Split Rock Creek/Big Sioux River

Yesterday I made the trek to Sioux Falls, Brandon actually, for the Split Rock Creek SDCA cruise. Earlier in the week, it was sounding like we would have to shorten the cruise because Split Rock Creek was running low. But once we got there the creek looked similar to last year (paddlable  with only a few portage spots). I should add I was considering not coming on this cruise, but I wanted to pickup a backpacking stove for next weekend so I used that as an excuse to travel to SF. I don't regret it; I got my backpacking stove at The Sportswarehouse for almost half what I probably would have paid at Scheels. Possibly a lower model but that is fine with me. It will do what I need it to do.
The trip came in at around 8.5 miles (I read 8.65 on the creek, but after I cleaned up the track data it looked like 8.4 so I will average :) ).

From 2008_10_04

I had a blast on the trip. Defiently an improvement from last year when I tried to take my tandem down it with a friend. That worked out in the end and was fun, but early on was rough going. Yesterday I only needed to get out once at the point where the Split Rock dumps into the Big Sioux... seemed to be completely silted in, though I may have just missed a channel too.
I believe we had 12 or 13 paddlers with one young woman having to depart early. I hope she continues to kayak and is able to complete the trip next year. It seems this blog is viewed by more SDCA members than I realized. It seems that if I plan another camping trip next year. I might have more interest. It also sounds like a few people are interested in joining John and I for one day of our paddling next weekend. I think the best fit for this would be from our put in at the Chief White Crane Rec Area to St Helena, NE. Our goal is to camp Saturday night around Bow Creek but St Helena is an emergency campsite (weather, etc.) and a good place for a break from paddling during the day.
And on to the slide show of my pictures:

SDCA James River

Yesterday, I drove to Mitchell for the most recent SDCA event. We were paddling the James River. It turned out to be a terrific time spent paddling. As one paddler put: good day, good times, good company.

The total paddle turned out to be approximately 11 miles. My gps read 11.2 (including a brief jaunt up a tributary and John's read 11 flat.

Since the google earth image is not of great quality, I'll add a map with the route from Map Source (Garmin program).



Not too much wildlife was seen, though I caught a glimpse of either an eagle or a vulture. I didn't get a very good look so I can't be certain. Plenty of cattle along the way though. Water levels were good for the whole trip. There were occasional spots with a few rocks but nothing that could be thought of as problematic.

What I really enjoy about the SDCA trips is meeting fellow paddlers and chatting/BSing along the route. I made at least one new acquaintance, Ryan from Sioux Falls. And I let a few folks know about my plan to kayak/camp along the Missouri River in October (more details coming in a later post). Jay Heath also asked me to give a presentation at the SDCA conference in January, which I replied I was willing. Should be fun. As per every SDCA event, I had someone ask about my rack, which, as always, I enjoyed discussing.

It was a great paddle and very well organized (Thanks Jarett). I would definitely recommend this trip to others. I believe it was close to half way between those in the Brookings area or Vermilion area and Pierre. Making it a nice place to maximize attendance... well except distance doesn't to limit Pierre paddlers as much... I guess we're just crazy ;)

A (not so quick) slide show of the pictures I took on the trip (with comments):
FYI, In case no one has noticed this before, clicking on any of my slide shows will take you to the picasa web album

SDCA BSR - Lake Alvin to Klondike

Today I paddled with other SDCA members in a Big Sioux River cruise. We put in north of Lake Alvin and took out at Klondike, IA.
The paddle totaled 8 miles and was a very enjoyable cruise despite some bad news for myself. I had planned on meeting my friend, Arne, and taking him along; then camping at the Palisades. Well, that fell through when he had car trouble and had to return to Lincoln, NE. I kept in touch with him during the day and he will be getting a new car soon. There wasn't anything major wrong with his but enough minor things to out weigh the value of the car. With him out of commission I decided to skip the camping and return to Pierre tonight. Though it does allow me to update my blog sooner!

Like I said the paddle was very enjoyable. As for scenery, I liked this stretch much better than the Flandreau stretch of the BSR. I managed to catch site of a fawn, bald eagle, and possible some turkey buzzards. Also, some cattle. I am not sure how many boats we had but at one point before putting in I counted 19.

Though Arne was absent, the boat I borrowed for him to use did not go empty. A woman that had planned to ride in the middle of a canoe took it down the river. The boat was a WS Pamlico 14.

I have a slide show of my pictures below (128!) and within it I took a picture of what appears to be the remains of what may have been an old river crossing (concrete remains). Anyone know the story behind it?

The take out went quite smoothly despite only room for two boats at a time. We probably could have squeezed a few more at a time, but a few locals were fishing.

Weekend Adventures

On Saturday, I joined Jarrett and Jay to paddle the Big Sioux River near Flandreau, SD. My friend, Arne Lund, also joined us from Lincoln, NE. I got my new boat on Friday, so Arne was soloing the tandem.

The put-in was quite muddy.

The wind was fierce at times, requiring strong paddling.

Arne practiced the proper, "going over the dam" technique just in case ;)

Seriously, paddlers and other boaters need to be aware of low head dams.

The paddle ended up being about 10miles long; the course can be seen below.

Saturday was a great paddle, despite the wind and a bit of rain. A good time was had by all. On Saturday night, Arne and I camped at the Big Sioux Rec. Area. The campground was very nice; we are considering the same for the Split Rock cruise this fall.

On Sunday (today), we took Jay's advice and paddled Split Rock Creek at Split Rock Park in Garreston, SD.

We paddled about 2.5 miles on Split Rock creek.

The next big Olympic sport... kayak limbo!

More pictures can be seen in the below slideshow.

Map refered to in the Prairie Paddler

Map

2008 SDCKA Kickoff

The 2008 Kickoff cruise for the South Dakota Canoe (and Kayak) Assoc. was held today on the Big Sioux River near Flandreau, SD. It was a very enjoyable cruise. We were protected from the wind for most of the cruise and I wasn't bothered too much on the occasions a gust was able to reach me. I didn't bring Scruff along on this trip... he would have been too excited with all the people around.

My GPS had the trip down as about 7.88 miles. Google Earth doesn't have a very good image of the area, so here is one from Microsoft's Virtual Earth. The track claims only 7.54 miles; I am not sure why the discrepancy.

I got to talk to a number of different paddlers and really enjoyed the company of the other paddlers. I did take a number of pictures, most of which were of people taking out as I floated nearby.



Afterwards I headed for Scheels in Sioux Falls... when in the area I pretty much have to ;)

I have been thinking of getting a Perception Carolina 14.0, but at Scheels I saw a Hurricane Tampico 140 and it was a site... shiny! ;) But before I get another kayak I need to find a better storage solution than I currently have... it is looking to be a storage unit for short term and a house in the long run. FYI, my tandem is a Hurricane Santee 140T.