Long Distance River Angel
Start: River Mile 382
Finish: River Mile 350
Day Total: 32 Miles
Segment Total: 894 Miles
I had a rather fitful nights sleep last night. The tent pad I set up on was not very flat, so I kept sliding off my air mattress. It was also really hot and muggy last night, with a low if only 68 degrees. So, I decided to get up while it was still dark and get started packing. Thanks to that early start we were in our boats paddling at 7:45 am.
We had a fun goal ahead of us today. 18 river miles from camp is the river town of Natchez. We have been told by several paddlers that there is a great lunch spot called The Camp restaurant just up the boat ramp. We got there just after noon just as it was starting to get hot, so a nice cool air conditioned place to each and have a cold soda was just what the doctor ordered. Just after our food came I got a text from my brother Dave, asking if we had our Packer hats on. I answered yes and he replied, enjoy your lunch. Now, I had just checked in at the restaurant on Facebook so I figured that was that. A few minutes later, the manager came over to our table and said, your brother sure must love you, because it just picked up your check! I was shocked, surprised and excited. That is by far the most unique River Angel experience I’ve ever had. Thank you brother, I love you.
The rest of the paddle was uneventful, but it was hot and long. We finally found a spot to camp around 5:00 pm. The sun was blazing so we set up our tents on the far side of a tree line, that’s the good news. The bad news is that the spot is a mosquito haven. We ate an early dinner, tried to have a fire and the bugs drove us into our tents at 7:00 pm. Oh, and the tents are even hotter so that is our life right now.
Quote of the day comes from a fisherman we met at the boat ramp in Natchez named Steven King. “You all be safe out there, the barges are very big and your boats are very small!”
Preparing to pass under the Natchez bridge
Jon looking strong in the morning heat
Don’t worry, the barge is not as close as it looks
2 comments:
I love that David did this. I heard just one part of the conversation with the manager (not knowing it was a restaurant manager) and I was like “What is he doing and who in the world is he talking to?” lol . So cool. Safe travels!
Tracy, it was a highlight for sure!
Post a Comment