6/24/2017 Hunter’s Bridge to Lytle Bay

This day today was dedicated to Family. This is the annual Heinz family kayak trip, that we have been doing for many, many years. This is the time when my Brothers, Sisters, Nieces, Nephews and anyone that wants to join in is welcome. This year’s group was small, due to the change of the date. We had conflicts with Patty Heinz wedding shower and the local Lake Mills Festival where we lost a few. But, the group that did come had a great time. The weather was a little less than desirable with the days high temperature of 68 degrees, being a little low for the end of June. Skies were partly sunny, but mostly cloudy. The water temperature was a verified 68 degrees by the family scientist (Brian did not trust me for the reading–and we are still contesting the 2 degree variance.) The group consisted of Ben, Brother Bob, Brother Jim and his wife, Janice, My nephew the Scientist Brian, Nephew-in-law Kyle, and myself. A hearty crew. The River Stage was 7.9 and rising, a healthy 3.5 mph current, and mostly calm. Wind conditions ranged from 8 mph with gusts up to 15 mph. We had to earn our progress for the day every now and then.

We saw 1 eagle and a few turtles and some butterflies, but I was not fast enough today to get pictures of them. The only event for the day happened early on, with Bob running into a tree and flipping himself into the water–he said the water was “fine”. Being the tough “old man” that he is, he gritted it out without help for the rest of the day. To be fair, I did trip late in the day and also went swimming, but I TRIPPED. Enjoy the pictures of our trip.