Rollin' On the River

The kayak mass listening to our guide.

I bought a Groupon in September for Chicago Urban Kayaks and after months of waiting, I finally got to use it. I took my friend Becca on the adventure. We were supposed to share a tandem kayak but because of lots of interest in the tour, we ended up getting our own kayaks. I've been wanting to do this tour ever since I read about it in National Geographic Adventure Magazine. They called it the "urban canyon" and I loved that.

The tour was a two-hour historical Chicago tour. We paddled to a location and then the guide would give some fun facts about the history of the buildings and river. The stories were interesting, but Becca and I spent most of our time not listening and enjoying the day.






There was hardly any current on the River. It was super easy to paddle. At one point, a boat filled with frat bros sped through and our guide yelled at them for being in a no-wake zone. The boat created some cool waves though so it was fun for us! 

"I look extra lesbian today." - Becca

One my favorite parts was the kayak culture of the water. They asked us to stay within 20 feet of the river walls, safety away from bigger traffic in the middle. So we'd all pull over and be in this huge bio mass of kayaks; there was at least 20 kayaks in our group, the largest tour of their season. In the beginning, if anyone bumped someone else in the water, there was a big apology, but after an hour of crashing into each other, everyone embraced it. We'd all hold each other's boats to keep the group together. 

Me holding onto Becca's boat.

All the guys who worked there were in high school. Near the end of the trip, one of them paddled up to me and asked me where I went to school. He apologized when he realized I wasn't some older girl from his high school, but I took this as flattery, like when you get carded at a bar. Later on, Becca and I were texting she was like, "He totally wanted you." And I was like, "I know. I never had a boyfriend in high school, this might be my chance to fix that."

Pretending to fall in the water.

It was so relaxing to be on an adventure in nature, even if it was in the middle of urban Chicago. When I got home a few hours later and was working on my computer, I could still feel my body adjusting to the bob kayak in the water. The gift that keeps on giving!

Every time we'd pass under a bridge, we'd see people up on the bridge taking pictures of us. I like the idea that I'm going to be in lots of people's vacation pictures.

Underside of the DuSable bridge.

Along the way, we'd wave to kids on the passing architecture cruises and get advice from people eating at the riverside cafes. Three construction workers resting along the river playfully hassled us for being in the back of the pack; little did they know it's the ideal place to be because you're never waiting for anyone... because they're waiting for you.

Corn cob buildings. 

We both had a great time! I highly recommend it! It typically costs $110 to rent a tandem kayak on the two-hour historical tours, but they've got some other options too. There's a sunset ($110 tandem) and fireworks paddle ($110 tandem) or you can just rent them sans-tour (single: $15 per 30 min, $25 tandem for 30 minutes). I think that's what I'd do next time since I ALREADY KNOW ALL THE HISTORY. Or just wait for a Groupon - it was half off!