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.