The Minnehaha creek is great for an after-work paddling adventure.  The 22 miles of the Minnehaha flow from the Lake Minnetonka Dam all the way to the Mississippi (you have to get out for a few portages, notably the Minnehaha Falls).  Greg and Tony and I set off from our place of work after 4pm and drove to the end point near the Longfellow Gardens (13/55).  I changed my mind on the start point a few times and finally settled on 9.5 miles, the 54th street bridge.   An Edina policeman crossed the road in his car to talk to us; he was just curious and wished us well for our trip.  We put-in at 5:30pm and were done sometime between 8 and 8:30.

Time passes quickly on the Minnehaha; much of this stream is narrow with many quick turns.  Many people don't realize this fun trip exists so close to the Twin Cities metro.  It winds through many residential backyards, through parks, and under many bridges.  Here's one of my favorites:


Due to his outspoken manner the previous morning, Greg was blessed with the small yet nimble Safari on this trip.  His desire for "river races" quickly subsided as he got his balance in the sleek boat.  I think most of his rocking around and swearing was for show, as you can see he was just fine:


Speaking of just fine, Tony got thirsty early in the trip and sampled some creek water.  That sweeper clipped him and down he went.  I have to give Tony credit for getting right back in and moving on without too much fuss.


Tony handled the Helios like an old pro for the rest of the trip and enjoyed a few minutes in the Safari at the end.


Here we are taking a refueling break about 3/5 of the way through our trip.



It was somewhat muddy at this spot, nasty mud greeted us when we had to get back into our yaks:


A few other highlights:
*There is one sharp turn that goes into a bridge where you are enveloped in darkness for a few seconds, always a fun surprise.
*Near the end you paddle right through a golf course.  We heard a few golf balls touch down near us but our noggins survived the trip!
*I never thought I would have to break up an argument involving who would 'remove the spider'!   (You may encounter dozens if not hundreds of spiders on this trip if you're not careful)