Kip’s Comments - November 1, 2022

Nov 1

What’s Missing?

I suppose Kristy and I could have waited another day or two, but conditions were ideal tonight considering we have reached November 1 - very low water levels, warm temperatures, and hardly any wind - all with rain forecast for a few days down the road. As much as I hated to do it, once again we pulled our dock from the river for the winter.

Removing the dock has become more symbolic than anything else. Dock or no dock, I will continue to paddle as river conditions allow. With the river so low and with my affinity for paddling, I won’t be putting a boat on the water anyway. So, why not pull it out while it is nice out. That is what we did!

Some may ask why we go to the trouble of removing the dock each fall. In the old days, when we used to leave a dock in the river year round, late winter ice on the move would twist and damage or destroy our dock every year. I tired of doing dock repairs each spring and invested in a dock that can be easily placed and removed. Now the river can come up, the ice can move around, and we won’t see any dock damage. In five or six months, after the risk of shifting ice and flooding is minimal, I’ll put our dock back in for another season.

For those wondering, it is doubtful that pulling the dock will have any impact on the November “Full Moon” paddle event. I will just need to be careful with the rocks along the shore when I get in and out - something I do anyway.