The river is fully twelve steps down at my place. The shallowest of the year. Last weeked members of the USRC led a float trip with our friends from the Sierra Club down the river from the Sangamon River Forest Preserve to Lake of the Woods. It was a fun trip  and a full day, with 17 people starting out (a few cut it short at various points along the way). 8 of us finished with the last group off the river at 4:30 for a seven hour trip. That route is just over 9 and a half miles. A day on the river is a great way to spend a Saturday. You should join us!

A few of us just constructed and tested the end point for the Sangamon River Duck Race. Jon constructed a 'funnel' that performed perfectly in selecting the winning duck. And the swimming pool noodles on the river were a beautiful sight. We'll try to add more color and decorations to the finish line. It should be a fascinating event with the duck race beginning with a dramatic drop off the iron bridge on Sangamon near downtown Mahomet.

Even though the river is down, and relatively more trees and sand bars are exposed, paddling remains easy, if slow. The current slows down wherever the river deepens and widens almost to a standstill. Of course, this makes an upstream paddle a great option. Heading upstream and then down also means you don't have to worry about where you're parking your car. You'll see too that after you turn around and go back the way you came, it could be an entirely different river. Putting in at the Sangamon River Greenway and paddling upstream towards the iron bridge would be a great trip right now, with no blockages and easy slow flow. Also, the Greenway provides easy access to the river under the newly cleared and remodeled Division Street bridge. You should see it under there! IDOT did a great job.

See you on the river!

Scott