Ice Almost Out - Rivers Flooded

This afternoon I took a drive out to Lake Alvin and the Big Sioux River access point nearby. The first stop was at the public access along the northwest shore, just off of Highway 11,west along County Road 110, to 479th Ave. This is my usual entry point to Lake Alvin, and it does not require a state park sticker. The ice has melted in this part of the lake and the way seems clear to paddle across and up into Nine Mile Creek. Then, I drove up to the Lake Alvin Recreation Area to check out the ice in the wider part, up at the northeastern end. A park sticker is required for entry into the Recreation Area. Standing up on the hill overlooking the main body of the lake, I could see a large ice floe extending from the center of the lake over to the southern shore. I would think that this remaining ice will disappear within days. The docks have not been installed as yet at either launching ramp.

Since the weather forecast projects temperatures into the mid 50s later in the week, I think that I will put the rack on my Honda Civic and venture out onto the lake from the public access point and check out any signs of spring. I am anxious to move out onto the water, and that moment is only days off now.

After looking over the lake, I headed over to the public access point for the Big Sioux River near Lake Alvin, to the bridge just off 272nd Street.

This is a well-used canoe/kayak access to the river for cruises from Brandon and then on to Canton. I have used it several times for these BSR trips. The governor has issued an order prohibiting all travel along the BSR during the spring flooding – until further notice. So, I just wanted to check out the extent of flooding along this familiar section of the river. The water is moving fast, the river is quite wide, and I am sure that there are strainer hazards from downed trees and debris flowing downstream.

Also, it might be tough to get on and off the river. The prohibition of all travel is a wise move; the river is dangerous at this stage. The penalties for disregarding the order are substantial.

SDCKA Annual Winter Conference - 2011

The South Dakota Canoe/Kayak Association (SDCKA) annual winter conference was held at the Outdoor Campus in Sioux Falls yesterday afternoon, Saturday, January 29. The group gathered for four hours of programming and fellowship in anticipation of paddling activities for the upcoming season. The first SDCKA sponsored event for this year will be pool training in managing a wet exit or rolling to be held at the YWCA swimming pool in Sioux Falls on Sunday, February 13. This is an event for SDCKA members, and any readers interested in membership and/or participating in this training event should connect with the club officers through the SDCKA blog (http://www.sdcka.blogspot.com). The SDCKA blog is the major communication link for those interested in paddling within our area. Upcoming events are described, and follow-up information for sessions presented at the conference is presented on the blog.

The conference began with a review by Steven Dahlmeier, president of the SDCKA, of the events sponsored by the SDCKA over the past year, including cruises, public service, safety and training, and the South Dakota Kayak Challenge.

Included in the presentations at the conference was a session on paddling with children offered by Cory Diedrich, one of the SDCKA Board of Directors members. Jarett Bies, the SDCKA vice president, presented a harrowing tale of how things can go wrong on the Missouri River when caught up in high winds and waves. Information sessions of interest to area paddlers were offered by officials of the City of Sioux Falls, the National Park Service, and the East Dakota Water Development District.

(Photo by Jarett Bies)
Two members of the Black Hills Paddlers club presented a session on the thrill of white water kayaking and the safety concerns associated with that exciting aspect of paddling.

A slate of 15 officers was presented and elected to serve the organization over the next year. Steven Dahlmeier was continued into his second year as president, and Jarett Bies will also continue into his second year as vice president.

I urge area paddlers to strongly consider affiliating with the SDCKA as a member. Membership offers the chance to participate with others in the many cruises and events sponsored by the club and to share in the organization. The cost of membership is only $10.00, and information on joining is available on the SDCKA blog.

End of the 2010 Paddling Season

If we are lucky with the weather, those of us here in the Sioux Falls area can hope for a paddling season that begins toward the end of March and continues on into mid-November. The season this year was as much as any of us could hope for in that regard. My first venture on the water was on Lake Alvin on March 30, and the last cruise was on Split Rock Creek on November 14. Between those dates, I wrote blog entries for 30 cruises that ranged from rivers, creeks, and lakes in the Sioux Falls area to my week-long trip in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota. There were as well a few other cruises that I took that were not described in a blog entry. So, this has been an active year on area waters.

Here on the northern plains, we have pretty harsh winters and then the continuing possibility of flooding throughout the rest of the year. Fortunately, there is a variety of kayaking opportunities: rivers and creeks to paddle with groups, lakes to paddle at virtually any other time. When going down moving water, I normally go with groups to take advantage of the arranged shuttles and the chance to laugh it up with others who share a passion for moving down the waterways. On lakes, I normally go alone so that I can take my time savoring the vistas, taking in the landscape, and watching for birds and other wildlife. Here in the Sioux Falls area, there are plenty of opportunities for both types of kayaking cruises.

(Big Sioux River in Sioux Falls - December 7, 2010)

Now though, the kayak is in the garage, the rack is off the car, the lifejackets and paddles are up in the attic, and the rivers and lakes have frozen over. The long winter is upon us. My kayak will probably be serving as the car bumper in our garage until late March.

The South Dakota Canoe/Kayak Association will be presenting the annual winter conference toward the end of January at the Outdoor Campus here in Sioux Falls. By then, we will be only about 8 weeks away from first ventures on the water. For the past couple of years, there have also been safety exercises for “wet-exit” and “rolling” at the YWCA swimming pool organized by the SDCKA and offered two or three times during the deep winter. I’ll be reading Canoe/Kayaking and Sea Kayaking magazines more closely now as the weeks and months pass.

In the meantime, I may provide an occasional blog narrative, but it will be a little difficult to gather fresh material over the next three months. I’ll offer specifics on the up-coming SDCKA conference as they become available. I recommend also checking out the SDCKA blog from time to time to keep abreast of developments, and you can access that on the links to this blog.