Kayak Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Justin Eller, Holly Eller
Date: July 21, 2024
I always wanted to kayak this stretch from downtown Dayton to my hometown but the dangerous low dam at the old DP&L Tait Station prevented this since we would have to exit the river and portage around it. However, the low dam was removed a couple years ago. So, on this beautiful day, Justin put in at downtown Dayton at Riverscape to paddle through the two man-made rapids (River Rapids #1). Rosie, Holly, and I put in just south at the last two rapids (River Rapids#2). We paddled past the Dayton Art Institute and under several bridges. We had to look ahead and pick the correct route as some parts of the river in Dayton was shallow. We saw blue herons, white gulls and lots of beautiful blue wildflowers. We paddled past Carillon Park, UD Basketball Arena and then over the former low dam site where we had a mini rapid to negotiate. Once we kayaked under East River Road in Moraine, the river became wider, and the water depth was much deeper in most areas. We saw dozens of turtles and four or five boats with men fishing.
When we took out at the East River Road Landing dock in Moraine, we had paddled 5.9 miles in about three hours. It was a fun trip.
