Early season whitewater kayaking has turned into a birthday tradition for me these past few years. However, the rivers in northern Wisconsin are still iced in (up?) so on Wednesday I drove down to the Grafton and Cedarburg area to meet up with my O.W.K.M. (Original Whitewater Kayak Mentor) Rob Smage, AKA “Root River Rob”. After sea kayaking for many years, I first ventured into whitewater kayaking by tagging along with Rob back in 2011. He knows the rivers of SE Wisconsin like the back of his hand so I knew he would have a good handle on flow levels and where boating would be best. We chose runs in Grafton and Cedarburg that I had not paddled for several years. I invited Green Bay area friend Derick Wollner to join us. The three of us had a great time, first on the Milwaukee River in Grafton putting in near Bridge Street and taking out in Lime Kiln Park.
Then after a short shuttle over to Cedar Creek in Cedarburg, we put in next to Rebellion Brewing in downtown Cedarburg and paddled to the Lakefield Road bridge.
After the morning runs we met up with Derick’s fiancée, Sammie, and the four of us enjoyed lunch at Milwaukee Ale House in Grafton. A fine way to enjoy a birthday.
Here’s the video:
