Communique


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President’s Message


We’ve had a great year so far! Although the Tuesday and Wednesday night paddles are now done for the season, there are still some great trips on the calendar for this fall. This includes several river trips, the annual Lake Geneva trip, the Illinois Paddling Council’s Pumpkin Paddle and GKC’s Kayakfest. This is still a great time to be out on the water – the air temperatures have cooled but in a lot of areas the water temperatures are still enjoyable for the properly-dressed paddler. In fact, this topic has already come up on the Yahoo Group – take a look and join the discussion.
Fall is also a good time of year to start thinking about next year’s activities, while this past year’s are still fresh in everyone’s memories. There are several area symposiums to choose from, and I’m looking forward to attending one or two myself. But also, we’ll lay out the club’s 2011 calendar in January at the annual meeting (date TBA). We’ve had a good, full calendar for 2010 and I’d like to see at least as much happen in 2011. Several of the club members have been busy volunteering as trip leaders, and I’d like to encourage others to join in as well. Try a Tuesday Night Paddle – which can be anywhere – or assist a trip leader with logistics for another event. This club runs completely on the efforts of volunteers, and it will be as good as we make it.
As I mentioned, the annual meeting is coming up. For new members of the club, this is usually a Friday evening in mid-January, and is the time that we will elect officers for the year and any business matters. I’d like to encourage any member of the club to present ideas they have for discussion. Although we’re always interested in hearing new ideas, this is the best time to discuss them since during warmer weather we’d all rather be out paddling!


Steve Muntz
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Secretaries Desk

The season is winding down. The turnouts this year have been inspiring. New members like Brooke and John leading great new paddles and Doug stepping up to lead this weeks paddle. To all our new members it has been a pleasure to meet you and see some of our paddles through your eyes.

I would like to see Prairie Coast Paddlers become more of a year round club and have more social events. To this end I would like some input from club members. We will definitely have a November paddle that is low tech wet suit friendly. I think a dinner sometime after Christmas and before our annual meeting might be nice. Some other events besides kayaking could be Cross Country Skiing, Poor Man’s Curling, Swim Stroke improvement and just going out to dinner. Have an idea let us know. I miss youse guys in the winter.

Joe Carey




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Upcoming Paddles



KISHWAUKEE
Date: Saturday October 16, 2010 Time: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location: Baumann Park in Cherry Valley, Illinois

Hi Everyone,
The annual Fall trip down the beautiful Kishwaukee River will be held October 16th. We'll meet at 9 am at Baumann park in Cherry Valley, Illinois to offload boats and gear. The car shuttle will be at 9:30. Drivers will drive their cars to Atwood Park and I'll bring them back to the put in with the pickup truck. We'll eat lunch at Kishwaukee forest preserve and likely arrive at Atwood Park by 2 or 3 pm. Hope you can join me. Let me know if you can.
Dan Leigh



Lake Geneva ( Linn Pier) October 24


Fall is a great time to paddle Lake Geneva; much of the boat traffic is gone, the leaves are changing and the water is still relatively warm. Meet me at Linn Pier on Sunday, October 24th at 9:30 a.m. This is a popular trip, and those who can make it will be in for a treat. Nice big parking lot, no launch fee and a short carry to the water. There usually is a port-a-potty at the launch but it may or may not be there by this date, so it's probably best to stop along the way. Water is not available at the launch site. We'll plan our route and distance based on wind strength, direction and the group's interest, but generally we'll paddle east into the town of Lake Geneva and past Big Foot State Park before returning.

This is a big, cold lake. I've spent a lot of time at it and have seen it change quickly, just like the Great Lakes. In fact, plan for this trip as you would a day on Lake Michigan. The water will be near it's warmest of the year, but that's still relatively cold. I'll most likely wear a long-sleeved wetsuit or even a drysuit if it's cold or rainy. We'll probably take a break and have a snack along the way, so bring something to eat or share with the group.

Linn Pier is at the north end of Linn Road on the south shore of the lake. It's near the East end of the lake, east of what used to be Majestic Ski Hill and just west of The Narrows. Please let me know if you're coming so I can contact you if there are any last minute changes (but I'll be there even if it rains!). I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on this trip.

Steve Muntz

The best turnout ever. We had 25 people on the water, with another 25 watching from land. The weather was perfect. Thanks to my Son and Daughter in Law for cooking. This left me free to socialize. Children played in the water while older children played in their kayaks. The food that people brought really turned my modest cookout in to a grand stone soup. Most people enjoyed a daytime paddle, feasting then another paddle in to a frivolous night sky.

Communique

Communique


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Apostle Islands – Labor Day Weekend, September 3rd – 6th, 2010
Steve Muntz and Joe Carey will be heading back to the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior for this year's Labor Day Weekend camping trip. This year we're going to do something a little different – we're going to base camp at a group campsite on Oak Island. This gives us two advantages: First, we don't need to pack up and move each morning, so there's more time for exploring. Second, since we're at a group site we can take more people with than are allowed on individual camp sites.
The Apostle Islands of Lake Superior offer truly world-class sea kayaking right here in the Midwest. One of the ideas of this trip is to offer less strenuous day paddles, but at the same time we don't feel as though we can call this a beginner's trip. Many paddlers who have spent time on the lake have seen the weather change quickly, regardless of expected conditions. We are asking all paddlers interested in this trip to attend the club's upcoming rescue clinic on July 11th if at all possible, so we can have a chance to work on our skills together. Being that we will be paddling in open water and crossing to different islands, experience with paddling in wind and waves will be needed too. Most of the miles we've paddled in the Apostles have been in calm to moderate conditions, but paddling skills are an important part of keeping the group safe.


We plan to take up to a dozen adventurous paddlers with us and currently have room for about four more. On Friday we'll work out a meeting time to launch at Red Cliff and make the five mile paddle to Oak Island. As always, everything depends on the weather, but we're hoping to offer two different paddling options both days – one at more of a social pace to explore some of the close-by historic attractions and a different trip with more distance involved. Another option is hiking the many miles of trails right on Oak Island itself. Monday morning we'll be up early, break camp and paddle back to Red Cliff where we'll make the long trip home. Please feel free to contact Steve or Joe if you have questions or would like more information about this trip.
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Aurora Paddlesports Festival
From the Illinois Paddling Council website: “Our grateful thanks to all of the vendors, organizations, and volunteers who made APF a success in spite of the volatile weather. There were 27 organizations represented at the festival. We had a total of 56 test paddlers. Eleven Instructors taught 21 two hour courses to 45 people. They and the test paddlers were assisted by 15 safety Boaters. Given weather conditions, that is a remarkable testament to the dedication of our volunteers. Our deepest thanks and appreciation to all of you.”




Several members of Prairie Coast Paddlers were on hand for the second festival which was held June 12-13 in Phillips Park. Members were helping out in many ways including registration, instruction and safety boating, and all volunteers had the benefit of camping overnight at the festival which was a lot of fun. We may have had a rough start with a quick but intense storm, but it blew by and the rest of the day was great. It's always inspiring to meet people who are really interested in getting off on the right start with all forms of paddling, and we've already had at least one new friend join us out on the water since the festival.
Another highlight was the big variety of demo boats to try. Local paddling shops each had several boats to try out, and there was a pretty impressive variety. This is one of the highlights of symposiums, but having not attended one in a couple of years myself it was fun to do it again. Though I didn't come home with anything new, the stand up paddleboard was certainly a top contender.
We'll be back again for the third annual Aurora Paddlesports Festival in June 2011, and I'm hoping to see a lot of you there again!

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Weather or Not

People who do not kayak sometimes ask me in June “ have you gone out in your kayak yet.” I answer with a resounding YES, replying that the only two things stop me from kayaking are lightning and ice. Some of the prettiest pictures of kayaking were taken by Russ Johnson on one of his many winter paddles. With the proper equipment , and common sense there is no reason not to kayak, at least one day of every month.


I also hear from paddlers that they would have paddle more but the weather has been so lousy. The Rock River trip was a prime example. After driving for an hour, a torrential storm hit. The optimist in me said it well clear by 9:00 AM when we launch. The pessimist in me said we could always do breakfast and yak about yakking. The end result was a great paddle with a huge downpour at the end of the paddle. The downpour actually adding adventure to a sedate paddle. The Aurora Paddlesports festival was another example we had scattered thunderstorms with a likelihood of camaraderie. We still got in paddle time in between the raindrops. We also went camping together out to dinner and breakfast. Some of my best times on the water have been while it is raining. Mini waterfalls on the Wisconsin Dells that are only there during the rain. Wildlife that seem oblivious to you .

So to be blunt do not let weather forecasts stop you. Yes on occasion lightning will strike on a Wednesday night paddle. Oh well , then you go out for custard. Remember when the world hands you lemons make lemonade.

Aurora Paddlefest

I too had a great time out on the lake as safety boater both days. All the people out on the lake that I talked to had nothing but positive comments about this opportunity to get into a boat. I saw a family of 4 out there both days in various boats - they had a ball. I even had to get rid of a spider out of one child's boat so she could continue to enjoy her time on the lake. What fun it was to see kids out on the lake.

Our campground was a little muggy but well protected from the wind that took down a lot of the canopies during Saturday afternoon, but our tents (there were 4 of us staying overnight out there on the north part of the island) stayed put and didn't take on any water inside. Lots of lightning bugs shining their white lights - I'm used to seeing fireflies with yellow lights, but these gave off a white light - hundreds of them. A couple of bull frogs seranaded us all night long.

Thanks Tom L, Gary M and Tom E for all your work to put on this huge party for us boaters.
Dan


Thanks to all the voulenteers from our club. I was impressed by the sheer numbers.

Joe Carey

I&M Canal Trip Saturday, June 19

I just returned from a wonderful day paddling with Joe, Ginger, Dan, & Doug. Highlights of the trip include paddling OVER Aux Sable Creek in one of the remaining I&M Canal aqueducts and picnicking by lock 8.

Hey Dan, we did not need any saws to clear deadfall this trip!

C ya on the water!

Chuck Nilson

Wednsday Night Paddle

Another awesome night on the Fox!!!! The river had a surface of glass and the puffy clouds above had as many images as the mind could create. We started to paddle at 5 minutes before Pat, only to find out we were actually paddling 5 minutes past Jim. We paddled the Fox in style, as the flotilla of 11 hogged the river daring any boat to intrude on the armada. Most of the group paddled up to Hagar Pottery LLC Inc. Two stagglers took on the Stewardship of the river.aka..Went picking up trash. They were soon rewarded as one of them found a baseball that had been hit out of the Brewers Baseball Stadium and had been floating down the river ever since. It was signed by Robin Yount !!! As the R AND T inscription on the baseball was clearly unmistakeable..To make thing EVEN BETTER....They were treated to the sighting of ....8 Baltimore Orioles ...( The birds ) perching in a single tree....That was so cool... We paddled up Beatrice creek. Ducked under the bridge..no pun intended..picked up more river trash...Hey I'm not RIVER TRASH. but I do live on the river...and paddled to Voyageurs landing.

Thanks to a great group of people

Thanks to Dan for his Kayak Taxi

Thanks to Alecia Alex Bill Dan Keith Jim Michelle Pam . and.( Not Last ) Pat... Oh I could also insert the Nameless Person here.

Thanks for sharing the river with me

see you on the water

TNP @ Pierce Lake

Doug braved the bad weather forecast yesterday afternoon for a chance
to paddle, and it turns out it was a good choice. We were both early
and eager to get out in case storms were coming, so we launched and
kept an eye out for others to show up until 6:00 and then made our
way around the lake. It's a small lake at about 165 acres, but
sometimes there is a lot of wildlife to be seen. Highlights on this
trip included many Cedar Waxwings, several Turkey Vultures perched in
a dead tree near the shorline and a 34" Muskie that was pulled out of
the water as we paddled past. The worst weather of the evening was a
few sprinkles as we launched, and I wasn't upset about being a little
warm in my paddling jacket as the sun came out.

As we came back to the launch area, we spotted several other kayakers
heading out which was the Stateline Paddlers club. Jim from Paddle
and Trail was able to join them this time too, so Doug and I joined
them for another trip around part of the lake. After that highly
physically-stressful paddle, we felt that a stop at Culver's was in
order which conveniently was on the way back to the highway for
Doug. "Turtle" was even the flavor of the day, so this really turned
out to be a nice evening!

The TNP will be back out here on 8/3 and we'll see what we can find.
I have posted a couple of pictures from this trip as well as some of
the fun we had at APF over the weekend.

Steve

Wednsday Night Paddle

8 paddlers showed up for tonights paddle , albeit, one was quite late. Sorry, I take no prisoners..The sky was cloudless and the wind was perfect for sailing..Skirts off to Dan Leigh, literaly, for hosting a bracing clinic..braces are just not for teeth we learned. The clinic started on dry land..rolling a kayak on dry land is ..well just weird. We soon took to the water..While the clinic went on, a few paddlers went searching for Pirates and Nessie...I hope someone will fill in the gap about the clinic, as Doug and I went searching for Nessie...Our trip was great as we filled our boats with fish, played beach volley ball and dined on all the Fox River Smorgasbord could offer...THEN WE SAW HER !!!...NESSIE..She snarled at my boat as if she needed a toothpick and I was just the cellophane wrapper.That Beaver is HUGE!!! We paddled out of there ...right quick !! We met up with the paddlers from the clinic...They could sense the TERROR we endured. We paddled to the take out and ended the paddle. A special rethanks you to Dan for sharing his talents with us..( Did I mention about someone giving us a recap of the session???)

Thanks to the great group tonight

Thanks Bill, Dan, Doug B,Darria, Jo-Jo , PAT and the Cagless one whom I may never mention in name.

Thanks for sharing the river with me

Joe

Wednsday Night Paddle

I don't know what the weather Gods see in us...because.. They blessed us again!!! The impending gloom and obvious doom...Turned into a paddlig perfect picturesque setting ... to add to this scenario...No one had a camera!!! We saw many Blue Herons guarding their nests.. heading into " the loop", we encountered a cool like mist on the river..We visited the Haeger Pottery and started back. On the way back, we paddled up , Beatrice Creak... It was cool as everyone did the limbo under the bridge...We have to name that bridge !!!..Janis Jopin saw this coming..." Fish are jumping and the river is easy...." One person sweared they came face to face with one of those " aquatic animals ",,it could be true as Jo-Jo wasn't there..

Another Awesome Wednesday Night Paddle

Thanks to Bill,Dan,Dan,Dan,Dan...Did I get them all ? Darria and the first time he was tardy... Doug

Thanks for sharing the river with me

See You On The Water

Joe

Wednsday Paddle 5-19-2010

Driving into Voyageurs , I was a litle worried when the first boat ramp I saw
had a barricade stating " BOAT RAMP CLOSED ". Continuing down the river , our
put-in had a blank barricade..Assuming it had been turned around... I noticed
that the other side of the barricade , was blank as well!!!!!... The odor of
white paint eminated from the barricade...note to self...buy white paint.

9 paddlers were in the water a little after 6. The river was as high as the late
Richard Pryor on any given day. We were a noisy group as we paddled up river. We
received edification on ,name recognition , kayak racing ,camping and many other
World Saving topics

We then saw a HIPPOPOTAMUS AMPHPHIBIUS on the river.... Joe Carey has pictures
and will post them for you non-believers.

We were ok with the wild life scene untill...that IDIOT Yes.... " That Guy "
.... started his chase of AQUATICAL ANIMALS...

In a splintered goups we all took in the Elgin Castle ( south of I 90 ).

Thanks to Bill, Darria ,Doug, Doug, Jim. Joe, Jo Jo and...... WHY do you have to
always be last ????? PAT !!!!!

Thanks For Sharing The River with me

See You on The Water

Joe


Joe and his regulars really make you feel welcome. A superior level of camaderie added to a new location to paddle with an ice cream social after. Life is good.

Joe Carey

Wednsday Night Paddle starrng Joe Miras with Special Guest Star Dan Leight

If there can be an Army of One, there can certainly be a Navy of 2. The Navy Band played ( Actualy, a Baltimore Oriole sang ) as the Minesweeper and the PT Boat left the harbor ( Actualy, my Chessie and Dans Whitewater Boat).. We were escorted on to the river by the The Blue Angels ( Actualy , several Red Tail Hawks )..We then encountered our first mine ( Actualy, an empty can of corn )..we diffussed that enemy and moved on. We saw several enemy planes ( Well , Actualy , ducks we could not identify ) . We found another mine ( Actualy, a basketball ) and diffussed that as well. We now were in need of a little ... R&R....We decided on visiting the bawdry Port of Beatrice ...( Actualy,we paddled up Beatrice Creek)..Dan is quite a party animal as he won a Limbo Contest in a local saloon ( Actualy he went under the bridge ). We went up river , scouted the area , and difussed a few more mines ( Actualy, a soccer ball a basketball and an object we could not identify)..On our return trip we were glad to see 4 Tankers refueling our posts ( Actualy , Herons returning to their nests)..We then radioed in to say how great the weather was..With the bay in our radar ( Actualy, we were close to shore ) we heard the growling of thunder...The rain came down and our crews scrambled for cover ( Actualy, I got to use the hood on my new rain jacket ) ( insert smiley face here )..We then ported, the rain stopped and the band played again...and that's the truth.

Another excellent Wednesday Night paddle

Thanks Dan

Precision Paddle Spring 2010

Precision Paddle Doug and Steve K showed up for this paddle proving themselves tougher than the average paddlers. Conditions were not the best for paddle practice or were they? A small lake always has a calm side this made great for sweep practice. One side was great for broaching practice. The other was just plain fun crashing in to the waves. Thanks to Steve and Doug for braving the weather. Would write more, but I am going back out. Can’t help it I love this stuff. Joe Carey

Wednsday Night Paddle

The flotilla left Voyageurs at a sharp 6:21. We paddled into a massage like wind,.. that propelled us into our own individual ...ZEN... of the river. ..... Except for Bonnie and Clyde in a canoe.!!!!.. . Who invited this duo??... Who were they running from in a canoe????... Why do they paddle in circles???.. ..UMMMM ....back to the ZEN .....We spooked a few Herons off of their nests, saw a few fish jump and heard a chorus of Baltimore Orioles. I heard one of the members of our group " saw one"...But it could have been another silly wildlife Holloween prank, ...lack of Zen ...or that spinning motion we saw... you can also plead Freestyle!!! or back to the..... ZEN,,, There was a short excursion up Beatrice Creek. Someone did their first limbo underneath the bridge.!!.Obviously no spiders today!! We had the unique experience of having a Consumers Guide Investigater come to see us..They wanted to check out the claims of a certain 2010 Canoecopia bought boat could take a Crash Test it..IT DID !!

Thanks , Bill, Dan, Darria, Doug, Linda,JoAnn, Pat, and Tom
For sharing the river with me

See You On The Water

Joe

Lake Geneva Spring 2010

Lake Geneva is one of my favorite places to paddle, and Sunday's trip was another great one. Seven paddlers met me at Linn Pier with surprisingly good weather. Based on the forecast in the days preceding the paddle, I wasn't sure what was going to happen but the only chance of rain was in the morning and it was sunny. The winds could have picked up in the afternoon, so we chose to cross to the north shore and enjoy a tail wind into town, followed by a sheltered return along the south shore.

We were on the water at 10:00, and after crossing to the north shore we headed east through The Narrows. At around noon we stopped at Big Foot State Park for lunch. Surprisingly the bathrooms weren't open for the season yet, and there were no facilities at the launch site either. I don't remember that being the case before and this paddle has been the first Sunday in May for the last few years. After the science lesson (Joe teaching us how to move a cloud of gnats over someone's head), the fashion show (Sarah's new storm cag) and my sad attempt at a dessert to share (I had to _buy_ cookies this time), we headed back along the south shore but not before paddling under some of the docks along the way. Our good deed for the day happened when we rescued a racquet ball from drowning, several times…

Plans involving spring weather are usually not much more than a guess, especially if expecting the wind strength and direction to follow the forecast. However, this time it all worked out and we not only got the benefit of a tailwind but hardly had much of a headwind on the return trip. Most of us were off the water by 1:30, but Sarah and Joe did another lap around the lake and joined us on shore about a half hour later. We will repeat this trip again in October and also have the fall colors to see. Thanks to everyone who joined me for a great day!

Steve



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Wednsday Night Paddle by Jo Ann Fritz

My wetsuit is still dripping, but I must post our Wednesday night paddle report before everyone goes to bed!

It was a lovely night out on the Fox shared by the company of Bill, Doug, Patty, Linda, Joe, and Doug B.. Every Wednesday, there are some things that are always the same, but every week, there's always something different. It's fun to get to know the river so well.

We were anticipating the herons and egrets nesting and sure enough, mother herons are on their nests. It won't be long and we'll hear the squawking of the baby herons.

As we paddled around the island, one visually challenged member thought she saw a muskrat...but, alas, it was only the Dundee Ducks playing Halloween a little off season.....however, it must have been a premonition, for on our homeward paddle, Doug noticed two beavers on the bank of the river. They ambled slowly enough so we could all get a closer look. Then our fearless leader couldn't resist the urge to get right up close and got a tail slap as the beaver headed underwater to get away from the invaders. Not willing to give up so easily, our fearless leader continued his quest and followed the little bugger as he headed up stream and emerged once again.....then
SLAP! It was a loud and ferocious tail slap - we all beat it out of there right quick.

It was an evening we could have stayed out longer, but some members had Van's on their minds and headed for the shore to continue our tradition of Van's Frozen Custard after our paddle.

Congratulations are in order to Joe, was is now Daddy to 200 baby praying mantises who hatched this very morning from the egg sacks Joe gave me. The kids at Perry El. squealed with delight to see all the babies swarming out of the sack.

Thanks to all who came out tonight. Hope to see you on the water next Wednesday for some more adventures on the Fox :)
Jo Ann



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Trip Report: April 24 - Fox River Paddle Update



Five of us decided to paddle Saturday, despite the forecast for rain. We chose wisely. The morning started out slightly misty, but dry with almost no wind. Darria M, Doug T, Joe M and I paddled north toward Blackhawk County Forest Preserve in calm and delightfully quiet conditions. I can't say we saw a lot if wildlife but there were the usual ducks and occasional jumping fish. We joined a boy scout troop at Blackhawk, camping out for the weekend. One of our paddlers had a slight mishap at the landing and ended up going for a swim. The wind picked up slightly during the return trip and a very light misty rain started but not strong enough to warrant fishing my rain hat out of the dry hatch. Back at the put-in/take- out, I worked with Darria to successfully complete her first wet exit. She did great. We were all packed and on the road before 2:00 pm.



Afterward I stopped by Geneva Kayak to purchase a Yakima Boat Loader (slide out pipe stored inside crossbar) so I wouldn't damage my new car while solo loading. The thing is great! While there, I learned that a group regularly paddles out of the Ferson Creek park every Wednesday evening. Maybe Ryan could provide the details?



Jim Berg

Hi everyone,
I've been away from my computer lately and am a little late in writing this report about our beautiful Fox River paddle last Saturday.

13 of us met at Cornish Park in Algonquin and noted the high water and rushing current passing the usual put in site, so we moved farther downstream where there was an eddy of quiet water that provided a safer launch site. We did the car shuttle and was back to the put in by 10:30 and had everyone on the river by 11. With a stiff wind at our backs and a push from the current, be made it to the Carpentersville Dam in no time. Unknown to me, I had dropped my camera at the put in. A couple walking the bike trail nearby, walked to Cornish Park and noticed the camera in the grass. Looking through some of the the pictures, they determined that the camera must belong to an old man with grandchildren who does a lot of activities involving boats, so they tracked us down river to the park at Carpentersville Dam and asked if any of us had lost a camera. Needless to say, I was very pleased to get the camera back. This couple went far out of their way to get this camera back to me-I'm so overwhelmed by their good deed.

Instead of eating at the dam as planned, we decided to continue the paddle to Voyagers and eat there. We made it to Voyagers by 2, ate lunch together on a couple of picnic tables while Brooke entertained us with her story about being taken to court over a misunderstanding about her cat.

Thanks to all who came to make this another memorable time on the river. Special thanks to Kristine who drove the pickup to the take out so it would be there for us when we ran shuttle.
Dan

First Wednsday Night Elgin Paddle.

The group resembled long time lost cousins as we met at the launch site catching up on the quests we had, since the last time we paddled. The wild animal exhibit was Black Swallowtail Butterfly chrysali. We forced ourselves to splash a little after 6. The air was warm and the water was cold. There was barely a breeze as we paddled to the Rookery. We had thoughts about taking a side paddle or two ,but we recoginized our time constraint. We saw a couple of Great Blue Herons around the nests. but no squawking of chicks. We paddled around the loop. Dan recovered an antique metal firelog holder that was unearthed by the spring floods after centuries of entombment. In fact the group did come back with various artifacts floating on the river including a shoe we are sending to CSI, Whatever happened to the message in the bottle..Doug? ??.... Our thoughts are with Doug Brannon,as he deals with family concerns.... You were truly missed today....We were off the water by 7:30. We then headed to the infamous Vans..As everyone knows it is so COOL to be in a parade of kayaks on the road. We entered Vans only to see Officer Law doing a crossword puzzle.One look at us and he was out the door and on his Motorola. We were even honored by a couple that approached us and said " WOW are you the Kayak People???" Yes the Muppett Children can be amusing. Special thanks to Dan, Doug, Linda,Pat and JO-Jo for sharing the Fox with me tonight.

Hope to see you next week

See you on the water

Joe

Saturday's first official trip of the season was once again at Busse Woods. Our group of seventeen included longtime and founding members, as well as new members and guests. The meeting time was 10:00 but when I arrived at 9:15, almost half the group was already there. This group was anxious to get out on the water!

The wind was already fairly strong by the time we launched so we enjoyed a tailwind paddling out into the lake. A few of us were very close to a Great Blue Heron, but other than Mallards and Canada Geese the only other wildlife I saw was the Cook County Sheriff's crew cleaning up the park. I noticed the water level was high in comparison to one of the dams, and that let us paddle through the cattails coming in to the place we usually stop for lunch. This area usually doesn't have enough water to get through, but this year there was just enough to do it.

The lunch stop was a welcome break, with many of us trying to adapt ourselves to the cockpit of a kayak for the first time this year. Part of excitement of spring paddling is simply trying to stand up after spending a couple of hours in the boat, and after success with that skill we made our way over to the shelter to eat. And eat we did. In true Prairie Coast Paddlers style, we easily had enough food for a week on our day trip, and an impressive percentage of this was chocolate-based. It was windy out there; we needed our energy...

After lunch some of the group headed for Salt Creek but I headed back in with others. That evening many of us met up again at Geneva Kayak's Customer Appreciation Night, where we had the opportunity to promote our club and hear about what they have coming up this year. Tom Bamonte also gave another presentation on his trips to Georgian Bay for those who may have missed him at Canoecopia last month.

It was good to see everyone again and I'm looking forward to a lot more paddling this summer. Steve K has posted some pictures from this paddle and I'll add to that soon.

Steve

Season Opener 2010

Recipe for a great time. Eighteen paddlers add 1,ooo,oo2 cups of water.

Busse Season Opener

Start the paddling year off right by joining us at Busse Woods on Saturday, April 10th. Last year we had a record crowd and I'm hoping for a great turnout again this year. We will meet at the boat launch near the boat rentals at 10:00 am.
Busse Woods has a surprising amount of wildlife. This is a great trip for all experience levels. Illinois boat registration is required.

Testing 1,2,3,

This is a Test of the Blogger Network. If this were and actual emergency. We would ask you to bend over and kiss your bum goodbye.