Yesterday I saw Chicago from a new point of view. I also got a bit of a workout in doing so.

A friend brought his rowing boat (also called a shell) back from Michigan for winter, but he wanted to take it on the Chicago River and invited a few of us. Having never done this and wanting to squeeze in summer fun while I can, I jumped at the chance.

While the downtown stretch of the river is much more scenic, featuring iconic images of the skyline, the stretch we rowed on the north side offered unique views I wouldn’t ordinarily get to see.

There were nine of us and eight paddles. It did take a bit of work to get the coordination of the rowing, but we quickly got in stride. We also had several instances where we let the river do the work.

Running 156 miles, the Chicago River is noteworthy for its reverse flow. In 1990, after a several-year project, the flow of the main stem and the south branch was reversed. It was named a“Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

We paddled several miles on a beautiful afternoon. We spotted the usual water life, like ducks, but we also saw deer and other more country animals when passing parks or nature preserves.
It was a fun time seeing Chicago from the river view. Also, not capsizing and barely getting wet was a victory in itself.

— John Wroblewski, online writer