First River Run in Kayak

Last week Monday, my Dad and I took our kayaks for our first run down a section of the Des Moines River.  We both had taken trips in canoes on rivers before, this was an entirely different experience.  We put in at Howell Station Landing just below the Red Rock Dam.  The river was moving along at a pretty good clip: approximately 14,000 cfs.  I am used to leisurely paddling down rivers, but when placed in a kayak in fast moving water, something flips the slow switch inside over to something like "how fast can I get this thing to go?"  The river, though somewhat populated by bankside cabins gave us a somewhat of that "explorer" feeling that every boy experiences.  I know this would not be replicated in a motorboat.  We paddled 20 miles down to Eveland Access in just over 3 hours.  This included a few stops as I was overly hydrated to be hearing the constant sound of running water.  Several times I wondered what a kayaking Hun would do... maybe when I feel more comfortable sitting on the back deck.  We spied several eagles, pelicans, great egrets and herons, as well as a possible osprey (though more likely another eagle as they tend to be much farther south this time of year).  We were thankful to steal another paddle from the iowa winter and hope to get a few more in before our indian summer runs dry.