Apr 23rd, 2010
by vmichael.
I was able to sneak in an early start to paddling this spring. It happened to be one of the finer days of a pretty chilly spring, yet still a little breezy. Fortunately, the wind was at our backs.
This was our second time on the Rock River, what I consider to be one of the most scenic in the state, between Oregon and Grand Detour in North Central Illinois. We put in just below the dam in Oregon at County Hwy 33 and Washington St. and shuttled the vehicles south on Hwy 2, following the west bank of the river. The take out is just before the curve in the river on the left side, just across the street from the John Deer historic site.
The forecast had called for a 20 percent chance of rain, so I packed my outer rain shell, was prepared with a couple of layers in case it got chilly and was ready with a change of clothes all tucked away in the paddling dry bag.
I originally read about this river in Canoeing Adventures in Northern Illinois: Apple River to Zuma Creek
by Bob Tyler. This book is a pretty good and can be downloaded in PDF format, which is probably okay for most paddlers, since you won’t be bringing the book with you. You can always print off the few pages you need and bring those! The book stops at the Castle Rock State Park on river-right, about 5 miles down from the Oregon dam.
Castle Rock lookout is where we have lunch. There is a staircase leading to a very scenic overlook of many miles north and south on the river. We then paddle an additional 5 to Grand Detour. CAUTION: At about mile 4-4.5 stay river-left. Do not go into the blocked off stretch near the old campground islands. You’ll have to turn around and paddle around that peninsula to get the take out.
Miles: about 12
Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Scenic, wildlife, canoe, kayak
Posted in: Illinois, paddling, rivers.
Tagged: beginner · canoe · Intermediate · kayak · scenic · wildlife
Aug 14th, 2009
by vmichael.
It has been quite a cool and rainy season here in Illinois this summer. It’s been fairly disappointing to have cancelled 2 or 3 planned trips on the water due to thunderstorms. It seemed even those trips where weather was ideal, once we got on the water, the skies opened up and it began to rain. There were a few instances where it rained momentarily, then stopped.
We ran the Kanakakee River and got out dry! We were not so lucky with our Rock River or Wisconsin Dells/Mirror Lake trips. The Kankakee River is great river to run when the water is normal. There are a few areas where the water rushes around rock formations and makes you feel like you’re on a true river adventure. It’s tempting to paddle back up stream to go through the riffles more than once. It’s a bit of a rush! The stretch of the Kankakee River is very scenic, like most of the larger rivers in Illinois. The Kankakee runs along the Kankakee State Park for more than half of this trip, which makes it a more naturally scenic paddle. However, with a just a little longer drive, the Rock River scenary is hard to beat.
The Rock River is a few hours West of Chicago, but provides scenary on a much grander scale. This part of the Rock River, like the Kankakee, flow through state parks and therefore has less human habitation. The Rock River is relatively large, slow flowing river. Sadly, our recent was trip was cut from 11 miles to about 5 because of the cooler temperatures and rain. It was quite uncomfortable and some paddlers didn’t have the proper clothing to stay dry enough to fight off the chill.
Mirror Lake near the Wisconsin Dells, WI is a low population, finger lake, South and downstream of the Dells and Lake Delton. You can portage at a small spill-over to Lake Delton, but the boat traffic on Lake Delton is not something kayakers want to deal with, usually. The rock formations here are really unique and stunning. The Oak and Maple mixed with Pine make for some nicely textured foliage. The water and shoreline are clean and the waterways peaceful. Once again, a paddle adjacent to or in a state park means “nature.”
In all of these paddles, friendships evolve, spirits are cleansed, eyes are opened, things are learned and fun is had!
Each of them great experiences, rain or shine… but I still prefer sunshine!
Cheers,
Victor
Posted in: Illinois, Wisconsin, paddling, rivers.
May 7th, 2009
by vmichael.
Well, it certainly was a busy Spring. Between coming back to Illinois from Arizona, replacing our floors, unpacking, a photo shoot in Texarkana, TX, unpacking more, building and planting our raised bed garden and adding our rain collection barrel, I was actually able to pull off a Spring Kayak to launch the season. What a great launch it turned out to be, too. I had a TON of help!
This event coincides and introduces the Get Out ‘n Do It Meetup Group. The Meetup Group will offer free outings, such as this, to introduce people to various outdoor activities before investing in longer trips or expensive gear.
My wife, Rachael, deserves major props for helping me with last minute details and helping me load and unload the trailer. I know I would not have been able to this myself. I also owe thanks to Mike McGreevy and Bruce and Stacy Jones for allowing me to use their extra boats, allowing me to provide more attendees with a chance to get out on the water sooner! Continue reading →
Posted in: Illinois, lakes, paddling.
Mar 7th, 2009
by vmichael.
I felt slight pause about our backpacking trip into the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness. This wilderness is nothing like the Midwest. Even in the milder temperatures of late Winter, the dry air and the terrain still find a way to take their toll. The lesson is basically to research and prepare yourself for the environment. Like all trips, water was most important for this 3 day excursion because of the unsure state of the creek. Living pretty close by, basically under 2 hours and downhill from the snowy Flagstaff peaks, I was pretty confident that the recent snow melt was still feeding the creeks. If the creek wasn’t running, I had read of some pretty reliable springs in the canyon. Worst case, we were prepared with some extra water and the notion that we might need to cut our trip short. Continue reading →
Posted in: Arizona, backpacking, camping, hiking.
Feb 27th, 2009
by vmichael.
The weekend has finally arrived! Rachael and I are picking up our friends from the airport in Phoenix tonight and we are heading out bright and early in the morning to one of the Sycamore Canyon trailheads to experience and epic trip. We have not done as much this winter in Arizona as last, which is disappointment. Now, late February and we have some catching up to do. It helps that the winter weather is waning. We were, however, able to paddle Lake Pleasant and I was able to spend 10 days in Flagstaff for my WFR, so it was not a total bust.
Stay tuned for the update on this Sycamore Canyon trip.
Posted in: Arizona, backpacking, camping, hiking.
This was our second time on the Rock River, what I consider to be one of the most scenic in the state, between Oregon and Grand Detour in North Central Illinois. We put in just below the dam in Oregon at County Hwy 33 and Washington St. and shuttled the vehicles south on Hwy 2, following the west bank of the river. The take out is just before the curve in the river on the left side, just across the street from the John Deer historic site.
The forecast had called for a 20 percent chance of rain, so I packed my outer rain shell, was prepared with a couple of layers in case it got chilly and was ready with a change of clothes all tucked away in the paddling dry bag.
