The Big Sioux River between the canoe launch site off East
26th Street and the bridge over the bicycle trail near the lift
station is a great stretch for someone wanting to paddle an hour or so and just
take in the foliage along the banks and the bird life in the trees and on the
water. I live just off 26th Street east of the river, and the drive
from my home to the launching site is about five minutes. The cruise along the
river up to the rapids under the bicycle trail bridge is about 2.2 miles round
trip.
I arrived at the launching site about 9:30 a.m. and found it
deserted. This, however, will
change as soon as the day camp at Leif Erickson begins operation; the camp
staff uses this area for parking during the weekdays.
Setting off upstream, I found that the water depth within a
twisting channel to be from three to four feet deep. The water is much shallower away from the channel. The navigational challenge is to keep
within that channel while avoiding shallow bars, rocks, and driftwood jams.
The current was moderate. Failure to maintain some power ahead would quickly cause the
kayak to drift back downstream.
Still, going upstream was not difficult. I sometimes found myself practicing shallow water strokes
where the paddle just breaks the surface.
There were lots of geese and ducks out on the water. I saw pairs of geese and ducks with
their goslings and ducklings.
Sometimes the adult birds would remain as they were when my kayak
approached, giving the young a chance to fly off to safety. Waterfowl were the
major point of my interest today during both legs of this short cruise.
There were a few turtles to be seen and the occasional heaving waters where spawning carp were caught up in shallow waters.
The feeling along this waterway is a combination of muted
urban sounds with life on the river and along the shoreline. Sometimes the
calling of geese was the dominant sound; and then, at times, the croaking of
frogs would take over.
The bike trail runs along one side of river and Camp Leif
Erickson is on the other. Through
the trees, occasional bike riders could be seen. Sounds from the athletic fields just beyond the bike trail
could, at times, be faintly
heard. Cars along Southeast Avenue
were sometimes heard through the trees. Today, SD Air National Guard fighter
planes screamed overhead. Oftentimes, however, there was just the sound of the
river life and the sight of large trees looming over the river. There was often no sight or sound of
city life to disturb the tranquility of a short cruise on an urban river.
On the way back downstream, I stopped to pick up my quota of
floating trash, mostly plastic beverage bottles. This offers an opportunity to
practice maneuvering skills while in the downstream current.
The take-out spot (the same as the put-in) is a little
tricky. There has been a good bit
of sand used to create the launching area, but there is a steep drop-off into
the stream, and that presents a challenge in getting the kayak off the
river. My experience is that the
easiest time to capsize a kayak is in the exiting process.
I enjoyed my cruise this morning, and I spent about one hour
and twenty minutes on the roundtrip paddle.
For those interested in the complete set of photographs for this narrative, please see my Flickr collection at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayheath/sets/72157629600547808/detail/
For those interested in the complete set of photographs for this narrative, please see my Flickr collection at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayheath/sets/72157629600547808/detail/
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