This was a paddling weekend! Love it. I had a few days where Rachael was out of town and her boat wasn’t being used. So, I posted to the Meetup Group offering her kayak to anyone who didn’t have one and was able to go out. I had lined up a paddle with a Float Your Boat (Meetup) member for Friday, but the forecast looked bleak, so I ultimately cancelled. The Prairie Coast Paddlers email came out and I opted to try that on Saturday, weather permitting. For Sunday, another FYB/Meetup member, Christine, was able to meet me at Blackwell Forest Preserve.
Sunday turned out to be a great day. The forecast was 30% rain and mid-40′s. It turned out to be mostly cloudy, no rain, and probably in the 50′s. I arrived about 1/2 hour before the noon meeting time, paid the launch fee and unloaded the gear. The launch had gone up from $6 to $9. A little steep in my opinion.
Rachael was on her way back from St. Louis and was to arrive at Blackwell around 3:30pm. Christine and I paddled until 2:30-ish. I hung out and waited for Rachael to arrive.
This is where I began to see things that saddened, shocked and appalled me. First, while sitting at the dock, I noticed people carrying their canoe down from the top of the knoll to put in away from the ramp. This was obviously to avoid the launch fee. WTF!? Second, after Rachael arrived and we paddled around the south part of the lake, we noticed a guy fishing had crawled back into the not-yet-full brush and was…well, let’s just say he had some sporadic hand movements. WTF!? Lastly, also while at the dock, a couple rented a row boat. The female’s face was covered with a bandana or handkerchief, and was being walked down the dock to the boat. I can’t imagine what might have been underneath, poor girl. Well, out of mind – for now. Again, as we paddled, we noticed their row boat getting close to shore near a cove. Suddently, his shirt comes off, he jumps into the water and he begins to swim to shore. Oooookay. It wasn’t THAT warm! We tracked him to see what the hell he was doing. He hiked about half way up a slope and squatted. WTF!? I have lost a lot of faith in humanity this day.
Rachael and I had a good paddle that day, in spite of the “people” and their behavior, but WTF?
Blackwell Forest Preserve Route Map
Cloudy
Slight Breeze
45-55 deg
