Mississippi River between Pakenham and Blakeney

August 31, 2021

It was a beautiful day for our four-hour canoe trip on the Mississippi River from Pakenham to Blakeney and return.

We had a bright sky with many fluffy clouds. At the beginng of our trip we paddled parallel to Hwy 29, past a trailer park with the many pontoon boats at their docks. We padddled under an old bridge (now used by ATVs) and came to the mouth of a creek. We turned into the creek to explore, paddling through a tunnel under the highway as far as we could before turning back to the main river. It was very picturesque.

Although there was a breeze and some riffles on the water, after two hours of easy paddling, we found a rock outcrop by the shore, perfect for a lunch stop. The owners of the property were not around, and we were careful to leave no trace of our visit.

Note the pothole carved by a swirling rock during the retreat of the last ice age.

Although we had not reached Blakeney, we wisely decided to start back. Unfortunately the sometimes gusty wind had pickedup and was now in our face the whole way. On the way down, we had seen a few birds but no other wildlife; but on the return, we saw a log full of basking turtles, some Wood Ducks, a Great Blue Heron flying by, and a Belted Kingfisher that posed for Barbara's photo.

As we had travelled close to the right bank of the river on the way down, we decided to paddle near the left bank on the way back. After a two-hour paddle against the wind, we passed under the bridge and returned to our put-in. It was time for a visit to Scoop's in Pakenham and a stop to buy fresh corn from a roadside stand. We reflected how much we had enjoyed our adventure.