Fourbeer Float
Last Saturday was hot and steamy. The recent rain has brought sticky humidity and had filled up the Minnehaha Creek with enough water to float for the first time since May. Timing couldn't have been more perfect either, because our friend
Marlin had just sent us his
Alpackaraft, I just got new frame bags from
Epic Designs and recently built up a new Travelers-Check.
After strapping the 5 lb (2.3kg) raft to the handlebars, the split paddle to the top tube, the PFD to the paddle, and the rest of the junk inside the frame bag, I still had room for beer. With ice in a dry bag, four Heineken king cans easily fit inside the monstrous seat bag.
Pedaling upstream along the paralleling bike path, I stopped for a lemonade stand. I make it a rule to stop every time, because you know how dejected kids feel when they get denied. These kids even put fresh mint leaves in the lemonade, sweet. Rolling 5 miles upstream, I arrived at a perfect launch spot. This was also the same section of the creek I used to catch crawfish for my fish tank when I was a kid.
After unloading the equipment from the bike, it took just a few minutes to inflate the raft. I removed the front wheel and left pedal from the bike, then strapped it down to the front of the boat with our Junk Straps. Too easy, really.
It was the kind of day where even a nice poof of Gold Bond Blue powder up the shorts doesn't cut it. So the water felt incredible and it was flowing nicely. It was just high enough to keep the boat off the rocks, but not so fast that it pushed you into the banks. In other words, the flow rate was conducive to beer drinking. PSSHT goes the first can, what a wonderful first sip. I was floating back to home at a leisurely 2-3 MPH (3-5 KMPH) and all I had to do was not spill beer.
Along the way, there were just two minor portages. One was through a shallow spot, the other through a tree jam, no big deal. I paddled about 50% of the time, either steering or just getting the raft back into the faster part of the creek.
The creek finally opened into Lake Hiawatha, which is just two blocks from my house. After paddling across the lake and onto the beach, I was done floating. I rolled everything up, packed it back on the bike and pedalled home. It was easily a Top 3 day of the summer. The only thing I'd do differently next time is bring five beers.
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After strapping the 5 lb (2.3kg) raft to the handlebars, the split paddle to the top tube, the PFD to the paddle, and the rest of the junk inside the frame bag, I still had room for beer. With ice in a dry bag, four Heineken king cans easily fit inside the monstrous seat bag.
Pedaling upstream along the paralleling bike path, I stopped for a lemonade stand. I make it a rule to stop every time, because you know how dejected kids feel when they get denied. These kids even put fresh mint leaves in the lemonade, sweet. Rolling 5 miles upstream, I arrived at a perfect launch spot. This was also the same section of the creek I used to catch crawfish for my fish tank when I was a kid.
After unloading the equipment from the bike, it took just a few minutes to inflate the raft. I removed the front wheel and left pedal from the bike, then strapped it down to the front of the boat with our Junk Straps. Too easy, really.
It was the kind of day where even a nice poof of Gold Bond Blue powder up the shorts doesn't cut it. So the water felt incredible and it was flowing nicely. It was just high enough to keep the boat off the rocks, but not so fast that it pushed you into the banks. In other words, the flow rate was conducive to beer drinking. PSSHT goes the first can, what a wonderful first sip. I was floating back to home at a leisurely 2-3 MPH (3-5 KMPH) and all I had to do was not spill beer.
Along the way, there were just two minor portages. One was through a shallow spot, the other through a tree jam, no big deal. I paddled about 50% of the time, either steering or just getting the raft back into the faster part of the creek.
The creek finally opened into Lake Hiawatha, which is just two blocks from my house. After paddling across the lake and onto the beach, I was done floating. I rolled everything up, packed it back on the bike and pedalled home. It was easily a Top 3 day of the summer. The only thing I'd do differently next time is bring five beers.
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