River tragedy

The death of one man while canoeing on the Sangamon River near Decatur reminds us all that while we're enjoying our river, nature remains full of perils. While no-one can know the details of how this person lost his life, we can all know that while the river entices us in, it can also be a dangerous place where a […]

Paddling in Winter

Hi All Woody and I did go out Saturday the 1st.  I wore long underwear and warm up pants, long sleeve T, hooded sweat shirt, and a water proof parka over a knit cap, ball cap and hooded sweat shirt.  On my feet I had socks and closed toed sandals.  I wore neoprene gloves.  The gloves were too tight so […]

New Year

At the start of 2011, the river has finally thawed and finally risen to a great paddling depth. Unfortunately it's COLD outside. Just before Christmas however, Abbey and I cleared the snow off the frozen river so she could practice her ice skating. At that point, the river below the ice was about a foot deep and the ice looked […]

Way Down Upon the Sangamon River

I grew up not far from the Suwanee River in Florida. These days, the Sangamon is flowing with the same clear, dark, tea-colored water, stained with the decaying leaves of Fall. The dark, reflective surface of the river shines, reflecting the rapidly fading colors. The river is up again, slightly, after the recent rain, but will surely recede with little more rain […]

Walkin’ on water

Well, at least where the water used to be. But when I look up and around while standing on the gravel river bottom out in the middle of the river, I truly feel a spiritual connection to the trees. And I feel sometimes like I could walk on water. And as I walk back up out of the river and […]