Day 19

Day 19
We started the day early knowing we had 20 plus miles to cover before we meet up with Ken, who had promised to help us around the days two dams. The river had good current for the first 10 miles but quickly slowed as the dam ahead forced the river to climb the banks and form a lake of sorts. About 10 I tried to call Ken and received no answer. We paddled along looking at all the nice homes and enjoying the quiet on the lake. Suddenly the sound of someone yelling and swearing was assaulting our ears. As we got closer I could see a man screaming into his phone, annoyed I shouted to keep it down the phone is two inches from your face. The angry man shouted F- you but quit yelling after. When we were about 30 minutes from the dam I called Ken again and he told me sorry he couldn't help he had gone fishing with a friend. Arriving at Sartel Dam we were shocked to see the huge rush of water and waves rushing downstream, the high water put in was unusable as 5 foot waves crashed into the bank and the river was hemmed in by high bluffs further down stream. We quickly got on our phones and found a local kayak rental and guide service. I called the number and explained we needed a portage around Sartel and St. Cloud dams. The man seemed confused and said he couldn't help us. Within minutes the man called back saying he would portage us for 20 dollars each, we agreed. When he showed up he had a homemade tiny trailer and half a dozen cheap kayaks. The trailer would only hold Shawn's kayak and my canoe was strapped to the top of his truck. When we got inside he refused to drive until he received the $40. After driving a few miles our "guide" told us he hoped he could find the boat ramp because he did not know where it was. He soon pulled up to a locked gate and asked a local where the ramp was, the gentleman told us he would drive over and we could follow. After reaching the ramp I noticed the helpful man was listening to a police scanner and carrying a pistol, I was slightly alarmed but not worried.  As we were unloading the boats a police boat came running up river and the helpful gentleman started signaling for him to come over. I started to panic as I thought we were caught up in some type of sting operation.  Luckily the man just wanted the officer to watch over us as we started into rough water. As quickly as we could we loaded and pushed off downstream.
Away from the drama of town Shawn told me the guide had been the same man who was screaming and cussing from the shore that morning. He had mentioned he saw us paddling by and his clothing matched up, Minnesota towns were turning out to be a freak show. We talked about how we forgot to eat lunch or get me a food resupply in our rush to get away from the "guide". Shawn was looking at his phone and said their is a McDonald's up here on the right. Thinking he was playing a joke I went along. He directed me up a backwater and into the flooded woods. Paddling a short distance he point to a trail on the bank and said we can walk up there to the store and McDonald's. Realizing he was serious or crazy I played along. We tied up the boats and climbed a wooded bank, we came out behind an apartment complex with a McDonald's and truck stop across the street. We had a burger for lunch and I bought a few food items to get me through the next two days.
Back in the boats we paddled on towards Clear Water Outfitters, a paddling outfitter located along the river. We found their landing and made our way into the store. We wondered about for several minutes with no staff in sight. Soon enough a pretty young lady with long pig tails and a welcoming smile greeted us. She helped me find a few things and we shared a conversation about North Carolina where she had just moved from and I do lots of hiking. I really enjoyed talking about something other than the river with someone other than Shawn. Don't get me wrong I enjoy Shawn's company but after 20 days a different voice and a pretty face are a welcome change. We pushed down river and camped on an island, enjoying a beautiful sunset. We made 48 miles that day.