We really wanted the 2024 finale to be taking Steve to Blackhawk Island. We were so excited that it worked out.
Getting permissions
We got our paddle passes arranged well-beforehand with UW Upham woods. We The website says the paddle season ends in October so we asked early if they would let us paddle in November weather permitting. A week before the launch, weather looked just right. After a bunch of emails due to staff outages, we finally got the a-ok for our time and date.
The Launch
In the last few years, the staff let us park right at the launch and were pretty chill about the procedures. (We didn’t break any rules, they were just not quite strict about it all.) Not this year. Everything was by-the-book. We had to move our cars to the lot after unloading. We had to get new waste-of-plastic paddle passes. We had to all sign in and out, sign liability waivers, and had to fill out a “float plan” which consists of going around the island. Yeah, we do still yearn for the days when we could just park by the side of the road and pop into the water, but those days are long gone. It all went smoothly enough while swallowing our incredulity at times.
The easy part was the launch because it is a sandy beach. There was a huge voyager canoe beached there – very impressive.
The Paddle
Well it was a beautiful day and Steve exclaimed multiple times how it was “just what he needed.” It was just what we all needed because we were devastated by the Nov 5 election results.
A fun thing about taking people on this paddle for the first time is they start declaring its beauty right away. It is delightful because we know that the ride just gets better and better. It starts with some minor bluffs and trees. Our first point-of-interest is where we used to launch and how it is all blocked off and a gazillion no trespassing signs are posted along the way. Around the corner is the dock for Sandstone Supper Club Rustic Retreat which this year had a closed tiki bar sort of thing. We marvel at how anyone could carry boats down those steps. After that, we continued to circle Blackhawk Island headed for the Wisconsin River. The smell of pine trees gets strong. Beautiful bluffs are on the left and on most days the water reflections are incredible.
But wait there’s more. We crossed the river to show our guests Coldwater Canyon which is a tourist destination but paddling in there is really a wonder. It’s cold and piney and it really feels like an exploration. It’s just a delight to revisit it and a thrill to show someone that hasn’t seen it before. We looked into taking a tour Upper Dells boat ride to see things from a different perspective, but it neared $100 for two tickets and decided it wasn’t quite worth it.
On this day as we were heading for the canyon, we saw a tour boat cross by. We assumed this meant we were in the clear for not meeting up with them. Mary and I worry about meeting tour boats through “the narrows” because it is so narrow with high walls so an uncareful boat driver can create a wake that sends us reeling. I think our guests think we are overly cautious, but we had a bad experience there once and will never forget it. We did not meet up with a boat and it is very pretty through there. Once out of the narrows, there are still pretty bluffs and forests but they aren’t so dramatic. The river is wider and the sun setting blazed our eyeballs. The river gets really wide before turning left, still following the island shore and it is bittersweet because the paddle is at its’ end.
We took out at the launch. Retrieved the cars. Checked out and used the facilities (which are top notch). Toasted the launch with some chocolate chip cookies and headed for home where we were dinner hosts for our friend CandyCandace.
The Pictures
2024 Year wrap up
We didn’t know that it would be our last paddle but suspected it would be. If there had been a freak warm day we might have paddled between the lakes right in Madison since somehow we hadn’t done the closest paddle at hand this year.
Due to health / body mechanics, we didn’t really know how much canoeing we would be able to do in 2024. Katia’s taking Wednesday afternoons off helped facilitated us a great deal to get out there. This was also the year we started to paddle with Steve – we are very compatible. Mary’s back problem seemed to clear up after an MRI in the spring – we jokingly claim that the MRI magnets had healing powers. (It wasn’t until after the canoe season was over that Deb had a spine procedure to improve her sciatic problem.)
Good thing we reinforced our mental health because our dear 17.5 year old white cat Isabelle / Izzy died shortly after you-know-who was elected. Not just metaphorically, our house’s supports (actual cedar tree posts) was cracking.
We are quite aware that we’re not getting any younger, but hope in 2025 we can still get out there on the water for some quiet paddling in Wisconsin. With what is going on in the world, we’re going to need the respite.