Ping Tom Memorial Park gets boon with return of kayak rentals

I’ve passed the pagoda-style pavilion of Ping Tom Memorial Park many times while boating the South Branch of the Chicago River.

I take a photo every time. It’s one of those iconic Chicago settings.

But I never had set foot in the park until Friday, when REI reopened kayak rentals from the boathouse after being closed the last three years.

Dale Bowman

The entrance to the walk-in park is at 19th and Wells. Parking on Wentworth is easiest. It is named for Ping Tom, the late Chicago civic leader and Chinatown businessman, and is located on the site of a former railyard.

The design of Ping Tom intrigues me. Mike Ulreich, the president of the Ping Tom Park Advisory Council, said it shares many elements of parks he has seen in China.

Brigid Man and her husband, Dr. Manfred Man, had just returned from kayaking.

‘‘It’s like riding a bike,’’ said Brigid, who persuaded her husband of 45 years to try the kayaking. ‘‘If you have done it once, even it was a long time ago, it comes back.’’

She had paddled once on the Kankakee River decades ago, but this was the first time for her husband. They’re longtime residents of Chinatown.

‘‘It’s so close by,’’ Dr. Man said. ‘‘My wife is an adventurous lady. I’m not.’’

‘‘You can go out there and chat or whatever,’’ Brigid said.

As somebody nearing 30 years of marriage, I think they could give seminars on how to be a successful couple. They had the vibe of a pair comfortable with each other.

Dale Bowman

Anyone should make use of the opportunity to get out on the water, be it a longtime couple, friends or even solo.

‘‘The boathouse was closed for three years,’’ Ulreich said. ‘‘We’re very pleased it is open.’’

I did a tandem paddle with Grace Kareska, a project manager for REI and a graduate of Lyons Township High School and the University of Indiana. Kareska kept us afloat when my attention wandered to photos or creatures.

I’ve paddled downtown and the North Branch multiple times. I highly recommend paddling the North Branch. As for downtown, do it once for the experience, then never again. The South Branch, with much less boat traffic than downtown, is intriguing, with its post-industrial wasteland also offering the feel of a wild escape.

In less than an hour, Kareska and I had seen swarms of swallows under the bridges, mallards, Canada geese (and a lone gosling), grackles, red-winged blackbirds, yellow warblers, American goldfinches, ring-billed gulls, a black-crowned night-heron and four turtles sunning.

It was time.

To cap the experience, I had to wait 10 minutes on my way out for a colorfully graffiti-ed freight train to pass before going to my car on Wentworth.

Kayak reservations, including paddle and personal flotation device, for single kayaks are $30 (tandems are $40) for the first hour and $15 for each additional hour. The promo code KAYAK23 will save you 30% through Tuesday. Nearby residents receive deals.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Email pingtom-rentals@rei.com or call (773) 236-7707. Details are at rei.com/rentals/chicago/ping-tom.

Dale Bowman

Wild things

Cottonwood fluff flies. . . . Spotting greater celandine blooming brightened my Sunday.

Stray cast

The latest article to stoke the possibility of an ivory-billed woodpecker was peer-reviewed, which lessens my belief in the sanctity of peer review.