TenaCity to WindyCity Day 27, June 12, 2019
TenaCity to WindyCity Runyak
June 12, 2019
Flint to Chicago DAY 27
CLICK ON ALL PHOTOS TO ENLARGE
This would be the first day of 2019 runyaking season that I will actually try to kayak. In the two previous trip to the Mio area I drag portaged a total of over 16 miles. When loading Green Snake the night before I checked to see how the kayak had stood up to constant dragging. OH NO! Not too well. There was a hole in the stern. For a moment I considered not heading north in the morning. Hope saw the hole and suggested I take Swiftee out of retirement. First I'd try Flex, and duct taping. Having only a small piece of Flex tape I put it on the inside then added two layers of duct tape to the bottom.
I then did a leak test, Green Snake vs. Swiftee. Whoever wins the contest I'd take with me to Mio. The newer Green Snake won, being water tight. Swiftee had a very slow drip-drip going on.
I texted Kate my paddle partner the last two years if she was interested, and she was. Said she'd meet me at the Mio Dam at 6 am.
I awoke sometime after 2:00 in the morning and never did sleep again. I ended up getting out of bed at 3:30 am and was out the driveway at 3:50.
Kate arrived in Mio shortly after six and it was decided I would forgo the run segment until after the paddle. She had an appointment to make in the early afternoon and wanted to make sure she got back in time. Knowing it wasn't going to be hot when I got around to running I was fine with the idea of me running after she left.
We drove and checked out the a landing, 7 miles upriver on Cherry Creek Rd. On the way back we dropped her vehicle off at Camp 10 Rd Bridge, 3 mile up pond from the launch. Her plan was to paddle upriver, hopefully to the Cherry Creek Rd launch, or until 10:00 am, then float back to her vehicle. It would save time by not paddling the pond another 3 miles back to the dam. She later told me that on her return, the pond was no longer smooth, and wind was making it choppy. Good thing she only had to paddle 1.5 miles on the pond and not the entire 4.5.
Launch at Mio Dam
The water was nice and smooth for paddling, just the way we like it.
The smoothness of the pond made for some nice relection photos
This island looked very cool, as if it was floating.
Camp 10 Rd Bridge coming into view
More reflection photos
Kate's vehicle was parked at a DNR access. She did not have her regular vehicle that had a recreation State Parks pass. We just had to cross her fingers she would not cited.
Mio Pond was a 4.5 mile paddle, then it was back to work, paddling our asses off to keep from being driven back to the pond by the current. The current is as strong as it was last fall. When does it slow down? When ten a.m. rolled around Kate yelled to me that she had enough and was turning back, going with the flow back to her vehicle.
Not long after she turned around I came to a tougher than the tough I was already going through. A tree lay in the water and I had to get around it. It created a faster current around it. I tried getting around it, but my arms couldn't handle it. Even if I had got around it, most likely I'd not get beyond far enough, I would have crashed back into the fallen tree and tipped over. So, I managed to get Green Snake out of the water and portage a hundred or so yards and relaunch at a calmer spot.
By staying on the slower side of the riverbends, I slowly made it the 1.5 miles further to the landing. Many times I grabbed a hold of flora along the banks and pulled myself and kayak forward.
When I finally saw the landing I was elated. Yet it would be very hard getting to it. I had to cross the river and paddle the faster current that whipped around a bend. When I did get to the opposite side I was 500 feet away from the landing. I tried paddling the turbulent current but gave up and decided to portage the final stretch.
Here is the landing which I never got to use. Maybe when I launch next time?
I'm in a real dilemma about what to do next time. Especially since I already put a hole in the Snake from portaging. The safe thing to do is portage, yet there has been quite a bit of rain of late. Maybe it will be slower next time. I won't make that decision until I return.
During the last mile of the 7 mile run back to Mio, I hit my 43,00th mile of running. I began keeping keeping track in 1978. I had to make a self congratulatory video along the construction zone of M33.
This is a Amish bakery on Cherry Creek Rd a few miles from where I finished. I stopped in and bought a delicious pecan pie. It did not look like any pecan pie I seen before. The pecans on the top were crushed and not whole. Must be Amish consider our pecan pie looks too frilly. The Plain People can't have none of that?
Flint to Chicago DAY 27
This would be the first day of 2019 runyaking season that I will actually try to kayak. In the two previous trip to the Mio area I drag portaged a total of over 16 miles. When loading Green Snake the night before I checked to see how the kayak had stood up to constant dragging. OH NO! Not too well. There was a hole in the stern. For a moment I considered not heading north in the morning. Hope saw the hole and suggested I take Swiftee out of retirement. First I'd try Flex, and duct taping. Having only a small piece of Flex tape I put it on the inside then added two layers of duct tape to the bottom.
I then did a leak test, Green Snake vs. Swiftee. Whoever wins the contest I'd take with me to Mio. The newer Green Snake won, being water tight. Swiftee had a very slow drip-drip going on.
I texted Kate my paddle partner the last two years if she was interested, and she was. Said she'd meet me at the Mio Dam at 6 am.
I awoke sometime after 2:00 in the morning and never did sleep again. I ended up getting out of bed at 3:30 am and was out the driveway at 3:50.
Kate arrived in Mio shortly after six and it was decided I would forgo the run segment until after the paddle. She had an appointment to make in the early afternoon and wanted to make sure she got back in time. Knowing it wasn't going to be hot when I got around to running I was fine with the idea of me running after she left.
We drove and checked out the a landing, 7 miles upriver on Cherry Creek Rd. On the way back we dropped her vehicle off at Camp 10 Rd Bridge, 3 mile up pond from the launch. Her plan was to paddle upriver, hopefully to the Cherry Creek Rd launch, or until 10:00 am, then float back to her vehicle. It would save time by not paddling the pond another 3 miles back to the dam. She later told me that on her return, the pond was no longer smooth, and wind was making it choppy. Good thing she only had to paddle 1.5 miles on the pond and not the entire 4.5.
The water was nice and smooth for paddling, just the way we like it.
Not long after she turned around I came to a tougher than the tough I was already going through. A tree lay in the water and I had to get around it. It created a faster current around it. I tried getting around it, but my arms couldn't handle it. Even if I had got around it, most likely I'd not get beyond far enough, I would have crashed back into the fallen tree and tipped over. So, I managed to get Green Snake out of the water and portage a hundred or so yards and relaunch at a calmer spot.
By staying on the slower side of the riverbends, I slowly made it the 1.5 miles further to the landing. Many times I grabbed a hold of flora along the banks and pulled myself and kayak forward.
When I finally saw the landing I was elated. Yet it would be very hard getting to it. I had to cross the river and paddle the faster current that whipped around a bend. When I did get to the opposite side I was 500 feet away from the landing. I tried paddling the turbulent current but gave up and decided to portage the final stretch.
I'm in a real dilemma about what to do next time. Especially since I already put a hole in the Snake from portaging. The safe thing to do is portage, yet there has been quite a bit of rain of late. Maybe it will be slower next time. I won't make that decision until I return.
Comments
Post a Comment