The Year of the River
To commemorate The Year of the River, Gazette writer Orlan Love (and master of all things outdoors) and I paddled sections of the Cedar River. We spent 10 days on the river. We paddled, sometimes in a canoe other times in kayaks, from Otranto, Iowa just south of the Iowa/Minnesota border to Fredonia, Iowa near the confluence of the Cedar River and Iowa River.
This is one of the earliest photos I took. It was on the morning of the second day somewhere south of West Idlewild County Park near Floyd, Iowa. I really didn’t have any preconceptions for what I was going to find on our adventure. Orlan and I pretty much used these first three days on the river in northern Iowa as context for what we were going to see as we traveled south and saw the effects of the flooding. By the way, if you’re ever in Floyd you have to check out Dugans Restaurant & Lounge. Nothing hits the spot better than a tasty burger after a day on the water. We happened to show up on burger special night. What luck! They cook a mean burger. Great prices too.
For the final four days of our adventure, Orlan and I switched to kayaks. Thanks to The Gazette’s commercial photographer Mark Tade for loaning us one of his. I think it was a good call. We hit some shallow spots where June flooding formed sand bars, especially south of Cedar Rapids. The kayaks didn’t seem to bottom out as I think a canoe would have done. Personally, I found that I was able to look at my surroundings from the kayak than I did in the canoe. You have to keep your mind on where you’re headed every minute. The kayak just tracked so much better.
With the exception of our portage around the Five-in-One dam, the trip through downtown Cedar Rapids went well. I was amazed at how much debris is still hanging from the trees along the river. I saw a fishing rod and reel, a shopping cart, a plastic toy fish out of water (thought it was funny but sad) and someone’s wetsuit hanging in a tree.
One of our stops was the historic Sutliff Bridge and the nearby Baxa’s Sutliff Store & Tavern. The bridge was an institution with Harley riders, bicyclists and just about anyone who wanted to grab a bite to eat and wash it down with a cold beverage while watching the water flow by. The bridge was severely damaged in the June flood. The tavern is open and the Baxa burgers are great. This was one of the last photos I shot that day. The water was like glass and the light had a warm quality to it.
The series is slated to begin its seven-day run Sunday, Nov. 9. Also, join me for my first live blogging session as I talk photogrpahy, share photos and experiences from the trip as well as answer your questions. I’ll post a more definite day and time but pencil me in Tuesday, Nov. 11th.
Jim
Leave a Reply