Part 15 - River Running

Part 15 - River Running.

The good things in life are free!!! That was our Jerry Springer-like final thought at the end of the last article. So I figured this would be a great opportunity to take a break from our current adventures in Illinois, and talk about our favorite past-time there.

I mentioned buying our canoe in one of the first articles. It must have been lined with lead. In fact, it was such a PIA to load onto the truck, that we decided to buy a couple of kayaks too. 

Kayaking took over our free-time like nothing else. We enjoyed other cost-effective activities like hiking, but lets be honest, Central Illinois is not a hikers paradise. It IS surprisingly rich with rivers and small streams that are ideal for canoeing and kayaking though. The Mackinaw was one such river, and it was the closest non-commercial waterway near our home. 

Luna being a good girl and protecting our beer for us. 

The Mackinaw River is one of few navigable rivers in Illinois that has remained in its wild, undammed, state. It runs for 130 miles, from its origins near Sibley, to its mouth at the Illinois River near Pekin. Jenny and I have floated countless miles on this river. We introduced her brother to kayaking at a young age.

Wyatt, in his first kayak, on the Mackinaw River.

His first camping trip ever was on the Mackinaw River. Forget those overpriced campgrounds. Beach camping is THE best.

From L to R: Jen's brother, Wyatt. Her Mom, Jamie...and some drunk Ginger. 

Different day. Same island that we were camped on in the picture above. 

Jenny's work friend, Melissa, was a kindred spirit that we hung out with on several occasions. Her husband Jamie also played guitar and we ended up supporting each others bands at shows whenever we could. So, like any good friend would do, we had to get them hooked on float trips.

Melissa, Jamie, and Scott on the Mackie. 

Party Pirates

Maybe we should have let Melissa try the kayaks b4 we started drinking. 

Another great place that we used to go was Kickapoo State Park, near Danville, Illinois. The area used to be strip mined, but the state purchased the land in the 1930's, and began to restore it as much as possible. The strip mines left numerous lakes in what is now Kickapoo Park, one is even deep enough that they teach SCUBA lessons there.

The Middle Fork of the South Vermillion River runs through Kickapoo State Park, and is the only National Scenic River in Illinois. It is a very seasonal float, and is best done in Spring or after periods of high rain. The park had a shuttle service on-site that would give you a ride up the river. You could float right back to your car. You can also walk your boat a short ways from the river, to a lake, and float over to your campsite.  Here is the DNR website for Kickapoo State Park:

Website: IDNR - Kickapoo State Park

We took family and friends to Kickapoo several times. One of our favorite trips was with Jenny's bestie, Jessica, and her husband Kolton. This was the first time we had talked them into camping or kayaking with us.

Middle Fork of the North Vermillion River. Kolton took his sunglasses off so we would match. 

Many of the small rivers in Illinois are seasonal, and Summers can be tough to find anything to float but a lake. Eventually, we discovered that a unique Illinois historical landmark called the Hennepin Canal was a great Summertime float. The canal was dredged out to connect the Mississippi River with the Illinois River. There are tunnels under roads and even several aquaducts OVER rivers or creeks. I'm not sure you can do this anywhere else in the country.

A spider-web-lined tunnel on the Hennepin. I can only assume the swiss-cheese-effect is from peoples paddles. 

Jonsey, Jenny, and Scott on a Hennepin aquaduct, with a creek running underneath. 

Jonsey in one of the aquaducts of the Hennepin. 

OK. There is our trip down memory lane...or maybe more like memory canal. We wanted to do this so we could include some of our friends, but we also hope this was informative for anyone who is looking for some diverse kayaking trips in Illinois.

Click here to be directed to our next article:

Part 16 - St Louis

Here is a link to our previous article:

Part 14 - Back Home