Canoeing And Kayaking On The Fox River
The Fox River Is a Great Place to Canoe and Kayak
Not sure what to do today? Don't sit around the house! Get out and do some super fun outdoor activities. Canoeing and Kayaking are great outdoor recreational things to do with the whole family.
Most rivers have rental places where you can rent kayaks, canoes, paddle boats, and bikes. It's not too expensive either. Not super cheap or free, but reasonable. We paid $16 for an hour on the canoe and $20 for an hour on the kayak, well kind of. They have coupons there so we only had to pay half price.
The place we went was High Rollers on the Fox River in Waukesha, Wisconsin. They were very helpful. They got our canoe ready, gave us a quick tutorial and we were on our way.
High Rollers
The Rental Place - High Rollers
The name of the place where we rented from was High Rollers. It was a really fun looking place. There were T-Shirts, ice cream, and nice cold drinks there. We loved all the bright colors and the fun stuff inside.
Here Comes Our Canoe!
Friendly Employees
The employees at High Rollers were really helpful! This was the first time that I was renting a canoe and they went and got it and then they held it tight while we got in to our three person canoe. They went over all the safety rules and made sure that the kids had life jackets.
You Might Need a Life Jacket
The Fox River is very shallow. The employees at High Rollers will tell you what to do with the life jackets but then they tell you that if you fall out, just stand up. The deepest part of the water where we were at was about 3' deep. All kids 16 and under are required to wear life jackets when they are renting the boats. It's mostly for safety but insurance plays a role too.
If you don't know how to swim, you need a life jacket before you get in the boat! Life jackets come in every size from toddler to xxx-large. Make sure to find out that fits you correctly.
The Duck
The Duck
We pulled over to one of the piers because we wanted to move around. As we pulled up, I noticed that one of the ducks had something blue sticking out of it's head. At first, I was wondering if it was a tag of some sort but as we got closer, I saw what it was... a blow dart. I have no idea who could be so cruel that they would do this to a poor defenseless duck.
The animal wildlife center has been contacted and they've been trying to catch the duck for a few days now so that they can help it but so far they have been unsuccessful.
UPDATE: The did finally catch this duck. They got the blow dart out and released him.
Kayaks
Kayaks are a little faster
The kayaks were bright and beautiful. Since we had 4 people, three went in the canoe and 1 went in the kayak. The kayaks were much faster and I think that's what I might try next.
Image credit: JenwithFlash
Telegraph Lines
Telegraph Poles
A long time ago, when telegraphs were still around, they were positioned along the river. If you look closely at the picture, there's one shorter pole that's tipping over a little bit. That's one of the old telegraph lines.
Under the Bridge
Fun to go under the bridge
Over the Fox River, there is a very busy bridge. It's one of few roads that cross the river in it's widest places. Thousands of cars cross it every day. I've been wanting to ride down the river under the bridge for along time and I finally got to in the canoe. It was a beautiful day and it was really neat to see the river beyond that point. I will definitely do it again!
How About You?
Rental places like High Rollers are becoming quite common. People want to get outside and enjoy nature. With the rental places popping up all over the place, I'm sure there's lot of people who have tried it. Are you one of them?
Have you ever been kayaking and/or canoeing?
Find Your Own Canoe!
