Professional photographers trailed multiple young women — young men holding quinceañera skirts off the ground — at Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown.
Couples, hand in hand, and sprawling family groups strolled the gardens and prairie patches or sat on the concrete steps facing Willis Tower-dominated downtown.
Ping Tom fast becomes my favorite spot in Chicago, so I arrived a half-hour early the Saturday before Memorial Day for the Sunset Kayak Tour on the Chicago River out of REI Co-op Kayak Rentals. I am not alone in loving Ping Tom. In that half-hour, hundreds of people passed me.
By the water’s edge, I reveled in the scene. Then some jackass gunned his speedboat under the 18th Street Bridge and spurted downtown. None of the thousands of people enjoying the South Branch of the Chicago River on water taxis and tour boats or the hundreds in their own boats, kayaks or small-boat rentals needed to be slapped by his wake.
But the perfection of the night soothed my soul. Well, that and the competence of Emily ‘‘Burch’’ Burchett and Jim Tully in instructing our beginners group of six women and four men in paddling basics. They had everything ready, down to dry bags.
‘‘Burch’’ loosened us up by having us circle up, then say our name, where we were from and our favorite movie. (‘‘Blazing Saddles’’ — unless my wife is around, in which it’s ‘‘Casablanca’’ or ‘‘Sleepless in Seattle.’’) Then, one-by-one, with ‘‘Burch’’ steadying the kayak, we loaded in single sit-on-top kayaks.
Tully led us downtown with ‘‘Burch’’ guarding the rear, not unlike a string of goslings. The ultimate goal was to reach Wolf Point; most groups don’t. We did well to make the Van Buren Bridge. On the way back, ‘‘Burch’’ and Tully reversed roles.
Other than Canada geese and swallows, I didn’t notice much wildlife with the South Branch traffic. It was a good, steady paddle, mostly in a single file to accommodate other users.
The beauty stopped most of us regularly to take photos. Near the end of the return came a unique bridge, the name of which I never remember.
It was time.
In tandem, we carried the kayaks back to the grass. The sun dropped behind the buildings across the river.
REI had a special promotion for free classes — including the sunset kayak — for Saturday, but all classes are filled.
I highly recommend the sunset tour. The next one is June 28.
The Chicago Fireworks Kayak Tour, a four-hour, seven-mile tour highlighted by the Wednesday fireworks, is also very popular. There’s a waiting list for the next one June 26.
Details are at rei.com/events/a/watersports-kayaking.
Wild things
Cicadas in the heavy emergence areas seem to have peaked, though my ears were ringing on a lunch break Thursday at a natural area in LaSalle County. . . . Multiple readers sent photos of bucks in velvet the last two weeks. I am only up to one. . . . I’ve seen fireflies for nearly three weeks. Now readers are reporting their first. . . . Last week, John Vukmirovich was the first to tell me he was picking mulberries. . . . Alan Anderson had common nighthawks calling last week, leading him to hope they nest near him in Des Plaines.
Stray cast
The state of the Sox’ catching is akin to that of Chicago’s summer perch fishing.
