Fish Tales and Barge Whales
Start: River Mile 408
Finish: River Mile 382
Day Total: 26 Miles
Segment Total: 862 Miles
One the water again at 8:00 am this morning. Our big excitement was a planned lunch stop at the Fish Tale Grill just over the levee around river mile 397. The Grill is part of a small fishing resort on a lake that used to be an oxbow of the Mississippi River.
Food was good and it was nice to set in AC and have cold drinks too! We also bought smoked turkey sandwiches for dinner, so we knew we could paddle an hour later since there would be no cooking or clean-up. Since we lost 90 minutes doing lunch we knew we would need the extra time.
As has been our norm, we had mostly headwinds today. It’s really hard to make 30 miles with wind in your face. Add to that a narrow stretch 386 and 383 were we met two upriver barge tows, one of 8 barges and the second of 35 barges. Going up river through that narrow area, they actually sucked the current backward and created some really tricky conditions for paddling. We kept our distance from the barges, but the back flows meant we were working really hard to not go backwards.
We got to river mile 382 at 4:30 and were physically exhausted. We found a really nice little beach site that has a short gear haul and a 15 foot pad for camping on. As I write this, we have everything set-up and the fire is all set and really to light.
Tomorrow after 18 miles, we reach Natchez, MS which is the last river town that we paddle through before we reach the Atchafalaya River cut-off. We will probably stop there for lunch again and then paddle on as long as our arms hold out!
Quote of the day comes from the check out girl at Fish Tales. When explaining our trip she asked, “Have you been paddling straight without sleeping?” Most people we interact with are not familiar with the dynamics of a source to sea trip.
Sunrise at camp
Jon, outstanding in his field, cotton that is
The afternoon clouds helped ease the heat of the day
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