Cannon Kayak

Last weekend (something like that but I'm behind on blogs so suspend disbelief and we'll get on with the fun part, Pictures) My wife and long time climbing buddy connected a second leg of the Cannon river to Red Wing. I wasn't very interested but Brad wanted to get river experience and the wife needed an easy paddle to regain her nerves after we Eat Crow. The lower waterway is a favorite for tubers floating and boozing. I wanted nothing with that. Mostly the traffic and noise but that day it was 64 degrees. What nut job wants to soak when it's 64 degrees. Well, we'll see.

Back in May we had a blast in the Cannon River but it was upstream and we had a small gap between the last take out and the new put in. Normally I would shuttle bike back to get the van but with my buddy and his boat requiring super hero rigging to get 3 bikes, 3 boats and 3 nut jobs onto and into one vehicle we left the bikes at home.

Lets get into the story.

This is the take out.  We drop a truck and stuff the 3rd boat in the back of the Vantastic.

When you go off the map, well, you don't know where you are so that's good once you get going but the start is a mess. This, it's the wrong put-in place! You get used to being lost and unsure about what to do, its like channel surfing, if you try enough, you'll find something you can live with.

Gravel, Love the stuff for biking but the search for the entry created a bit of dust on my bike gear. Nothing a leaf blower couldn't clear up after I returned. Some Windex was also deployed so I could read the gas gauge.

 The put in now that we found it. The beach was a 5 foot cliff to roots, rocks and some water. We work the boats over the edge and then down climb. Hop in and paddle off.

We just get in, my wife is readjusting foot pegs and we have Nut Job tubers on us. These are private tubers, they own the GEAR. he he he.

 My buddy Brad, the Trip Leader.

 Good wide river makes for relaxing and sightseeing. About now we see an Eagle hunting fish but he's too far to photograph.

 Some soft Class 1 rapids

 Please hold your questions until the end. :-)

 Hazards, this one's called a strainer, are easy to avoid.

What a great day. Warm, sunny, boat, water, friends....

 Power lines are often on maps so they are easy navigation points. We are about 1/3 done with the 13 miles.

 This is still easy Class 1. It's a blast. Water is rarely deeper then 3 feet for the entire trip so the risk is nil.

 That looks like rain? Couldn't be, the Weather Guessers didn't forecast that.

 Tuber take out. This is a Strainer for Tubers, Cool. 

 The log jams are so interesting. I think about the power but see them full of trash. You'll see.

 Lunch or maybe I should call it Munch.

 OH! Rain.

 My wife, "What now?"

 Brad tries to hide under tree cover but it's weak and almost worthless. 

 I paddle out and take it in the teeth. It's cold but I packed a dry bag of winter weight fleece. I'm a nut but I'm a fleece loving nut.

 Mrs. Fleece Loving Nut

 No Fleece, no love.

Weather past we get back into the the job of wandering a river.

 A nasty set of hazard creates a reason to stop and fleece the wife. Brad carves the corners and passes the hazards with a burst of power paddling. He's on the same sand bar about 300 feet down river.

 The lower front behind the protruding tree is all garbage and trash. Lots of bottles and cans from the tubers I presume.

 Lost paddle boat. I don't know if it would work.

 My wife is celebrating something but it's a private party and Brad and I are only doormen.

 Shallow water portage

 In high water this it the south branch of the Cannon. We need to make sure to avoid getting into it but as you see, that was quite easy.

 The drag out.

 Done, Always happy to be done. Partly because the adventure was a success and part because the risk is over. 

Birds build these weak so the baby bird breaks it away and they fly away or, um, see fish.

This was better then expected. The water had more Class 1 then expected and I was real happy about that. The rain poured but didn't last long and we had the gear we needed to avoid any real problems.

We get dinner on the way home. Guess what, Mexican. Nothing says great adventure more than bad Mexican food. And on that bombshell, this post is done.