July Trip #1
Location: Eagle Creek – Turkey Foot Park to Lions Park
Distance: +/-2 miles
Date: 7/10/08
Gauge: 1.8
Paddle Time: 2.0 hours
Paddlers: Doug & Julie (Zirconia tandem) Tucker (Dancer), Mercedes (SOT), Austin (Pelican Burst), Dan
Weather: 80 & sunny
OK, this was a bad idea. Last time James and I did this in the small boats it was OK, and I thought the level was about the same, but evidently it wasn’t. We did a lot of dragging, scooting and hauling boats over rocks and low spots. At least the water was cool. There are also a couple of new trees down, one that is really large just north of the park that will be a big obstacle in higher water.I told Dan I now have a policy of staying off this section if the water is less than 2.5…it’s just too much work.
Friday, July 18, 2008
June Paddle
Location: Eagle Creek - Lions Park to Lafayette Road
Distance: +/-5 miles
Date: 6/18/08
Gauge: NA
Time: 2 hours
Paddlers: James (Necky Looksha), Doug (Perception Dancer), Michael (Breeze), Ryan
Weather: 70 & sunny
Starting out at the bridge at Lions Park it was pretty muddy due to recent rains. There were several people fly fishing near the bridge, and as I came out last she asked one of the others if we were building boats back there. Fortunately we were able to wind our way through them without interrupting them too much.
Near the Zionsville Road bridge we came upon a group of five or so teenagers sitting on a rock. They thought it was a bit odd that we suddenly appeared on the creek & wanted to know if kayaking was more fun than canoeing. Of course we said yes.
Not too much eventful on this trip, apart from finding a volleyball about a third of the way down that we then took turns either throwing to land near someone & splash them or trying to bat with our paddles. Michael managed to get caught sideways between two logs while messing around with the ball & was hung up for a few minutes. He also provided the most entertainment of the day when he was goofing around & flipped while James took his picture. It’s not a great photo, but you definitely get the idea that he’s going over.
The good news was we didn’t have to get out & carry over any trees or other obstacles, the creek was pretty cleaned out.
The takeout was a real muddy mess, nasty black stuff from being submerged for several days. It might have been easier to take out a little further down where there are usually people fishing, but that adds about 50 yards to carrying the boats out so we decided to brave the mud.
The weather was beautiful, just a light breeze and the temperature was great.
Location: Eagle Creek - Lions Park to Lafayette Road
Distance: +/-5 miles
Date: 6/18/08
Gauge: NA
Time: 2 hours
Paddlers: James (Necky Looksha), Doug (Perception Dancer), Michael (Breeze), Ryan
Weather: 70 & sunny
Starting out at the bridge at Lions Park it was pretty muddy due to recent rains. There were several people fly fishing near the bridge, and as I came out last she asked one of the others if we were building boats back there. Fortunately we were able to wind our way through them without interrupting them too much.
Near the Zionsville Road bridge we came upon a group of five or so teenagers sitting on a rock. They thought it was a bit odd that we suddenly appeared on the creek & wanted to know if kayaking was more fun than canoeing. Of course we said yes.
Not too much eventful on this trip, apart from finding a volleyball about a third of the way down that we then took turns either throwing to land near someone & splash them or trying to bat with our paddles. Michael managed to get caught sideways between two logs while messing around with the ball & was hung up for a few minutes. He also provided the most entertainment of the day when he was goofing around & flipped while James took his picture. It’s not a great photo, but you definitely get the idea that he’s going over.
The good news was we didn’t have to get out & carry over any trees or other obstacles, the creek was pretty cleaned out.
The takeout was a real muddy mess, nasty black stuff from being submerged for several days. It might have been easier to take out a little further down where there are usually people fishing, but that adds about 50 yards to carrying the boats out so we decided to brave the mud.
The weather was beautiful, just a light breeze and the temperature was great.
Monday, May 26, 2008
May Paddle
Location: White River – Indianapolis Art Center to 38th Street
Distance: +/-5 miles
Date: 5/22/08
Gauge: 5.0 @ IMA
Paddle Time: 1.5 hours
Paddlers: James (Dagger Crossfire), Doug (Perception Dancer), Dan S. (LL ) Paula (C.D. Breeze), Luke L. (Necky Looksha), Andy S. (LL Zirconia)
Weather: 70 & sunny
The put-in at the Indianapolis Art Center at Broad Ripple is really nice, but parking is fairly limited. James had to pull the truck into a spot adjacent with the trailer angled behind Andy’s car to make it work. Our original idea to start in Williams Creek off of 75th Street didn’t work out due to a lack of water in the creek. The river was not especially high, but not low enough that we dragged anywhere. Most of the time the current moved pretty well; there were a couple of stretches of flat water, but the river made up for it with a few spots where we could surf some small holes. Good practice for guys with no idea what they are doing.
This was a nice leisurely paddle, with beautiful weather.
One interesting spot is right at the International School. We couldn't figure out what was causing it, but there are eddies going all directions there, in places the water is almost flowing upstream. We were all making crazy turns trying to keep going the right direction.
We took out under the 38th Street bridge, and used the parking off of the loop exist from 38th Street westbound to White River Parkway East Drive. Unfortunately you can only get there headed westbound on 38th Street, but it’s still a decent place to park. There is a pretty steep carry up over the embankment under the bridge, but taking out there eliminates half a mile or so of flatwater paddling down to either 30th Street or the Lake Indy boat ramp in Riverside Park.
This was a nice paddle that would still be decent even if the water were a foot or so lower. Another good one for after work.
Distance: +/-5 miles
Date: 5/22/08
Gauge: 5.0 @ IMA
Paddle Time: 1.5 hours
Paddlers: James (Dagger Crossfire), Doug (Perception Dancer), Dan S. (LL ) Paula (C.D. Breeze), Luke L. (Necky Looksha), Andy S. (LL Zirconia)
Weather: 70 & sunny
The put-in at the Indianapolis Art Center at Broad Ripple is really nice, but parking is fairly limited. James had to pull the truck into a spot adjacent with the trailer angled behind Andy’s car to make it work. Our original idea to start in Williams Creek off of 75th Street didn’t work out due to a lack of water in the creek. The river was not especially high, but not low enough that we dragged anywhere. Most of the time the current moved pretty well; there were a couple of stretches of flat water, but the river made up for it with a few spots where we could surf some small holes. Good practice for guys with no idea what they are doing.
This was a nice leisurely paddle, with beautiful weather.
One interesting spot is right at the International School. We couldn't figure out what was causing it, but there are eddies going all directions there, in places the water is almost flowing upstream. We were all making crazy turns trying to keep going the right direction.
We took out under the 38th Street bridge, and used the parking off of the loop exist from 38th Street westbound to White River Parkway East Drive. Unfortunately you can only get there headed westbound on 38th Street, but it’s still a decent place to park. There is a pretty steep carry up over the embankment under the bridge, but taking out there eliminates half a mile or so of flatwater paddling down to either 30th Street or the Lake Indy boat ramp in Riverside Park.
This was a nice paddle that would still be decent even if the water were a foot or so lower. Another good one for after work.
Location: Sugar Creek – Crawfordsville to Deer’s Mill Bridge
Distance: +/-15 miles
Date: 5/17/08
Gauge: 2.9
Paddle Time: 5 hours
Paddlers: Church youth group
Weather: 65 & sunny
We had to delay this trip from two weeks previous due to the forecast for rain. Of course it didn’t rain that day, but this day got really gray & chilly right before we put in & sprinkled a little. Fortunately an hour or so into the trip it got sunny and was really nice the rest of the day.
We had six private boaters with kayaks so we dropped off at the put-in and waited while everyone else shuttled. One of our renters drove the truck & trailer to the takeout so we basically did the trip for free.
The put-in is at river left, and I was a little worried about the put-in since there is a good-sized rock just below on the same side of the river that was a bit of an obstacle at this level, but we instructed everyone to paddle upstream, and head toward the eddy just downstream on river left. We ended up with five kayaks and six canoes, and everyone made it into the eddy & stopped, so after the last boat was in we headed downstream as a group, more or less.
I ended up with sweep duty, which didn’t leave much time for playing in the holes we encountered. The water level was perfect for keeping things moving most of the way, and also leaving some holes to play in in the rock gardens here and there.
After a few miles the only boat in sight contained a couple of high school boys who spent more time talking than paddling, so we were pretty far behind the group. They managed to get quite a bit of water into their boat after a rock garden so they pulled over on a sandbar to empty it. Unfortunately they missed the lower area of the bank that I pointed out to them & ended up on a pretty steep section. Being he-man high-schoolers they of course picked up one end of the boat to dump the water out instead of just rolling it. That worked to get most of the water out so they pulled it up on the bank to get the rest out. Of course that meant seal-launching off of a 3’ high bank, so I got out my video camera in order to capture the capsize I was sure was coming up. They didn’t disappoint, as soon as the front of the boat hit the water they started over, and ended up in the water.
Just so we could get going I had them bring the boat down where I was waiting for them and the bank was lower so I could show them how to roll it over to get the water out, then they could get started downstream a little easier. I did tell them thanks for the youtube footage for the earlier spill.
When we caught up to the rest of the group they were on a small sandbar river left. Apparently a couple of boats had capsized in the rock garden there. Tucker had gone out in it a couple of times surfing and evidently the third time was the charm & he went over. He couldn’t quite accomplish a roll so he had to we exit. Fortunately a couple of the other kayakers were able to chase down his paddle and boat. Looks like a paddle leash would be a good idea for a birthday present.
The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. I thought we were going to have a problem in one fairly narrow and fast section when two boys were headed for a large branch sticking into the water. I told them to watch out for it, and that’s exactly what they did; they watched it while they floated right into it. They managed to tip the boat enough that the gunwale went under a portion of it that was sticking straight down. When they got the boat leveled out they were caught on the branch. I couldn’t get over to them because the current was so fast, but they managed to get it free without capsizing.
We didn’t see a lot of wildlife, just a few herons and squirrels. There is a lot of nice scenery, especially the waterfall near the Yount’s Mills bridge, but the scenery on the lower section through Turkey Run is definitely nicer. I thought this run was more fun for playing in a small whitewater boat.
Distance: +/-15 miles
Date: 5/17/08
Gauge: 2.9
Paddle Time: 5 hours
Paddlers: Church youth group
Weather: 65 & sunny
We had to delay this trip from two weeks previous due to the forecast for rain. Of course it didn’t rain that day, but this day got really gray & chilly right before we put in & sprinkled a little. Fortunately an hour or so into the trip it got sunny and was really nice the rest of the day.
We had six private boaters with kayaks so we dropped off at the put-in and waited while everyone else shuttled. One of our renters drove the truck & trailer to the takeout so we basically did the trip for free.
The put-in is at river left, and I was a little worried about the put-in since there is a good-sized rock just below on the same side of the river that was a bit of an obstacle at this level, but we instructed everyone to paddle upstream, and head toward the eddy just downstream on river left. We ended up with five kayaks and six canoes, and everyone made it into the eddy & stopped, so after the last boat was in we headed downstream as a group, more or less.
I ended up with sweep duty, which didn’t leave much time for playing in the holes we encountered. The water level was perfect for keeping things moving most of the way, and also leaving some holes to play in in the rock gardens here and there.
After a few miles the only boat in sight contained a couple of high school boys who spent more time talking than paddling, so we were pretty far behind the group. They managed to get quite a bit of water into their boat after a rock garden so they pulled over on a sandbar to empty it. Unfortunately they missed the lower area of the bank that I pointed out to them & ended up on a pretty steep section. Being he-man high-schoolers they of course picked up one end of the boat to dump the water out instead of just rolling it. That worked to get most of the water out so they pulled it up on the bank to get the rest out. Of course that meant seal-launching off of a 3’ high bank, so I got out my video camera in order to capture the capsize I was sure was coming up. They didn’t disappoint, as soon as the front of the boat hit the water they started over, and ended up in the water.
Just so we could get going I had them bring the boat down where I was waiting for them and the bank was lower so I could show them how to roll it over to get the water out, then they could get started downstream a little easier. I did tell them thanks for the youtube footage for the earlier spill.
When we caught up to the rest of the group they were on a small sandbar river left. Apparently a couple of boats had capsized in the rock garden there. Tucker had gone out in it a couple of times surfing and evidently the third time was the charm & he went over. He couldn’t quite accomplish a roll so he had to we exit. Fortunately a couple of the other kayakers were able to chase down his paddle and boat. Looks like a paddle leash would be a good idea for a birthday present.
The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. I thought we were going to have a problem in one fairly narrow and fast section when two boys were headed for a large branch sticking into the water. I told them to watch out for it, and that’s exactly what they did; they watched it while they floated right into it. They managed to tip the boat enough that the gunwale went under a portion of it that was sticking straight down. When they got the boat leveled out they were caught on the branch. I couldn’t get over to them because the current was so fast, but they managed to get it free without capsizing.
We didn’t see a lot of wildlife, just a few herons and squirrels. There is a lot of nice scenery, especially the waterfall near the Yount’s Mills bridge, but the scenery on the lower section through Turkey Run is definitely nicer. I thought this run was more fun for playing in a small whitewater boat.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
April Paddle
Location: Eagle Creek – Turkey Foot Park to Lions Park
Distance: +/-2 miles
Date: 4/30/08
Gauge: 1.9
Paddle Time: 1 hour
Paddlers: James, Doug
Weather: 65 & sunny
Big Fun in Small Boats
We decided to "borrow" our kids' whitewater boats for this trip on Eagle Creek since the water was pretty low. Really too low, but we didn't have a lot of options or time to find someplace else since it was the last day of the month.
The first thing we noticed is that they are finally working on Turkey Foot Park. A footbridge is partially installed across the creek from the end of the road north. Apparently there will be a trail in the future, too. It will be interesting to see how that affects our ability to park near there and put the boats in. Hopefully if nothing else there will at least be a parking area at the bridge.
After launching we headed downstream threading our way through the low spots. Some areas looked a lot different than usual with minimal water flowing. A couple of spots that are usually pretty fun in our big boats and would have been a lot more fun in the small boats.
Unfortunately we had to live with the low water and get in a short fun paddle. That will be a good excuse to do it again when it's warmer and there is more water. We did see a couple of deer and some good-sized fish near the golf course.
Distance: +/-2 miles
Date: 4/30/08
Gauge: 1.9
Paddle Time: 1 hour
Paddlers: James, Doug
Weather: 65 & sunny
Big Fun in Small Boats
We decided to "borrow" our kids' whitewater boats for this trip on Eagle Creek since the water was pretty low. Really too low, but we didn't have a lot of options or time to find someplace else since it was the last day of the month.
The first thing we noticed is that they are finally working on Turkey Foot Park. A footbridge is partially installed across the creek from the end of the road north. Apparently there will be a trail in the future, too. It will be interesting to see how that affects our ability to park near there and put the boats in. Hopefully if nothing else there will at least be a parking area at the bridge.
After launching we headed downstream threading our way through the low spots. Some areas looked a lot different than usual with minimal water flowing. A couple of spots that are usually pretty fun in our big boats and would have been a lot more fun in the small boats.
Unfortunately we had to live with the low water and get in a short fun paddle. That will be a good excuse to do it again when it's warmer and there is more water. We did see a couple of deer and some good-sized fish near the golf course.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
March Trip on Fall Creek
Location: Fall Creek 79th to Shadeland Ave./Fall Creek Park
Distance: +/-5.75 miles
Date: 3/27/08
Gauge: 5.3 (Millersville)
Paddle Time: 2 hours
Paddlers: James (Looksha), Doug (Breeze)
Weather: 45 & sunny
This was a really nice early spring paddle. When we put in at 79th Street the water was up a couple of feet from the last time we did this run so it was really easy to slide right in. We had been a little concerned about trees being down because the water had been pretty high earlier in the week but there was only one tree we had to drag around. We made a short side trip up Indian Creek but stopped about a quarter mile up because of a tree across the creek.
At one time we had eight herons in the air ahead of us because we kept pushing pairs of them downstream. That was really a sight.
The small drop at the Shadeland and 465 bridges was a lot of fun. The water was high enough to cover all the rocks, and there was a small standing wave at one point. We both got quite a bit of water in our boats but it didn’t matter much since we were at the end. There is a really nice takeout opportunity at the park just downstream; the accessible ramp makes a really nice ramp to get a boat out. We definitely want to do this again at the same water level with the smaller boats in warm weather. It would be fun to go up & play in the “waves”.
Location: Fall Creek 79th to Shadeland Ave./Fall Creek Park
Distance: +/-5.75 miles
Date: 3/27/08
Gauge: 5.3 (Millersville)
Paddle Time: 2 hours
Paddlers: James (Looksha), Doug (Breeze)
Weather: 45 & sunny
This was a really nice early spring paddle. When we put in at 79th Street the water was up a couple of feet from the last time we did this run so it was really easy to slide right in. We had been a little concerned about trees being down because the water had been pretty high earlier in the week but there was only one tree we had to drag around. We made a short side trip up Indian Creek but stopped about a quarter mile up because of a tree across the creek.
At one time we had eight herons in the air ahead of us because we kept pushing pairs of them downstream. That was really a sight.
The small drop at the Shadeland and 465 bridges was a lot of fun. The water was high enough to cover all the rocks, and there was a small standing wave at one point. We both got quite a bit of water in our boats but it didn’t matter much since we were at the end. There is a really nice takeout opportunity at the park just downstream; the accessible ramp makes a really nice ramp to get a boat out. We definitely want to do this again at the same water level with the smaller boats in warm weather. It would be fun to go up & play in the “waves”.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
February Paddle on Eagle Creek
Location: Eagle Creek - Ford Road to Lafayette Road
Distance: +/-3
Date: 2-25-08
Gauge: 2.2
Paddle Time: 1 hour
Paddlers: James Nichols (Breeze), Doug Mark (Zirconia)
Weather: 36 degrees, cloudy, calm
Another really nice winter paddle. It was really cloudy and gray, but the temperature was around 35 so it wasn't too cold. We hit the water about 5:00 at the Ford Road bridge. The weather was supposed to get nasty on Tuesday so we needed to get this month's trip in before that or the end of the month.
The water was amazingly clear. We could see the bottom unless the water got over about four feet deep. That was surprising since it never seems to be that clear in the summer.
The last time we did this section most of it was in the dark so it was nice to see what we had missed. One spot where we had to carry around a tree last time was different; the giant tree that had been blocking the creek was gone.
There were some really cool ice formations on tree branches that had been in the water, but the water had gone down & left ice between the small tips of the branches. Unfortunately we didn't have the camera with us so we weren't able to get pictures.
We took out just before the reservior. Parking is easy on Lafayette Road and it saves a long flat water paddle to the marina in the park.
Distance: +/-3
Date: 2-25-08
Gauge: 2.2
Paddle Time: 1 hour
Paddlers: James Nichols (Breeze), Doug Mark (Zirconia)
Weather: 36 degrees, cloudy, calm
Another really nice winter paddle. It was really cloudy and gray, but the temperature was around 35 so it wasn't too cold. We hit the water about 5:00 at the Ford Road bridge. The weather was supposed to get nasty on Tuesday so we needed to get this month's trip in before that or the end of the month.
The water was amazingly clear. We could see the bottom unless the water got over about four feet deep. That was surprising since it never seems to be that clear in the summer.
The last time we did this section most of it was in the dark so it was nice to see what we had missed. One spot where we had to carry around a tree last time was different; the giant tree that had been blocking the creek was gone.
There were some really cool ice formations on tree branches that had been in the water, but the water had gone down & left ice between the small tips of the branches. Unfortunately we didn't have the camera with us so we weren't able to get pictures.
We took out just before the reservior. Parking is easy on Lafayette Road and it saves a long flat water paddle to the marina in the park.
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