THE PECATONICA.

Southern Wisconsin has rivers, too, and the Pecatonica is a shining example of these slow meandering streams. The Pecatonica has several branches. We chose to put in on the East Branch just downstream from Blanchardville. There is a park downstream from the dam on the right bank, but there are no put-ins there. You want to go just past the park on the left bank where a creek joins the river.

The first mile or two downstream from Blanchardville had four major logjams that required portages, some of them quite arduous. You can avoid them by putting in at the Hwy 78 bridge two miles south of town. You may still encounter a deadfall or two downstream, and the muddy banks of the stream add difficulty (and mess) to the process of carrying around them.

The pleasant and changeable scenery make the effort worthwhile, however. The high banks, occassional bluffs, and open pastures create a different tableau around every bend.

Wildlife was much in evidence as we wound our way downstream. Hawks, orioles, plovers and other birds flitted overhead. I have never encountered as many cedar waxwings on a river trip. They were everywhere. One unusual discovery was the carcass of a dead dear hanging from a tree that had collapsed into the river. Undoubtedly the victim of spring flooding, the deer was in an advanced degree of decomposition.

We took out at the River Road bridge about 8 miles south of Blanchardville. You may want to continue downriver to Argyle through the Argyle Nature Preserve. Fishing may be good for carp, catfish, largemouth bass and panfish if they're biting.