Paddling Fair at Family Park

The annual canoe/kayak paddling fair of the South Dakota Canoe/Kayak Association (SDCKA) was held this weekend at Family Park in Sioux Falls. Family Park is the newest addition to the park system in Sioux Falls, and this donated 90 acre park surrounds Family Lake, a 35 acre irregularly shaped lake formed from an old gravel pit. The park and the lake have been developed to provide a nature area within the western side of the city. The lake is stocked with a variety of fish, and the use of non-motorized boats is permitted.

The Park Department of the city and the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks have collaborated in the development of this new recreational space. This park is intended to be totally a nature and fishing area rather than an athletic sports site.

Family Park is located off of west 12th Street at the intersection of the Tea/Ellis Road with 12th Street. The park is on the north side of 12th Street with an entrance just a few hundred yards north on the Tea/Ellis Road. The park has a number of fishing piers scattered around the perimeter and a boat launch ramp and dock. Temporary chemical outhouses are situated near the dock area.

At noon today, the skies were dark and rain had begun to fall. The temperature was around 60 degrees. The weather, however, did not deter a large group of SDCKA members from this planned event. By 1:15 or so, there were about 20 kayaks and canoes on the scene with paddlers ready to coach people who wanted to try out a kayak, some for the first time. The rain had passed, the sun came out from the clouds, and people began to take off their jackets.

Over the afternoon, perhaps 8 people who were new or nearly new to kayaking had appeared and were ready to take one or more boats out for a trial paddle. Others took the opportunity to try out a variety of available boats. All of us with boats also enjoyed the opportunity to paddle this lake, chat with friends, relive the South Dakota Kayak Challenge race from Yankton to Sioux City that took place last week, and just laugh it up with paddling pals.

(Pat Wellner of Pirates of the Missouri and his companion dog)

Family Lake is a good place to take people new to paddling. The lake has an irregular shape and appears larger than the 35 acres would suggest. The water is deep, and the shoreline is varied. I think that this is an especially good lake to take people out for an initiation into kayaking. It is also a good body of water to just exercise paddling skills and keep in shape for more challenging waters. I think that this is a fine addition to the park system in Sioux Falls, and I am glad to have another paddling option in the area.

(Steven Dahlmeier and Jarett Bies, President and Vice President of the SDCKA)

There was a pretty good wind today, so I took my big golf umbrella out with me and got in a little sailing.

Two of the television stations covered the event. It is apparent that kayaking has become a very popular recreational activity in the area.

People at the event were smiling and laughing in the sunshine. It was a fine afternoon!

South Dakota Kayak Challenge

This weekend, the long planned South Dakota Kayak Challenge was held: a race beginning at Yankton’s Riverside Park along the Missouri River, south of the last dam on the river, and ending at Sioux City, Iowa. Like many others, I had the opportunity to serve as a volunteer on this race, an event that drew over 90 kayaks and canoes for the 36-hour race.

The race was planned and managed under the leadership of Jarett Bies, vice president of the South Dakota Canoe and Kayak Association (SDCKA), and Steven Dahlmeier, president of the SDCKA. I arrived at Riverside Park in Yankton about 6:15 a.m. in time to do a few minor jobs as the race was nearing the 7:00 a.m. start. The sight of all the paddlers assembling, the boats lined up on the shoreline, and Jarett Bies giving television interviews was enough to make me wish that I were among the paddlers. Thinking of 70 miles of paddling into a southeast head wind gave me pause, and, on second thought, I was glad that I did not have to try and prove myself in these circumstances. I am a geezer, after all, and doing my checkpoint assignment was probably enough.

At 7:00 a.m., a military sendoff was signaled with a “cannon shot,” and the 90 boats surged off the beach and set out for the first checkpoint, 17.25 miles away at the Myron Grove public access area, also known locally as “Highlines.” My first official assignment was working under the direction of the “Checkpoint Boss Cory Diedrich at Checkpoint 1.

At the checkpoints, there were generally three volunteers working. My role was to verify the boat number and name, my colleagues at the checkpoint then checked them off on the official racing forms and noted the time of arrival at the checkpoint. We had ice and water available at the checkpoints, and another one or two volunteers filled orders for the racers. With my binoculars, I would note the boats in the distance and then call out the names and numbers as the racers arrived. Many of the paddlers came ashore to stretch their legs and take on more water and ice. Some of the very serious racers had their own support teams at the checkpoints to offer advice, encouragement, and pass food and liquids to the paddlers.

All the paddlers had passed the first checkpoint by about 11:30 or so, and I moved on to the third checkpoint, about 40 miles down from the starting point. By 12:15, the first racer had passed Checkpoint 3, and a few of the most hardy and well-equipped racers arrived within the next 15 to 30 minutes. I stayed at Checkpoint 3 until about 6:45 p.m., and only three boats had not arrived. Checkpoint Boss Cory relieved those of us who had been on this site since noon, and he planned to spend the night there. Jarett and Steven had moved on down to Checkpoint 4 and then to the finish line, points where the action was most intense. By Checkpoint 3, about 7 people had dropped out of the race.

There were a variety of boats in the race. There were sleek surf skies that were long, narrow sit-on-top types of kayaks with all the accouterments for racing, including a mounted gps system and trip computer and a built in water container with tubes running through the deck so that the paddlers could sip as they moved along. A number of touring kayaks were in the race, perhaps 17 feet long or so with a rudder and experienced paddlers that looked ready for the race. Then there were a surprising number of recreational kayaks, many only 10-12 feet long and paddlers with no sprayskirt or rudder. A few canoes were in the race, some serious looking canoes that looked race-ready, and other more common looking tandem canoes. I did not see a solo canoe in the event. There was a Hobie Cat kayak with the pedal drive system, “MirageDrive fins.” One guy in a touring kayak was using a single paddle, which he told me worked better with the wind conditions. Some people traveled from Canada, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa to join the South Dakota paddlers.

The wind was from 20-30 mph, right into the face of paddlers as they headed southeast down the river, and the temperature was about 90 degrees. The river is quite wide along this route, and the trees provided something of a lee at various points. Paddlers told me, though, that unfortunately the lee conditions were not in the flow of the main current, and it did not help much. Some paddlers told me that without paddling, the wind blew them upstream.

By Checkpoint 3, the fastest paddlers were three hours ahead of the pack. I admire the strength and endurance of these hardy racers: they are truly athletes of the first order. But, I think that I admire even more the ordinary paddlers in their slow, tubby, short kayaks who ploughed on into the wind and were able to eat up the miles through their steady efforts. Few of the racers had any illusion of winning the race; they just wanted to be part of the event and to challenge themselves through participation. This, then, was a race for the most competitive paddlers as well as a great event for the “everyman” sort of paddler – paddlers like me.

For further details on how the race turned out, check out the South Dakota Canoe and Kayak Association club blog at http://sdcka.blogspot.com or the club Facebook page. One of the Sioux City television stations and South Dakota Public Broadcasting covered the story. The SDPB cameraman told me that the story of the race will be presented in a program airing in October.

Renting a Kayak or Canoe in Sioux Falls

I have frequently been asked about how a person might take a first ride in a kayak or canoe and if it is possible to rent kayaks in the Sioux Falls area. A few weeks ago, I was contacted by someone who has started a kayak and canoe rental company here in Sioux Falls, and I have been impressed with the range of services offered. While I have no first hand knowledge of the company or any information or reports on the quality of the service, what they offer seems just what has been needed here in the Sioux Falls area: kayak and canoe rental, delivery of boats to a location in the area, and personally arranged trips in the area. So, if you have felt the need to try out a boat from a rental company, you might want to check out Zach’s Kayak and Canoe Rental in Sioux Falls. The website is http://zachskayaks.com, and the telephone number is 605-929-1122.

Remember also, that the SDCKA is hosting a free canoe/kayak fair at Family Park, the new lake located in western Sioux Falls near the intersection of the Tea/Ellis Road and West 12th Street. The fair will be held on Saturday, June 5, 2010 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. You can check this out at the club website: http://sdcka.blogspot.com. This is a great opportunity for people to try out a variety of boats. Several people over the past few years have attended this event and then gone out and bought their first kayak. I look forward to the event so that I can try out a variety of boats. Like many kayakers, I have felt that you just can't have too many boats, and I am always looking for the next one.