Today (Monday 6-15-09) Pam and I took a "cruise" on the White River. We launched our two-person kayak in Noblesville just north of highway 32 (Across from Forest Park on Highway 19.) So, technically, it's not an adventure on "Tonic", but since it took me several years to start this blog, I don't intend to start another just for kayak adventures.
We had been planning to take this trip for several weeks, however, there was either storms the day we could go, or heavy rain the day before, making the river too high and flowing too swift. Like most everything else, there's a website where you can check the river's flow.
http://www.indianaoutfitters.com/
The vehicle logistics for this adventure took almost as much time as the cruise itself. We loaded the kayak in the truck about 9:00, and drove it and Pam's car down to Hazel Landing Park. We stopped at the 116th Street ramp, but decided we like the Hazel ramp better. So we left Pam's car there, and drove back to the launch site in Noblesville. Launched the kayak about 10:00 and left the truck there. (At the end of the journey, Pam had to drive her car back up to Noblesville, get the truck and drive back to pick up me and the kayak at Hazel, then we drove back to the launch site to get her car. We're back home now, so yes, it all worked out right.)
Since there was sufficient water in the river, we didn't need to "portage" through any shallow areas. I should define "portage". Pam sits in the kayak while I get out and walk through the shallow areas, pulling her and the kayak behind me. We have done several other short trips on the river when the water level was lower, and she has this "portage" business down to a science.
We saw one other kayak and one canoe near our launch site and that was the end of boat traffic. There were very few people and very little activity along the banks. Even though the river flows through a populated area, much of it is the same as when the Delaware Indians "portaged" their squaws across the shallows in their canoes.
On our earlier trips, I had caught several small mouth bass in the river, but today, the water was too muddy and flowing a little too fast for catching many fish. We did, however see abundant wildlife. Every log had bushels of turtles sunning themselves. Around each bend we found more and more Great Blue Herons--probably a hundert in all. Kingfishers clattered at us as they flew farther on down the riverbank--only to be disturbed again when we drifted close. We passed by deer in two different locations where the deer just stood on the shore and stared at us as we floated by. No fear. A Baltimore Oriole swooped across the river just in front of us showing off his vivid orange and black colors. There were three young fledgling hawks sitting together in a tree overhanging the water. They looked as if they were contemplating their first flight (or swim if things don't go well.). But..................the best "spot" of the day was a Bald Eagle that had been perched in a Sycamore tree. We almost capsized trying to watch him fly behind us.
The on-the-water part of the adventure took about 4 hours. The distance was about 12 miles. (If you need help with the math, ask Andrew.) We stopped to stretch and eat lunch along the way on some exposed sandbars, and again imagined what it might have been like when the Indians stopped there to eat their granola bars and drink their iced tea and talk on their cell phones. We spent almost 2 hours shuffling vehicles. I imagine it was easier for the Indians to move their pick up trucks around without all the traffic we have today.
Pam enjoyed the trip, but with her heavy babysitting schedule, I doubt if she goes again. So that leaves the front seat open for the next trip. Contact me if you're interested. (Please be advised that since I quit drinking, Tom's River Adventures no longer accepts beer as payment.)
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