Maquoketa River Kayaking

Rick and I took a day to paddle down the Maquoketa River. We traveled 36 miles and just over 6 hours from just below the Maquoketa dam to a river access. 

Rick and I were a few hours into our trip when we saw this little baby groundhog swimming across the river. As we got closer he turned around mid-stream and tried to climb onto our kayak, he slipped and tried again and we realized how tired he must be to try to climb into our boat with us. Rick got a paddle under him and I steered us to shore. When we got close he slid back into the water and climbed onto the bank where he sat and watched us float away.

A colony of Cliff Swallows

Barn Swallow

Killdeer

Big Timber

Rick catches a Channel Cat on a lure in Big Timber river access 

Tree Swallow

Ricky unexpectedly caught this Short-nosed Gar

Ricky and his Short-nosed Gar - it was really scary to pull all those teeth into Rocinante!

A big Painted Turtle bullies a little Snapping Turtle

West Lake

 Janice, Bob, Nic, Rick and I took Rocinante to West Lake for some paddling.

Rick and Janice take Rocinante for a paddle around West Lake

Green Heron 

Great Blue Heron 

Rick and Bob take Rocinante around West Lake

This grackle beat the claws off this crawdad on the rocks before flying it back to its nest.

Lake Macbride

Rocky, Anita and Frank joined Rick and Erin at Lake Macbride to grill burgers and kayak.

Rocky drinking pond water

Rick and Anita paddle off in Rocinante

the underside of a Redstart

dandelion fluff

Loon

Merganser

Red Headed Woodpecker

Rock Creek

For all current and future parents: Please control your children.
We stayed in a crowded campground beside the lake at Rock Creek. The campground was empty when we got there but quickly filled with people camping/tailgating while preparing for the following days races. Among them, a rowdy group of kids with a lack of parental supervision. The running through our tent site didn't bother us much, but throwing things at our tent and a box full of dog poop next to our tent was too much. These "parents" did nothing to control or correct the fact that their children were harassing complete strangers.
We will never camp near NASCAR fans again.

Alex and Matt team up for a game of Ladderball

Our tent site

Supper 

Alex, Matt and Rick enjoy some brats - not the brats from the site next to us

impromptu "latern" hung from a fishing pole to play cards

Rick with a stick and a rock - not sure what's going on here

Anita's Garden

Anita plants an immensely huge garden every summer!

grapes

tomatoes, onions, strawberries, beans, asparagus, beets, radishes, lettuce, spinach, raspberries, blackberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, cucumbers, multiple varieties of peppers 

Rick, Frank and Anita survey the garden

Big Timber fishing

Rick pulls in a nice Channel Cat

First time we've seen a red-headed woodpecker!

TINY Bass bit off more than he could swallow

such a funny little fish. We don't know what he thought he was going to do with that lure

Red-headed Woodpecker