Cedar River (Waterloo to Cedar Rapids)

Overall Fastest Known Paddle: Waiting for verfication

Wes Cooper, age 38, of Jessup, Iowa and

Kevin Dramstad, age 38, of Tripoli, Iowa

(this is also the fastest tandem FKP)

71.7 miles per this team’s GPX file; 74 per the map

Supported by Felicia Cooper

Start: Riverview Recreation Area Ramp, Waterloo, IA at XXXXX on Aug 10th.

Finish: Mohawk City Park Boat Ramp, Cedar Rapids, IA at XXXXXX on Aug 10th.

Map resources from Iowa DNR

Boat: Epic 18x Tandem Kayak

Trip Report from Wes Cooper:

Let me start this off by saying the only reason I even did this was because four gentlemen — Moose Dougherty, Ryan Church, Tom Dougherty, and Brad Sjostrom — put out a call to paddlers to join them for a night paddle on this 70-mile stretch (editor’s note: they were training to compete in the Mississippi River 145 race; see twopaddles.org for info). I thought, I’m in.

Little did I know that while I was just floating along behind them (and even picking up a lost paddle for them), they were secretly setting a fastest known paddle. Looking back, it’s hilarious — the questions about how I was tracking my run, the last-minute change in ramps, and me being completely oblivious to their attempt. Four “old-ish” guys still getting together to pull shenanigans… I love it.

So, before they call me out, I’ll just say it myself: “I, Wes Cooper, learned everything I know from these four gentlemen.” There. Done.

Now, onto my story.

The blood was in the water and someone had messed around in my backyard — only one problem. I had the MR43 and the 340 to do with my 10-year-old, so I had to wait and just dream while watching the river. Finally, once those were done, it was time to make my run.

With all the rain, I knew the river would be fast. I called up my good buddy Kevin, and we set a date. I swear, the forecast must have changed 50 times after that. We spent countless hours watching it until eventually we just stopped caring. Day of, we postponed one hour due to weather, but deep down we both knew neither of us quits once we start something. With that first paddle stroke, silently, we both knew the weather no longer mattered.

From Waterloo to Evansdale, we were finding our rhythm. The water was high and still coming up. No waves through the boulders told me how high it really was — the channel blown out, boils everywhere, branches to dodge. And keep in mind, it was pouring rain.

By mile 12, the rain stopped… and a 15–20 mph headwind started. That cycle repeated itself several times throughout the day. At one point we ran into a huge flock of pelicans, sparking a debate since neither of us realized they were native to Iowa. Shortly after, we got a break from the wind and rain — only to get our own personal hailstorm.

And then came the strangest part: a rain cloud that locked onto us like a shadow. For miles it poured, while all around us the sun shone bright. We laughed, realizing the storm had picked us and wasn’t letting go.

We stopped a few extra times because Kevin had never been in my 18X tandem and needed to adjust the footrest. By the time we hit Wildcat Bluff, the “Princess and the Pea” saga was finally over, Kevin had found his spot, and we settled into our soggy routine of rain and wind fighting.

By the time we reached one of my favorite spots — the bridges of Cedar Rapids — the sun was just setting. Perfect ending, right? Wrong. That’s when we experienced our first ever mayfly hatch. Thousands of them, covering us head to toe. Pretty sure we consumed a few thousand grams of protein, and we were so coated in mayflies a polar bear might have mistaken us for kin.

The last two miles were calm, and we slid into Mohawk Park where our ground crew was waiting.

I know this run can be done faster, but the challenges we faced made it epic. I wouldn’t change a thing.

A huge thank you to my wife Felicia Cooper, my kids Norah and Leah, and my brother-in-law Keith for supporting us in less-than-ideal conditions. And of course, to the four grumpy old men — without them, I probably never would have taken the time to go for a fastest known paddle (editor’s note: They beat the four man team’s time by 2H, 16M, 2S). Now that I’ve done one, I can promise there will be more to come.