KAW 173 – Day 4

River Mile 123 and kayaked 31 miles to River Mile 92 on the Kansas River Water Trail

We were welcomed around 5:30 this morning to the sound of thunder and lightning. We had anticipated this, so it was no surprise although we had expected it to happen earlier in the night. As I’m writing this, I am in my tent completely dry listening to the sound of the rain, thunder and lightening.

Morning rain is a quiet and contemplative place. I often think of my childhood and years spent camping and boating in the rain. My parents led by example and never let a little rain stop them.

We pushed off the sandbar by 9am and made a slight change to our plans. I was watching the hydrograph and I could see that the river was still stable for the moment and would be for the rest of the day, but the surge of rain would hit the river on Tuesday.

Our original plan was to supply up at Belvue and then find a sandbar for the night. We were then planning to stay at Sach’s Cabin (Kaw River Adventures) on Tuesday night to get a much-needed shower and rest before our big Community Visit at Topeka. Well, the best laid plans often and get changed by mother nature…So I contacted Robby at Kaw River Adventures home of the Sach’s Cabin and asked if we could camp in our tents for the night, a day early. We decided it was best to sit out on Tuesday and let the wall of water get past us for a safer adventure.

Robby and his family have been so good to us over the years, and today was no different. They told us to come on out and they’d have the cabin ready for us. We stopped off at Belvue around 11 AM after an interview with KSNT News. We paddled a total of 31 miles today and feel good about our progress. We did see lots of wildlife, but to be honest we were on a mission to get to the cabin by the end of the day.

We arrive at the cabin at 5:30 pm and were warmly greeted by Robby, Bob, Suzy, and Everett. They helped us get our gear unloaded, boats secure and everything up to the cabin. Once we got to the cabin, we were surprised by Suzy with fried chicken, cheese potatoes, corn, close slaw, biscuits and baked beans! Can you imagine our delight? What a wonderful family, they truly make you feel welcome and so at home in their cabin. I still can’t believe the food spread that awaited us!

At this point in the day, we are all taking turns for the shower! It feels so good… and tonight we will all get a good nights sleep off the river in a safe spot.

Tomorrow, on Tuesday, we will wait the day out off the river and let the higher flows from the rains pass us. On Wednesday morning, we will push off from the cabin and arrive at Kaw State Park as planned to meet with Secretary Loveless of KDWPT and others from the Topeka Riverfront Advisory Committee. We hope that many of our members will join us in celebration on Wednesday morning in celebration of the Kansas River Water Trail in Topeka!

On top of this change of plans, my son had made plans to come and join us for the 30 miles between Belvue and Topeka, as a birthday gift. Our family has a tradition of giving each other our time in leu of gifts. I am very grateful for this day with my son on the river that I love and grateful for this KAW 173 team!

For the river,
Dawn, Your Kansas Riverkeeper

River Mile 167 and kayak 26 miles to River Mile 141 of the Kansas River Water Trail

We made it from just downstream of Junction City all the way to halfway between Manhattan and St. George… and boy was it hot! We’ve experienced many Kansas summers on the Kaw and we’ve learned how to be prepared. Four of us have shade umbrellas on our kayaks and before you make fun of that, know this…they work! We also take many breaks along the way to sit in the shade and sit in the river because the cooling water can actually cool you off really quickly. And lastly, we are really diligent about hydrating. Many many thanks to Kim, our program manager, who is meeting us along the way with freshwater and on days like today, cold watermelon! Big thanks also to one of our guides’ wife in Manhattan who brought us cold drinks which was such a fabulous treat!

Today we had a public paddle and a community event in Manhattan! We are so grateful to all of those that came and celebrated the trail with us. We enjoyed visiting with the mayor of Manhattan, and many other public servants that works so tireless for the community. Just think of all the possibilities along the river trail in this community, from kayak storage lockers to bike rentals to get you downtown. We look forward to developing these opportunities with Manhattan!

Today was another stellar day of wildlife and we saw many bald eagles and herons again, a few beavers and so many birds that it’s hard to remember them all.

I’m going to sign off for tonight and enjoy dinner on the sandbar and what I’m sure will be a beautiful sunset. We are looking forward to 85 degrees tomorrow! See you in St George!

For the river,

Dawn, Kansas Riverkeeper