My brother Isaiah and his family were visiting this weekend and we drove to Wabasha for the Flooded Forest Kayak Tour with Broken Paddle Guiding.

Satellite map showing a kayak route winding south through forested floodplain between the Chippewa and Mississippi Rivers near Wabasha

Everyone else had nice Solara 135 kayaks and Tyler and I joined up in a Solara 145T Tandem. I enjoyed the kayak. It was one of the most stable kayaks I have been on. There were about 15 people in total on the tour and there were a lot of guides to cover everyone. We took a bike trip a number of years ago with Broken Paddle and we’ve had nothing but amazing experiences with them. If you are looking for a fun day or weekend trip I would strongly recommend them.

Child in a yellow kayak paddling down a narrow river behind a group of kayakers surrounded by green trees Group of kayakers paddling downstream on a calm tree-lined river on an overcast spring day Group of kayakers paddling red kayaks down a calm tree-lined river toward a low concrete bridge on a partly cloudy day. Group of kayakers paddling yellow and blue kayaks through a calm river channel lined with fallen logs and leafy spring trees Four people in life vests paddling yellow tandem kayaks on a calm river lined with green trees. Three people in kayaks on a calm river selfie, two in blue and red life vests paddling, trees lining the bank behind them

There was a large Bald Eagle checking us out as we paddled down the creek.

Bald eagle perched on a dead branch overhanging a muddy riverbank littered with fallen logs and lush green forest trees

We also saw a handful of different snakes swimming in the water. That was a bit creepy.

Small alligator or large lizard swimming in murky brown river water beside a yellow kayak paddle and bow