Upper Iowa River 2b: C. Baker County Park to Decorah

Tom's lunch-time cigar

We stopped for a shore lunch at one of the rare gravel banks, around 1:00 PM. The limestone pebbles made me think of miniature versions of some of the collapsed bluff sections we had seen along the river. Where the macro versions had suggested river tsunamis, the micro remains of bluffs were just right for skipping rocks across the river. Pretty soon, a friendly skipping competition was under way, only interrupted when Mellie had to be whistled back when she attempted to retrieve a rock from the stream or when the odd kayak or canoe (three of them in total) came by. Some of the rocks were clearly fossilized coral, of the "Galena Group dolomite of ­Ordovician age" about 450 million years old, as I learned on p. 45 of the Iowa State Preserves pamphlet.

Soon, we were floating again, too. The boys had forgotten their mishap, took the lead and were quickly out of sight. Unfortunately, and very much to their fathers' chagrin, they were still very much out of sight when we passed Hutchinson Family Farm & Campground, where we had h to hoped pend the night. There was nothing we could do but continue downstream. When we finally caught up with them about a mile farther down the river there was no thinking about backtracking to the campground because of the swift current. The missed chance at a restful afternoon was added to the growing rap sheet of our careless travelers. Like us, they were quite disappointed.

Malanaphy Springs invites to take a refreshing shower

As the afternoon wore on, the effects of the warm sun and the stagnant air became more and more noticeable. A small waterfall on the left bank seemed like a welcome chance to take a refreshing shower. Malanaphy Springs (p. 45) gushes out high in the bluff and its waters tumble down in a small torrent towards the Upper Iowa. We climbed up to the spring, glad to stretch our legs.

The spring is located a ways up on the bluff wall

Refreshed, we continued, still aided by the swift current. Gradually, the stream became more populated, we passed a few canoes, kayaks and even some inner-tubes. This did not seem to bother the bird life along the river. Great blue herons (Ardea herodias) flew up frequently just downstream from us, I saw green herons (Butorides virescens), too.

Signs on the bridges we passed alerted us to the remaining distance to the Hwy 52 bridge at the outskirts of Decorah. 3.5 miles, then 2, then we swept under the highway. The steps up to the public landing were tiny. Our van wasn't here yet, so we paddled the few hundred yards to Pulpit Rock Campground, run by Decorah Parks and Rec.