The Straight River

The Straight River is a designated canoe route through the hilly farm country of south central Minnesota. Lucky for me it runs through the property about a 10 minute walk away. It is fairly shallow and usually less than about 20 yards wide. In my stretch, it runs over a layer of shale from the Ordovician period, deposited about 450 million years ago. This sedimentary layer holds some interesting fossils and provides a paved like river bed that makes for easy wading while fishing for carp or hunting ducks.

The river allows you to feel like you are a world away from the farm fields that border its tree lined banks. In a few areas bluffs rise 50 feet or more and make for dramatic ice encrusted winter scenes.