I was observing towering spheres of architecture, massive reflections sparkling in the brilliant sun and engineering marvels when I heard my brother Mark warn, "Look out David, there's a big one coming up on your left!"

A packed tour boat sliced through the water with passengers smiling, waving and snapping pictures barely 10 feet to my side. Smiling back, I swiftly paddled my kayak closer to the lofty seawall. Ahead of me stretched downtown Chicago. People bustled over the bridges, cars shrieked and honked, the El rambled high above the water; but in the mass of turmoil we sat in our kayaks absorbing all the different sights, sounds and smells.

The Chicago River saunters for 156 miles through forested parks, industrial areas, new exclusive condominiums, and even through the very heart of the Chicago loop. The Skokie River, Middle Fork, and West Fork converge to form the North Branch of the Chicago River. The North Shore Channel merges with the North Branch to form the Chicago River at West River Park, located southeast of the junction of Foster and Kedzie.

We took part of the route recommended by Ralph Frese, owner of Chicagoland Canoe Base, which is referred to as the "Baha'i to Baja" or the Urban Adventure paddle route that begins by the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette and ends at Dick's Last Resort (formerly the Baja Bar and Grill) at the Ogden Slip of Lake Michigan.

Just north of the Baha'i Temple there is a launch site and parking at Gilson Park. The waterway flows through a narrow wooded corridor until it reaches Skokie where a canoe launch has been built by the Skokie Park District on the east bank of the North Shore Channel, east of McCormick on Oakton, with ample parking available.

The canalized waterway continues south through residential surroundings. Be cautious of a pumping station located near Foster Ave. where there is an aerator. Because of the high amount of air in the water, the water at the aerator will not support a person; even if that person is wearing a life jacket. This is dangerous so you'll want to avoid it.

West River Park has a landing, but the parking lot is quite a distance away. This section from West River Park to the next landing provides habitat for many birds including the black-crowned night heron which is on the Illinois endangered species list.

The next landing is at Clark Park, the first official canoe launch in Chicago set up by the Chicago Park District. To get to this from the Edens you take Addison St. east over the Chicago River bridge and turn south on Rockwell. There is a small parking lot with portable toilets at the southern end of the park. Follow the bike trail down to the river where a small sandy bottomed launch is located. On weekends during the summer canoes are available here for rent.

This is the site my brother Mark and I used to begin our downtown paddle excursion. I have long desired a paddle among the towering structures of The Loop. I was not disappointed. The Sears Tower loomed ominously in the distance as we started paddling on a hot, windy June afternoon. We noticed that nature was slowly trying to reclaim what man had altered. Cottonwoods protruded from small cracks in aging seawalls, birds nested in small openings under bridges, and trees showed the gnawed marks of a hungry beaver.

After about a half hour we came upon gushing water being churned by aerators located on both sides of the river, so we stayed clear and paddled directly through the swirling eddies to avoid them. High mounds of suds clearly marked their presence and there were big warning signs on the seawalls.

Just north of Goose Island we encountered a barge loaded with stone moving slowly towards us. The lookout posted on the bow waved us left and the captain idled his engines so we could pass safely. We soon reached Goose Island where we followed the river to the west of the Island. There is a launch site planned on nearby Weed St., but it is not completed as of this writing.

After Goose Island, we paddled to historic Wolf Point (Chicago was first incorporated as a city here in 1837) where the North and South Branches meet to form the main branch of the Chicago River, leading to Lake Michigan. Floating in a quiet eddy just off the point, we sat in awe and stared at the towering structures of the loop. Dwarfed by their magnitude, we humbly paddled toward Lake Michigan. The Merchandise Mart and the Wrigley Building, backed by the deep blue of the sky, glimmered in the bright sun. Even the water changed from the murky brown found upstream to the clear aqua blue of Lake Michigan.

An occasional person took time to smile and wave. A gold suited man actually did a jig on a bridge walkway, just for us. Flowers, trees and ivy vines soften and beautify the immediate area above the seawalls making the transition from water to buildings even more splendid. Bold letters label each bridge/street. With necks straining so as not to miss anything above us, we paddled toward the lake.

At the opening where the river meets Lake Michigan just before the locks, we turned left (north) and glided into the quiet waters of the Ogden Slip. Floating serenely beneath the massive pastel condominiums we sipped on our water bottles while listening to music emanating from Dick's Last Resort.

Our round trip from Clark Park to Lake Michigan and back took just over four hours of steady paddling. As of this writing there is no official public launch site in the loop section of the river. Regardless, I highly recommend getting out and padding this route--it's summer and a great time to get to know the Chicago River.

Additional Resources
Chicago River Canoe & Kayak - www.chicagoriverpaddle.com
Chicago River Rowing & Paddling Center - www.chicagorowing.org
Chicagoland Canoe Base - ww.chicagolandcanoebase.com
Friends of the Chicago River - www.chicagoriver.org
Illinois Paddling Council - www.illinoispaddling.org
Kayak Chicago - www.kayakchicago.com
Openlands Project - www.openlands.org/watertrails.asp
Wateriders - www.wateriders.com