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.