Saturday, April 14, 2012 - Rooks Creek Trip

[Danno]

On Saturday, April 14, 2012 I'll be leading a trip on Rooks Creek.
The shuttle will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the Rook's Creek Bridge on Route 116.

Rook's Creek is located in Livingston County, near Pontiac, IL. This is one of my favorite small streams in Central Illinois. It has some very nice scenery with many twists and turns, a few riffles, some deadfalls, and it passes through a fairly undeveloped part of Livingston County. Wildlife is abundant along the banks. It is a very peaceful and beautiful place.

Rook's Creek is a tributary of the Vermilion River and has a fairly small watershed. Paddling on Rook's Creek is usually only possible during the Spring or after a heavy rain, so it is a real treat to paddle on this beautiful little stream. If the water level is too low or too high to paddle on Rook's Creek, we'll do a section of the Vermilion River.

This trip is fairly long, nearly 14 miles in length. We usually don't do this trip unless there is an adequate water level with good current, but the trip is still longer than the average club trip. The days are still a bit short when this trip occurs. Please plan for a long day on the water.

Wind can also be a factor at this time of the year. During most of the trip, Rooks Creek will offer good protection from the wind, but some areas will be exposed and can be very windy at times. The Take-Out area can be especially windy at times.

DIRECTIONS

From I-55 take Exit #197 ( Route 116 ) at Pontiac, IL.
Head West on Route 116 toward Flanagan, IL for about 2 - 3 miles.
Rook's Creek will be the first bridge that you come to.

There is a little Church on the North side of the road right next to the creek.

Park along the North shoulder of Route 116 or along the County Road next to the Church, but please DO NOT park in the Church parking lot. Please be respectful of the nearby Cemetery.



MAP for the Rooks Creek Trip

--- SAFETY WARNING --- --- SAFETY WARNING --- --- SAFETY WARNING ---

There may be a log to lift over, a fallen tree to avoid, or a fence to duck under. It may be windy at times. This trips is nearly 14 miles in length. There will be good current for most of the trip, and some tight bends to negotiate. This is not a whitewater creek, but you should have good boat handling skills and moving water experience to participate in this trip. Fast water, tight bends, nearly vertical river banks, and strainers ( fallen trees in the water ) can be a dangerous combination. The day may be warm, but the water will still be cold, so dress and gear-up appropriately ( no cotton clothing ). High water levels and/or cold temperatures increase the difficulty of this trip.

I usually try to lead a trip on Rook's Creek each Spring. Links to some of the trip reports and photos of past trips are included below.

2003 Rooks Creek Trip Report **** 2001 Rooks Creek Trip Report **** 1998 Rooks Creek Trip Report

[Karen]

I'll definately be there. I hope the weather is good. See you there!

[Danno]

Thanks for the post Karen. I look forward to the April 14th trip and I'm glad you are planning to join us that day.

I'm also hoping for good weather. It's been so warm and unpredictable this Spring, who knows what it will be like in two weeks. I guess all we can do is hope for the best and see what happens. Obviously, if this warm trend continues, we won't have to worry about the air temperature. The water will still be cold, no matter what else happens, so we'll still have to prepare for that. My main concern right now is the water level. That's almost always the biggest factor on Rooks Creek. The nice thing is that we have a back-up plan and know that the Vermilion always has enough water to float from McDowell to Pontiac.

I encourage anyone who is interested in doing this trip to post here or contact me at instructor@mchsiDOTcom ( replace DOT with a period ).
I'll be posting here, and sending out a mass e-mail to those who contact me with an interest in this trip, to let everyone know what the final plan is as the date approaches.

[Danno]

The April 14th Rooks Creek trip has been changed to an April 14th Vermilion River Trip due to low water.

The trip will be from the McDowell Bridge to Play Park in Pontiac.

We will meet at Play Park in Pontiac, IL at 10AM on Saturday April 14, 2012

Please be prepared to run the shuttle by 10:00AM.

I chose this section of the Vermilion River because it is guaranteed to have enough water for a nice canoe trip. The dam in Pontiac is just a couple hundred yards down stream from our take-out. The dam poses no danger to us at this water level, but it holds back enough water to guarantee a pleasant trip. The trip is only about six miles long, but since there will not be much current, it will probably take nearly as long as the usual ten mile trips. This is a wide ( averages about 80 feet ), flat section of the Vermilion River with very few, if any, strainers or other obstructions. It's an easy, family friendly section of the river. The main hazard will be the water temperature. The air temperature should be fairly pleasant, but the water will still be very cold. If you get wet, you will need to have some dry clothes to change into. Please dress for the water temperature ( no cotton clothing ) and be prepared in case of an unexpected swim.

My phone number is 1 815 243 five seven four seven.

Google Map of McDowell to Play Park Trip Use this link if you need directions or a better map view.

[Karen]

I'll be there. A shame about the low water on Rook's Creek but I am not that surprised. If the water is better there for later in the year let me know.

[Danno]

Karen, I'm looking forward to seeing you on Saturday.

As for Rooks Creek water levels, I'll try to remember to let you know when the creek comes up. We usually count on Spring rains to bring Rooks Creek up to a good level. It's been a weird year so far and the Spring rains have not materialized. There isn't ANY type of gage for Rooks Creek. It's all experience and local knowledge. If you watch the weather and notice a few heavy rainfalls over the western part of Livingston County, you can probably count on Rooks Creek being paddlable, but it's always good to drop me a line or give me a call so that I can check it out for you first. It's dissapointing to drive all the way to Pontiac and discover that the creek isn't high enough to paddle. If that ever did happen though, you can always do the McDowell to Pontiac section of the Vermilion River as a backup plan.

At any rate, I'll keep an eye on Rooks Creek for you and let you know when it comes up.

[Danno]

The weather is not co-operating. Darn!

I'm going to do his trip "Rain or Shine". That's pretty much always my approach. Lightning would be the only likely situation that would cause me to cancel. No lightning so far, just a gentle rain. The Weather Forecast for Pontiac, IL on April 14th.

I'm still thinking positive. I can't tell you how many times it has rained and rained, right up until time for the trip to start, and then the sun comes out and it's a beautiful day.

Still, I'm going to be wearing/packing my rain gear for the trip. Better safe than sorry. If you don't like paddling in the rain, this may not be the trip for you.

[Karen]

I was absolutely intending on going but it's raining alot right now in Peoria and the satellite imagery suggests its going to keep up and is heading towards Pontiac. If I lived closer I think I'd try it anyway but I'm 90 minutes away so I think I am going to have to give it a pass. Feel free to say I told you so if the weather clears up. Sorry. I hate cancelling. If you actually end up doing a rain check let me know.

[Danno]

Thanks for posting Karen.

I'll probably not do a "rain check" or "make up" trip, but if I do, it will most likely be something impromptu and very last minute. I'll post here again if that happens, but don't count on it.

I'll be sure to send you an e-mail if Rooks Creek comes up. I'd really like to get out there again this year.

The weather here is not bad right now ( 08:30AM ). There have been a few very light sprinkles, but not bad. The temperature is about 60 degrees and the wind is very light. It's still cloudy, not much sunshine yet. That's the good news. The bad news is that the rain you are experiencing where you are at is heading this way. I'm sure I'll get wet before the day is over.

I'm just going to finish packing now and head on over to Play Park. I'll wait, just in case anyone shows up, but I don't expect anyone else today. I've decided to do some kayak fishing today. Scott Beard may have converted me, so I guess I'll blame...err...thank Scott for that. The fishing gear is already packed.

Carol and Jennifer are doing a Roadside Clean-Up this morning with our church. They'll meet me at the park at 10AM and shuttle me to McDowell.

Have a great day everybody!

[Karen]

I'm curious what happened. I decided not to come because we had some thunder but then it wasn't as bad and didn't last as long as it looked like it would from the satellite images. As far as I can tell Pontiac just got the edge of it and it didn't look bad. It's now sunny and nice for a while in Peoria but is suppose to rain again later.