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge. It's another former floodplain of the Iowa River that's currently holding excess water from the river. I'm sure I'd see lots of ducks, geese, herons and maybe a few critters that are flooded out of their homes like beavers and muskrats.

Then I'd head to the Odess Water Trail, even though the signs are all under water. It'd be fun because you can go anywhere right now. After that ....

No, I won't whine anymore because it probably won't be as long as we'd like before we'll see these water levels again (last time was in 2001). Hopefully we'll be back to normal levels before I'm back on the water.

Water going over the lower spillway at Odessa Wildlife Management Area

Earth Day Paddle

It's been a long time since I was out on the water but my first paddle was a good one. Along with a couple of dozen other paddlers, I joined Elizabeth (blue kayak) from the Louisa County Conservation Board for the "Earth Day Paddle" at Indian Slough Wildlife Area.

It seemed at first that the evening was not going to go well. Up until noon, it looked like we might have thunderstorms. The first person to arrive got their car stuck in the mud. Parking and turning around were challenging because of high water. A brand new kayak arrived with a giant hole (tip: don't let your kayak rub against the tire of your trailer!).

But, the weather was perfect. The last person to arrive had a tow strap to pull the car out. Everyone was friendly and helpful. And, while the kayak still has a hole, we had enough boats for everyone to go out (hey, you've gotta look on the bright side, right?).

With the water so high on the Iowa River (even higher than my trip last summer), we were able to go anywhere we wanted. In fact, we ended up paddling down a road for awhile. It also allowed us to get right next to the eagle's nest. Unfortunately, it looks like the eagles have moved elsewhere this year.

Since I was way, way at the back of the pack, I didn't see much wildlife but I heard others say they saw: swallows, geese, great blue herons, a beaver, and lots of carp. The frogs were singing and the trees had that first flush of green.

My favorite part of this trip wasn't the wildlife anyway - it was the people. There were folks I knew but had never paddled with, as well as seasoned paddlers whom I'd never met. We had a family who lives near Indian Slough and a young lady from Poland (no, she didn't travel here JUST for the paddle). The age span covered 8 years old to well over 60.

Best of all, my husband and daughter were along. Really, I should say I was along since I can't actually paddle these days and the daughter offered to take me out in a tandem kayak. About 2 minutes into the trip, she regretted the offer but I think she had fun anyway.

Maybe not enough fun to that she'll take me out on the Mother's Day paddle. But she should, right? Afterall, giving birth to her was a LOT harder than paddling me around for a couple of hours.

Emily got the Red Kayak out on the water

Chinkapin Hike

So, what did I do on what could be the last nice day of fall? Wrong, I didn't get out on the water though I should have because I am a wimp. Combining cold, wind and water just doesn't appeal to me. Maybe I'm just not that into it yet. Maybe in the spring I'll be more willing to brave the cold after months away from my little red kayak. Maybe.

Anyway, today a friend and I hiked at Chinkapin Bluffs Recreation Area just outside Columbus Junction. It's a beautiful park with a shelter, playground, overlook deck and at least five miles of trail.

We started on the crushed limestone trail in the picnic area. It leads to the deck overlooking the Iowa River floodplain. With many of the leaves gone, we could see the river as well as water in the Chinkapin wetland. This park is worth a visit just for the view from the overlook.

Then we headed out past the demonstration prairie and pawpaw research plot to one of several trails that wind through the timber. Once you get into the timber, watch out - these trails are steep! While they aren't for everyone, they're a great way to put some extra work into the old workout.

The steep part gets you to the base of the bluff pretty quickly (thus the steepness) and then you are on a wide, flat trail -the old railroad bed. This 3.5-mile trail is part of the Hoover Nature Trail which has several completed section from West Branch to Morning Sun. It's got a crushed limestone surface with a lot of grass growing on it. Nice for biking, walking or running. There is even a parking lot at the end so you don't have to walk up or down the steeper trails.

My friend, who lives less than 10 miles from the park had never been there. She really liked it and kept saying "this is really nice." Now that I think about it though, that was before we had to go up the steep part.

One of my favorite things about this trail is that it runs next to the Chinkapin wetlands. So that even though I wasn't on the water, I was near it.

Change of Seasons

Today was my last chance this year to try out the one Odessa Water Trail route I hadn’t been on yet – Goose Trail. This one isn’t accessible during low water and most of it will close for the duck season starting October 20.

Though it was hot, there was definitely a sense of autumn in the air. There was a pretty strong breeze and it was the first day I’ve really seen lots of leaves falling.

As I paddled through “Lateral Ditch” the first thing I noticed was how the lotuses have changed since my first paddle on Odessa this year. The leaves are all but gone and the beautiful, exotic flowers have transformed into odd-shaped pods (yes if you’re wondering these are the same ones used in flower arrangements).

Goose Trail is a neat route – at this time of year its a series of narrow channels connecting open ponds and then into water filled with wild millet. The millet has been growing all summer on mud flats left by the lower water. It’s flooded now and though it was green just a few weeks ago, it’s now standing ripe and ready for the fall migrants.

Rails are already in there foraging for insects. Throughout the fall ducks will use the plants for cover while they eat the seed. A variety of song birds will also feast on the seeds to store up energy for the long trip south. Even hatchling fish use the millet – it’s full of the invertebrates they munch during this stage of their lives.

Just as the plants are changing, the list of critters I saw today is different, too. I saw only a couple of herons and no egrets or pelicans (though they are still around using different areas now). There were ducks, geese and cormorants, blackbirds, a few hawks, a bald eagle and a kingfisher.

The best wildlife encounter of the day was with a barred owl. As I was putting my camera back inside my lifejacket, I drifted toward shore and an owl that was sitting in the open on a fallen log. It watched me float closer but didn’t move, letting me get within about 10 feet. You’ll have to take my word though because I couldn’t the camera without spooking it. We just sat and stared at each other until he/she got tired of looking at me and flew off.

Odessa Water Trail Dedication

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

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

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

Swallows & Sunset at Snively

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That'll change tomorrow morning.

Way Up North

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

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

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

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

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

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

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