Yesterday, I took a 10 mile trip from Montgomery to Yorkville with my wife. It's a 10 mile trip, from the dam in Montgomery to the dam in Yorkville. It's a solid stretch of river with few if any power boats or real obstacles. We did it in about 3 hours.

The water was surprisingly shallow, despite a rainstorm the night before. We scraped up plenty, but were able to move onward just fine. There were a few times I had to get out and pull, but it was just over sandbars.

I like this stretch of river because it's a relaxing and strong paddle. It's obstacle free, and features many different islands and scenic areas. The current's typically strong too, so the paddling isn't too challenging. Good weather always helps too!

Parking is simple. Just park at the park in Montgomery, and at the relating park in yorkville. Simple, quick, and easy. Starting after a dam and getting out before another means your trip is portage free as well.

On the hottest weekend of the summer, my dad and I went on a round trip to Starved Rock and back. It's a 16 mile round trip from Ottawa, parking overnight at the riverside boat launch park.

Getting to Starved Rock was the easiest part of the trip. It took about 4 hours, going 8ish miles. Downstream, so it's a bit easier. Speedboats were a little problem. But, with the river so wide, they are fairly easy to dodge.

We broke for lunch at starved rock. After cooling off a bit, we started the trip back. This was a bit harder. The wind was at our backs, which did help.

We camped on Sheehan Island, on the west side in a cove. We hunted around for a site for a bit, and eventually found one that wasn't too muddy. It worked out, especially during an overnight storm. Good tree coverage kept us pretty safe from rain and wind.

The next day was tough. 4 miles upstream. After the rain from the previous night, the Illinois river had quite a current. It was about 1-2 MPH, with spikes in the 3s. We had to paddle full strength for over 2 hours to get back. In the heat... that was rough. But, we made it.

We did pass through a bunch of fish schools along the way. We got close enough to spook a few, and they'd jump out of the water by us. One hit off the boat, and another almost landed inside.