Yahara River --Lake Waubesa to Lake Kegonsa

I did this a few weeks ago.  I thought this would be really nice but it was just okay.  It starts in McFarland at Jaeger Canoe Landing (close to Babcock County Park), goes down the Yahara to Lower mud Lake, then Yahara river again to Fish Camp Launch at Lake Kegonsa.  There were too many power boats, too many houses, just not my favorite place to kayak.

repeat of Yahara--Stebensville to Fulton

This was even better than last time.  Lots of birds.  I went with Ed.  This is a good one.

Yahara River--Stebbensville to Fulton

This was one of my most favorite rides ever.  The scenery was pretty and the current was swift but not too swift.  There was a fairly strong headwind but the current usually won and it was a pretty fast ride, 6 miles in an hour and 40 minutes.  (I'm pretty slow in general).  I got this route from the book Paddling Souther Wisconsin, which seems to be unavailable online.   It's newly revised so I'm surprised it's already unavailable.   I'm glad I got it when I did.

Here I am getting started.

 Here's the end of the route.  The river is pretty high and the current swift--for the Yahara.

I didn't see too many birds, maybe because it was so windy.

First outing of 2010!

Not in Wisconsin though. In Myakka State Park in Florida. It was so peaceful and lovely and reminded me why I like kayaking so much. I don't do it for the challenge or excitement. I just want a little river with lots of birds and wildlife to quietly paddle by. Here I am paddling by a bird and an alligator!

There were lots of alligators, in the water too, but those dipped under my kayak. We were happy to avoid each other. Here' s a big one on the shore:

Wild turkeys:

great blue heron:

Limpkin?

Black vultures and great egret

Saw some turtles too but the picture is blurry.

Kickapoo river, Sept. 20

This was an all-day trip; we camped at nearby Wildcat mountain state park the night before. We put in at Ontario, got out at bridge 14. The distance was 15 miles, which took us about 7 hours including lunch stop and afternoon break. The scenery was as advertised. But there were so many other boats, many full of vociferous drinkers, that I didn't see a single bird, well except some blackbirds. This is a very popular destination. The river was low so it was more of a challenge technically, which I enjoyed. I learned from Ed that the water is usually deepest on the outside of the turn. It's good to go out with other people and get tips. He also showed me how to tie a hitch knot but I've already forgotten.

Here are some scenery shots:

Lunch break:

More of the gang. There were 8 of us.

It's a beautiful drive out there on the back roads. I took some county roads on the way home and could see how you could be as isolated from the rest of the world as you want out here.

Sugar River

Sept. 7. Put in at Attica, kayaked 7.3 miles, took out at Albany. The best river yet and most challenging with the curves and tree branches. beautiful winding river, blue herons, only saw 3 other boats in 3 hours. I noticed that the boat turns with the current so I found myself paddling on the right during right turns.

Getting ready to launch:

The view from the kayak. The first fall colors I've seen:

Then I realized, wo, this is a tricky river, with lots of logs and curves. So I put away the camera and just focussed on paddling and enjoying the sights and sounds.

Crawfish river

Sept. 5. put in at Aztalan State Park. Went north (upstream) about 2 miles before turning around at the I-94 bridge. very nice. saw a huge bald eagle, and blue herons. 1.5 hours total.

Housemate took pictures of me taking off:

Here's the view from the kayak:

a blue heron: