Illinois Bayou

Paddled on 5/25/20 at 7.6 ft. River was above zero, but low. Another group on river with sit-on-tops & SUP, having fun. Fun class I & II rapids, frequent enough to keep one interested. HOWEVER, about 1/4 mile before takeout at Rt. 27 bridge (near Hector) there is a challenging Class III rapid. It was a read-and-run for us. On approach, notice louder than usual whitewater sounds, and distinct horizon line across river. Starts with a 2 or 3 ft. drop with grabby bottom. There are 'soft spots' in horizon line so you can avoid a straight drop into boil. This is followed by about 75 yards of very busy Class III-ish whitewater to negotiate. What a fun rapid to finish off an otherwise leisure trip. (A couple of the sit-on-top paddlers took a beating.) Scott Gravatt