Canoeing Michigan Rivers

Much of this summer has been spent experiencing the rivers of Wisconsin. Wisconsin was, after all, a part of the Michigan Territory until the mid-1830s, just before statehood was granted to Michigan. The Baraboo, the Bois Brule, the Kickapoo, and the Eau Claire are among the many, many beautiful rivers that Wisconsin has to offer. Throw in the Leinenkugel Brewery - right next to the Chippewa River - and you have one fine state!

 

The big daddy of all Wisconsin rivers is the 430-mile long Wisconsin River, running from its headwaters just south of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and running in a ragged line southwest until it empties into the Mississippi River near Prairie DuChien, Wi. - the oldest community along the Mississippi. The difference between the headwaters and 430 miles downstream is quite astonishing. At the headwaters near Conover, Wisconsin, the river is so narrow that, at times, you can reach out from both sides of the canoe and touch the tag alders leaning into the river (disappearing into those tag alders was a black bear who came out in front of us for a sip of the cool river water)... while 424 miles away, we launched our boats for a float down the final 6 miles of the Wisconsin River, riding it as it emptied into the Mississippi River across from the tall bluffs of Iowa (we knew that we had reached the great southern river when we saw a paddle boat moving ahead from our right to our left - I do declare). While paddling these last 6 miles of the Wisconsin, where the river is over two football fields wide, we fought through 35-40 mph headwinds which resulted in the equivalent of class 2 rapids frequently rolling over the tops of our boats. Merging with the Mississippi was an experience that every paddler should enjoy. Moving from the relative quiet of Wisconsin River into the Mississippi River was the equivalent of switching from a silent film to a James Bond movie: boats of all shapes and sizes traversed the Mississippi while we looked on, never straying more than 100' from the eastern shoreline until our takeout at the Wyalusing Recreation Area Landing. Paddle now... chores later.      

 

Happy Cinco de Mayo! What better way to celebrate the fifth of May than on a river? Moth, Ronnie and Ronnie Junior agreed, and we commemorated the Mexicans beating up some Frenchmen on May 5, 1862 with a day floating the Looking Glass River. We headed downstream from Betty Harlow's Canoe Rental (also known as Betty's backyard) along with 84-year young Gloria Miller, President of Friends of the Looking Glass, and her friends Kate, Betsie, and BJ. This is the stretch of the Looking Glass that runs west for 15 miles, from Wacousta to Portland, before coming to a glorious end as it merges with Michigan's longest river, the Grand, just off of the back deck of Duke's Canoe Club in downtown Portland. Duke's, previously known for its gorgeous river-merge view, as well as for not having Pabst on its menu, today surprised us with Pabst on tap. It's a Cinco de Mayo miracle!

 

May 5 on the Looking Glass was running approximately 2' deeper than normal, from the (but not today!) wet Spring weather, and it provided a fun kick to the river. The current was quick, getting us through the 15 miles in 3 hours (vs. summertime 5 hours), and featuring a dyn-o-mite white water run two miles into the float. We paddled beneath 9 bridges, plus one "ghost" bridge, majestic river-birch trees were everywhere, and there was enough turtles in the water to get us thinking sandwiches and turtle soup. Blue skies smilin' at us!

I love this state! Shelley Irwin from WGVU (NPR radio Grand Rapids) joined Maggie, Tommy & me for a wonderful April springtime trip down the gorgeous Rogue River. There's something special about floating a river after spring rains raise the water level. The September 2008 float from 12 Mile Bridge to the downtown Rockford Dam took Tommy, Perry (aka Klink) and me 2 hours and 7 minutes - the exact same trip on April 28 '09 flew by in 1 hour and 15 minutes! We knew that something was up when we hit our first key landmark, paddling beneath the US131 southbound lanes, in 20 min after taking 37 min last year. Flying past a "Private Property" sign on a fence sticking 1' out of the water is a good clue, too. It was estimated by Jason from Powers Outdoors that the river was running about 4' above normal levels. Depth = speed = FUN! The planned Pabst stop was to be at "Leak Creek", but the creek was swallowed up by the Rockford Bayou. Trees normally well up on the high & dry ground looked to be growing right up out of the river. Another interesting difference in an April vs. a September trip: the beautiful Fall foilage that created a shaded-canopy over us last Fall was replaced by leafless trees and wide-open blue skies. One of my favorite photos was the one where both Maggie & Tom's canoe AND the car on the riverside road both look to be floating downstream. Canadian Geese, ducks, turtles, and swans greeted us as we cruised into the Rogue marshland, 10 minutes from our takeout. Special thanks to Powers Outdoors for providing the canoes at no charge, and to Shelley for a uniquely wonderful interview setting!