Canoeing and kayaking in full swing on the Kickapoo

With a beautiful start to the Memorial Day weekend, Saturday’s sunshine and warm temperatures found the Kickapoo river busy with canoe and kayak enthusiasts alike.

Having just ended their time on the water just South of Rockton, members of the Kickapoo Valley Croquet Club were continuing what has been a weekly get together during the spring/summer.

“We do this every weekend and have a lot of fun,” member Dan Heublein said.

The group had a special addition to this past weekend outing, as one of Heublein’s friends Barbara Richter traveled from Vermont for a visit. Richter remarked, “This was just beautiful, we couldn’t have asked for a better day on the water.”

As with most tourist destinations in Wisconsin, Memorial Day weekend marks the opening for many outdoor activities to the Driftless area.

Known as the Canoe Capital of the Driftless Region, several canoe/kayak businesses in Ontario, Wisconsin rely heavily on the summer season, working hard to meet the demand for hundreds of rentals during a weekend.

With the flooding from last summer/fall and the Kickapoo seeing some additional flooding this spring, big log jams at Bridge 8, Campsite V and the Rockton ;) landing required a skidder to clear them out. Nate of Bolden Logging provided the skidder to make that happen. Mead and Hunt Engineering in Madison, Wisconsin donated $1600 to Kickapoo Valley Reserve towards the cost of log removal and cleanup, while Ontario’s canoe and kayak liveries joined in the cleanup.

Pictured back row L to R- L to R - Kya Workowski, Ken Workoski, Jamie Lamonde, Barb Richter holding Oscar the Kayaking Wonder Dog, Allison Mendoza, Dan Hublein and Thane Parr.

Front row L to R- Morgan Cherven, Michelle Workowski, Cheree van Staden, Mona B, and Marissa Worskowski