Final day

The group successfully completed Tacitus Hussey's original journey from 1892. It is hard to imagine the first journey without the aid of technology and the modern communication that we used. The one thing that we found that has not changed in over a century is the beauty of this river or the kindness of the people in the towns along the waterway. Here is the group at the end of this historic reenactment. The silly hats and balloons were a gift from Robin Fortney of Des Moines. We began the day with a car portage from the previous night's camp at Jester Park down to Cottonwood park for our final put-in. We then did the car shift down to our final take-out at Union Park. On the original trip, Tacitus referred to this take-out as Thompson Bend. We did originate the trip at the location in Humboldt that was closest to his description and ended at the same take-out he described in his book "The River Bend". The only change from the first journey of 1892 was a necessary car shuttle past Saylorville Lake. The high winds and very high waves made that section unsafe to paddle. We began the last 10 miles of the 130 mile trip at the put-in in Cottonwood by the fishing pier. The first few miles found us accompanied by a flock of 7 Great Blue Herons. The wind was high once again (20-25mph) but without the 3-5ft waves of the previous day. We gently paddled through the greenbelt and found it hard to believe that we were so close to a major city. Some speed boats and jet skies were seen for the first time today. It is hard to believe that it took a full week to find anyone else on the river in a hurry to go somewhere. We arrived at Prospect Park in Des Moines a bit before noon. Dick Howard was there to greet the group. Shortly after we arrived, 3 women from Can-coctions, LLC (Patti Wobker, Mary Kohler, and Val White) arrived to present us with gifts of cup holders for the boats. The said they are called "Can/panions" and were a great addition to the final few miles. The folks with the cup holders can be contacted at www.can-coctions.com or 1-866-647-2267. Considering the amount of water consumed by each of us, it would have been great to have had them a week earlier. Robin arrived at noon with balloons and hats to celebrate our final leg of the adventure. Here's John with his fish balloon. Rick Dietz, Ames, rejoined the group along with Robin for the final few miles. Our final take-out was joyous. A bit of cheering and a bit of regret for me that our journey was at an end. We were invited to tour a paddlewheel boat that was next to the take-out. The owner is lovingly refurbishing the boat for dinner cruises. The chandelier and light fixtures were worth the visit. Here is Al at the take-out with the inflated crawdad that followed us down the final stage of the river tethered to our canoe. Once all gear was packed, we headed to Union Park for a celebration. As the wind speed increased and the skies became overcast, more and more local folks arrived in the park to join in the festivities. Robin served root beer floats to the 30 or so folks while we shared tales of our trip. John was kind enough to do a PowerPoint presentation on Tacitus Hussey and his influence on Des Moines. Tacitus loved the Iowa rivers and was a champion for preserving them so that we could accomplish what we completed today. While John shared a few of the pictures from the trip, I read portions from the blog to tell people a bit about the first and second day on the journey. It is so great to share the story about Tacitus Hussey with folks and honor the man who has made such an impact on our lives. He wrote of the wild roses along his original journey and of filling the bow of his canoe with these beautiful flowers. The final gesture will be for John to visit Hussey's grave and place a wild rose that was picked during the journey on his grave. Al and I left Des Moines around 4pm headed back to Cedar Falls. We did see 5 egrets in a field on the way home while we fought heavy winds. The main roads over the Iowa River were closed by high water (what else?) so our detouring delayed our expected arrival.

This truly has been an experience to be remembered. One of the funniest moments of the trip was provided by a traveler at the motel on the morning of day 6. When she saw our vehicles topped with canoes and kayaks, she told her husband that this must be a group of young folks. Upon seeing us leave the cars, she corrected herself by saying "boy, was I wrong". I believe anything is possible if there is passion and joy in the doing, no matter the age. I think every one of us has completed the journey with special memories. Adrienne spoke of the eagle swooping down and snatching the fish from the river, John spoke of a renewed appreciation of Tacitus Hussey and what he accomplished. My memories will always be of the amazing people that we meet along the way. They welcomed this weary band of travelers with open arms and taught us valuable lessons in unselfish giving and friendship. In the spirit of Tacitus Hussey, may each of you spend as much time as possible enjoying our Iowa rivers and creeks.

Note: Please visit the Paddling Iowa trip report site for postings from the paddlers and many of the supporters - http://paddlingiowa.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=1947