Day 16 (9/28/20)

Paddling no Where fast

Start: River Mile 820

Finish: River Mile 796

Day Total: 26 Miles

Segment Total: 437 Miles

We spend the wee hours of our evening last night listing to the Packers play the Saints on Sunday Night Football.  It’s fun to see your team be 3-0, but there is a long road again. We knew from watching listening to the NOAA radio that it was going to rain over night and into the morning today. Most of the forecasts showed the rain stopping by 9;00 am. 

Around 2 am the wind really started to pick up. An hour later we had gusts of 30 mph! The rain came with the wind, It was nice to be in a warm, dry tent and sleeping bag. When all was nutso outside, it was all toasty inside.

I started getting my gear in the tent organized abut 7:00am, hoping that the forecast of 9:00 am clearing would hold. My 8 am I was loading my boat. Just we I had all my gear near my boat on the shoreline, the rain started again. So, I was wet, my boat cockpit was wet and now all the gear I had worked so hard to keep dry, was wet. Sigh.

He had a good first hour of paddling, the rain stopped and wind was coming at our backs. Everything changed 6 miles into the day. We went through a 2.5 mile segment with the wind in our faces, 2 large barge tows all kicking the water into a frenzy. There was a 1 mile section were even though was was paddling as hard as I could, I was going backwards!! You can’t make this stuff up. The aforementioned 2.5 mile section took us 2.5 hours to paddle, that’s not right!

We made camp at the Ashport - Keyes boat ramp. Our camp sits high on a bluff with a beautiful vista of the river below. We met an older couple at the boat ramp and they offered to take us to a convenience store, so Jon went with them while I finished getting camp set up.

Tomorrow and Wednesday need to be 30 miles days. Christina and Nik will be meeting us in Memphis. It’s been almost three weeks since I saw them, and I can’t wait to see them!!                          

Rainy, wet, miserable camp this morning.

Jon and I paddling into the late afternoon magic.

We have really come to look forward to our evening campfires.

Day 15 (9/27/20)

Open the Flood Gates!

Start: River Mile 846

Finish: River Mile 820

Day Total: 25 Miles

Segment Total: 411 Miles

Today marks the beginning of our 3rd week on the river. At the pace we are paddling right now, we should be at the Gulf in 30 days. We have had some really tough, low mileage days, so I’m hoping we will be able to make up some time. 

We were very hopeful that once we reached the confluences of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers that the current would pick up. We have learned so far that the opposite is true. In our first week down river from Clarksville, MO we averaged a 5 mph pace. Since joining the Miss Ohio as we call her, our daily pace is down to 4 mph, and today we averaged only 3 mph! If anything we are paddling harder than we did to average 5, but the lack of current and 6 straight days of head winds has been tough.

Leslie drove us from our Motel In Tiptonville, TN to Caruthersville, MO were we were to launch for the day. Passing through the Floodgates (yes that’s a real thing) I saw the high water marks off all the floods of the last 100 years.

1913 - 44.5 feet

1927 - 42 feet

1937 - 46 feet

1973 - 42.4 feet

1975 - 42.4 feet

1997 - 42.2 feet

2011 - 47.7 feet

We thanked Leslie for coming to spend the weekend with her hubby, and blessing me along the way too! She brought Jon more food, gear and Bourbon. She even made a special run to Walmart for me yesterday.

 

Once back on the river, we were met with another day of head wind...oh boy! We had to remind out selves that the river is in control, we just need to take what she gives us. We focused less on hiring mile markers, and instead just focus on putting in the hours. About mile marker 825 we encountered some very rough water. This was a result of narrow channel and two huge barge tows that had just gone through. The swells were bit, 3 to 4 feed high. At points Jon would disappear completely behind a wave. After 7 hours, we found a decent stretch of beach to set up camp.

Dinner was leftover BBQ from last night. As I write this, we are listening to the Packers vs Saints on my NFL app. 

We are expecting rain tonight, and possibly into the morning tomorrow. Then we will have the wind at our backs!

You here the term open the Flood Gates all the time. Here is were it comes from

Day 14 (9/26/20)

Empty or Full our Boats hate the wind

Start: River Mile 872

Finish: River Mile 846

Day Total: 25 Mile

Segment Total: 386 Miles

Today was supposed to be an easy 25 mile day in empty boats with minimal wind. We put in back at the Tiptonville boat ramp with the help of Mike Hopper and his trailer. The end goal was to paddle to Caruthersville, MO were Lesley would meet us at the ramp. The timing worked out great, we made it to the ramp at 3:30. The landing is on the town riverfront and has large commercial barge terminals. As a result the water coming into he landing was pretty rough, for a 15 mph wind adding to the mayhem. I almost dumped my boat getting out, but finally got onto dry land in one piece. 

Our boats are locked up at a tackle shop a few blocks up from the water. Leslie will drop us and our gear and supplied there in the morning were we will load up and be back on our way to the Gulf, just under 850 miles away. 

The quote of the day comes from yours truly. “The people that we meet along the way are the seasoning to the Gumbo that is our paddle to the Gulf.”

Jon and I arrive in Caruthersville MO

That’s my boy Jonny, way back there!

 

Deep in concentration organizing my boat. 

Lil Pug eyeing up my coffee. 

Day 13 (9/25/20)

 83 barges in One Mile!

Start: River Mile 898 

Finish: River Mile 872

Day Total 18 Miles

Segment Total: 361 Miles

Our camp on New Madrid Riverfront Park was a peaceful place to spend the night. There was little overnight Barge traffic, which makes for a good nights sleep. A high dew point allowed us to pack up our tents and other gear dry, something we’ve not had the pleasure of this segment.

Today was a mile stone for me on the Mississippi, I was packed and in my loaded boat before Jon! I’m pretty sure he gifted that to me, but hey, I’ll take it! I have to say, the first mile was tough, my shoulders were very tired and sore. I’ve learned that the only way to loosen them up is to paddled and I higher cadence with high blade pressure. It’s uncomfortable for the first few minutes, but after that I’m loose and pain free.

Jons lovely wife Lesley is driving down from Bloomington this evening so in order to be in the town with a Motel, we made Day 13 a shorter paddle which I very much enjoyed. The good news, we were off the water by noon. The bad news is we were 4 miles away from our Motel. Originally we were going to have the Motel send a car over to haul our gear and then we’d find a place near the landing to lock our boats. Well, once we got to the landing it was obvious there would be no place to stash our boats. 

Jon was able meet a local Folks that were very willing to help. Glen and Mike Hopper were awesome. Mike actually drive home to get his trailer, which was big enough to hold both our boats and all our gear. Glen shared a bag of fresh picked tomatoes from his garden. Once we had everything loaded on Mike’s trailer we drove over to the Reelfoot Lake Inn where we had rooms for the next two nights. Mike shared his contact info with us so we ended up having him help us get the boats back to the Tiptonville, TN landing for our morning launch. 

Mike had suggested a local fish called Boyette’s  Resort, which was a 1.5 mile walk from our Motel. Boyette’s is a 100 year old family style restaurant featuring local caught fish. I had the “Seafood” special with Catfish, shrimp and frog legs. Wash that down with a cold beer in a frosted mug and I don’t think you could ask for more.

The explanation for the title of todays post is this. About 8 miles into our day, we encountered 3 large barge tows all in a one mile stretch of river. One tow was 6 wide and 7 long, one was 5 wide and 7 long and the last one was 2 wide and 3 long. That’s 83 barges total! 

It was great having the afternoon to get caught up on laundry, getting gear dried out and organized. Even though I get started on my blog post afternoon, I ran out of time and energy to finish it. My apologize to the several readers for my delay!

Breaking camp at New Madrid Riverside Park

The sand on the left is 10 feet high, and in the spring is under water

There are 4 boats in the photo including Jons. 3 barges all inside one mile!

We hauled out at the Tiptonville ramp, 3 miles from our Motel

Day 12 (9/24/20)

Earthquake Capital of the Midwest

Start: River Mile 912

Finish: River Mile 898

Day Total: 22 Miles

Segment Total: 343 Miles

Last night during our campfire, we were chased into our tents by a steady rain. So, I sat in my tent starting at 8:30 pm, still trying to finish my Bourbon. Thankfully I was able to get all my gear stored in my test or under my vestibules before is started to rain. So snug in my tent I rode out the rain all night. I got up again early so I could be packed up and ready to launch. I’m getting pretty good at packing in the dark via the light of my headlamp.

With my early rise, I was able to get into my boat by 7:30 am, a new record for me! Today’s goal was the small river town of New Madrid, MO. New Madrid was the first commercial port for River transport north of New Orleans. It was a hopping place back in the 1800’s. Like so many small river towns, they are working hard to reinvent themselves. The river front park is beautiful and we found a lovely Mexican Restaurant on the west side of town. I will say that the People of New Madrid are very friendly and seem always ready to lend a helping hand. They are proud of their place in Mississippi River history.

We have set up camp on the riverfront, and have a really nice view of the River, from the vantage point of the original military fort. 

Our camp on the New Madrid river front, was everything we hoped for

Jon and I plotting our maps during a floating lunch

Smiling in the rain

This morning we celebrated paddling in Kentucky with its state flat sticker

 

Day 11 (9/23/20)

If you stay in the Red, you may be a Meat Head

Start: River Mile 937

Finish: River Mile 912

Day Total: 25 Miles

Segment Total: 321 Miles

This morning we made good on our. Promise to a hot breakfast at Beard and Roses General Store. The store is approximately 1 mile from our campsite near the Ingram Marine Barge Tow maintenance and repair facility. Rob (Beard) and Rose greeted us as we arrived. We took full advantage of the electrical outlets to charge our devices as well as their guest Wi-Fi. Jon got some work done and I was able to get my blog post from last night posted.

We had a wonderful breakfast of 3 eggs over easy, hash browns, toast and thick cut bacon. We spend over an hour at our table, enjoying our meal and getting stuff done. We also picked up some additional sandwiches for lunch today and a few supplies we needed as well.

We also met the Mom of Jacob who gave Jon and ride back to come yesterday. Rob and Rose do a steady business at their store, which makes me feel good. It’s nice to see good caring people succeed in a tough economy. I hope they continue to be blessed, as they bless those around them. I know they took really good care of us.

As we were walking back to the boat landing and our fully packed up and loaded boats, a pickup truck pulled over and asked if we needed a ride back to the river, which we gladly accepted. A young man named Josh was on his way to work at Ingram Marine, so we were on this way.

We intentionally had a shorter paddled today, 25 files total. The weather was cool, in the 60’s and cloudy but with just a few brief periods of drizzle. For the first time in days, we did not have a head wind which makes the paddling sooo much nicer! As has been our strategy, we look for boat ramps wherever we can find them. The ramps make for typically cleaner landings and have a flat spot for camping at the top of the ramp.

As we landed there were a few older locals taking in the sights and have a few cold beers. They offered us one and we gladly accepted. More river magic. 

As we were setting up camp at 4:00 pm discussed how even though it was early, we would have very little time before the it was dark and we would be crawling into bed. Once we have set camp, we cook and eat dinner. Whoever  doesn’t cook collected wood for the fire and gets it started. Following that, Jon will journal and I will blog, which will usually include a wee bid of Bourbon. By then it will be pitch dark and we will be struggling to stay awake. Sometime between 8:30 and 9:00 we will be in our tents pretending to read while we fall asleep. It’s a busy day, and one that goes by so fast!

In case you are wondering about the title of todays blog, here is the story. We have learned that we need to stay close to the channel so we can get as much assist from the current as possible. We did learn that you can push this a bit too far as we did today. By staying too close to the red channel markers you can get a bit closer to an on coming barge that you intended. We were never in any danger, but it was another one of our daily learnings on navigating the ever changing face of this massive river. 

Well, it’s now dark so I need to work on getting this post uploaded on the very weak but much appreciated mobile data connection. Good night all!

Me and my paddle buddy Lil Pug heading into the clouds. 

Rob and Rose are great friends to river paddlers 

Jon and I playing the roll of Meat Head 

Day 10 (9/22/20)

Mud and Rain and Mud and Rain

Start: River Mile 19 (upper river)

Finish: River Mile 937 ( lower river)

Day Total: 36 Miles 

Segment Total: 296 Miles 

Got up and started packing at 5:30 am. As I was getting my gear organized I caught a whiff of a small ember from last night’s fire. Just for fun I stoked it up and got it roaring again. It was a pleasure to get organized while having a fire to warm up next to. Packing went really well until it came to me to haul everything down to the muddy gross water river bank. By the time everything was loaded and I was in my boat both me and El Coyote were covered in mud! Talk about starting the day on a low note. 

Based on the weather forecast we were expecting no wind and overcast sky’s with no rain.  The first NOAA lie was the constant 5-10 mph head wind. The second lie was regarding rain. By 1:30 pm we had a drizzle that worked itself into a steady rain for the next 4 hours. Landing and setting up camp in the rain added to the joy. 

Things turned around when Jon walked the mile into Columbus KY to see if he could find some hot food and cold drinks. I stayed back to finish setting up camp and see about collecting fire wood. About 90 minutes after he left a car pulled up to our camp. Out hops Jon with two bags of food, accompanied by Rob and his nephew Jacob. Rob and his wife own the general store in town a little place called the Beards and Roses. 

Rob and Jacob stayed and chatted for a few minutes. Before leaving Rob invited us to come back to his store in the morning for a hot breakfast. Of course we accepted!

Quote of the day:

Me: I don’t see anywhere that a parking lot could be. 

Jon: Well, that’s cause yer not thinking like a Parkin’ Lot!

It was a day of rain today

Packing up on our muddy landing 

Double Zero. At the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. 

Day 9 (9/21/20)

 Why are the Barges in the best parts of the River?!

Start: River Mile 52 

Finish: River Mile 19

Day Total: 34 Miles

Segment Total: 260 Miles

We started the morning at our B and B, getting all our clean and dry gear ready to go. All our water bottles and bags were also full, which makes you feel very comfortable heading into a stretch of the river where we are several days to the text town.

Our B and B host Rocky was a great guy. Not only did he pick us up from the river landing yesterday, he brought us back to the river this morning. We sure did enjoy his support and hospitality. We launched at 8:45 am into a brisk 10 mph head wind. 

Our goal today was simple if not easy. We wanted to get to river mile 20, so that we could get downriver from Cairo, IL before camping. Cairo is were the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi join forces. We were hoping to be able to stop there but to get to Cairo, you have to paddle upstream on the Ohio, not something we are interested in attempting.

The river is now a very winding, with us paddling to every compass point throughout the day. Somehow, no matter the direction, we seemed to always manage to keep our head wind. It was WORK to make the miles we needed. We ate and I our boats to make this best possible time. At times we found our selves cursing the wind and had to be reminded that we volunteered for this!

Jon tried to teach me some old Boy Scout canoeing songs, but I just couldn’t seem to pick them up. We told every stupid story we could think of to keep moving. My sheer force of will we landed at what would become our home for the next 14 hours at 4:30 pm

It was my turn to make dinner so we have butter and herb rice with chicken breast and the last of our warm beer. Since I cooked, it was Jons turn to get the fire ready. He and I have very different approaches to file building. Mine is very methodical, building from small to large with all the pieces of wood carefully placed. My daughter Catie have the same approach. Jon on the other had used what I call a blunt force method, that is 180 degrees different from mine, but is equally It's fun watching him, cause is always turns out perfect!

Quotes of the Day: 

“I can’t believe we just got passed by a stick floating down the River!”

“Look we are having a floating picnic!”

Jon and I at the Cape landing

Campfire at River mile 19

Floating Picnic 

Day 8 (9/20/20)

A First Class seat on the Struggle Bus

Start: River Mile 80

Finish: River Mile 52

Day Total: 28 Miles

Segment Total: 226 Miles

Woke this morning to a chilly temperature of 44 degrees. In packing for the trip I though we would not be dealing with temps at night near that cold. With the appropriate about of layers on, I was warm in my sleeping bag. Getting dressed and functioning out in the cold world, was something else all together.  

As we were slogged through getting our gear organized in the cold, our good friend Mayor Randy drive up with two orders of Biscuits and Gravy. Talk about a city welcoming committee! The warm food really helped us the get ready and on the water.

After 38 miles yesterday, I was feeling kind of sluggish the first couple of miles. I had to start doing 10 paddle strokes, rest for 5. Then work up to 25 strokes, rest for 5. This helped me to get back into my regular none stop paddling cadence. However, I was not my self for the first 15 miles.  Finally, I had some leftover pizza and Mt Dew, which gave me a kick start. Add to that, listening to the Packer game I was able to rally and make good time to Cape Girardeau. 

 

The river town of Cape Girardeau has a rich history in the lore of the Mississippi River, settled by the Spanish in 1764. Recently, The Cape was the backdrop for the Ben Affleck movie Gone Girl.

Jon did a great job in finding us a B & B to stay in today. The owners were so kind to come to the landing and drive us and our gear back to our housing. Were able to shower, get a load of laundry started and getting out wet tents and sleeping bag laid out to dry. 

Dinner was the local brewery Minglewood Brewing a short walk from our . Had a really good IPA and a Imperial Stout. It’s so nice after nearly a week of camping and drinking warm beer, being in The Cape and have a brewery and restaurants, it makes the day even better.

Our camp at Grand Tower

Passed a 42 barge tow heading upstream this morning 

Day 7 (9/19/20)

 The Barges are BIG and my Kayak is small

Start: River Mile 118

Finish: River Mile 80

Day Total: 38 Miles

Segment Total: 198 Miles

Starting yesterday we noticed flocks of Pelicans in groups of 40 to 80 birds. I love watching them fly, they are so graceful. I got up and moving at 6:00 am in the chilly pre-dawn light. I had to break into my warm clothes bag to put on enough layers to keep warm until the sun came up and started to warm up our camp.

Paddling in the early morning light we rounded a bend in the river and were greeted by the largest gathering up Pelicans  you could ever image There had to be a thousand or more! We paddled through the group and they erupted into the air, circling us before settling back down into the water a few hundred yards down river. This cycle repeated itself over the next 30 minutes. It was magical.

After a hard but satisfying 38 mile day, we set up camp on top of the Levy protecting the some hamlet of Grand Tower, IL from the Mississippi flood waters. We had done research the day before and found that this town had a minimart with cold beer and hot pizza. Well, that’s what kept us going, knowing what was waiting for us at the end of the day. 

We were befriended by a local High School boy, Charles. He helped us hall our gear from the boat ramp to camp. Later as we were were at the minimart picking up our Pizza and Beer, we ran into Charles again and he was kind enough to give us a ride to our camp, about a mile away. He was a great kid and we really enjoyed getting to know him.

Today’s Learning: In the Lock and Dam section of the upper river, the Barge tows are limited in size so they fit in the Locks. There were never bigger than 3 barges wide and 5 long. Calling these small is a relevant thing since each barge is 280 feet, almost the length of a Football field. The barge tows on the lower river as much bigger. We encountered several today that were 5 wide and 7 deep! From bow to stern they are a half mile long. Today we passed 10 tows that big, an action packed day on the water for sure!

Tomorrow we reach the historic river town Cape Girardeau, MO, We hope to get an AirBnB to shower, do laundry and eat some real food. There is even a Brewery, so fingers crossed they will be open.

Sunrise from our camp

We came upon a huge flock of Pelicans, heading south

Entering Grand Tower, were we are camping

Day 6 (9/18/20)

Club Mud

Start: 150

Finish: 118

Day Total: 32 Miles

Segment Total: 160 Miles

It was a chilly night sleeping last night. I stayed warm, but getting out of the tent in the morning was something I didn’t really want to do. I had to dig a couple extra layers out of my “Warm Clothes Bag” The best part of the camp site is we were able to put our boats on our portage wheels and haul them fully loaded to the site. At that point it’s almost like car camping. I only unload what I really need so there is less to pack up in the morning.

Our near goal was St Genevieve, MO 27 miles way and Chester, IL 40 miles away. The cooler start was ok once we got in our boats and got moving. We were able to do a comfortable 5 mph pace for most of the day. At mid-day the river bent to the East, it which point the 10 mph wind we had at our backs turned into a head wind. This stayed true for much of the last 20 miles of paddling.

We decided to stop at St Genevieve, since that had a boat club and was a mile walk to town. On the map it showed a small creek that we would enter river right and paddle .25 miles to the boat ramp. The stream was narrow but I felt confident we could make it through. As we padded it got narrower and shallower until I 200 yards in, I got stuck in the mud. I climbed out of my kayak to see if I could pull it the rest of the way and we greated with thick sticky mud up to my knees. We spend the next 45 minutes battling the mud and wind to backtrack to the Mississippi. We finally arrived, pretty spent, but at the same time laughing historically! We paddled another 5 miles to a really nice beach were we set up camp.

My Internet is super weak so I won’t be able to add any photos. I’ll try to ad some later

Day 5 (9/17/20)

Driving a Golf Cart at an Airport

Start: 186

Finish:150

Day Total: 36

Segment Total: 128 Miles

Since I was asleep by 8:30 last night, I was wide awake at 5:00 am. Since I always take so long to pack up, I just got up, put on my headlamp and started packing up. It was really fun taking my time getting my gear together and watching the city come to life around me.

Paddling into the city at 9:00 am we went directing in front of the St Louis Arch. This was another big milestone for me. Being able to see the Arch from the same vantage point that Lewis and Clark paddled was such a cool touch point with our American history. 

The river from the Arch, south for the next ten miles was a very challenging technical exercise that I compare to driving a golf cart on the active runways at O’Hare International. There were points were there were 2 or more multi-barge tows coming at us up river. These would leave at 2-3 foot wake. The wake would then cross the rive and bounce off the right bank and hit us again. So, we had to balance compensating our padding to each direction, while accounting for the transition time between wake and rebound when we had the waves coming for both sides. I got pretty good at threading that transition much like a downhill skier would attack moguls. This was a time I was really glad I was in a Kayak with a spray skirt. I was very concerned about Jon in his canoe. These conditions were a much bigger challenge for him.

Today was the first day of full free river paddling having cleared the locks the day before. As a result we were able to average 5 to 6 mph, which is almost twice our Lock and Dam pace. So, we set two goals for our destination, one that was a conservative 27 miles and one that was more aggressive at 36 miles. As it turned out we made it to Kimmswick our conservative goal by 1:00 pm, so we decided to walk into town to see if we could find a cold soda.

We found a whole lot more! The Blue Owl is a home cooking institution in the cute little town of Kimmswick. We were seated by the owner Mary Hostetter, who shared the cool story of how the town recovered from near obscurity to become a tourist destination. I totally recommend a stop at the Blue Owl if you are ever in Kimmswick. 

With full bellies we got back in our boats for the 8 mile paddle to our aggressive goal of Crystal City. We arrived around 4:30 pm and were greeted by Tom who happened to be at the landing reading in his car while his wife who runs the local college was on a conference call. After we get up camp Tom gave us at ride to town to the Krabby Daddy seafood restaurant. He was so friendly and really enjoyed out socially safe car ride with him.

As I write this we are on the patio of the Krabby Daddy, enjoying an after dinner drink.

Today’s quote of the day is from Jon, after getting through the technical part of St Louis. “There was very little of that last 10 miles of paddling that I enjoyed.”

Jon prepares to enter Gateway to the West

Riverboat Tom Sawyer under the Arch

We had a great seafood dinner at Krabby Daddy’s in Crystal City

Day 4 (9/16/20)

Live a Great Story

Start: 202.5

Finish:186

Day Total: 17.5 Miles

Segment Total: 92 Miles

Beach camp on Mosenthein Island

Today was a day of putting in the work. 2 portages, one around Mel Price lock and Dam. We had to haul our gear, supplies and boats almost 2 miles, followed by a portage around the Chain of Rocks, which is a low head dam that creates a set of category 4 rapids. 

Fisherman Luke, was a great help in hauling our gear to the water

When we are at our most exhausted a river angel always seems to appear just when we need help the most. In our grueling portage around Mel Price Lock, we met Luke who was fishing for bait fish for his evening fishing session. He was a super friendly and helpful person. Not only did he help us carry, he kept Jon company while I did my Tetris job of making all my stuff fit in my boat.

We reached a river milestone and one that is very historic. At mid day we crossed the confluence of the Missouri River mile zero flowing into the Mississippi River mile 195. This is the same confluence that Lewis and Clark crossed heading upstream from St Louis with their Crops of Discovery. For me it was a really meaningful moment, one that I’ll never forget.

Once we got camp set up we took a refreshing dip in the river. Man that cool water felt so good after a hot sweaty day hauling gear. Diner was pasta, marinara sauce and cocktail wheenies. Evening treat is Kentucky Bourbon and dark chocolate infused with jalapeño juice. This is Jons new accidental specialty. 

Jon pratfalling into the river at Chain of Rocks

Jon and I at the Missouri/Mississippi River confluence

Apologies for the upside down images

 Jons sass of the day. When I asked him to give me a hand hauling my boat down a steep slope, he and a fisherman he was talking to sipping started clapping. I had no choice but to take a theatrical bow.

Jones quote from yesterday explained. Jon like to number each river mile on his map so he can tell what our current mileage is. The problem is, he is he likes to work ahead a few days, so every time we revise the plan, which happens almost daily, he ends up with multiple numbers for each river mile.

We are camped tonight on a beautiful sandy beach. Across the river we can see downtown St Louis and the famous Gateway Arch. Tomorrow, we paddle right past it. We are now past the Lock and Dam system and the river is free flowing all the way to the Gulf. A hard days work makes the quite evening even more special. 

Thanks again for our river angel Luke. It’s the people we meet that are what this trip is really all about, the paddling is just vehicle for the experiences. Sweet dreams to my loved ones in TN, CA, NY, WI and MN. 

Day 3 (9/15/20)

Greetings from Davey Jones 

Start: 225

Stop: 202.5

Day Total: 24 

Trip Total: 74.5

Our camp site at Yacht Club of St Louis was so nice to wake up to. Plenty of room to spread out our wet tents to dry and do a final organization before launch. Launch was much more of a drama than I thought it would be. 

Since the landing and launch were on a pretty high dock I new that loading my boat, while laying on my stomach would be complicated. My idea was to put my boat on my portage wheels at our camp and load both the front and rear hatched there, and lower the partially loaded boat the 3 feet height from the dock to the water.

All was well, with Jons help we got the boat lowered without any serious complications. Once this was done, Jon jumped in his boat, thinking as I did that I would be launching 10 minutes later. To say that the loading of my spare paddle, portage wheel, deck bag, cockpit bags, food bag and map case was sooo optimistic. In reality it took closer to 40 minutes. Once I slowly and carefully lowered my self in to the Kayak, I inched my way forward to untie the bow line from the dock cleat. Getting within 3 feet of the cleat my boat came to an abrupt halt. I had failed to adjust the line length and there I sat, well and truely stuck. I tried in vain to use my paddle to un-loop the tie line. Eventually had to go through the delicate process of getting out of the boat, untying and tying the line to give me more room. Add that all up and I was almost an hour behind floating Jon. 

10 miles down river we were hoping to find a marina with a soda machine. In the little marina of Sioux Yacht Club, we came a across Davey, in his pirate flagged sail boat. Asking were we could get a cold drink, he said he had cold bottled water, and gifted us 4 bottles. He was very interested in our paddle trip, and wanted to follow our progress on the blog. Such a cool guy. Meeting Davey was a total highlight of the day.

The rest of the 12 miles from Portes de Sioux was a grind. Big stretches of open water, wind in our face and for me problems with my rudder foot peddles. Ad to that my phone battery near zero I had some trouble shooting to do. By the time I got my rudder sorted out I dug out my solar charger and got my phone back up and running I was almost an hour behind Jon. I finally pulled into the Alton Yacht Club at 4:30 with Jon waiting for me, having made friends with Jill and a room at a local B & B all set up. Jon is a rock star to paddle with.

As I write this, we are at an Irish Pub, seating on the sidewalk, listening to a five piece Irish band. Cold Guinness and Irish caught Cod, make this the perfect end to and amazing day on the Mississippi.

Jons quote of the day “We are either 5 miles, 17 miles or 24 miles from Grafton” See tomorrows blog for the back story.

Jeffs quote of the day “I will NOT be make a prisoner in my own cockpit”.

See tomorrows blog for the back story.

Today’s coded message: “Come on over, we’re open” That is code for a restaurant that is open only for curb side, when we are walking all over Alton looking for a place to eat dinner.

Day 2 (9/14/20)

It’s raining Carp!

Start: 249.5

Stop: Mile 225

Day Total: 26

Trip Total: 50.5

Had a good nights rest, even though I was awake on and off. That’s the problem with going to to bed at 8:30 when it gets dark. My kayak loading today was not nearly as solid as it was yesterday. After all my hatches and deck and cockpit bags were full I ended up with a giant food bag in addition to my lunch bag that I had to wedge between my legs in the cockpit. Now I know what an F1 driver must feel like, in a space so small you are literally wearing the kayak. Once I was in it was fine, but getting in and out was a five to ten minute process.

Unlike the partly sunny wind at our backs weather we enjoyed on our first day, today was full sun, high of 80 and a 5-10 mph head wind. The head wind helped make the higher temps more comfortable but they also zeroed out any advantage we might have had from the current. Overall, it just felt a lot more like work today,

I had another run in with a “Flock” of Asian carp today, this time I was hit first in the elbow my a 5 pounder and I had a 3 pounder slam into my chest and bounce off, luckily into the water. I was on the phone with Christina when it happed so she got to share in the fun!

Around 20 miles in, we usually start to look 5 to 10 miles out, to see what kind of camping options there might be, We had a string of marina’s, 10 or more of them in that final stretch so we felt really good about having so many options. Turns out, the Army Corps’ idea of a marina and our idea are quite different! These were really nothing more than a private floating dock in front of a run down single wide trailer sitting on 20 foot pylons. 

Running on fumes, we finally found a real marina “The Yacht Club of St Louis”. Well, we are 50 river miles from St Louis so lower your expectations. The owner was super friendly and offered to have us camp on a grassy area that used to have a full bar and restaurant until the floods of 2019 wiped it all out. There is a new restaurant under construction on a newly elevated location.

We are set up under a large pavilion, with chairs and table for over 50 people. We took full advantage of all the space to dry and organize our gear. Jon cooks us a great dinner, paired with a room temp IPA, life is good.

I have a new segment for the Blog, which I’m calling “That’s code for”. Today’s code comes courtesy of Jon. This morning as we were breaking camp, I was telling him some long winded story. At one point he says, “I can’t wait to see how good your new stove is for making coffee”. What he really means is “Shut up and make me damn coffee!” See what I mean, code.

Today’s quote of the day come from me. “A ferry boat only goes across the river if someone wants to cross. It doesn’t do it for fun”.

Learnings 

Apparently in Missouri, if your boat sinks on the river you just let it rot. We he following photo was a scene I observed 7 or 8 times today.