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
