Who We are:
Central Iowa Paddlers is an informal group of paddlesport enthusiasts formed in 1997.
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What We Do:
The mission of the club is to share paddling
information, promote paddling opportunities and paddlesport safety, and encourage care of our aquatic resources for both new and experienced paddlers.
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Water Words from Webster County
by Clark Fletcher
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Lentsch site is ready for spring plantings
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A dry summer means fewer paddling opportunities but more trail development activities. The Lizard Creek Water trail has been progressing well due to combined efforts of Webster County Conservation, the City of Fort Dodge, and a group of local volunteers led by businessmen Bennett O'Connor and Nick Garst. Ambitious plans have pushed the project from a 2 access trail encompassing 7 miles of water trail to a 4 access trail covering 14 miles of north Lizard creek.
The 3 upstream accesses have been secured through land donations and 10 year easements with private land owners. The "headwaters" access is located on P29 1 mile north of highway 7. Local supporters have taken to naming the accesses after the landowner who donated or granted easement to the stream. Land for this first access was donated by local landowners Tim and Michelle Lentsch and is thus referred to as the Lentsch site.
The second upstream access is located on Hayes Avenue, 1 mile north of highway 7 and the Valero energy plant. Joe and Sue Cunningham granted the easement for this site.
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Additional grading and plantings finished in spring at Cunningham site
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Rasch Site : Author's Favorite
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The third upstream access has been provided by Ken and Jane Rasch. Longtime supporters of Fort Dodge and Webster County, the Rasches have been enthusiastic supporters of the water trail development. The Rasch access is this author's favorite put in location. Located close to Fort Dodge, this access facilitates early morning paddling to the office, as well as convenient after work stress relief! Many visiting paddlers also prefer this stream access as it is the closest to the lower rapids sections of Lizard creek. This is the last site to be developed and we hope the rock can be dropped and graded before the winter season cuts construction off.
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Phinney Park: Final Access
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Webster County Conservation and the City of Fort Dodge shared a part time summer employee to work strictly on land and water trails. The Webster County road department donated equipment and manpower to excavate and grade the Lentsch, Cunningham, and Rasch accesses. Conservation employees have done the final grading and rock distributions, and they will be handling the spring plantings as well as installing signage and the trail kiosks.
Every trail must have an ending and the Lizard Creek trail ends at the confluence of the creek with the Des Moines River. This landing falls in the Fort Dodge city boundaries and we have received tremendous support from the city. A multi-use parking lot was designed and installed in 2010. Funding was provided by combining the need for parking for a bicycle trail with the water trail parking. The cycle trail provided part of the funds and the city general funds paid for the remaining. The parking lot provides head in parking for 8 vehicles as well as space for 5 vehicles with trailers. Lizard creek has been closed to navigation for the past 2 years due construction of new bridges on US 169. (The bridge piers are gone! The rapids are still there, but those concrete structures in the middle of the stream are no more) Our new parking lot has seen use through this past season as local fishermen access the river and walkers will park and use the trail that runs along the river through Phinney park.
Once the city provided the parking, our local volunteers set out to create the  access to the stream. Following a vision provided by Nick Garst and Bennett O'Connor a trail was cut through the woods to reach the lower land by the stream.
The volunteer group has raised over $30,000 to pay for grading, road rock, and the streamside access.
They have also cut a streamside trail for walking and viewing the creek as well as access to the last section of rapids on the stream. Many local hikers and
fishermen have already bee n enjoying this new amenity.
Our goal is for the water trail to be ready for customers by late spring of 2012. Many more projects are on the horizon as we see great potential for expanding paddling opportunities in Webster County. Low water this summer, combined with a badly damaged gate on the hydroelectric dam has allowed a glimpse of what the Des Moines River would look like with the dam removed. Probably not a project to be seen in the near future, but someday something will have to be done.
We all hope for much needed water this fall, winter, and spring. Water trails are not a lot of fun when you are on foot!
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Traditional Beaver-tail Paddles For Sale
All proceeds go to river awareness and water quality projects in Madison County
 These traditional Beaver-Tail paddles have been hand crafted and produced by the Madison County River Alliance in Winterset, IA. These paddles are made to be used, but also make wonderful wall hanging décor - a great gift for traditional paddlers. Each paddle sells for $125 and all proceeds go towards river awareness and water quality projects in Madison County.
If you wish to view or purchase a paddle, please contact Bob LaFollette at 515-462-2606 or the Madison County Conservation Board office at 515-462-3536.
The paddles are constructed of North American native woods:
- The shafts are constructed of Poplar
- The blades are constructed of either Oak, Poplar or Hard Maple
- The accent strips are constructed of either Walnut or Redwood.
 Each paddle is individually crafted and is slightly unique in size, length and weight. The final dimensions were hand hewn with a "spoke-shave" providing slightly varying thicknesses of blades, grips as well as varying diameters of shaft sizes for various grip preferences.
These paddles are protected with a thick base layer of tough resin epoxy and topped with Tung oil rubbed on with fine steel wool.
The Madison County River Alliance plans to produce a different style of paddle each year, with only 24 paddles produced per year. Each paddle is branded with the Madison County River Alliance logo as well as the year that it was crafted.
Finally, each paddle is accompanied with a laminated card that provides the historical background for the design and use of the paddle as shown below:
The traditional Beaver-Tail paddle is credited to the Ojibwa Tribe of the northern lakes region of the United States and the Canadian Shield
The guide grip was first associated with the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Eastern Canada. The elongated grip was useful for pushing off and striking. This paddle was also used during the fur trade by voyageurs, utilizing their large canoes, to bring back valuable furs that supplied the many camps and trading posts of the region.
The northern trade route, (Voyageurs Highway from Grand Portage on Lake Superior northwest to Fort Chipewyan on Lake Athabasca) covered over 2,000 miles of waterways. Travel consisted of 80 mile days and 60 strokes per minute. The Beaver-Tail Paddle design provided a long powerful stroke that created optimum speed and proved less tiring over these long distances.
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Armchair Paddler Series Continues to be Popular
 Nearly 30 participants attended the November 8th Armchair Paddler presentation where Diane Michaud Lowry, Teresa Newcomb, and Sharon Anderson provided great information on the gear, knowledge, and skills one should posses before going wilderness tripping in kayaks.
The presentation, which included striking photos from many exotic locations, prompted a number of questions that were thoroughly answered by the presenters. Afterward, participants were allowed to to come up to the table and look at the gear and ask further questions. One thing was certain, the fewer items the better. One of the challenges of wilderness kayaking compared to wilderness canoeing is the limited space a kayak offers for stowage. The trade-off is a kayak can get you to places and through tough weather situations that a canoe may not.
Mark your calendars for the next armchair paddler presentation on Tuesday, December 13th, when Steve Parrish (a frequent contributor to theCIP newsletter) will present on paddling big waters:
 | | Steve Parrish (photo by Diane Lowry) |
Paddling Big Water ... Tips, Tricks and Ideas for safely paddling open waters.
Ever want to try out paddling in open lakes? Want to go on a multiday paddling trip? Interested in hearing about new places to paddle? Do you want to safely "up your game" in paddling? CIP paddler Steve Parrish, who has paddled in 20 states and 7 countries, offers some tips and tricks for getting intobig water paddling. With an emphasis on both safety and fun, Steve will present some of the places he'straveled, and offer ideas for how you can find your own special paddling spots.
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Costa Rica Whitewater Paddling Trip Nov 19-26, 2011
by Piper Wall
Piper Wall, Dave Hillman, Kurt Pelzer, Chris Pelzer from Iowa
Endless River Adventures outfitter (rivers, lodging, meals, transport, Juliet, Joe, Daniel, Miguel, Fabian)
Mazy, Phil, Kevin, Scott from various other states (TX, TN, NC, FL)
Day 1, Saturday, November 19
Leave Dave Hillman's house at o-dark-hundred to check in at the Cedar Rapids airport for our 6:55am flight. Feel bad for the 4 people not going to Aruba by way of Chicago and for the Continental person working solo with a pretty decent line of people and an electronic check in kiosk that wasn't checking in (at least not passports).
Wait, wait, wait --> get checked in and take stuff to baggage scanning --> answer "paddles" in the bag question --> gate/smooth flight to Houston for connection --> move crisply along to connection gate --> arrive at start of boarding
Packing strategy --> put essential paddling gear (helmet, pfd, spray skirt, air bags, booties, rash guard, river shorts, and splash jacket) in carry-on, put helmet cams and related electronics in "computer" bag carry-on
Houston boarding (larger plane: three seats wide on both sides of the aisle)--> Hillman gets on first with his paddling gear, mine gets gate checke
Fly to San Jose, Costa Rica --> land in rain --> exit plane and try to find out where to wait for gate-checked baggage: The two airport folks in the moveable walkway into which we debark from the plane have no idea what I'm asking (I don't know Spanish for any of the needed words). End up going farther up the walkway and ask the two security folks near the into airport end. They also have no idea what I am asking, but they indicate that I must continue up the walkway and into the airport; so I do. Once in the airport, I am fortunate enough to ask a gate attendant who does know what I'm asking and tells me that gate-checked baggage goes with the rest of the baggage for picking up rather than back to the person right at the plane as has been my experience with smaller aircraft doing in the USA flights.
Hillman and I and Mazy, a fellow paddler in our group who turned out to be sitting near Hillman on the plane, head for baggage and customs. All of our stuff has traveled with us (WooHoo!), and we are quickly spotted by Miguel, one of our week's drivers.
Mazy has been in Costa Rica with the Endless River Adventures folks before, and on our van ride to the hotel we find out that so has Phil but not Kevin (both picked up at the airport with us).
(Chris and Kurt flew from Chicago to Mexico City with a chan ge to AeroMexico and a very late night arrival in Costa Rica; so they had to get a taxi to the hotel when they arrived.)
Meet with Juliet and Danniel at the hotel about 2:00pm; get ch ecked in; then Hillman, Phil, Kevin, Mazy, and I spend the afternoon walking.
We opt to walk to the square --> herds of people, see a few parrots, watch an interesting pigeon (walk one direction with the people for a short distance, fly back to its starting point, repeat). On the way back, Phil introduces us to Trits, yum!
When we return to the hotel, we note that just a couple blocks from the hotel in direction we are going is "the end of the world." Daylight is a bit faded, there is fog/mist, and the road goes from slightly downhill to simply gone. We touch base with Juliet, Danniel, and Joe; then Phil and I decide to check out "the end of the world" before we all head over to supper. At the end of the visible from the hotel, we discover a steepened downhill to a spiffy tall building (maybe apartments?) to our right with a traffic turn around circle straight ahead of us, fencing, a nice fountain piece, and a path along the fencing to our left. We take the path to the end of the world - a cut-off hillside with a road far below and, within hearing but not visible, a river far below and beyond the road. The far side from us is a mystery, totally enshrouded in foggy mist.
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Time to Renew your CIP Membership
You can now renew your CIP membership online through PayPal. It's fast, easy, and safe! All payments received for membership dues will renew you through December 2012.
For an annual $10 Basic or $15 Patron Membership CIP members receive:
- Monthly electronic newsletters
- Schedule of paddlesport events
- Email notices of upcoming events and trips, some of which may not appear on the schedule
- A membership list sent to all paid members in March
- Armchair Paddlers Speaker Series October through April
Patron level memberships enable the organization to provide continued support of Project AWARE, the Iowa Rivers Revival and the River Run Garbage Grab. To renew electronically, select the membership level below and click on the large "Renew Today" button. |
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Eighth Annual New Year's Day Float by Steve Parrish
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It's hard to believe we will be having our eighth "official" New Years Day paddle. Heck, it's hard to believe will have a New Years Day soon!
Come one, come all to start off the year the right way. Put on all the gear you have, steel up your courage, and come out and have some of the most fun you'll have all year. As always, we will put in at the Sycamore entrance to the Des Moines River, below the Saylorville spillway. In Johnston, take NW Beaver to NW 66th Ave and go east (or west if you're coming from NW 26th St) .
This is an easy to moderate paddle. The current is generally not fast until it narrows near the dam. The entire roundtrip is about three miles, although it is not unusual for some to paddle a shorter route. The pace is what you make it, but no one is ever in a rush ... that just makes the wind colder. Some of us have been known to go out for breakfast afterwards - as a reward, and a way to warm up!
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Speaking of cold, we've had a few warm New Years days over the years, and a LOT of cold days. You have to have adequate gear to be safe and have fun. It is important that you dress adequately for the weather (dress for the water, not the air!), and have an emergency kit with you. Please refer to the many articles in our Newsletter for suggestions on what to wear and what to pack.
The paddle will occur at 9 am.
If you have questions, contact Steve Parrish: sbparrish@q.com 515-284-6910 See a Video of the 2010 New Year's Day Paddle:  | | 2010 New Year's Day Paddle Des Moines River |
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Central Iowa Paddlers Ball Caps Now Available Via PayPal!
CIP ball-caps are now available via PayPal for $20 (includes shipping). They are made of comfortable, lightweight cotton material. One size fits all with the easily adjustable Velcro band.
We will have them available at the Armchair Paddler series for $15, but if you are unable to make it due travel distance (and why else would you miss the armchair paddler events?), we are now offering them online for $20.
Get yours today while supplies last! Limited quantity available.
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Thank you for letting us inform you of important announcements. If you ever have suggestions or comments, please feel free to share them with us at centraliowapaddlers@gmail.com.
Sincerely, Board of Directors
Central Iowa Paddlers
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