DuPage River trip for Saturday 5/12/18.
Based on the forecast of 20 – 30% chance of rain, four kayakers and I in my solo canoe took a chance and put in on the DuPage at Eaton Preserve Launch (135th St.). Normal take-out would be at Hammel Woods, but figured we’d be pressing our luck to go beyond the lunch stop at Rivertowne Parkway Canoe Launch south of Caton Farm Rd. We ended there just minutes before thunderstorms hit around 12:30, a trip of a little under 8 miles.
Weather was cool, but pleasant, although the headwind picked up in the straightaway along Wedgewood Golf Course. It was a particularly busy day for herons and egrets, with swallows dipping over the water and orioles singing from the trees. Current about typical for this flatwater area. (Plainfield gauge height about 7.52’.)