Another cruise (or two) coming up

Rejoice, paddling Sodak nation-state: Temps will be back in the 78 to 81 range, this weekend, so here's to hoping all get out and paddle.

Regardless of your plans, there's news to announce on upcoming trips:

Pat Wellner and John Adler are heading up a multi-day cruise the Missouri River between Yankton and Vermillion the weekend of Oct. 10.

We are a tight-knit group, so many of you may already know about it, but for details, hit Pat's site:

http://www.piratesofthemissouri.com/

As mentioned, Gene will lead a Split Rock/Big Sioux cruise out of Brandon Oct. 4.

Larry Braaten and I want to put another cruise on before Gene's, perhaps as early as this Sunday if people have ideas.

The weekend of Sept. 27-28 is another possibility. E-mail me, or call Larry, if you'd like to join us.

Targets include a Mo River run, Burbank to Elk Point, or High Lines to Clay County. Or perhaps Clay County to Burbank.

Lastly, the Big Sioux River Recreation Corridor Council is having their annual fall run, but it is in October. No date or link here as their site is not updated.

It's a good time of year (when it's not like last weekend) to get out and suck up as much Zen-time on the water as possible. It will soon be too late. And yes, the newsletter is upcoming, asap.

Please post/share/call/pass it for those without e-mail/Internet.

Jarett

FYI, the "short-notice cruise planner" is no longer; it was a spambot magnet.

Oct 4th: Split Rock / Big Sioux Cruise

Come and join us for a Fall Canoe Cruise from McHardy Park, in Brandon, to the Highway 38/42 bridge at historic East Sioux Falls (The Arboretum) on Saturday, October 4, 2008.

Meet at 1:00 P.M. at McHardy Park in Brandon. This route has short stretches of flat water with gentle class 1 rapids. A pole is useful on Splitrock Creek when the water is low such as last year when we divided into two groups with one going down Splitrock as planned and one going from the Madison Bridge south of Brandon. Deer, fish, muskrat, ducks, owls and other wildlife may be seen. The cruise takes about 3 to 4 hours depending on the water conditions and the skill and goals of the paddlers. Bring a camera, snacks, and some drinking water and enjoy an afternoon on the water. An alternate route is planned in case the water on Splitrock Creek is low. The put in and takeout may be altered depending on conditions. Life vests are required. For more information contact Eugene Preston 605/582-2573.

James River

A big thank you to everyone who traveled to Mitchell and participated in Sunday's paddle down the James River. The weather - and the company - was perfect. It's always fun to experience new waterways in South Dakota.

For more photos from Sunday's paddle, visit Jay Heath's blog

James River trip set for Aug. 24 near Mitchell

The August SDCA cruise will tackle the James River, and we'll launch boats at 10:15 a.m. on the 24th at the put-in located on state Highway 38, just north of I-90, just a couple miles east of Mitchell. (The highway is also called E. Havens Avenue and 254th St. on various online maps.


View Larger Map

The route will cover about 12 to 17 river miles, downstream, heading towards the colonies located southwest of Alexandria. The free SDCA shuttle service will be in full effect, and we're hoping to get a good group for a trip on this "new-to-many" river.

The put-in is located on the south side of 38 and should provide plenty of space for assembly.


The take-out point is located at a bridge located on 257th St. There are additional potential take-out points further south along the river, and it'll be a game-day decision on the length of the route. A dam at Rockport Colony would probably be the stopping point, marking the maximum distance for this cruise.

The river is somewhat low and it will run more slowly than the Big Sioux River does, even now, so if we have high temps, it will be a bit of a marathon. But there are plenty of places to rest, rehydrate, and perhaps grab a bit of grub.

I spoke with the GFP chap for Davison County and he said there's little if any debris and slow flow, so it should not pose any increased risk. I hope we'll have a great turn out for the event. E-mail me (jbies0341@hotmail.com) if you have questions or if you want to confirm your spot. No registration is required, naturally.

The map I included in this post should be "scrollable" meaning you can click on it and move in, out, etc., to see where we're paddling. If it's not your style, directions are included below.

Jarett

From the west: Take 90 to the second (eastern most) Mitchell exit, head north to 38, head east to the bridge.

From the east: Take 90 to the Riverside exit, head north to 38, head west to the bridge.

Planned route to the take-out: 38 back into Mitchell to 37, take that south to 257th St. Head east to the bridge. (I will scout the route in advance and assure we have a place to put the cars. So look for updates, or just come out.)

Maps for July 26 Big Sioux River cruise

overview
Originally uploaded by Iron Bieso

I'm posting an overview map of the cruise for July 26. Just a reminder, we'll start the cruise at noon and hope to get the shuttling of vehicles completed before that, so come early to get that wrangled.

I'm including images of the start and end points as well. Remember, you can click on these images and see them in a larger size. Also, using Google maps, you can dial in all the information you might need, don't forget to use their satellite, terrain, and map features together, it's what I do. E-mail me, Jarett Bies, at jbies0341@hotmail.com with any questions.

Wonderful scenery on tap Saturday, July 19

P5260011
Originally uploaded by Iron Bieso

Mary Finck of the SDCA board will host a cruise starting at 7 a.m., July 19, (this Saturday) starting at the Dell Rapids City Park and heading down the Big Sioux River to Baltic.

Mary said she has a few people already coming, but everyone is welcome to take part in this scenic, not-too-long trip on the Big Sioux.

As this picture shows, the Dells of the Big Sioux are splendid for photos. The trip will also take the rapids of the Dells, unless Mary is planning to skirt them or portage around them.

Water levels make those rapids pretty tame, and they last for only a few dozen meters before the river returns to its chug-chug tameness.

If you're an early riser and feel like paddling the river, join Mary and the gang in Dell Rapids. To reach the park, take the Dell Rapids exit off I-29, then travel east into town. At Garfield, take a right, you'll be in the park, the river runs right alongside it, and there's a nice gravel access point.

Email Jarett with questions, or Mary directly at MFinck@eggersteel.com.

News: Site change coming, more

IMG_0421
Originally uploaded by jayalbionheath

Larry Braaten has been on the Big Sioux River lately, and we're not going to take the Klondike to Canton route on July 26 due to debris.

Instead we'll reprise the route from the put-in shown here in this nice photo, located just north of Lake Alvin, and paddle down to the Klondike. Last year this was our biggest event, about 40 boats and 50 paddlers, and everyone had fun. Shuttle will be provided. It starts at noon, Saturday, July 26, 2008. E-mail Jarett with questions.

In other news, the father and son who lost boats but safely crawled from a BSR strainer are still fine, and now their boats are, too. Again, props to Larry for helping them track 'em down and get them back, he found one on a recent outing. That's what I call a good paddling community.

Don't forget to check out the post below, or hit Jay Heath's blog, http://southdakotakayak.blogspot.com/, for full details on Saturday's water monitoring operation at Grass Lake, just west of Sioux Falls.
It starts at 9 a.m. July 12.


On July 17 at 6 p.m., SDCA members, following Mary Finck's lead, will meet in Sioux Falls at the BSR access right off 26th Street East, near the 229 loop. Those who gather will sweep the banks (in the boats) and clean up trash.

Plans are in the works for the SDCA newletter to be out this week. Sorry for the delay, but this issue will cover June and July. We'll augment with a late-July mailing if we need to do so.

On the waters downstream front, we are scouting sites for a James River August cruise, and we'll post details as soon as they are solid.

In review: Saturday, 9 a.m., Grass Lake; Thursday, July 17, 6 p.m., Big Sioux clean-up in Sioux Falls; July 26 cruise starting point moved to Lake Alvin, ending point, Klondike; two chaps who lost their boats got 'em back.

Cheers,

Jarett