Day 57
Around 3 Am I was awakened by feeling of mist hitting my face. It took me a few minutes of listening to make out the smallest of rain droplets falling on the tent. I had chosen not to place the rain fly over the tent before going to bed. Leaving it off provides for a ceiling full of stars and improved air flow. It only took a couple of minutes to secure the rain fly and I was back in the sleeping bag. I tossed and turned a few times before the sound of rain drops on the tent put me to sleep. I woke early to a cool, foggy morning, packed the boat and pushed off into the current. With no wind I was able to read the current on the waters surface and made smooth steady progress riding the main channel current. By mid morning the barge traffic had caught up to me and progress slowed. I try to be patient when dealing with the barges, paddle slowly, eat a snack and wait for the water to settle revealing the main flow. Late afternoon I stopped in Chester IL at the boat ramp on the river. I tied the canoe to a large boulder and ran a coated steel cable through all my bags and locked them to the canoe. I walked a short distance up the road to the Chester Welcome Center and Popeye the sailor man statue. I filled my water jug and took pictures of the bronze Popeye statue. When I returned to the canoe I noticed some rocks had fallen down over my rope, odd but not a problem. Before getting on the water I looked at the radar, it showed a rain shower moving my way. I hit the water hoping it stayed small and without lightening. After a few miles I could look back and see a line of light rain marching down the river ever closer to me. I put on my rain jacket, placed the waterproof cover over the backpack and settled in for some wet paddling. The rain was light and warm when it caught me, but after about 30 minutes the rain tapered off and the sun came out. I was starting to feel the full day of paddling when I rounded a curve and a stiff 15 mph wind pushed me from behind. I quickly positioned the canoe to ride the wind and current down river at a respectable speed with almost no paddling. For the next several hours I sailed along enjoying the long sand beaches along the islands, two eagles sitting high in a cottonwood, and lots of blue barrels, and plastic buckets of every size and color. Blue barrels peak out from log jams, willow marsh, sand bars and muddy flats. The is mud is dark black, smells like rotten eggs and will not support weight, making recovery difficult. I ride the till the last of the strong breeze fades away before tucking in just in front of wing dam. I made a quick dinner of lime shrimp Ramen noodles with a can of sardines in hot sauce thrown in, it tasted wonderful so I knew I was tired and hungry. I took a quick river bath before crawling in the tent.
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Monday, July 30, 2018
Day 56
Day 56
The Chain of Rocks rapids in North St Louis provide a navigational hazard so traffic uses a canal to by pass this section. At the end of the 11 miles lies the second biggest port on the river by tonnage. The river becomes a super highway of marine commerce. Barges are anchored in the center of the river dividing the canal into north and south bound lanes with gaps for small tugs and work boats to dash from side to side. It is recommended to keep a marine radio while passing through. You can hear the working craft informing each other of your progress removing some stress. The river has a strong current below St Louis and that makes for quick progress. Around 4 I found myself downriver and out of the heavy barge traffic. The barges still pass at a rate of 3 to 4 an hour but the wide, long stretches of the river make navigating easy enough. The rolling Missouri hills line the banks with white limestone bluffs looking down over the waters. The bluffs are honey combed with caves of various shapes and sizes, I enjoyd scanning the caves for any sign of life. The large numbers of Bald Eagles have given way to large flocks of buzzards. They line the bluffs above the river or swirl in lazy circles on the thermal drafts to great heights above the river. Along some stretches of the river sit huge industrial mines were the limestone is quarried from the hills and processed into large boulders down or fine crushed. Lines of barges a half mile long hug the banks above the mine waiting to be filled or pushed along the river. The loaded barges sit ten feet deep in the water forcing the current to run faster along the curve. Paddling a safe distance away from the barges I was able to make upwards of 6 mph through the mile plus curves. Around 7 I found a nice beach just in front of a wing dam and put the canoe to shore. The sun is setting beautifully and the water is softly trickling over the wing dam, life is rough on the river!
The Chain of Rocks rapids in North St Louis provide a navigational hazard so traffic uses a canal to by pass this section. At the end of the 11 miles lies the second biggest port on the river by tonnage. The river becomes a super highway of marine commerce. Barges are anchored in the center of the river dividing the canal into north and south bound lanes with gaps for small tugs and work boats to dash from side to side. It is recommended to keep a marine radio while passing through. You can hear the working craft informing each other of your progress removing some stress. The river has a strong current below St Louis and that makes for quick progress. Around 4 I found myself downriver and out of the heavy barge traffic. The barges still pass at a rate of 3 to 4 an hour but the wide, long stretches of the river make navigating easy enough. The rolling Missouri hills line the banks with white limestone bluffs looking down over the waters. The bluffs are honey combed with caves of various shapes and sizes, I enjoyd scanning the caves for any sign of life. The large numbers of Bald Eagles have given way to large flocks of buzzards. They line the bluffs above the river or swirl in lazy circles on the thermal drafts to great heights above the river. Along some stretches of the river sit huge industrial mines were the limestone is quarried from the hills and processed into large boulders down or fine crushed. Lines of barges a half mile long hug the banks above the mine waiting to be filled or pushed along the river. The loaded barges sit ten feet deep in the water forcing the current to run faster along the curve. Paddling a safe distance away from the barges I was able to make upwards of 6 mph through the mile plus curves. Around 7 I found a nice beach just in front of a wing dam and put the canoe to shore. The sun is setting beautifully and the water is softly trickling over the wing dam, life is rough on the river!
St Louis , Days 53 to 55
Over the last few days I became the Gomer Pyle of Big Muddy Adventures. I take care of the highly specialized jobs like ice chest washing, PFD organization, carrying paddles and trying to stay out of the way. Big Muddy did a day camp session with inner city kids one morning. Fitting 30 kids with life vests, paddles and loading them into the large canoes. The water is a new and strange world to most of the kids, making for a great learning experience. These types of trips are Mike's passion. While I did find time to visit the Forest Park, Art Museum, Cahokia Indian mounds the high light was meeting the endless stream of people who stopped by the house to visit Mike and the clients arriving for trips. Film makers, Dr's, real estate investors, Artists, film and audio production, local politicians, tourists all brought together by the river. The Full Moon paddle trips with dinner are a favorite of anyone who has been on one. Mike lets many guides and volunteers come along on these trips when their schedule allows. We enjoyed another great paddle down the Missouri river to the it's confluence with Mississippi and onto Duck Island. Our friend the Eagle was perched atop his driftwood log over watching us as we landed, always a good start to a evening on the sand bar. Volunteers and staff set up camp and cooked dinner just in time for the full moon raising over the river. One guest surprised his date by proposing by campfire, kneeling in the sand. I made some great memories and picked up a few new skills during my stay in St Louis and it was only possible because of the generosity of Mike and the entire Big Muddy Adventures family.
Friday, July 27, 2018
Day 52
Day 52
It was another slow start at the kanoe house this morning. The guides were thankful for the break, they had just worked a nine day stretch without a day off. Mike and I talked about a menu for tonight's trip. The plan was to meet the group of fourteen clients at the boat ramp, everyone loads into a large canoe and paddles to the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and lands on an island. A wood fired dinner is prepared for sunset on the sandbar dinner before paddling back to the main land. Mike went to hunt down ingredients for dinner while guides began the task of gathering all the equipment we would need for the trip. Shortly, Mike was back at the house with several bags of groceries and I began to prep for the the nights dinner. As I repacked food items, seasoned chicken and sliced cheese, Mike brought in the coolers, kitchen gear bags, and cooking grates. The kanoe house has a small kitchen but I enjoyed was having good equipment to work with, large volume stainless steel bowls, spoons, work top cooler, large lexan containers with locking lids for food transport. Boats, life vests, tables, chairs, coolers of food and drinks, ropes, cooking grates, plates, forks, knives, serving utensils, were all loaded and at the boat ramp by 6:30. Mike and I backed the canoe trailer with fully loaded canoe into the water while Alyce handed out life jackets and paddles to the clients. The main body of the canoe sits two paddlers side by side with a single bow/front paddler and stern paddler on the rear of the canoe. Guide Alyce would have the honor of being stern paddler, responsible for twelve lives. Sitting in the front it was my job to set the pace of paddling so everyone could paddle in unison providing the forward power Alyce needs to guide the boat from the stern. We had an easy paddle down to the confluence and were greeted by the sight of a bald eagle perched close as we landed the boat and guests. I took the clients out to gather firewood along the sandbar while Mike and Alyce unloaded the canoe. With Mike building a fire, Alyce organizing camp gear I set out a corn and black bean salsa, balsamic marinated vegetables, cheese, chips and pretzels for the clients to enjoy. With a nice bed of coals to work with I started cooking dinner aiming to have it done in about and hour at sunset. While I was cooking, Alyce and Mike encouraged the clients explore the large sandbar. Mike jumped in for the last few minutes of dinner to help me get everything on the table hot. Dinner was served family style and included fire roasted chicken, brussel sprouts, grilled diced squash and zucchini, smashed new potatoes with dill and butter and french bread. While we gathered around the campfire and ate dinner, Mike spoke about the river and the all the environmental challenges it faces and what we can do to help. We placed chocolate, fruit and cheese out for desert as we began to load the canoe for the return trip. Everyone was safely reloaded onto the boat under a sky quickly filling with stars. The paddle downstream to the take out point was quick and easy with the water from both rivers pushing us along. After landing at another sandbar Mike left to drive the clients back to their vehicles. It was well after 10 when Mike returned and we began to load everything but the canoe into the truck and trailer. We would leave the canoe on the beach tied to tree, retrieving it tomorrow with more help. I had enjoyed the experience of the trip but upon reaching the kanoe house I was worn out and quickly went to bed.
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Day 51
Day 51
The morning got off to a slow start at the Big Muddy Kanoe house. I worked on some social media while Casey another long distance paddler readied his gear to return to the river. Around 10 Alyce, Casey and myself loaded his gear into the truck for the ride to the river and The Arch. We were able to pull directly onto the granite blocks that line the river banks in downtown St Louis and unload Tyler. We took time to snap a few photos and gather a truck load of drift wood to take back to the Kanoe house. I was also messaging with a pair of paddlers who were coming into St Louis from the river later in the day. Back at the house, Muddy Mike and Tanner had returned from dropping off the canoes in Kansas City. I gladly turned communicating with the incoming paddlers over to Mike's care. Mike asked me if I wanted to go with him to the chain of rocks to pick up the incoming paddlers and swim the rapids. Many paddlers do not get the chance to paddle through the rapids because lower water levels make it impossible, but I was offered the chance to swim them too. We grabbed some life vests and headed over to the river. We meet long distance paddlers Sylvia and Tyson at the boat landing. They had already unloaded their boat and we all three listened as Muddy Mike pointed out and explained what the currents were doing. We formed a plan that involved Mike and I swimming out from shore and Tyson and Sylvia would follow in their canoe. Mike and I, wearing life vests, swam out above the rapids about 100 yards and with the help of Tyson watching from the bank, lined up on the area we wanted to pass through the rapids. The current was strong but I switched to the legs up and forward position as I approached the first large wave of water. The next few moments were a rush of boiling water, head dunking waves and adrenaline. Safely through the rapids we swam into a large eddy that was running upstream back towards the landing. We were able to relax and watch Tyson and Sylvia as they paddled into the rapids. They did not get over as far as they needed to be and were shoved by the current into the correct area taking on some water in the process. Back at shore we shared a round of high fives, emptied the water from the canoe and loaded everything for the short drive to the kanoe house. On the ride back Mike asked me if I would stick around another day to help with a guided trip he had booked. He asked me to help paddle the large expedition canoe and help in preparing the shore dinner at the island. After a round of quick showers we took a ride to the grocery store so Tyson and Sylvia could resupply. I bough a few more items to go with the leftovers from the night before. The back porch at the house was happening place with long distance paddlers, guides and a documentary film maker who stopped by to talk with everyone. While I prepped a sausage and cheese platter and a black bean and corn salsa everyone pitched in to help move some picnic tables, unload the drift wood and start a fire. We enjoyed a nice meal around the fire before everyone drifted off to bed.
The morning got off to a slow start at the Big Muddy Kanoe house. I worked on some social media while Casey another long distance paddler readied his gear to return to the river. Around 10 Alyce, Casey and myself loaded his gear into the truck for the ride to the river and The Arch. We were able to pull directly onto the granite blocks that line the river banks in downtown St Louis and unload Tyler. We took time to snap a few photos and gather a truck load of drift wood to take back to the Kanoe house. I was also messaging with a pair of paddlers who were coming into St Louis from the river later in the day. Back at the house, Muddy Mike and Tanner had returned from dropping off the canoes in Kansas City. I gladly turned communicating with the incoming paddlers over to Mike's care. Mike asked me if I wanted to go with him to the chain of rocks to pick up the incoming paddlers and swim the rapids. Many paddlers do not get the chance to paddle through the rapids because lower water levels make it impossible, but I was offered the chance to swim them too. We grabbed some life vests and headed over to the river. We meet long distance paddlers Sylvia and Tyson at the boat landing. They had already unloaded their boat and we all three listened as Muddy Mike pointed out and explained what the currents were doing. We formed a plan that involved Mike and I swimming out from shore and Tyson and Sylvia would follow in their canoe. Mike and I, wearing life vests, swam out above the rapids about 100 yards and with the help of Tyson watching from the bank, lined up on the area we wanted to pass through the rapids. The current was strong but I switched to the legs up and forward position as I approached the first large wave of water. The next few moments were a rush of boiling water, head dunking waves and adrenaline. Safely through the rapids we swam into a large eddy that was running upstream back towards the landing. We were able to relax and watch Tyson and Sylvia as they paddled into the rapids. They did not get over as far as they needed to be and were shoved by the current into the correct area taking on some water in the process. Back at shore we shared a round of high fives, emptied the water from the canoe and loaded everything for the short drive to the kanoe house. On the ride back Mike asked me if I would stick around another day to help with a guided trip he had booked. He asked me to help paddle the large expedition canoe and help in preparing the shore dinner at the island. After a round of quick showers we took a ride to the grocery store so Tyson and Sylvia could resupply. I bough a few more items to go with the leftovers from the night before. The back porch at the house was happening place with long distance paddlers, guides and a documentary film maker who stopped by to talk with everyone. While I prepped a sausage and cheese platter and a black bean and corn salsa everyone pitched in to help move some picnic tables, unload the drift wood and start a fire. We enjoyed a nice meal around the fire before everyone drifted off to bed.
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Day 50
Day 50
Everyone slept in late this morning, Mike and guide Tanner started loading boats for transport to Kansas City. There is a yearly canoe race called the MR 340. The MR 340 is an endurance race across the state of Missouri. Mike was delivering 2 large canoes to teams competing in the race. One of the guides took me to local grocery store to grab a resupply for when I get back on the river. I love to cook and was excited to buy chicken, yellow squash, zucinni squash, potatoes and bread to put together a feed for everyone still at the canoe house. Christine and I shared a few conversations a trash on the river. She is working to close a large fill dump on the river. A company was granted a permit to dump "clean fill" on a large marshy area to build a development in the future. The site is around 50 acres of this clean fill, rocks, broken concrete, dirt, bricks and other mixed construction trash. The company had a permit for a year and it has continued to dump fill for several years past the permit date. Someone is also supposed to be providing over site of the site and that has also not been happening. The river here is full of garbage and the streets all also lined with trash of all types. It will take a huge effort to cleanup the river and city and trash is not something people want to talk about. Mike and Tanner got on the road to Kansas City later in the afternoon around the time I fired up the grill to start smoking the chicken. While I was making supper every gathered some wood and started a nice fire in the backyard. We all enjoyed another relaxing evening telling river stories and restoring much needed calories.
Everyone slept in late this morning, Mike and guide Tanner started loading boats for transport to Kansas City. There is a yearly canoe race called the MR 340. The MR 340 is an endurance race across the state of Missouri. Mike was delivering 2 large canoes to teams competing in the race. One of the guides took me to local grocery store to grab a resupply for when I get back on the river. I love to cook and was excited to buy chicken, yellow squash, zucinni squash, potatoes and bread to put together a feed for everyone still at the canoe house. Christine and I shared a few conversations a trash on the river. She is working to close a large fill dump on the river. A company was granted a permit to dump "clean fill" on a large marshy area to build a development in the future. The site is around 50 acres of this clean fill, rocks, broken concrete, dirt, bricks and other mixed construction trash. The company had a permit for a year and it has continued to dump fill for several years past the permit date. Someone is also supposed to be providing over site of the site and that has also not been happening. The river here is full of garbage and the streets all also lined with trash of all types. It will take a huge effort to cleanup the river and city and trash is not something people want to talk about. Mike and Tanner got on the road to Kansas City later in the afternoon around the time I fired up the grill to start smoking the chicken. While I was making supper every gathered some wood and started a nice fire in the backyard. We all enjoyed another relaxing evening telling river stories and restoring much needed calories.
Day 49
Day 49
I contacted the Lock Master early this morning and was told to hang out and he would get me in the lock. After waiting a couple of hours I was able to lock through with with a small tow boat. The river bank below the dam was lined with large barges waiting to pass through upstream. After clearing the congested section of river I could see the confluence of the Missouri River and Mississippi Rivers. I had been in contact with Christine a St Louis Alderwoman and River Guide for Big Muddy Adventures, who had informed m to to best make my way along this section of river. The last lock on the river is in St Louis at what is known as The Chain of Rocks. There is a series of rapids along this section of river and a canal and lock was dug on the Illinois side to pass around them. I was going to paddle over the rapids at the chain because it is safe to do so with the higher river level. I put to shore above the chain and took some pictures before paddling on. I found the rapids to be very mild and sail right through and towards River Front Park my take out point. The park was a high muddy bluff and after climbing up I found the ground covered in trash left by fishermen. Christine and the Big Muddy crew were on their way to get me after guiding a short day trip on the river. I carried my gear up the bluff and filled up a dozen bags of trash while waiting. Muddy Mike the owner and head guide of Big Muddy Adventures soon arrived with a trailer holding their large expedition canoe that holds 14 people. The crew soon had me loaded up and headed towards the canoe house. At the canoe house I started by cleaning my boat, Mike was firing up the grill and several of the guides were prepping food for lunch. Mike grilled us a wonderful lunch of pork tenderloin, brussel sprouts, mushrooms and potatoes, After lunch Mike picked up another Source to Sea paddler, Casey who arrived covered in river mud almost head to toe. I quickly put the electric pressure washer to work cleaning him up.The rest of the day was spent relaxing, and listening to the guides talk about their river adventures. Muddy Mike has paddled tens of thousands of miles on the Mississippi and long list of other rivers around the country. Another guide is one of two women to have paddled the entire Mississippi and Missouri Rivers from source to sea. I was a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon with a great group of people, good food and cold Budweiser.
I contacted the Lock Master early this morning and was told to hang out and he would get me in the lock. After waiting a couple of hours I was able to lock through with with a small tow boat. The river bank below the dam was lined with large barges waiting to pass through upstream. After clearing the congested section of river I could see the confluence of the Missouri River and Mississippi Rivers. I had been in contact with Christine a St Louis Alderwoman and River Guide for Big Muddy Adventures, who had informed m to to best make my way along this section of river. The last lock on the river is in St Louis at what is known as The Chain of Rocks. There is a series of rapids along this section of river and a canal and lock was dug on the Illinois side to pass around them. I was going to paddle over the rapids at the chain because it is safe to do so with the higher river level. I put to shore above the chain and took some pictures before paddling on. I found the rapids to be very mild and sail right through and towards River Front Park my take out point. The park was a high muddy bluff and after climbing up I found the ground covered in trash left by fishermen. Christine and the Big Muddy crew were on their way to get me after guiding a short day trip on the river. I carried my gear up the bluff and filled up a dozen bags of trash while waiting. Muddy Mike the owner and head guide of Big Muddy Adventures soon arrived with a trailer holding their large expedition canoe that holds 14 people. The crew soon had me loaded up and headed towards the canoe house. At the canoe house I started by cleaning my boat, Mike was firing up the grill and several of the guides were prepping food for lunch. Mike grilled us a wonderful lunch of pork tenderloin, brussel sprouts, mushrooms and potatoes, After lunch Mike picked up another Source to Sea paddler, Casey who arrived covered in river mud almost head to toe. I quickly put the electric pressure washer to work cleaning him up.The rest of the day was spent relaxing, and listening to the guides talk about their river adventures. Muddy Mike has paddled tens of thousands of miles on the Mississippi and long list of other rivers around the country. Another guide is one of two women to have paddled the entire Mississippi and Missouri Rivers from source to sea. I was a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon with a great group of people, good food and cold Budweiser.
Saturday, July 21, 2018
Day 48
Day 48
I slept late in the soft bed with the air conditioner set on 60. I got up around 9 and walked to the boat to get the water jug and my many water bottles. I used the hose at the restaurant to fill everything up and wash off gear that was muddy from the storm two nights ago. I decided to wait until the restaurant opened at 11 to get lunch before paddling out. I had a salad, green beans, half a fried chicken and blackberry pie with ice cream. Last night I noticed I have dropped another 10 lbs or so in the last two weeks, weight I did not need to loose. I set off with a strong but confused wind, blowing hard from three direction but somehow always against my direction of travel. I have been encountering many of the silver asian carp that are in the river. When spooked they jump wildly and I had three land in the boat in the first couple of hours paddling. A friend has set up a meet with a group out of Big Muddy Adventures who are going to put me up and help try and to get me some media exposure to help with my fundraising for Wolf River Conservacny. I spent much of the day frighting with the wind and current while messaging with them. They help any long distance paddler who they can. I can tell they are confused by my slow pace. They knew where I was several days ago and assured me I would meet them in shorter time than I predicted. At mid afternoon I told them where I was and a few hours later they said I should be able to make it to X point by Y time and they could pick me up tonight. I declined and said I could not make that time table. I didn't tell them I had used several hours of my day picking up all kinds of trash. Twice I ran out of room for trash and paddled near large pleasure boats knowing they would want me to stop and talk. I loved the look on their face when they asked if I needed anything and I said yes please take this nasty river goo covered trash to shore for me. They gladly helped me out. Around 6 I reached Alton IL just above Lock and Dam 26. I stopped at the marina and got a sandwich and a couple of beers. I asked some gentlemen if they knew anything about the Locks on dam 26. They said the strong storms from a few nights ago had driven barges into it and had damaged the doors. They said 20 plus barges on each end were waiting to lock through. They said I would have to portage and suggested the Illinois side. I paddled the short distance to the large dam and went to shore. I found a nice paved bike trail running along the top of the levee. Walking the levee I discovered it would require a half mile walk in each direction to portage all 3 to 4 loads including the boat. I set up the tent and ate diner feeling down that tomorrow I only have 14 miles to travel and the portage stands in my way. As I eat my dinner I see the work boats going to shore and the very small holding lock next to main lock comes to life. They are running several barges into the holding lock and untieing them from the rest, next a small tug comes from the up stream end and pulls the barges through after the lock opens. They repeat this several times until the all the barges and the tug are tied back together up stream. I have decided in the morning I will call the lock master on the phone and see if he can sneak me through with the last barge of the morning.
I slept late in the soft bed with the air conditioner set on 60. I got up around 9 and walked to the boat to get the water jug and my many water bottles. I used the hose at the restaurant to fill everything up and wash off gear that was muddy from the storm two nights ago. I decided to wait until the restaurant opened at 11 to get lunch before paddling out. I had a salad, green beans, half a fried chicken and blackberry pie with ice cream. Last night I noticed I have dropped another 10 lbs or so in the last two weeks, weight I did not need to loose. I set off with a strong but confused wind, blowing hard from three direction but somehow always against my direction of travel. I have been encountering many of the silver asian carp that are in the river. When spooked they jump wildly and I had three land in the boat in the first couple of hours paddling. A friend has set up a meet with a group out of Big Muddy Adventures who are going to put me up and help try and to get me some media exposure to help with my fundraising for Wolf River Conservacny. I spent much of the day frighting with the wind and current while messaging with them. They help any long distance paddler who they can. I can tell they are confused by my slow pace. They knew where I was several days ago and assured me I would meet them in shorter time than I predicted. At mid afternoon I told them where I was and a few hours later they said I should be able to make it to X point by Y time and they could pick me up tonight. I declined and said I could not make that time table. I didn't tell them I had used several hours of my day picking up all kinds of trash. Twice I ran out of room for trash and paddled near large pleasure boats knowing they would want me to stop and talk. I loved the look on their face when they asked if I needed anything and I said yes please take this nasty river goo covered trash to shore for me. They gladly helped me out. Around 6 I reached Alton IL just above Lock and Dam 26. I stopped at the marina and got a sandwich and a couple of beers. I asked some gentlemen if they knew anything about the Locks on dam 26. They said the strong storms from a few nights ago had driven barges into it and had damaged the doors. They said 20 plus barges on each end were waiting to lock through. They said I would have to portage and suggested the Illinois side. I paddled the short distance to the large dam and went to shore. I found a nice paved bike trail running along the top of the levee. Walking the levee I discovered it would require a half mile walk in each direction to portage all 3 to 4 loads including the boat. I set up the tent and ate diner feeling down that tomorrow I only have 14 miles to travel and the portage stands in my way. As I eat my dinner I see the work boats going to shore and the very small holding lock next to main lock comes to life. They are running several barges into the holding lock and untieing them from the rest, next a small tug comes from the up stream end and pulls the barges through after the lock opens. They repeat this several times until the all the barges and the tug are tied back together up stream. I have decided in the morning I will call the lock master on the phone and see if he can sneak me through with the last barge of the morning.
Day 47
Day 47
I slept unwell last night and I think it was because of the adrenaline from the storm. As I packed the boat i could hear a group of chain saws running across the river in the small town. I hoped no one had been hurt and took comfort in knowing it was the sound of neighbors helping one another after a tough night. I paddled on with a stiff west wind cutting across the channel. I was confused on my dam numbers and location and was surprised to see Dam 25 in front of me. I locked through with a pontoon boat and was again warned about lock damage at Dam 26. Most of the dams have a town directly next to them where I would stop for lunch. Dam 26 had no such town near so I ate a snack on the shore. The wind was still blowing hard from the west but the map showed the river making a hard turn to the eat just above St Louis only a few miles away. I paddled a half dozen miles to the turn in the river and sat back enjoying the west wind as it pushed me along at a nice pace, no paddling required. A google search showed Kinder's Restaurant was ahead about 8 miles. I paddled and floated with the breeze, watching a set of ferries far in the distance race back and forth across the river. Arriving at Kinder's I found it sitting on the bank beside the ferry landing. I docked the canoe next to the pontoon boat I locked through with hours ago. I found a seat at the bar, ordered a basket of chicken livers another solid Southern food and a beer. The bar top showed the history of the place with pictures under a clear finish. Henry Kinder had lived here and went to serve in WW2. He had been part of the famous Merrill's Marauders. They were a special jungle warfare unit that started with 3,000 men and finished with 200 of which Henry was one. They marched and fought in the worst of the jungle battles. After Henry returned home he opened Kinder's and it has been in the family ever since. The family in the pontoon boat bought me a drink and told the bartender what I was doing. She suggested I eat dinner and stay in one of the rooms they rent up the hill behind the restaurant. We quickly agreed on a rate and I was given a key. I took a quick shower and much needed shave before returning for dinner. While waiting for dinner I meet Matt who works on the ferry. He told me he had worked the ferry 5 to 6 days a week for 15 years to provide for his family. He explained the ferry was privately owned and it took several thousand people a day into St Louis and back, for work. I asked why a bridge had not been built and he said it comes up every few years but people want to hold onto this piece of river heritage. By 8 I had a full belly and was in bed.
I slept unwell last night and I think it was because of the adrenaline from the storm. As I packed the boat i could hear a group of chain saws running across the river in the small town. I hoped no one had been hurt and took comfort in knowing it was the sound of neighbors helping one another after a tough night. I paddled on with a stiff west wind cutting across the channel. I was confused on my dam numbers and location and was surprised to see Dam 25 in front of me. I locked through with a pontoon boat and was again warned about lock damage at Dam 26. Most of the dams have a town directly next to them where I would stop for lunch. Dam 26 had no such town near so I ate a snack on the shore. The wind was still blowing hard from the west but the map showed the river making a hard turn to the eat just above St Louis only a few miles away. I paddled a half dozen miles to the turn in the river and sat back enjoying the west wind as it pushed me along at a nice pace, no paddling required. A google search showed Kinder's Restaurant was ahead about 8 miles. I paddled and floated with the breeze, watching a set of ferries far in the distance race back and forth across the river. Arriving at Kinder's I found it sitting on the bank beside the ferry landing. I docked the canoe next to the pontoon boat I locked through with hours ago. I found a seat at the bar, ordered a basket of chicken livers another solid Southern food and a beer. The bar top showed the history of the place with pictures under a clear finish. Henry Kinder had lived here and went to serve in WW2. He had been part of the famous Merrill's Marauders. They were a special jungle warfare unit that started with 3,000 men and finished with 200 of which Henry was one. They marched and fought in the worst of the jungle battles. After Henry returned home he opened Kinder's and it has been in the family ever since. The family in the pontoon boat bought me a drink and told the bartender what I was doing. She suggested I eat dinner and stay in one of the rooms they rent up the hill behind the restaurant. We quickly agreed on a rate and I was given a key. I took a quick shower and much needed shave before returning for dinner. While waiting for dinner I meet Matt who works on the ferry. He told me he had worked the ferry 5 to 6 days a week for 15 years to provide for his family. He explained the ferry was privately owned and it took several thousand people a day into St Louis and back, for work. I asked why a bridge had not been built and he said it comes up every few years but people want to hold onto this piece of river heritage. By 8 I had a full belly and was in bed.
Day 46
Day 46
I slept good again last night and was up and on the water by about 6:30. I knew the high winds were coming again today but I was feeling recharged and ready to paddle. I paddled a steady pace all morning, running whichever tree line gave the most protection from the wind. I started to run into problems with some of the wing dams as well. Wing dams are large lines of rock the Corps of Engineers places in the rier. They are most often built 90 degrees from the bank, so long fingers of rock sticking from the bank. The wing dams force the current to the middle or channel, keeping the current strong and washing the sediment to the sides. These wing dams have mostly been under water and not an issue but as the water drops they are coming into play. They appear as a line of rippled and swirling water reaching out from the sides of the bank. When you reach the submerged wing dam you drop into a dip in the water of about a foot then the you slide into a belt of mixed up current, it is a rolling boil that gives way to swirling eddies that try to swing the front of the boat to the right or the left. clearing that mess you find that there is no current and all your momentum is gone. Nothing about the process is violent or dangerous it just requires extra effort to keep a good pace. I stopped in the town of Clarksville MO for lunch. I had fried catfish and sweet tea, VICTORY, I have crossed into the land of Southern cuisine. I paddled out of town buzzed on caffeine and sugar making my way through the second to last lock. The Lock Master informed me of damaged lock gates at the last dam on the river 40 miles away. I paddled on till 7 that evening before finding a place to camp. A boat ramp and bathroom in no where Missouri. I set up my tent and started dinner. I meet a Linda, her husband and daughter fishing at the boat ramp. We talked and enjoyed one of the best lightening shows I have ever seen far to the north. Around dark they left and I noticed I could fell the ground shaking even though I couldn't hear thunder. I checked the radar app on my phone and saw a nasty storm cell was going to smack me hard in a few minutes. I put the rain cover on the tent, place logs around the edges, pulled the canoe way up the bank and squeezed in river bath. In the tent I kept everything in its waterproof bags and placed them around the edges. I could hear the storm tearing towards me and it slammed into the tent with fierce winds just moments before a wall of rain and hail. I sat in the center of the tent, out stretched arms holding onto the tent poles. All four tent stakes were yanked from the ground and I was the only thing keeping me, the tent and all my gear from becoming a large kite. I stretched my feet out to two corners to pin them down and piled gear in the other two. And just as suddenly as the storm hit, it was gone. I checked the radar app and all was clear. I went to the canoe and got the large sponge I use to remove water from the canoe only this time it was to remove the water from the tent. I mopped up the water and removed the rain tarp so the wind could dry the remaining water. I stood in the parking lot and watched another amazing lightening show from the powerful storm that had just smacked me. The storm was so close and bright i could clearly see what I believed was rain wrapped tornado riding a few hundred feet above the ground. Little did I know the same system spawned several bad tornadoes to the north of me in Iowa.
I slept good again last night and was up and on the water by about 6:30. I knew the high winds were coming again today but I was feeling recharged and ready to paddle. I paddled a steady pace all morning, running whichever tree line gave the most protection from the wind. I started to run into problems with some of the wing dams as well. Wing dams are large lines of rock the Corps of Engineers places in the rier. They are most often built 90 degrees from the bank, so long fingers of rock sticking from the bank. The wing dams force the current to the middle or channel, keeping the current strong and washing the sediment to the sides. These wing dams have mostly been under water and not an issue but as the water drops they are coming into play. They appear as a line of rippled and swirling water reaching out from the sides of the bank. When you reach the submerged wing dam you drop into a dip in the water of about a foot then the you slide into a belt of mixed up current, it is a rolling boil that gives way to swirling eddies that try to swing the front of the boat to the right or the left. clearing that mess you find that there is no current and all your momentum is gone. Nothing about the process is violent or dangerous it just requires extra effort to keep a good pace. I stopped in the town of Clarksville MO for lunch. I had fried catfish and sweet tea, VICTORY, I have crossed into the land of Southern cuisine. I paddled out of town buzzed on caffeine and sugar making my way through the second to last lock. The Lock Master informed me of damaged lock gates at the last dam on the river 40 miles away. I paddled on till 7 that evening before finding a place to camp. A boat ramp and bathroom in no where Missouri. I set up my tent and started dinner. I meet a Linda, her husband and daughter fishing at the boat ramp. We talked and enjoyed one of the best lightening shows I have ever seen far to the north. Around dark they left and I noticed I could fell the ground shaking even though I couldn't hear thunder. I checked the radar app on my phone and saw a nasty storm cell was going to smack me hard in a few minutes. I put the rain cover on the tent, place logs around the edges, pulled the canoe way up the bank and squeezed in river bath. In the tent I kept everything in its waterproof bags and placed them around the edges. I could hear the storm tearing towards me and it slammed into the tent with fierce winds just moments before a wall of rain and hail. I sat in the center of the tent, out stretched arms holding onto the tent poles. All four tent stakes were yanked from the ground and I was the only thing keeping me, the tent and all my gear from becoming a large kite. I stretched my feet out to two corners to pin them down and piled gear in the other two. And just as suddenly as the storm hit, it was gone. I checked the radar app and all was clear. I went to the canoe and got the large sponge I use to remove water from the canoe only this time it was to remove the water from the tent. I mopped up the water and removed the rain tarp so the wind could dry the remaining water. I stood in the parking lot and watched another amazing lightening show from the powerful storm that had just smacked me. The storm was so close and bright i could clearly see what I believed was rain wrapped tornado riding a few hundred feet above the ground. Little did I know the same system spawned several bad tornadoes to the north of me in Iowa.
Day 45
Day 45
I woke up to my best sunrise yet, took a picture and went back to sleep. When I woke up again around 7 the wind was really blowing, 15 mph steady and gusting to 25. I ate breakfast and considered the situation for a few minutes. I was super hungry and knew I was just a little on the dehydrated side. I decided I would stay put and spend the day trying to eat my entire food bag, drink a couple of gallons of water and rest. After eating 6 oats and honey granola bars, half a container of peanut butter and washing it down with 3 liters of water I returned to the tent. I picked up a book and next thing I was waking up at 2:30 in the afternoon. I felt wonderful. I got my fishing pole, food bag and my chair and walked to the floating dock. There was another couple fishing at the dock when I arrived and we quickly got to know one another. Both of them had grown up in the area and the lady was a great story teller and kept me entertained. She told a string of ordinary stories about topics like going to the store 20 yeas ago, describing the car, the roads and I was hanging onto every word for 2 hours. A local man on a 4 wheeler arrived around 6 and explained he owned the dock. He adjusted the dock landing and wires explaining the river had fallen 4 ft in the last week. I mentioned it was odd he had a private swim platform anchored in a public campground by thank you for providing it. Mike said his father always kept a swim dock on this part of the river for whoever wanted to use it. When his father passed he kept the tradition alive placing one at the park. Mike told me about a paddler he meet a week ago. The paddler had come down some river from the middle of Wisconsin and paddled into the Mississippi all the way to the campground. The guy stayed a few days before he saw he had a spider bite that needed attention. Mike charged his phone for him and his dad was coming to pick him up in a few days. Over the next couple of day the guy picked up most of the sticks and trash left by the flood, Mike brought his chainsaw and they cut up several driftwood logs. It was cool to know that the guy took a few days to give back to the river not caring if anyone knew of not. Back at my tent I cooked up a large supper and thought about how nice it was to talk with some great people for several hours. I have paddled the last two weeks solo, It has been wonderfully peaceful and relaxing and I haven't given much thought to paddling with anyone. The few hours of socialization reminded me that we are wired to be social. Not having paddled a mile I felt a very positive feeling of satisfaction at how well my battery had been recharged by a just being being here.
I woke up to my best sunrise yet, took a picture and went back to sleep. When I woke up again around 7 the wind was really blowing, 15 mph steady and gusting to 25. I ate breakfast and considered the situation for a few minutes. I was super hungry and knew I was just a little on the dehydrated side. I decided I would stay put and spend the day trying to eat my entire food bag, drink a couple of gallons of water and rest. After eating 6 oats and honey granola bars, half a container of peanut butter and washing it down with 3 liters of water I returned to the tent. I picked up a book and next thing I was waking up at 2:30 in the afternoon. I felt wonderful. I got my fishing pole, food bag and my chair and walked to the floating dock. There was another couple fishing at the dock when I arrived and we quickly got to know one another. Both of them had grown up in the area and the lady was a great story teller and kept me entertained. She told a string of ordinary stories about topics like going to the store 20 yeas ago, describing the car, the roads and I was hanging onto every word for 2 hours. A local man on a 4 wheeler arrived around 6 and explained he owned the dock. He adjusted the dock landing and wires explaining the river had fallen 4 ft in the last week. I mentioned it was odd he had a private swim platform anchored in a public campground by thank you for providing it. Mike said his father always kept a swim dock on this part of the river for whoever wanted to use it. When his father passed he kept the tradition alive placing one at the park. Mike told me about a paddler he meet a week ago. The paddler had come down some river from the middle of Wisconsin and paddled into the Mississippi all the way to the campground. The guy stayed a few days before he saw he had a spider bite that needed attention. Mike charged his phone for him and his dad was coming to pick him up in a few days. Over the next couple of day the guy picked up most of the sticks and trash left by the flood, Mike brought his chainsaw and they cut up several driftwood logs. It was cool to know that the guy took a few days to give back to the river not caring if anyone knew of not. Back at my tent I cooked up a large supper and thought about how nice it was to talk with some great people for several hours. I have paddled the last two weeks solo, It has been wonderfully peaceful and relaxing and I haven't given much thought to paddling with anyone. The few hours of socialization reminded me that we are wired to be social. Not having paddled a mile I felt a very positive feeling of satisfaction at how well my battery had been recharged by a just being being here.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Day 44
Day 44
I slept till 7 this morning without waking for even a moment, something I don't think I have done the entire trip. I still felt tired and would have gone back to sleep but the sun was quickly turning the tent into an oven. It was hot, sticky morning with fog still hanging about in the shade on the east side of the river. I quickly covered the couple of miles to Quincy and Lock and Dam 21, locking through without having to wait. I was thankful to see a layer of cloud cover was moving over the sun, I hoped it would last all day. I was planning a stop in Hannibal MO the birth place of Mark Twain. The current was slow in this area but the sun was covered making for a not unpleasant paddle. I covered the 15 miles by about 1. As I neared the town I was greeted the sound of a calliope organ playing. Calliope organs use the steam or compressed air from a train or river boat to make music on a set of pipes. The paddle wheeler Natchez in New Orleans has one on board and i really enjoy listening to the man play it before the river crusies. I was disappointed to realize what I heard was a bad recording of the real thing. I docked the canoe at the local boat club private pier because I could see lots of people walking around the park. I checked google for restaurant options and settled on BBQ. I made my way into town to discover it was a tourist trap, tons of crap shops selling t shirts, candy, ghost tours, and old junk. I made my way to Mark Twain's boyhood home and saw a line of 30 or more people waiting to enter. I took a walk around the outside and headed to go get BBQ. I had a plate of sub par ribs before rushing to escape the crowds and the fake river town. I did learn from a plaque in the park that Mark Twain took his name from the river call for safe depth on the river, 12 feet, Mark Twain. I paddled on to Lock and Dam 22, where I saw several barges up and down stream waiting to pass the lock. I called the Lock Master and he said come on through. He explained they were doing some electric work and couldn't let barge traffic pass but I could lock through. I paddled out of the lock into a stiff head wind and had to work hard to cover minimal water. Around 6 I was starting to worry about finding a camp because the water was higher in this area than it had been in several days. I rounded a curve to see a boat ramp with a paddler and tent sign. I beached the canoe to check things out. It was a nice public camp ground with a new out house and plenty of camping spots. I picked a spot with a picnic table, fire ring and pile of split maple logs. I quickly made a fire because the mosquitoes were bad and then set up camp. I walked to a floating swim dock, while swimming I was thinking about how clean the river has been the last two days, very little trash in the water or on the beaches making it easy to relax and enjoy everything. I snapped a few photos of the sunset as I ate dinner and reflected on the trip so far. I thought I have settled into a enjoyable routine the last couple of weeks and am afraid that will all change in another week when I pass St Louis and enter the southern half of the river.
I slept till 7 this morning without waking for even a moment, something I don't think I have done the entire trip. I still felt tired and would have gone back to sleep but the sun was quickly turning the tent into an oven. It was hot, sticky morning with fog still hanging about in the shade on the east side of the river. I quickly covered the couple of miles to Quincy and Lock and Dam 21, locking through without having to wait. I was thankful to see a layer of cloud cover was moving over the sun, I hoped it would last all day. I was planning a stop in Hannibal MO the birth place of Mark Twain. The current was slow in this area but the sun was covered making for a not unpleasant paddle. I covered the 15 miles by about 1. As I neared the town I was greeted the sound of a calliope organ playing. Calliope organs use the steam or compressed air from a train or river boat to make music on a set of pipes. The paddle wheeler Natchez in New Orleans has one on board and i really enjoy listening to the man play it before the river crusies. I was disappointed to realize what I heard was a bad recording of the real thing. I docked the canoe at the local boat club private pier because I could see lots of people walking around the park. I checked google for restaurant options and settled on BBQ. I made my way into town to discover it was a tourist trap, tons of crap shops selling t shirts, candy, ghost tours, and old junk. I made my way to Mark Twain's boyhood home and saw a line of 30 or more people waiting to enter. I took a walk around the outside and headed to go get BBQ. I had a plate of sub par ribs before rushing to escape the crowds and the fake river town. I did learn from a plaque in the park that Mark Twain took his name from the river call for safe depth on the river, 12 feet, Mark Twain. I paddled on to Lock and Dam 22, where I saw several barges up and down stream waiting to pass the lock. I called the Lock Master and he said come on through. He explained they were doing some electric work and couldn't let barge traffic pass but I could lock through. I paddled out of the lock into a stiff head wind and had to work hard to cover minimal water. Around 6 I was starting to worry about finding a camp because the water was higher in this area than it had been in several days. I rounded a curve to see a boat ramp with a paddler and tent sign. I beached the canoe to check things out. It was a nice public camp ground with a new out house and plenty of camping spots. I picked a spot with a picnic table, fire ring and pile of split maple logs. I quickly made a fire because the mosquitoes were bad and then set up camp. I walked to a floating swim dock, while swimming I was thinking about how clean the river has been the last two days, very little trash in the water or on the beaches making it easy to relax and enjoy everything. I snapped a few photos of the sunset as I ate dinner and reflected on the trip so far. I thought I have settled into a enjoyable routine the last couple of weeks and am afraid that will all change in another week when I pass St Louis and enter the southern half of the river.
Day 43
Day 43
Another early start, it seems that there is some kind of river tradition in Keokuk IA that around 5 AM as everyone who works on the river had has a horn or whistle at their work station blows it to say good morning world. It starts with that one guy who is always at work before everyone else, toot! no answer. Then he notices that tug down the river fire up and gives him a toot on the horn, of course tug guy answers back. This goes on for about an hour of so as more and more cranes operators, tug captains, elevator operators, bridge control operators and such arrive till the late guy gets there and toots hello and everyone answers back one last time. I didn't really mind it so much since it was a slow wake up and I was actually laughing as I loaded the boat and set off to do my days work on the river as well. This section of river had some FAST current, I stayed over against the shore almost in the trees to avoid the morning sun and was really excited as I blasted past all the raccoons, eagles, birds and deer before they could see me coming. In three and half hours I covered 21 miles of river, I don't think I would want to go that fast all the time but it was a nice break from the ordinary. After passing the lock at the end of this section I could tell it was going to be another HOT day so I pulled into Canton Missouri to do laundry and eat. I cleaned out the boat again, something that has to be done every two or three days because sand and mud is always getting in. I also took a river bath at the boat ramp putting on the last clean items I had. I put my dirty clothes and water container in a backpack and walked the few hundred yards to town, I quickly found the coin laundry and got that started while also plugging in the head lamp and VHF radio in to charge behind the coke machine and out of sight. I ate a nice lunch at the Mexican restaurant before collecting my clean clothes and heading back to the river. When I returned I decided I did not want to paddle because of the heat so I cleaned the tent, patched my air mattress, organized the food bag, all in the shade of the cotton wood trees in the park. As I was repacking everything I noticed the radio was still behind the coke machine in town. I walked back to the laundry mat and collected my forgotten items. A store down the street caught my eye, a second hand/junk store, I had to take a look because I had an idea I wanted to try out. I walked around the large store for some time not finding what I needed. A nice man asked if I was looking for anything in particular? I said I was paddling the river and wanted an umbrella and a pair of vice grips to make a sun shade. He was very excited to help me and after a few minutes I had both items in hand. He refused to take my money but said I had to meet his friend up front. I talked to the two gentlemen for about 30 minute about my trip, the river, weather and fishing before moving along. As I was walking to the river a truck stopped by me and it was the guy from the store, he said he had a larger golf umbrella or a beach umbrella if that was better, I told him I thought they would catch too much wind but thank you. Back at the boat the 10 mph wind had finally arrived and it was blowing from the north! I jumped in the boat and paddled for the shade of the west shore, letting the wind push me along and trying to keep me cool. I paddled for the rest of the afternoon like this, sweating and hot but nothing lake the last week plus. Around 6:30 I rounded a bend and saw the bridge for Quincy IL ahead, I knew the lock was just passed this point and no camping passed the bridge so I started looking. I found a nice small sand beach and made a simple camp with no fire, took another river bath and made a dinner of Alfredo sauce, noodles and canned chicken. I was asleep before it was dark.
Another early start, it seems that there is some kind of river tradition in Keokuk IA that around 5 AM as everyone who works on the river had has a horn or whistle at their work station blows it to say good morning world. It starts with that one guy who is always at work before everyone else, toot! no answer. Then he notices that tug down the river fire up and gives him a toot on the horn, of course tug guy answers back. This goes on for about an hour of so as more and more cranes operators, tug captains, elevator operators, bridge control operators and such arrive till the late guy gets there and toots hello and everyone answers back one last time. I didn't really mind it so much since it was a slow wake up and I was actually laughing as I loaded the boat and set off to do my days work on the river as well. This section of river had some FAST current, I stayed over against the shore almost in the trees to avoid the morning sun and was really excited as I blasted past all the raccoons, eagles, birds and deer before they could see me coming. In three and half hours I covered 21 miles of river, I don't think I would want to go that fast all the time but it was a nice break from the ordinary. After passing the lock at the end of this section I could tell it was going to be another HOT day so I pulled into Canton Missouri to do laundry and eat. I cleaned out the boat again, something that has to be done every two or three days because sand and mud is always getting in. I also took a river bath at the boat ramp putting on the last clean items I had. I put my dirty clothes and water container in a backpack and walked the few hundred yards to town, I quickly found the coin laundry and got that started while also plugging in the head lamp and VHF radio in to charge behind the coke machine and out of sight. I ate a nice lunch at the Mexican restaurant before collecting my clean clothes and heading back to the river. When I returned I decided I did not want to paddle because of the heat so I cleaned the tent, patched my air mattress, organized the food bag, all in the shade of the cotton wood trees in the park. As I was repacking everything I noticed the radio was still behind the coke machine in town. I walked back to the laundry mat and collected my forgotten items. A store down the street caught my eye, a second hand/junk store, I had to take a look because I had an idea I wanted to try out. I walked around the large store for some time not finding what I needed. A nice man asked if I was looking for anything in particular? I said I was paddling the river and wanted an umbrella and a pair of vice grips to make a sun shade. He was very excited to help me and after a few minutes I had both items in hand. He refused to take my money but said I had to meet his friend up front. I talked to the two gentlemen for about 30 minute about my trip, the river, weather and fishing before moving along. As I was walking to the river a truck stopped by me and it was the guy from the store, he said he had a larger golf umbrella or a beach umbrella if that was better, I told him I thought they would catch too much wind but thank you. Back at the boat the 10 mph wind had finally arrived and it was blowing from the north! I jumped in the boat and paddled for the shade of the west shore, letting the wind push me along and trying to keep me cool. I paddled for the rest of the afternoon like this, sweating and hot but nothing lake the last week plus. Around 6:30 I rounded a bend and saw the bridge for Quincy IL ahead, I knew the lock was just passed this point and no camping passed the bridge so I started looking. I found a nice small sand beach and made a simple camp with no fire, took another river bath and made a dinner of Alfredo sauce, noodles and canned chicken. I was asleep before it was dark.
Monday, July 16, 2018
Day 42
Day 42
The weather had forecast another heat advisory for the day so I was up and moving by 6. The first few hours and dozen miles passed with nothing much of note. By 10:30 the heat was up, I was sweating buckets, my shirt and pants were soaked and it was dripping off my arms with every stroke of the paddle. I would paddle about an hour and stop for a few minutes to drink a liter of water. As the day approached noon i knew I couldn't keep this up the length of the 46 mile pool I was trying to paddle down without a serious break. Just after noon I paddled into the town of Fort Madison and headed to the marina and a covered pavilion. I found some relief under the pavilion but even with my shirt off the 100+ degree heat index had me dripping a steady stream as I worked on updating my blog. After a couple hours work my phone gave notice of a weather warning in my area, funnel clouds had been spotted to the west and thunderstorms were coming later in the day. I was reminded of my hiking friend Roger who is fond of saying, 100% chance of weather every day. Not long after I meet a local named Tim who was eager to hear about my trip so far. After giving him my story he proceeded to tell me all about Fort Madison. Fort Madison was the first fort built west of the Mississippi River in 1816. He pointed out the more recently built fort located down the street and the original location in the middle of the highway. He showed me the high water marks from the different floods over the years as well. Having finished my work on the blog I set out to find something to eat, only to discover everything was closed. When I returned to the pavilion Tim said he had realized it was Sunday and everything near was closed so he ordered a pizza because he couldn't let me leave town hungry. Tim and I enjoyed the pizza before i set off back into the heat. As I paddled along I let myself get fixed on the goal of making through Lock 19 and into Missouri below before camping. As the sun was setting I realized I would not make the Lock or Missouri in the day light. To top off my poor planning there was no available camping between me and Missouri. Just as the sun set I paddled up to Lock 19, the Lock Master told me a barge coming up behind me had to go first because he had no place to stop and the current would draw him into the hydroelectric part of the dam. I tied up to near the dam to wait my turn. The Lock Master told me this was the oldest Lock and Dam structure on the river built in 1910 and it took 3 years and hundreds of men to do it. After about an hour I was in the lock and was making the 39 foot drop to the pool below. I felt very small in the 1200 foot long lock with 60 feet of concrete over my head. When the doors opened I paddled out into the semi darkness headed for Missouri about a mile below. The bank was lined with various factories and grain storage building whose light cast a glow over the dark water. I was very much on edge easing own the river, trying no to hit anything in the darkness. I was suddenly shocked as the water exploded around me and things smashed into all sides of the canoe from out of the darkness. It took me a few moments to realize it was a school of silver Asian carp that I had spooked. I paddled on for another 30 minutes before a large clump of trees appeared in the channel before me, slowly I could make out the white trunks of massive cottonwood trees on the island. I paddled to the island and found a spot just big enough for my tent. I set up my tent using my headlamp and was glad there was not a bugs around to bother me. It was almost 11:30 by the time I climbed into the tent, still sweating, clothes soaked and hungry. I scolded myself for getting tunnel vision over making Missouri because at the end of the day it was a crap camping spot, with no bath and a cold dinner. All in all not a bad day I made 46 plus miles and Missouri.
The weather had forecast another heat advisory for the day so I was up and moving by 6. The first few hours and dozen miles passed with nothing much of note. By 10:30 the heat was up, I was sweating buckets, my shirt and pants were soaked and it was dripping off my arms with every stroke of the paddle. I would paddle about an hour and stop for a few minutes to drink a liter of water. As the day approached noon i knew I couldn't keep this up the length of the 46 mile pool I was trying to paddle down without a serious break. Just after noon I paddled into the town of Fort Madison and headed to the marina and a covered pavilion. I found some relief under the pavilion but even with my shirt off the 100+ degree heat index had me dripping a steady stream as I worked on updating my blog. After a couple hours work my phone gave notice of a weather warning in my area, funnel clouds had been spotted to the west and thunderstorms were coming later in the day. I was reminded of my hiking friend Roger who is fond of saying, 100% chance of weather every day. Not long after I meet a local named Tim who was eager to hear about my trip so far. After giving him my story he proceeded to tell me all about Fort Madison. Fort Madison was the first fort built west of the Mississippi River in 1816. He pointed out the more recently built fort located down the street and the original location in the middle of the highway. He showed me the high water marks from the different floods over the years as well. Having finished my work on the blog I set out to find something to eat, only to discover everything was closed. When I returned to the pavilion Tim said he had realized it was Sunday and everything near was closed so he ordered a pizza because he couldn't let me leave town hungry. Tim and I enjoyed the pizza before i set off back into the heat. As I paddled along I let myself get fixed on the goal of making through Lock 19 and into Missouri below before camping. As the sun was setting I realized I would not make the Lock or Missouri in the day light. To top off my poor planning there was no available camping between me and Missouri. Just as the sun set I paddled up to Lock 19, the Lock Master told me a barge coming up behind me had to go first because he had no place to stop and the current would draw him into the hydroelectric part of the dam. I tied up to near the dam to wait my turn. The Lock Master told me this was the oldest Lock and Dam structure on the river built in 1910 and it took 3 years and hundreds of men to do it. After about an hour I was in the lock and was making the 39 foot drop to the pool below. I felt very small in the 1200 foot long lock with 60 feet of concrete over my head. When the doors opened I paddled out into the semi darkness headed for Missouri about a mile below. The bank was lined with various factories and grain storage building whose light cast a glow over the dark water. I was very much on edge easing own the river, trying no to hit anything in the darkness. I was suddenly shocked as the water exploded around me and things smashed into all sides of the canoe from out of the darkness. It took me a few moments to realize it was a school of silver Asian carp that I had spooked. I paddled on for another 30 minutes before a large clump of trees appeared in the channel before me, slowly I could make out the white trunks of massive cottonwood trees on the island. I paddled to the island and found a spot just big enough for my tent. I set up my tent using my headlamp and was glad there was not a bugs around to bother me. It was almost 11:30 by the time I climbed into the tent, still sweating, clothes soaked and hungry. I scolded myself for getting tunnel vision over making Missouri because at the end of the day it was a crap camping spot, with no bath and a cold dinner. All in all not a bad day I made 46 plus miles and Missouri.
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Day 41
Day 41
I woke up early to the sound of thunder in the distance so went back to sleep. I finally got up around 8 and packed up with the sound of thunder still rumbling in the west. I paddled for about an hour before the first rainstorm of the day caught me, it was short and thankfully not much wind. After several hours a barge started to close up with me from behind. I paddled over out of the channel so he could pass me. As he was passing me I noticed white smoke coming from the rear of the tow boat, the smoke started to turn gray and then black. The deck hands were grabbing fire hoses and spraying into the back of the barge as he drifted slowly out of the channel. I paddled past him and put to shore to watch the show. Several small tow boats were racing in his direction to try and help him but before they could get there the front barges crashed into the bank pushing over several huge cotton woods. With the fire seeming to be out the deck hands went to the front of the barges to help the small tugs. After they got the barge out of the woods and back into the channel the fire restarted. As the barge drifted towards the sandbar I paddled on my way. A few miles later I spotted a large eagles nest and it appeared it was made up almost entirely of trash, poly tow boat ropes and black plastic being the main building materials. I paddled on toward Burlington IA were I stopped to fill my water container before pushing on. Just south of town a large thunderstorm started to roll over the river, with the wind blowing very hard I paddled onto a sandbar and set up my tent. I thought it would be a quick storm but it rained for several hours so I took a bath and cleaned out the canoe. After the rained stopped a beautiful rainbow appeared while i made dinner. Another good day on the river.
I woke up early to the sound of thunder in the distance so went back to sleep. I finally got up around 8 and packed up with the sound of thunder still rumbling in the west. I paddled for about an hour before the first rainstorm of the day caught me, it was short and thankfully not much wind. After several hours a barge started to close up with me from behind. I paddled over out of the channel so he could pass me. As he was passing me I noticed white smoke coming from the rear of the tow boat, the smoke started to turn gray and then black. The deck hands were grabbing fire hoses and spraying into the back of the barge as he drifted slowly out of the channel. I paddled past him and put to shore to watch the show. Several small tow boats were racing in his direction to try and help him but before they could get there the front barges crashed into the bank pushing over several huge cotton woods. With the fire seeming to be out the deck hands went to the front of the barges to help the small tugs. After they got the barge out of the woods and back into the channel the fire restarted. As the barge drifted towards the sandbar I paddled on my way. A few miles later I spotted a large eagles nest and it appeared it was made up almost entirely of trash, poly tow boat ropes and black plastic being the main building materials. I paddled on toward Burlington IA were I stopped to fill my water container before pushing on. Just south of town a large thunderstorm started to roll over the river, with the wind blowing very hard I paddled onto a sandbar and set up my tent. I thought it would be a quick storm but it rained for several hours so I took a bath and cleaned out the canoe. After the rained stopped a beautiful rainbow appeared while i made dinner. Another good day on the river.
Day 40
Day 40
The wonderful hotel bed and a cool room had me asleep till after 9. I quickly took another shower and headed to a local breakfast spot for a steak and eggs. While waiting on my order I called the post office and the lady working was unwilling to help me find me package. I tried to explain that the package was shipped to the post office and was a hold package, she just kept saying she wasn't going to search 22 routes of mail for it. I hung up and enjoyed my breakfast before calling back a second time and trying to explain things to her in another way, with no luck. I hated to leave town without the package but it was time to make some miles. I paddled out into a what was shaping up to be a very hot and humid day. I was facing a strong head wind but at least it provided for some relief from the heat. I stuck close to the shore and made several stops to drink water and pick up trash in places I saw bigger piles. As early evening was approaching I could hear thunder off in the distance and paddled hard to try and make the lock before the storm hit. Just as I could see the Lock a few miles away the storm blew up behind me, the winds gave me a strong tail wind and I was soon sitting at the lock but a barge was currently in the lock. I secured myself to the rock wall and enjoyed a heavy cool rain as I waited for the barge to clear the lock. After 45 minutes the barge was gone and I was able to lock through. Just down river from the lock the Iowa river join the Mississippi. The Iowa River was a mess, the water was bright green as if someone had dyed it for a St. Patrick's day celebration but as I got closer I was overcome with the smell of fertilizer. The smell was so strong it was like I had my head in a bag of fertilizer. Such a shame to know that this huge load of fertilizer was dumping into the river. The sandbar I made camp at that night was also in poor shape, it was littered with the normal plastic bottles and aluminum cans but also had more than a few steel coke and beer cans. I am almost 40 years old and do not remember steel cans or pull top cans, the plastic coating on the cans makes them last a very long time. Another small rain shower hit just as I finished setting up camp, after it passed the temp dropping the rest of the night was very pleasant.
The wonderful hotel bed and a cool room had me asleep till after 9. I quickly took another shower and headed to a local breakfast spot for a steak and eggs. While waiting on my order I called the post office and the lady working was unwilling to help me find me package. I tried to explain that the package was shipped to the post office and was a hold package, she just kept saying she wasn't going to search 22 routes of mail for it. I hung up and enjoyed my breakfast before calling back a second time and trying to explain things to her in another way, with no luck. I hated to leave town without the package but it was time to make some miles. I paddled out into a what was shaping up to be a very hot and humid day. I was facing a strong head wind but at least it provided for some relief from the heat. I stuck close to the shore and made several stops to drink water and pick up trash in places I saw bigger piles. As early evening was approaching I could hear thunder off in the distance and paddled hard to try and make the lock before the storm hit. Just as I could see the Lock a few miles away the storm blew up behind me, the winds gave me a strong tail wind and I was soon sitting at the lock but a barge was currently in the lock. I secured myself to the rock wall and enjoyed a heavy cool rain as I waited for the barge to clear the lock. After 45 minutes the barge was gone and I was able to lock through. Just down river from the lock the Iowa river join the Mississippi. The Iowa River was a mess, the water was bright green as if someone had dyed it for a St. Patrick's day celebration but as I got closer I was overcome with the smell of fertilizer. The smell was so strong it was like I had my head in a bag of fertilizer. Such a shame to know that this huge load of fertilizer was dumping into the river. The sandbar I made camp at that night was also in poor shape, it was littered with the normal plastic bottles and aluminum cans but also had more than a few steel coke and beer cans. I am almost 40 years old and do not remember steel cans or pull top cans, the plastic coating on the cans makes them last a very long time. Another small rain shower hit just as I finished setting up camp, after it passed the temp dropping the rest of the night was very pleasant.
Day 39
Day 39
I was up and on the water early again this morning, I had a town stop to make and packages that I hoped were waiting on me at the post office. With the help of a decent current and nearly no wind I covered the 20 plus miles to lock 17 by just after noon. As I was approaching I saw a very large barge waiting to pass through. I knew these large barges would take at least an hour and a half to clear the lock so I asked the Lock Master if I could paddle through one of the open gates on the dam. I knew several paddlers in front of me had to been permitted to do this at this same dam so I was surprised when he said no. He told me to give him a minute and he would see what he could do. Soon enough a Toyota pickup and two dam employees pulled up and announced they were going to help me load my things and canoe into the truck and drive me around the dam. I thanked them about a thousand times as we unloaded on the far side of the lock. It was a short paddle of one mile into the town of Muscatine IA were I was supposed to have several packages waiting. I made my way over to Boonies Grill and ordered a quick bite to eat before calling a cab to take me to the post office several miles away. At the post office they had two of my three packages waiting and I was soon headed back towards the river to figure out my next move. I was looking pretty rough at this point since i had split the crouch on my pants when I slipped and fell in the mud reloading my canoe at the dam. I decided I would try stay in town for the night if I could find a cheap room because I wanted to get the other package from Wolf River Conservancy. A quick google search showed the cheap motels were 5 miles and a $20 cab ride away. There was one very nice hotel on the water but I knew from past experience that looking and smelling homeless does not tend to help when trying to negotiate a cheaper room rate. I called my sister Dana and asked her if she would call the hotel and try and talk them into a cheaper rate for me. She texted back shortly and said she got a cheaper rate and paid for my room. Of course I was very thankful for her for doing this for me as it was not expected. After refilling my water container and throwing away a large collection of cans and other garbage from the river I checked into the hotel. The room was super nice and the shower was absolutely amazing. Next I called Cobra to talk to someone about my radio not working, the man told me to remove the battery pack and smack it against something hard before reinstalling it. I did as he said and the radio started to charge up. I opened the boxes from my Mom and sister and was happy to find replacement pants and other goodies. I grabbed a quick pizza from a local place and ate it before falling asleep thinking about all the nice people who had helped make my day so good.
I was up and on the water early again this morning, I had a town stop to make and packages that I hoped were waiting on me at the post office. With the help of a decent current and nearly no wind I covered the 20 plus miles to lock 17 by just after noon. As I was approaching I saw a very large barge waiting to pass through. I knew these large barges would take at least an hour and a half to clear the lock so I asked the Lock Master if I could paddle through one of the open gates on the dam. I knew several paddlers in front of me had to been permitted to do this at this same dam so I was surprised when he said no. He told me to give him a minute and he would see what he could do. Soon enough a Toyota pickup and two dam employees pulled up and announced they were going to help me load my things and canoe into the truck and drive me around the dam. I thanked them about a thousand times as we unloaded on the far side of the lock. It was a short paddle of one mile into the town of Muscatine IA were I was supposed to have several packages waiting. I made my way over to Boonies Grill and ordered a quick bite to eat before calling a cab to take me to the post office several miles away. At the post office they had two of my three packages waiting and I was soon headed back towards the river to figure out my next move. I was looking pretty rough at this point since i had split the crouch on my pants when I slipped and fell in the mud reloading my canoe at the dam. I decided I would try stay in town for the night if I could find a cheap room because I wanted to get the other package from Wolf River Conservancy. A quick google search showed the cheap motels were 5 miles and a $20 cab ride away. There was one very nice hotel on the water but I knew from past experience that looking and smelling homeless does not tend to help when trying to negotiate a cheaper room rate. I called my sister Dana and asked her if she would call the hotel and try and talk them into a cheaper rate for me. She texted back shortly and said she got a cheaper rate and paid for my room. Of course I was very thankful for her for doing this for me as it was not expected. After refilling my water container and throwing away a large collection of cans and other garbage from the river I checked into the hotel. The room was super nice and the shower was absolutely amazing. Next I called Cobra to talk to someone about my radio not working, the man told me to remove the battery pack and smack it against something hard before reinstalling it. I did as he said and the radio started to charge up. I opened the boxes from my Mom and sister and was happy to find replacement pants and other goodies. I grabbed a quick pizza from a local place and ate it before falling asleep thinking about all the nice people who had helped make my day so good.
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Day 38
Day 38
I must say today was about the perfect day on the river. I woke up from another nights good sleep in the hotel in Clinton IA feeling rested and ready to get back on the water. I packed up and headed across the street for a breakfast biscuit before walking to the canoe. I had hidden the canoe pretty well two days before and had checked on it yesterday but I was still nervous it or the items I left in it might be gone. I was relieved to see everything was just as it should be. I packed up and enjoyed my paddle back down Mill Creek towards the river. The river greeted me with the mildest of current and just enough wind to keep me from getting hot but not enough to inter fear with paddling. After a hour or so a large pontoon boat with a Mississippi River Eco tour pulled alongside and the guide asked me about my trip and relayed the information to his customers. The guide gave me some advice on the river and Lock and Dam ahead before motoring along. Within minutes I encountered a Corps of Engineers boat whose crew inquired about my trip and asked f I needed anything. I had seen their boat running up and down the river and side to side so I asked why they were riding around like crazy people. The captain thought it was funny a guy paddling the entire river would call anyone else on the river crazy. He informed me they were mapping the river bottom because the river was trying to leave the marked channel. They wished me luck as they headed towards shore and their lunch break. I noticed I was coming up on the town of Le Claire IA and had been told by several people to stop at the museum located there. I found a small pier and went to find out what the museum was all about. As I entered a man greeted me and welcomed me to the Buffalo Bill museum, he explained Buffalo Bill had been born here and the site contained items from his life as well as other local items. I gladly paid the $5 entry fee and began my self guided tour. I saw a display about a local man who invented the flight data recorder and the modern automobile seat belt. They had many Native American items from Buffalo Bills traveling show including fine bead and leather work. Also on display were some of his guns, targets, personal items and a large collection of books, cards and other printed material from his life time. In a large attached room was my favorite thing, the paddle wheel steamboat Lone Star. It is the only surviving wood hull steam powered paddle wheel boat in the United States. The boat was setup so you could walk through the entire craft inspecting all the rooms and the steam engine. Inside the engine from they had a home made video from the the 1950"s that showed the boat in operation including how all the different parts worked together to move the paddle wheel. Back in the canoe I moved towards Lock and Dam 14, on arriving I discovered mt VHF radio would not work. I could see that a barge was moving through the lock and waited my turn. When the barge started out he called the Lock Master and told him I was waiting so I was given the green light to enter the lock. The drop in this lock was over 5 ft the largest to date. When I paddled out of the lock I entered a large section of rough water but soon found myself riding a series of long rolling waves that pushed me ahead with good speed. These rolling waves pushed me through the first 5 miles of the pool in less than an hour. I was now in Davenport IA and passed a large construction project where they were bringing in barges with several concrete trucks and pouring a massive footing for a new bridge. The construction workers took my picture and shouted words of encouragement as I paddled past. The next point of interest was Rock Island the home of a Army base and Armory. I checked the Armory website and was disappointed to see I would be unable to visit the Armory as it houses the second largest collection of small arms in the country. While passing I was forced very near the island and was quickly greeted by Military Police in an SUV who using a loud speaker told me to keep away. At the end of the island was located Lock and Dam 15. I was nervous about not having my radio because I had heard that the people working this lock would not answer the pull cord installed for use by boats without a radio. I paddled up to the cord and gave it a tug, i could clearly hear the loud buzzer located at the Lock Master's station but received no reply. I waited a few minutes before trying a second, third and fourth time, still no answer. I then used my phone to look up the phone number for the lock and gave them a ring. Again from 600 ft away I could hear the phone ringing and after a dozen rings I received an answer. I clearly explained I needed to lock through and was greeted with a short and somewhat confusing reply. The outer doors finally opened and I entered the lock. All of the other 14 Locks and Dams are very well maintained, fresh paint, new signage and all signs of past damage repaired or replaced. Lock 15 was the total opposite dirty, faded paint and signs and several places with broken concrete with large rusted steel re bar sticking out. I asked the Lock Master why he did not answer the pull cord signal and he lied and said he never heard a thing. I quickly made the 5 ft drop and paddled away from the strange Lock and Dam. I later read that the lock has the newest type of lock and the largest collection of different type of dam doors on the river. I paddled on down the river again riding the strange rolling waves that pushed me forward. Clear of the town I spotted a nice beach and paddled to shore. I set up camp, took my bath and started to work on my supper of rice with canned roast beef. While dinner cooked I worked on my post about the Wolf River Conservancy and was treated to another amazing sunset. Life is rough on the river.
I must say today was about the perfect day on the river. I woke up from another nights good sleep in the hotel in Clinton IA feeling rested and ready to get back on the water. I packed up and headed across the street for a breakfast biscuit before walking to the canoe. I had hidden the canoe pretty well two days before and had checked on it yesterday but I was still nervous it or the items I left in it might be gone. I was relieved to see everything was just as it should be. I packed up and enjoyed my paddle back down Mill Creek towards the river. The river greeted me with the mildest of current and just enough wind to keep me from getting hot but not enough to inter fear with paddling. After a hour or so a large pontoon boat with a Mississippi River Eco tour pulled alongside and the guide asked me about my trip and relayed the information to his customers. The guide gave me some advice on the river and Lock and Dam ahead before motoring along. Within minutes I encountered a Corps of Engineers boat whose crew inquired about my trip and asked f I needed anything. I had seen their boat running up and down the river and side to side so I asked why they were riding around like crazy people. The captain thought it was funny a guy paddling the entire river would call anyone else on the river crazy. He informed me they were mapping the river bottom because the river was trying to leave the marked channel. They wished me luck as they headed towards shore and their lunch break. I noticed I was coming up on the town of Le Claire IA and had been told by several people to stop at the museum located there. I found a small pier and went to find out what the museum was all about. As I entered a man greeted me and welcomed me to the Buffalo Bill museum, he explained Buffalo Bill had been born here and the site contained items from his life as well as other local items. I gladly paid the $5 entry fee and began my self guided tour. I saw a display about a local man who invented the flight data recorder and the modern automobile seat belt. They had many Native American items from Buffalo Bills traveling show including fine bead and leather work. Also on display were some of his guns, targets, personal items and a large collection of books, cards and other printed material from his life time. In a large attached room was my favorite thing, the paddle wheel steamboat Lone Star. It is the only surviving wood hull steam powered paddle wheel boat in the United States. The boat was setup so you could walk through the entire craft inspecting all the rooms and the steam engine. Inside the engine from they had a home made video from the the 1950"s that showed the boat in operation including how all the different parts worked together to move the paddle wheel. Back in the canoe I moved towards Lock and Dam 14, on arriving I discovered mt VHF radio would not work. I could see that a barge was moving through the lock and waited my turn. When the barge started out he called the Lock Master and told him I was waiting so I was given the green light to enter the lock. The drop in this lock was over 5 ft the largest to date. When I paddled out of the lock I entered a large section of rough water but soon found myself riding a series of long rolling waves that pushed me ahead with good speed. These rolling waves pushed me through the first 5 miles of the pool in less than an hour. I was now in Davenport IA and passed a large construction project where they were bringing in barges with several concrete trucks and pouring a massive footing for a new bridge. The construction workers took my picture and shouted words of encouragement as I paddled past. The next point of interest was Rock Island the home of a Army base and Armory. I checked the Armory website and was disappointed to see I would be unable to visit the Armory as it houses the second largest collection of small arms in the country. While passing I was forced very near the island and was quickly greeted by Military Police in an SUV who using a loud speaker told me to keep away. At the end of the island was located Lock and Dam 15. I was nervous about not having my radio because I had heard that the people working this lock would not answer the pull cord installed for use by boats without a radio. I paddled up to the cord and gave it a tug, i could clearly hear the loud buzzer located at the Lock Master's station but received no reply. I waited a few minutes before trying a second, third and fourth time, still no answer. I then used my phone to look up the phone number for the lock and gave them a ring. Again from 600 ft away I could hear the phone ringing and after a dozen rings I received an answer. I clearly explained I needed to lock through and was greeted with a short and somewhat confusing reply. The outer doors finally opened and I entered the lock. All of the other 14 Locks and Dams are very well maintained, fresh paint, new signage and all signs of past damage repaired or replaced. Lock 15 was the total opposite dirty, faded paint and signs and several places with broken concrete with large rusted steel re bar sticking out. I asked the Lock Master why he did not answer the pull cord signal and he lied and said he never heard a thing. I quickly made the 5 ft drop and paddled away from the strange Lock and Dam. I later read that the lock has the newest type of lock and the largest collection of different type of dam doors on the river. I paddled on down the river again riding the strange rolling waves that pushed me forward. Clear of the town I spotted a nice beach and paddled to shore. I set up camp, took my bath and started to work on my supper of rice with canned roast beef. While dinner cooked I worked on my post about the Wolf River Conservancy and was treated to another amazing sunset. Life is rough on the river.
Giving Something Back
As I began to research for this trip one thing that i discovered that was a shock to me was that most all the water i would paddle through was not safe to drink even after filtering or treating. We are talking a lot of water, around 90,000 gallons a minute in Minneapolis and over 600,000 cubic feet per second at New Orleans and almost every drop is polluted with mercury, bacteria, PCB's and nutrients. While the river water can and does get cleaned to provide drinking water to over 18 million people a day, it is sad that so many of our nations resources are used to for such a purpose. The problem rests in the fact that the river drains over 40% of the United States, that equals over 1.8 million square miles. Most of the pollution does not come from the towns along the river but cities and small towns located hundreds of miles away. I had already decided I would pick up all the litter I could during my trip but I wanted to do more to help the Mighty Mississippi. I decided the best way to help the river was to find a non profit the works to clean and improve a river that drains into the Mississippi. I knew the Wolf River that flows through Memphis Tennessee was one such river. I was born in Memphis and my father still lives in the area. For a time he lived very near the river outside Memphis and I had the chance to fish the river and explore a boardwalk that runs through a wetland created by the river. My father had told me about the Wolf River Conservancy a non profit that has worked to clean up the river, build a green belt along its course and educate the public. With some help I was able to establish a relationship with the Wolf River Conservancy and hope that through this blog, Face Book and your help I can raise money help give back to this river that is giving so much to me. I ask you please take a moment to follow the link below and read about some of the wonderful things the Wolf River Conservancy is doing to help the Wolf River and in turn the Mississippi River. If you like what you read please take a moment to give back to a river that provides so much to our country.
Thanks Matt
https://wolfriver.org/matthew-briggs-source-to-sea-litter-free
Thanks Matt
https://wolfriver.org/matthew-briggs-source-to-sea-litter-free
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Day 37
Day 37
This is topic I wanted to cover one day and I share it only to give you an idea of some of the physical issues that come up on a trip over months and thousands of miles. They are unpleasant but I gladly make the sacrifice to enjoy this journey.
I took a full day off today, I slept and stretched for most of the day. I have been having increasing issues with my arms and hands. I had figured that I would have upper body issues given the lower body problems I encountered while hiking the 2100+ mile Appalachian Trail. Some people have started to use the term ultra endurance for these types of adventures were someone runs, walks, paddles, cycles etc for 10 plus hours a day for weeks on end. At it's most simple, I sit in the boat and force my mind and body to paddle until one or both scream "enough!" My hands and wrists are the point were the rubber meets the road. After several hours gripping the paddle and moving the water I have to force my fingers to fully open and restore blood flow. Slowly as the days passed the feeling in the ends of my fingers started to go numb. It started with the middle finger and then ring finger, same as with my feet on the hike, longest to shortest. I know the constant impact greatly reduces blow flow so my logic is the longest finger/ toe goes first. There is sometimes a "ghost" pain in the finger tips, pain but no reason for it. The numbness from the second joint forward doesn't cause any real problems other than when typing. As for my hand as a whole, even when not paddling my hands want to grip the paddle so they ball up into a fist. Throughout the day I stretch my fingers and massage my hands when I can. Despite my efforts I still wake up a couple times a night because my hands are a super tight fist. My arm muscles have reacted much like my legs doing the hike, they want to go 24 hours a day. After hours of the nerves firing, telling the muscles to work, they are fried. I stop padding but on a more basic level the nerves continue to fire. It shows as the slow tightening of the muscles, some times a full arm twitch or jerk and other times shooting pain or ghost pain. What I do in the evening is a routine I began while hiking. My dinner including hot coco after is designed to get 1 gallon of water into my system to offset any dehydration and refill on calories. The next part is massage, yoga/stretching using all available resources. Hanging from tree branches, using tree trunks to hold a stretch, rubbing a knotted muscle against a bump on a tree. and all the yoga positions I can remember. My main goal in all this, is to get as many hours of sleep as possible before I am awaken by some pain. I have even gotten creative in my sleeping position, I kept waking up on my side with arms and fists balled up against my chest so..I started sleeping on my belly with my arms to my sides. This works better most of the time until the other night when my arm and hand flexed to the "look at my muscles" position, my arm nerves fired and I punched my sleeping self in the ear..hard! What could I do but almost cry, laugh, notice the sky was getting light and think if I pack fast I can see sunrise on the water.
This is topic I wanted to cover one day and I share it only to give you an idea of some of the physical issues that come up on a trip over months and thousands of miles. They are unpleasant but I gladly make the sacrifice to enjoy this journey.
I took a full day off today, I slept and stretched for most of the day. I have been having increasing issues with my arms and hands. I had figured that I would have upper body issues given the lower body problems I encountered while hiking the 2100+ mile Appalachian Trail. Some people have started to use the term ultra endurance for these types of adventures were someone runs, walks, paddles, cycles etc for 10 plus hours a day for weeks on end. At it's most simple, I sit in the boat and force my mind and body to paddle until one or both scream "enough!" My hands and wrists are the point were the rubber meets the road. After several hours gripping the paddle and moving the water I have to force my fingers to fully open and restore blood flow. Slowly as the days passed the feeling in the ends of my fingers started to go numb. It started with the middle finger and then ring finger, same as with my feet on the hike, longest to shortest. I know the constant impact greatly reduces blow flow so my logic is the longest finger/ toe goes first. There is sometimes a "ghost" pain in the finger tips, pain but no reason for it. The numbness from the second joint forward doesn't cause any real problems other than when typing. As for my hand as a whole, even when not paddling my hands want to grip the paddle so they ball up into a fist. Throughout the day I stretch my fingers and massage my hands when I can. Despite my efforts I still wake up a couple times a night because my hands are a super tight fist. My arm muscles have reacted much like my legs doing the hike, they want to go 24 hours a day. After hours of the nerves firing, telling the muscles to work, they are fried. I stop padding but on a more basic level the nerves continue to fire. It shows as the slow tightening of the muscles, some times a full arm twitch or jerk and other times shooting pain or ghost pain. What I do in the evening is a routine I began while hiking. My dinner including hot coco after is designed to get 1 gallon of water into my system to offset any dehydration and refill on calories. The next part is massage, yoga/stretching using all available resources. Hanging from tree branches, using tree trunks to hold a stretch, rubbing a knotted muscle against a bump on a tree. and all the yoga positions I can remember. My main goal in all this, is to get as many hours of sleep as possible before I am awaken by some pain. I have even gotten creative in my sleeping position, I kept waking up on my side with arms and fists balled up against my chest so..I started sleeping on my belly with my arms to my sides. This works better most of the time until the other night when my arm and hand flexed to the "look at my muscles" position, my arm nerves fired and I punched my sleeping self in the ear..hard! What could I do but almost cry, laugh, notice the sky was getting light and think if I pack fast I can see sunrise on the water.
Monday, July 9, 2018
Day 36
Day 36
Having not been within a half mile of the railroad tracks I slept better than I have in a week last night. I listen to the weather report on the VHF radio each night and knew the wind would pick up to 15 plus mph after lunch so i was up paddling early. The pool above Lock and Dam 13 is the largest on the river and I took the gentleman from last nights advice and stuck to the west bank out of the center of the large pool. I made great time and covered the 22 miles to the lock in just over 6 hours. I felt lucky to have beat the winds but as soon as the gates opened it was blowing 20 mph. My tired arms struggled to make the boat ramp a mile down river. I meet two guys test driving a Prowler duck boat at the ramp. I told them they were a popular boat down south and they told me they are built here in Lyons IA. We chatted a few minutes and they offered to take me town to get a bite to eat after they finished. In short order I was at the Lyons Tap a local watering hole. I went through what is becoming my heat of the day routine, a cold local draft beer, fried cheese curds and working on the blog. As I was sitting there I realized how badly my clothes smelled. I am a bit of a hygiene snob when I hike or paddle. I take a bath every night, use deodorant, clean my ears and put on something clean to sleep in. What I call basic field sanitation. Now normally I have two sets of day clothes and you can keep them pretty clean if you use clean water, direct sunlight and little wood smoke, each having anti bacterial and anti microbial properties. But on the river I discovered you can not use the water because all the dissolved dirt and organic matter gets into the fibers. I have hung things up for the rain storms to wash clean but for the last week we have had a heat wave and no rain. So I smell bad. I found a cheap hotel a few miles down river and decide to get a room and do laundry. I paddle down a side channel toward the hotel only to discovery it is a industrial canal with barges, tugs and factories lining the banks. I know the hotel is just behind that factory but cant get there. I find a small creek coming from town and paddle my way up behind all types of businesses. Reaching a major bridge and I climb up the bank and can see the hotel half a mile away. I paddle back downstream and lock the boat to a tree, taking everything I need in a back pack. I walked the half mile to the hotel and when I enter the lobby I get the I smell you homeless look. I hate that look, its why I try to stay clean. The paddle in my hand helps me sell my story and I head to the room. I plan to order pizza, start laundry and take a shower.
Having not been within a half mile of the railroad tracks I slept better than I have in a week last night. I listen to the weather report on the VHF radio each night and knew the wind would pick up to 15 plus mph after lunch so i was up paddling early. The pool above Lock and Dam 13 is the largest on the river and I took the gentleman from last nights advice and stuck to the west bank out of the center of the large pool. I made great time and covered the 22 miles to the lock in just over 6 hours. I felt lucky to have beat the winds but as soon as the gates opened it was blowing 20 mph. My tired arms struggled to make the boat ramp a mile down river. I meet two guys test driving a Prowler duck boat at the ramp. I told them they were a popular boat down south and they told me they are built here in Lyons IA. We chatted a few minutes and they offered to take me town to get a bite to eat after they finished. In short order I was at the Lyons Tap a local watering hole. I went through what is becoming my heat of the day routine, a cold local draft beer, fried cheese curds and working on the blog. As I was sitting there I realized how badly my clothes smelled. I am a bit of a hygiene snob when I hike or paddle. I take a bath every night, use deodorant, clean my ears and put on something clean to sleep in. What I call basic field sanitation. Now normally I have two sets of day clothes and you can keep them pretty clean if you use clean water, direct sunlight and little wood smoke, each having anti bacterial and anti microbial properties. But on the river I discovered you can not use the water because all the dissolved dirt and organic matter gets into the fibers. I have hung things up for the rain storms to wash clean but for the last week we have had a heat wave and no rain. So I smell bad. I found a cheap hotel a few miles down river and decide to get a room and do laundry. I paddle down a side channel toward the hotel only to discovery it is a industrial canal with barges, tugs and factories lining the banks. I know the hotel is just behind that factory but cant get there. I find a small creek coming from town and paddle my way up behind all types of businesses. Reaching a major bridge and I climb up the bank and can see the hotel half a mile away. I paddle back downstream and lock the boat to a tree, taking everything I need in a back pack. I walked the half mile to the hotel and when I enter the lobby I get the I smell you homeless look. I hate that look, its why I try to stay clean. The paddle in my hand helps me sell my story and I head to the room. I plan to order pizza, start laundry and take a shower.
Day 35
Day 35
The first order of business this morning was rearranging the canoe so I could haul off a rather large barrel. When I arrived at the sandbar the night before I noticed there was a 20 gallon metal barrel on the beach. On closer inspection I saw that it held a collection of glass bottles and large shards of household glass. Having glass on the water, at the beach, sand bar or pool is always against the rules, I have been carrying a piece of glass in my big toe for a week thanks to someone breaking that rule. After rearranging things I was able to load the barrel into the canoe to take it down river to a proper disposal site. The water was calm and I made good time making it to Lock and Dam 12 at Bellevue IA. I was able to lock though very quickly and pulled into the boat ramp just down stream. I unloaded the barrel, emptied, cleaned the boat and threw away a decent collection of other trash I had acquired. Sometime during all this I saw a father and son who are paddling the river come out the lock. I had been chatting with them on Facebook and shouted my best wishes to them as they paddled south. Next I put myself to work finding a BBQ restaurant with sweet tea I heard was in town. I found Flatted Fifth Blues and BBQ without trouble. Taking a seat at the bar I was given the Sunday brunch menu, I was surprised and skeptical to see a New Orleans brunch menu. The bartender recommended their burnt ends over fries, decidedly not New Orleans but i hoped it was a good choice. I was not disappointed, next I ordered the crawfish beignets with remoulade. They turned out to be the best of both I have ever had, in Iowa of all places. After my tenth glass of sweet tea I left and headed back to the river. The heat of the day had started to pass and I paddled a steady pace till about 7 when I beached at a newly exposed sandbar. Before I could even unload my tent a gentleman called me over to his boat and declared he knew what I was doing and I gave me a fully loaded 3/4 pound burger. The burger was perfectly cooked and so large I wouldn't need to make anything else for dinner. After setting up camp the gentleman came back over and presented me with venison snack sticks, a box of trail bars and some advice on this area of the river. I did some quick math and was pleased to discover that I have paddled over 800 miles so far. Add to that another great sunset on a sandbar and it makes today one of my better river days so far.
The first order of business this morning was rearranging the canoe so I could haul off a rather large barrel. When I arrived at the sandbar the night before I noticed there was a 20 gallon metal barrel on the beach. On closer inspection I saw that it held a collection of glass bottles and large shards of household glass. Having glass on the water, at the beach, sand bar or pool is always against the rules, I have been carrying a piece of glass in my big toe for a week thanks to someone breaking that rule. After rearranging things I was able to load the barrel into the canoe to take it down river to a proper disposal site. The water was calm and I made good time making it to Lock and Dam 12 at Bellevue IA. I was able to lock though very quickly and pulled into the boat ramp just down stream. I unloaded the barrel, emptied, cleaned the boat and threw away a decent collection of other trash I had acquired. Sometime during all this I saw a father and son who are paddling the river come out the lock. I had been chatting with them on Facebook and shouted my best wishes to them as they paddled south. Next I put myself to work finding a BBQ restaurant with sweet tea I heard was in town. I found Flatted Fifth Blues and BBQ without trouble. Taking a seat at the bar I was given the Sunday brunch menu, I was surprised and skeptical to see a New Orleans brunch menu. The bartender recommended their burnt ends over fries, decidedly not New Orleans but i hoped it was a good choice. I was not disappointed, next I ordered the crawfish beignets with remoulade. They turned out to be the best of both I have ever had, in Iowa of all places. After my tenth glass of sweet tea I left and headed back to the river. The heat of the day had started to pass and I paddled a steady pace till about 7 when I beached at a newly exposed sandbar. Before I could even unload my tent a gentleman called me over to his boat and declared he knew what I was doing and I gave me a fully loaded 3/4 pound burger. The burger was perfectly cooked and so large I wouldn't need to make anything else for dinner. After setting up camp the gentleman came back over and presented me with venison snack sticks, a box of trail bars and some advice on this area of the river. I did some quick math and was pleased to discover that I have paddled over 800 miles so far. Add to that another great sunset on a sandbar and it makes today one of my better river days so far.
Sunday, July 8, 2018
Day 34
Day 34
I was on the water again by 6 AM, no use fighting the trains when you camp within spitting distance of the tracks. I knew today was going to be another busy day on the water with many pleasure boats running up an down river. The high water has covered all the sandbars but a few, so boaters are all running about and drifting rather than hanging out on the beaches. I would be passing through Dubuque and I knew there would be several hundred boats out. The first 15 miles or so went as smoothly as they could given the conditions and shortly after noon I was at Lock and Dam 11. The Lock Master opened the gates and pushed me straight through, he warned me about the high volume of boat traffic down stream before sending me south. When the gates opened I could see the town of Dubuque and hundreds of boats of all shapes and sizes. I stopped at two parks just down stream from the dam but both were closed and showed signs of very recently being under water. I inched along fighting boat wakes from every direction as a boat passed me coming or going every 15 seconds. I made very slow progress for the next several hours, keeping my eyes open for a place to land and at least up load my blog posts now that I had good reception. About 4 I saw a small beach and paddled hard sliding in as the boat wakes pounded the 20 feet of sand. As I was up loading my posts the boat wakes pounded my boat, slowly filling it with water. I did a quick check of the Corps of Engineers maps and saw if I did 4 more miles I would have covered 90 miles in the last 2 and a half days. As I paddled on I saw a large barge headed in my direction. I could see jet skis and boats cutting close to him and making things very stressful for him as well. I picked up my VHF radio and got him to answer. I told him he had my authority to have the deck hands break out the 2 inch fire hose and start spraying down anyone to close. We both had a good laugh at an otherwise very tense situation. As the barge and I were passing several large power boats tried to pass him on the left and were about to run me over. Twice I had to stand up and wave my paddle over my head to warn them off, not an easy trick in a canoe fighting barge waves. After the barge passed I spotted a nice sand bar on the opposite shore, I had to wait about 10 minutes for a break in the boat traffic so i could paddle across. Making the beach I quickly set up the tent, lit a fire, bathed and started fishing. I caught 5 nice catfish in about 10 minutes. From off the mostly empty water a john boat with a fan mounted on back pulled up to the beach. I recognized the boat as a bow fishing set up. Next a large cabin cruiser pulled up on the sand bar as well. In short order one of the men on the cabin cruiser was asking where I was from, when I said Jackson MS, the conversation started to flow. They passed me down beers and asked me all manner of questions about my trip. They told me this beach was named survivor island after a couple got stuck here years ago. They offered to charge my phone or help in any way they could. It was nice to meet some more real river people but as the sun set I was alone in camp. I have been very sore in the evenings and I spent an hour stretching and massaging while watching the local fire works shows before falling to sleep. Today I also found out my partnership with Wolf River Conservancy for fund raising is almost set up. I am very excited to raise funds to help this group clean and maintain this Mississippi river tributary that flows through Memphis TN.
I was on the water again by 6 AM, no use fighting the trains when you camp within spitting distance of the tracks. I knew today was going to be another busy day on the water with many pleasure boats running up an down river. The high water has covered all the sandbars but a few, so boaters are all running about and drifting rather than hanging out on the beaches. I would be passing through Dubuque and I knew there would be several hundred boats out. The first 15 miles or so went as smoothly as they could given the conditions and shortly after noon I was at Lock and Dam 11. The Lock Master opened the gates and pushed me straight through, he warned me about the high volume of boat traffic down stream before sending me south. When the gates opened I could see the town of Dubuque and hundreds of boats of all shapes and sizes. I stopped at two parks just down stream from the dam but both were closed and showed signs of very recently being under water. I inched along fighting boat wakes from every direction as a boat passed me coming or going every 15 seconds. I made very slow progress for the next several hours, keeping my eyes open for a place to land and at least up load my blog posts now that I had good reception. About 4 I saw a small beach and paddled hard sliding in as the boat wakes pounded the 20 feet of sand. As I was up loading my posts the boat wakes pounded my boat, slowly filling it with water. I did a quick check of the Corps of Engineers maps and saw if I did 4 more miles I would have covered 90 miles in the last 2 and a half days. As I paddled on I saw a large barge headed in my direction. I could see jet skis and boats cutting close to him and making things very stressful for him as well. I picked up my VHF radio and got him to answer. I told him he had my authority to have the deck hands break out the 2 inch fire hose and start spraying down anyone to close. We both had a good laugh at an otherwise very tense situation. As the barge and I were passing several large power boats tried to pass him on the left and were about to run me over. Twice I had to stand up and wave my paddle over my head to warn them off, not an easy trick in a canoe fighting barge waves. After the barge passed I spotted a nice sand bar on the opposite shore, I had to wait about 10 minutes for a break in the boat traffic so i could paddle across. Making the beach I quickly set up the tent, lit a fire, bathed and started fishing. I caught 5 nice catfish in about 10 minutes. From off the mostly empty water a john boat with a fan mounted on back pulled up to the beach. I recognized the boat as a bow fishing set up. Next a large cabin cruiser pulled up on the sand bar as well. In short order one of the men on the cabin cruiser was asking where I was from, when I said Jackson MS, the conversation started to flow. They passed me down beers and asked me all manner of questions about my trip. They told me this beach was named survivor island after a couple got stuck here years ago. They offered to charge my phone or help in any way they could. It was nice to meet some more real river people but as the sun set I was alone in camp. I have been very sore in the evenings and I spent an hour stretching and massaging while watching the local fire works shows before falling to sleep. Today I also found out my partnership with Wolf River Conservancy for fund raising is almost set up. I am very excited to raise funds to help this group clean and maintain this Mississippi river tributary that flows through Memphis TN.
Saturday, July 7, 2018
Day 33
Day 33
At about 5 AM the umpteenth dozen train rolled by and I decided I was tired of fighting to sleep and might as well start paddling. It was very peaceful on the early morning water, no wind, no hot sun and still no current to paddle with. I eased my way down river, cutting bends and chopping off corners trying to keep my route straight as possible, I am not normally able to paddle this way because of barge and and recreational boat traffic but i was all alone on the river. About 9:30 the wind began to blow fro the east and i decided to try the back water channels i had mostly avoided because they tend to lead no where. I found a few with nice current but mostly I paddled this way and that way, in and out of flooded open spaces and woods. I don’t know how efficient paddling the back water was but I did see many eagles, beavers and deer. The water in the flooded woods was from 8 inches to 8 feet deep and I was surprised to see many does with young spotted fawns in the more shallow areas. It was a treat to see the fawns because they would normally lay down in tall grass but with nothing but water around they ran and jumped like their mothers. At noon I reached Guttenburg IA the location of Lock and Dam 10. There was a barge just starting to lock through to the north as I arrived so i put to shore to charge electronic and refill my water supply. I worked on my blog for a bit and before I knew it the barge was through and it was my turn in the lock. I locked through and went back into town to find some wi-fi so I could up load my blog posts. While I was walking the streets I was approached by a reporter from the Guttenberg Press who wanted to conduct an interview. She asked me all about my trip and took a few photos before thanking me for my time. I was unable to find any wi-fi and was soon paddling south. It was a repeat of the usual hunt a camp spot and I ended up on a tiny beach and cut a spot for my tent from the thick poison sumac.
Day 32
Day 32
Before leaving in the morning I had to empty the canoe of the water it had captured during the rain storm the day before. I completed this task and drove one of the family boats while the plug was removed so the water could drain out. It felt as if I was fly when driving the boat 15 mph down the river. Back at the island I said my good byes and paddled towards Lansing to get some ice on my way south. I paddled most of the day, clearing Lock and Dam 9 around 3 in the afternoon. I enjoyed paddling by myself and took a slow pace after clearing the lock. Around 4:30 I started looking for some land that was not under water to make camp. I paddled for about 5 miles seeing nothing other than flooded woods and many other boats looking for camping spots as well. Just as I got to the northern edge of Prairie De Chien WI I spotted a tiny spot of sand just next to the railroad tracks. I paddled over and saw it was just big enough for my small tent and nothing else, I made it home for the night. I am would be glad I took this spot because the next day it would be over 10 miles before I saw another place I could have camped if I had passed this spot up. I spent a restless night trying to sleep because a train would come through about every 45 minutes all night long.
Days 30 and 31
Day 30 and 31
I left Genoa mid morning headed towards Lansing and the water slide. I covered about 8 miles and spotted the large sand island that was rumored to hold the water slide. As I rounded the corner and paddled along the length of the island I saw many boats tired to the shore and a large group of people standing in the water. Reaching a break in the boats I was able to see two water slides of the slip and slide type built into the large sand dune. Several people called me over and invited me to try the slide. I should have noted that it was odd no one was using the one slide that had water running down it. I quickly put to shore, grabbed a inter tube and headed towards the top of the slide. When I made what i thought was the top of the dune I saw it was only the halfway mark, each slide was over 200 feet long. I asked a group of ladies for advice on the best best method and was told to get a running start and go down head first on the tube. I took off running and hit the slide at full speed, I quickly cleared the first half and my speed increased as I took the first drop, within seconds I realized I was going way to fast for the hard turn ahead and braced for impact. Reaching the curve I easily flew over the side and received a face full of sand and the removal of some extra skin on my leg for my efforts. I got up dazed and ready for another try. It took me two more attempts to get to the water without sailing over the curve. I was offered cheers and a beer after successfully making it down. The largest part of the group was quickly headed home but not before introducing me to the family responsible for building and operating the slide. I was welcomed to their sand bar camp with open arms. The rest of the day was passed welcoming new boat loads of people to the sandbar and encouraging them to try to the slide. I found out the slides were very safe for young kids but anyone over about 100 pounds had better watch the curves. I decided to spend the night and the next day, July 4th relaxing and enjoying the slide and my new found river friends
The day of the 4th was busy with the family running the slide as well as running two boats to town and back non stop so other people could enjoy the fun. They worked hard all day keeping the slides running and repairing any holes in the plastic. I enjoyed learning how the slides were constructed and maintained. About 4 in the afternoon a rain storm moved into the area running almost everyone off the island. I retired to my tent for a nap while the rain fell for several hours. After the rain passed we picked up any trash left by the day guests and ate dinner. After dark the town of Lansing less than 2 miles away had a fireworks show that was visible from my seat on the sand bar. It was a very enjoyable 4th of July.
Day 29
Day 29
I slept late this morning and woke filling rested and recharged. I meet Marty for my ride to Wal Mart in La Crosse. I am not a wal mart guy matter of fact I love to ask, What is the pathway to hell paved with? Everyday low prices! Today I was glad to see the big box store. I bought a new tent because mine was in poor condition after the storm. I also bought myself a cooler for real food. I had been planning to add a cooler after we finished the portages and was happy to finally get one. I purchased a mountain of food, steak, stir fry meat, sliced ham, mayo, pickles, chips, drink mix, and a whole cooked chicken. When I returned to the car Marty announced we had to get back to the village as quickly as possible. I was alarmed and asked if there was a problem? He declared the village had discovered their idiot was missing and he needed to get back before a search was organized! Back at the hotel I ate most of the roasted chicken for lunch. I put the rest in the ridge and will make chicken salad with it before leaving town. I wanted to do laundry but discovered there was no detergent available. I talked to the house keeper and she gave me some detergent free of charge. I spent the rest of the day cleaning, packing and napping.
I slept late this morning and woke filling rested and recharged. I meet Marty for my ride to Wal Mart in La Crosse. I am not a wal mart guy matter of fact I love to ask, What is the pathway to hell paved with? Everyday low prices! Today I was glad to see the big box store. I bought a new tent because mine was in poor condition after the storm. I also bought myself a cooler for real food. I had been planning to add a cooler after we finished the portages and was happy to finally get one. I purchased a mountain of food, steak, stir fry meat, sliced ham, mayo, pickles, chips, drink mix, and a whole cooked chicken. When I returned to the car Marty announced we had to get back to the village as quickly as possible. I was alarmed and asked if there was a problem? He declared the village had discovered their idiot was missing and he needed to get back before a search was organized! Back at the hotel I ate most of the roasted chicken for lunch. I put the rest in the ridge and will make chicken salad with it before leaving town. I wanted to do laundry but discovered there was no detergent available. I talked to the house keeper and she gave me some detergent free of charge. I spent the rest of the day cleaning, packing and napping.
Monday, July 2, 2018
Day 28
Day 28
Last night we had strong storms until after 2 AM. While we did not get much rain the winds with the storm were strongest I have felt outside of a hurricane. The 40 mph winds did the best they could to crush my tent. I spent most of the night sitting in my tent bracing the poles of my tent from the inside to keep them from snapping. After the stormed passed I was able to get some sleep before it was time to get up and get back on the water. Shawn and I both felt pretty beat up mentally and physically from the storm but headed out onto the water with an eye on the sky for the storms that were supposed to start up again later in the day. After covering less than 5 miles we noticed the sky filling with storm clouds and pulled into a campground to seek cover. Most of the storms were passing just north of us and after charging batteries in the park pavilion and restocking on water. Before paddling out Shawn expressed what I had been feeling for days, a more than a little beat down. We took separate routes through the maze of flooded islands meeting up again on the edge of a several mile pool of open water. We could see the smoke stack from a plant located next to the next lock and dam and made it our aiming point. Out on the open water the wind was blowing from both the west and east creating lines of waves crashing into one another. Shawn was able to push through and across the thrashing waters. Near the half way point I became unable to move towards the direction I wanted to go. Realizing I had to make change of direction I was forced to paddle towards the far shore giving up hard fought for forward progress. When I reached the far shore I was forced to paddle into a couple feet of the bank to make the smallest headway. Several times waves pushed me onto the rocks forcing me to get out and drag the boat back into the water. I pulled off the river and into a small ditch leading into the ton of Genoa WI. I looked around and couldn't find Shawn anywhere. I texted him and he replied he had already gone through the lock and was waiting downstream. I told him I was getting a room and a hot meal in town. Shawn had been talking about making the Iowa state line for several days and said he was going to push on.
Genoa is a small village of 300 people, I walked over to the Great River Inn and entered the office. There was a note directing visitors to hit redial on the office phone and someone would help you. I used the phone and a gentleman answered, took my credit card info, and then directed me to a drawer behind the desk to get my key. The hotel was older but the room was clean and I was pleased with what my $45 got me. I took a quick shower and walked to the Tuna Bar located on the front of the building housing the hotel. There were a dozen locals drinking at the bar, the bar tender quickly got me a beer and a shot of Jim Beam. I was again pleased with the $4.25 price of a round. After a few minutes a lady named Gwen introduced herself to me and asked who I was and what brought me to town. I told her about my adventure and she told me about managing a dairy operation. After introductions she introduced me to the rest of the locals and I soon felt like I was back home at Martin's, my watering hole back in Mississippi. The bartender and his wife talked with me about a trip they made to Jackson and the pleasant time they had there. I talked with Don a local farmer about hunting and meet Marty the local one liner king. I wondered in and out talking and chatting with family and friends and finally relaxing. It hit me suddenly how hard I been pushing myself to paddle the miles and not stopping to enjoy the off river world I was passing through. The is a saying on the Appalachian Trail, Last one to Katahdin wins! Katahdin is the northern terminus is the trail. At some point every hiker gets caught up in the "miles". How many miles did i hike today? How many mile have I hiked this week? What is the most miles you've hiked in one day? How many more miles to Katahdin? If your only goal is to finish then it is ok I guess but otherwise it is an easy trap to fall into. I had done it several times on my hike and I had fallen into it again on the river. paddle! paddle! miles! miles! I have to get to some arbitrary point on the map by some equally unimportant day. I had a healthy laugh when I realized my folly. I returned to the hotel office and booked my room for another day. When I returned to the Tuna I announced to my new friends I was going to hang around the village for at least a another day. Don announced his approval and bought a round for everyone. A bit later I was chatting with the bartender, telling him my one problem, I needed to get to a Wal-Mart to get some things. He offered the services of Marty sitting down the bar from me. Marty, with a small amount of peer pressure, agreed to take me to Wal-Mart tomorrow at 10. Discussion was then raised by someone about the sandbar party that takes place around the 4th of July. I wormed my way into the conversation and found out a group of locals throw a big river party, cooking pigs in the ground, bringing in a full band, huge water slide and more. Sounds like something I will try and make it possible. Not paddling with another person or group gives me the ultimate freedom. So when wind blows, or get tired or bored I am going to stop to fish, read, nap,visit town, make a friend. It's going to hell on those "miles" but the Gulf of Mexico isn't going anywhere.
Last night we had strong storms until after 2 AM. While we did not get much rain the winds with the storm were strongest I have felt outside of a hurricane. The 40 mph winds did the best they could to crush my tent. I spent most of the night sitting in my tent bracing the poles of my tent from the inside to keep them from snapping. After the stormed passed I was able to get some sleep before it was time to get up and get back on the water. Shawn and I both felt pretty beat up mentally and physically from the storm but headed out onto the water with an eye on the sky for the storms that were supposed to start up again later in the day. After covering less than 5 miles we noticed the sky filling with storm clouds and pulled into a campground to seek cover. Most of the storms were passing just north of us and after charging batteries in the park pavilion and restocking on water. Before paddling out Shawn expressed what I had been feeling for days, a more than a little beat down. We took separate routes through the maze of flooded islands meeting up again on the edge of a several mile pool of open water. We could see the smoke stack from a plant located next to the next lock and dam and made it our aiming point. Out on the open water the wind was blowing from both the west and east creating lines of waves crashing into one another. Shawn was able to push through and across the thrashing waters. Near the half way point I became unable to move towards the direction I wanted to go. Realizing I had to make change of direction I was forced to paddle towards the far shore giving up hard fought for forward progress. When I reached the far shore I was forced to paddle into a couple feet of the bank to make the smallest headway. Several times waves pushed me onto the rocks forcing me to get out and drag the boat back into the water. I pulled off the river and into a small ditch leading into the ton of Genoa WI. I looked around and couldn't find Shawn anywhere. I texted him and he replied he had already gone through the lock and was waiting downstream. I told him I was getting a room and a hot meal in town. Shawn had been talking about making the Iowa state line for several days and said he was going to push on.
Genoa is a small village of 300 people, I walked over to the Great River Inn and entered the office. There was a note directing visitors to hit redial on the office phone and someone would help you. I used the phone and a gentleman answered, took my credit card info, and then directed me to a drawer behind the desk to get my key. The hotel was older but the room was clean and I was pleased with what my $45 got me. I took a quick shower and walked to the Tuna Bar located on the front of the building housing the hotel. There were a dozen locals drinking at the bar, the bar tender quickly got me a beer and a shot of Jim Beam. I was again pleased with the $4.25 price of a round. After a few minutes a lady named Gwen introduced herself to me and asked who I was and what brought me to town. I told her about my adventure and she told me about managing a dairy operation. After introductions she introduced me to the rest of the locals and I soon felt like I was back home at Martin's, my watering hole back in Mississippi. The bartender and his wife talked with me about a trip they made to Jackson and the pleasant time they had there. I talked with Don a local farmer about hunting and meet Marty the local one liner king. I wondered in and out talking and chatting with family and friends and finally relaxing. It hit me suddenly how hard I been pushing myself to paddle the miles and not stopping to enjoy the off river world I was passing through. The is a saying on the Appalachian Trail, Last one to Katahdin wins! Katahdin is the northern terminus is the trail. At some point every hiker gets caught up in the "miles". How many miles did i hike today? How many mile have I hiked this week? What is the most miles you've hiked in one day? How many more miles to Katahdin? If your only goal is to finish then it is ok I guess but otherwise it is an easy trap to fall into. I had done it several times on my hike and I had fallen into it again on the river. paddle! paddle! miles! miles! I have to get to some arbitrary point on the map by some equally unimportant day. I had a healthy laugh when I realized my folly. I returned to the hotel office and booked my room for another day. When I returned to the Tuna I announced to my new friends I was going to hang around the village for at least a another day. Don announced his approval and bought a round for everyone. A bit later I was chatting with the bartender, telling him my one problem, I needed to get to a Wal-Mart to get some things. He offered the services of Marty sitting down the bar from me. Marty, with a small amount of peer pressure, agreed to take me to Wal-Mart tomorrow at 10. Discussion was then raised by someone about the sandbar party that takes place around the 4th of July. I wormed my way into the conversation and found out a group of locals throw a big river party, cooking pigs in the ground, bringing in a full band, huge water slide and more. Sounds like something I will try and make it possible. Not paddling with another person or group gives me the ultimate freedom. So when wind blows, or get tired or bored I am going to stop to fish, read, nap,visit town, make a friend. It's going to hell on those "miles" but the Gulf of Mexico isn't going anywhere.
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