Raccoon River Float

MINBURN, IOWA - So far, the Memorial Day Weekend has been crummy in the weather department in Central Iowa, with rain and chilly temperatures persisting across the area.  Looks like it may not get much better for the rest of the long weekend.  So, I look back to last Saturday when you couldn't have asked for more perfect weather for a quick float down the North Raccoon River Water Trail.
     Two friends and I launched our kayaks from the river access west of Minburn, and floated down to the Highway 44 access at Dallas Center.  The morning was sunny and crisp, the wildlife was abundant, and the river was flowing at a decent clip.  Not too many strainers or shallow ripples were encountered along this stretch of river, which made it for a very enjoyable trip.  In fact, our trip was a short one - only taking about an hour and a half - making me wish we would have launched further upstream.
     In lieu of more verbiage, I believe the photos below do a better of describing just how pleasant of a trip this was.  What a super way to start off last weekend....

Launching from the access west of Minburn

A nice current made for a very relaxing trip down the Raccoon

Warm sun poking through the trees

Is this really in Dallas County?  Yes.

Approaching the Highway 44 access west of Dallas Center

A nice stretch of the Raccoon to kayak

Bike To Work Day!

Commuting along Meredith in Urbandale

DES MOINES, IOWA - May is Bicycle Month, and in the Des Moines area there have been a lot of activities centered around this event including several companies encouraging employees to bike to work.  Friday was designated as "bike to work day" and I thought it would be a great opportunity to give it a try.  Rather than do it all in one day, I decided to split it up and ride home from work on Thursday, and then bike back into work Friday morning. 
     My commute via bicycle ended up being just under 21 miles one-way, and for almost the entire trip I was able to stay on designated bicycle trails with the exception of a couple short stretches where I either rode on sidewalks or (Friday morning) on the road.  Traffic in town was horrendous on Thursday afternoon, and it was quite a different experience from the serenity that I am used to on the local rail-trails in the area that I frequent.  I had to stay

Friday morning was much more tranquil

alert to what was going on behind me, beside me and certainly ahead of me.  There were many times I had vehicles coming up behind me wanting to make a right hand turn and had I not checked behind me and stopped at each intersection I may have collided with a vehicle.  Friday morning was much better since I left quite early in the morning before rush hour began.
     All in all, it was a lot of fun and an enjoyable experience that I hope to replay a few more times this coming summer.  It also made me further appreciate the great trail system we have in and around the greater Des Moines area!

Colorful Corridor

MINBURN, IOWA - Even though it's been relatively cool the past couple of weeks, the vegetation is really starting to leaf out along the corridor of the Raccoon River Valley Trail.  A number of the various flowering trees and shrubs are starting to adorn the trail with a variety of colors and smells and it adds a lot of character to the path this time of year.  I look forward each year to when some of the wildflowers begin to bloom along the corridor.  One of the neat things about a trail that contains a diverse mix of prairie, wetlands and wooded areas such as the RRVT is that there seems to be something in bloom nearly all season long, which means there is always something interesting to observe and enjoy along the trail. 
     Today many people were out enjoying the segment of trail from Dallas Center to Minburn, even with a cool and brisk wind from the northwest.  It looks like the spring of extremes continues; last night we were in a frost advisory; and now tomorrow's high is expected to peak at 90 degrees!  Looks like we may have a bit of a decent window for planting crops early this week before thunderstorms appear in the forecast late in the week.  Hoping that the local farmers are able to get a good share of their crops in this coming week; before much longer we'll be slipping past the optimal planting window for corn in Iowa. 

Really?

DALLAS CENTER, IOWA - The perpetual winter of 2012/2013 continued right into the first week of May with several inches of snow dumped on a good share of Iowa.  Our friends in northern Iowa seemed to take the brunt of it, but here in Central Iowa we also had a good dose of snow that continued off and on for at least two days.  A couple of mornings, the it turned the roads slushy and there were a number of accidents but for the most part it has melted fairly rapidly.
     The crummy weather has put the crimp on some of the Bike Month activities going on around the area.  I have not been on my bicycle for the last several days with the cold and moisture.  However, this has been a good time to get some maintenance done on the bicycle including cleaning up the frame, lubricating the chain, and making some other adjustments.

     On the bright side, it seems this weather is drawing in more birds to the backyard feeders, which we have continued to keep filled.  Yesterday we had an Eastern Towhee in the backyard which is not a very rare sight.  Lots of other migratory birds have been observed here lately which makes it a little easier to enjoy the wintry scene.  The contrast of the dark, green grass against the freshly fallen snow is also kind of pretty in its own way, I have to admit.

Glorious Saturday

WAUKEE, IOWA - This Saturday was one of those types of days where we just wanted to stay outside as much as possible and soak up the warm sunshine, feel the gentle breeze, and enjoy the aroma of springtime around us.  Besides getting a fair amount of yard work done, there was also some time spent cycling on the Raccoon River Valley Trail and around the great trail system in the City of Waukee as well as a visit to Big Creek State Park again to spend some time paddling on the open water.  It sounds like we have a couple more days of this nice, mild weather until later in the week when highs only in the 40's (!) are predicted.  Farmers are pushing hard trying to get anhydrous applied, wrap up tillage, and some have even started to plant corn while there was a window to get some field work done before the next system moves in.
     The BikeIowa.com calendar is starting to fill up with several rides in and around Central Iowa....just about every weekend there is something going on around the area.  Bike Month begins this coming week with several activities planned.  Locally the City of Perry has several activities coming up including the Hiawatha Classic which I hope to participate in again this year.  Also preparations are well underway for a couple of big cycling events locally - the grand opening of the North Loop of the Raccoon River Valley Trail on June 1st, as well as RAGBRAI's trip across Central Dallas County in July.  Looking forward to both of these activities and many others for both the cycling and paddling enthusiasts here in Central Iowa!

We encountered this little guy basking in the sunshine himself on the trail this morning.

A peaceful moment on Big Creek this afternoon.

April Paddle at Big Creek

POLK CITY, IOWA - I was fortunate to attend a couple of events put on during the past several weeks by the good folks at Canoe Sport Outfitters in Indianola - Paddlefest and Demofest. These two events provided a great way to learn more about the different styles of kayaks that exist and better yet offered the opportunity to actually test various models in the water to dial in what best fits a given paddler's skills and intended use.  After attending these events, and trying different models out, I had determined that a recreational type kayak that had elements of a "transitional" class of kayak was probably the best fit for me.  This past Saturday was the first opportunity I had to get out on the water with the Kestrel 120 and chose to visit Big Creek State Park near Polk City.
     Conditions were partly sunny and in the lower 50's with very light winds when I arrived at the beach area of Big Creek.  There is currently a lot of construction going on at the beach were it looks like several new shelters, a boat house, and other structures are being built.  Not knowing if the boat ramp was accessible, I elected to embark on my journey by launching from the beach area that was still open outside of the construction area.
     Once situated in the boat, with my PFD in place, I pushed off and was quickly enjoying the beauty of Big Creek from offshore.  The kayak was very stable and it didn't take long to get comfortable as I moved further from shore.  I paddled along the east edge of the lake, and enjoyed observing several species of waterfowl along the lake.  There was a handful of folks fishing around the east perimeter of the lake along with a few fishing boats and one other paddler on the water.  Outside of that, it felt like I had the lake to myself.
     I have typically done most of my kayaking on the local rivers in the area, so it was a bit of a different experience paddling around the lake.  I certainly didn't have the advantage of a current pushing me downstream, so I was reliant on my own "engine" to keep me moving.  It didn't take long to get warmed up and I probably could have gotten by without wearing the jacket I had on under my PFD..
     After paddling for about three miles, it was time to return to shore and head home.  It will be fun to check out some more of the various Iowa water trails this coming summer!
    

Trail Cleanup!

DALLAS CENTER, IOWA - We have been water logged the last week or so all throughout the area (what a difference a year makes!) but the weather finally "broke" this weekend and treated us to some gorgeous sunshine, light winds and a great day for some trail maintenance along the RRVT in Dallas Center.
     Since biking the newly opened segment of the RRVT running north out of Dallas Center, I have been bothered with the amount of litter and junk that had accumulated along the former railroad right-of-way.  So this past weekend, with the help of the city we organized a small group of volunteers to clean up that stretch of trail and try to make it more presentable to folks coming through town.
     After only two hours of work, we were able to scour both sides of the trail and fill up a pickup load full of debris to take to the dump.  Paper, cardboard, metal, glass, plastic and just about anything else you can imagine was picked up.  Thanks to the efforts of these volunteers, that stretch of trail looks much more pristine as you come through town.