Name: --- Lee Butler

Date: --- Aug 13, 2005

Weather: --- overcast, 70 degrees, slight breeze

Body of water: --- Pecatonica River

Pecatonica River Depth: -- 2.7 feet at Freeport

Location: --- Brewster Landing to McConnell Road Bridge

Leader: --- Lee Butler

Co-Leader: --- Joe Ginger

Water level: low

Time on water: --- 2 hrs 30 minutes -- 1pm to 3:30pm

Length of trip: --- 6.81 miles

Number of craft: --- 6, 1 canoe and 5 kayaks

Number of people: --- 6 – Al, George, Gail, Janice, Joe, & Lee

Water rating: beginner

Put-in directions: --- Brewster Landing is 1 mile east of Winslow on Winslow Road. Or, 5 miles west of Rte 26 on Winslow Road. Look for the small Shelter House Roof on the south side of the road. A small "Brewster Landing" road sign marks the site. There is a cement boat ramp at this location.

Takeout directions: --- McConnell Road Bridge is located ¼ mile west of McConnell on McConnell Road Bridge. The lane and grassland on the southeast side of this bridge is public and owned by Stephenson County. The take-out site is a piece of carpet 300 feet beyond the bridge, river left.

Difficulty of carshift: --- easy –

From Brewster Landing-PUT-IN to West McConnell Road Bridge-TAKE-OUT

1. Turn right onto Winslow Road, go about 1 ½ mile to North Hulbert Road.

2. Turn right onto North Hulbert Road, go about 5 miles to West McConnell Road.

3. Turn right onto West McConnell Road, go about ½ mile to West McConnell Road Bridge.

4. Turn left before the Bridge to the Parking Area and ‘carpeted!’ boat ramp

5. The ‘carpeted!’ boat ramp is about 300 feet downstream from the bridge on the left.

From West McConnell Road Bridge Parking Area-TAKE-OUT to Brewster Landing-PUT-IN

1. Turn right onto West McConnell Road, go about ½ mile to North Hulbert Road.
2. Turn left onto North Hulbert Road, go about 5 miles to Winslow Road.
3. Turn left onto Winslow Road, go about 1 ½ miles to Brewster Landing on the left.

Time for carshift: --- 20 minutes, we did the car shift at 12:30, as scheduled

Names of carshifters: --- Toni Ginger / Lee Butler

 None The land next to the river at Brewster Landing and West McConnell Road Bridge is owned by Stephenson County and open for public ‘day’ use.

There were only 6 people and 6 boats on this trip. The weather was threatening and took real courage to travel that far to paddle for 2 hours. Gas prices, regular, were very high, $2.60 in Freeport and $2.80 in Chicago area.

Prior to the paddle waiting for the crowd to show up, I walked all over Brewster Landing picking up a few plastic bottles, trash, and alum cans. The West McConnell Road Bridge looked to be clean of liter. Brewster Landing is the only usable cement public boat ramp in Stephenson County.

We launched at 1:00pm. One/fourth mile downstream was our first challenge. The river turned sharpley right and fast. The outside curve was shallow. You had to stay on the inside of the curve. Everyone made it thru. From there on, it was smooth paddling. There were a few ripples at the old Fisher Mill Dam about 6 miles downstream. The water depth at the ripples was 18 inches, measured with my paddle. Al and Joe retrieved a large plastic barrel from the brush and sent it free to float downstream. Al and Lee rescued a tire with rim from a snag and sent it free to float downstream. Lee said that this tire was sent free south of Browntown on the June 27 paddle! We talked, shared stories and had a good time. The river banks are mostly mud and steep. The river is 50 to 100 feet wide and 3 to 5+ feet deep.

Paddling is great exercise. It’s a good thing.

Browntown, Wi to Brewster Landing, via the Pecatonica River, is 12 miles