HOV Locks Paddle

Altered route came with usual enjoyment

Pulling up to our takeout spot for the Locks Paddle at Riverview Park in Kaukauna was a rude wake-up. The boat ramp area was enveloped in construction equipment, leaving virtually no parking spaces … but nobody seemed to complain.

It was the theme for the day. People were happy to be out on the water and experiencing the history of the Fox River Locks.

The major problem was that what was supposed to be the Appleton Locks Paddle became the Heart of the Valley Locks Paddle. Summer rains and weekend downpours pushed the Fox River flow well over the 6,000 cubic feet per second limit for what NEWP considers safe. At that level of flow, we are concerned someone could get caught in the draw of a dam and have a very bad day.

So, we moved downstream, where a canal protects boats from the powerful force of the dams. The more stagnant water is decidedly green. But no one complained.

From the accessible kayak launch in Kimberly to the scummed up boat landing in Kaukauna we found a lovely day of paddling under partly cloudy skies. We shared the river-way with half a dozen great-blue herons, a couple of kingfishers and what appeared to be immature bald eagles.

We watched a man push a turnstile around and around to open the towering gates holding back the Fox River, as they did in the 1850s. We became part of the world’s only fully restored, hand-operated lock system.

We had just entered the Little Chute Lock when someone on shore called for help with a medical emergency. A woman walking down a hill had fallen face-first. One of two medical doctors on the trip rendered aid until an ambulance arrived. We waited for the doctor to rejoin us. But no one complained.

The takeout was the usual scene of our paddlers helping each other land and load their boats. Several people thanked me, on behalf of the Public Paddle Committee, for organizing the event.

The day’s count was 62 boats, 66 paddlers, and one dog. And no complaints.