It was a beautiful day on a gorgeous river. Bob, Kati, Lois, Allen, Tracie, Linda, Barb, Carol, Anne and Dan (listed in alpha order by last name) were the paddlers and the Upper Platte was the river. We had weather that was much better than the forecast with unexpected sun and warm air.
Unlike some previous summers, the water level was high enough for a smooth ride and the wildlife was plentiful. Our number two best sighting was a large bald eagle which flew low over the group as we were getting ready to paddle. The eagle rose to number one status later in the trip when it perched for some time at the top of the tallest tree right on the river and gave us a spectacular close up view.
The eagle views must have encouraged us to be more observant and we were able to compile a good list at lunch: very large old turtle sunning on a piece of upright slanted wood, muskrat, deer, mallards with babies, wood ducks, a green heron, a frog swimming across the river and the call of a loon.
After the unexpected nice weather and the gorgeous eagle, it was clear that a third good thing was going to take place. This happened when we turned right to go toward the take-out on Deadstream Road. The route was, as always, slow moving with lots of weeds and muddy water but the wind was behind us and made the trip up to the take-out an unexpected treat for the end of the paddle.