Monday, May 30, 2011
Hello wall!
Well, I wondered when I would get to the point where the body just didn't want to go any further. Today at about 1:00 p.m. would be when it happened. The day started well, I was on the river at 8:30 a.m. and making good time. I even took a small side channel around an island for about a mile just for a little adventure. I was down to Hermann, MO, around noon and had about 18 miles to go when the wind kicked up. There must be a law that strong winds are only allowed to blow in a canoeist's face because this one was relentless. The river has widened and there are more of those blasted roilers and whirlpools to worry about on this stretch. My arms were spent by the time I got to New Haven. It was one of those "I can't go another inch" kind of days.
When I got here it was clear that accommodating canoeists isn't a high priority for this town. There is a boat ramp and ample parking with a bathroom but no place to camp. I was expecting a few places from my reading on the MO Parks and Game website. I eventually set up my tent on a spot by the river that used to have dock anchored to it. I'm basically at the river front park and lots of people pass by walking and exercising. One couple walking their dog stopped to talk as I was setting up my tent. He's a carpenter (not much work these days) and also a canoeist/kayaker. He actually owns the same model of tent as I do and we spent some time talking about my trip and some of the trips he's done (down the Colorado in a kayak and being tossed out 3-4 times, "do you run a trail line off your stern in case you dump and have to recover the boat?"). He also informed me that where I set up camp was fine and was used by most paddlers that stop in New Haven.
After I set up camp I pulled out the camp chair and sat and watched the river. Eventually, I fell asleep and took a nice little nap. I was awakened by a couple showing their brother from Boston the riverfront. I'm now part of a tourist's vacation photos. He was quite intrigued by my boat and the trip I'm doing. I pointed them to my website so maybe they'll see themselves in print!
I have two nights of camping and three days of paddling left. Since my ride won't pick me up in St. Louis until Thursday there's no rush to get to the end of the trip. My next three days are all 25 miles or so which will allow me to take it easy getting up in the morning and paddling. By noon tomorrow I will have officially paddled 500 miles. That's a pretty good number but one I had hoped would be higher this summer. Oh well, such is life.
A few people stopped to chat this afternoon including a fireman from the town over from here. He told me that he was briefed this morning that the river will rise again starting sometime next week. It had gone up about 3 feet when I was at Cooper's Landing and floating down to Jefferson City. This morning it had dropped about 6 inches to a foot and was still going down this afternoon. If he's correct, they are expecting peak waters rivaling last year's and maybe as bad as the 1993 floods. It's the weekend and the stream gauge information hasn't been updated on the USGS website but if he's right then I'm doubly smart for having made the decision to stop at St. Louis.
I did walk around New Haven today. A very picturesque midwestern river town. There's a nice educational display here about John Colter, one of the guides on the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Turns out he married and lived near here after his life as a guide and mountain man. I'm getting educated as I float along! I really should have stopped at Hermann at lunch, it looked like a cool place but their landing looked hairy and I was in the mood to keep paddling since I was making such good time, at least that's before the gale force winds began!
There's not much else to report. I'm savoring the quiet times on the river where I stop and just float with the current and look at the world. So much of the satisfaction of doing this trip is about those moments and not about the daily mileage tally or destination. I sure wish I could bottle those times and take them home with me but for now I'm happy with a soul that's been wrapped in nature for over two weeks.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Back on the river!
I've stuck to my original plan to paddle 6 days and take one day off (isn't that what they call the sabbath?). I put back in at Jeff. City this morning at about 9:15 a.m. and started downstream to Portland, MO. It was a pretty easy float but towards the end I was beginning to feel the heat. I still haven't had much luck predicting what to wear at the beginning of a paddling day that will be spot on for comfort at the end of the paddling day. Unless, of course, the weather is cold and miserable all day long, then I just keep huddled in my cold weather thermals and tough it out. Hot days like today are another matter.
Kathy had to take a friend to the airport this morning so I said goodbye prior to leaving the house. Bruce drove me to the Jeff. City landing and saw me off. I spent the rest of the day scratching my head about to what to make about my time in Jefferson City. As far as I can tell, Bruce Rogers and Kathy Carew took me into their home and showed me kindness and hospitality for only one reason; to make me feel at home and welcome. They didn't ask for anything in return. We went out to eat several times and they refused to let me pay for their meal and insisted on paying for mine. They showed me the sites of Jefferson City and introduced me to some very nice people. At the end of it all I could ask was why? The only answer I have is that they are are the finest of the finest and a credit to heart and soul of America. I'm told that President Obama will be visiting the Missouri capital soon. If he really wants connect with middle America I suggest he give Bruce and Kathy a call.
I'm back to river life and it's also a holiday weekend. I had an easy float down to Portland, Missouri, where I set up camp and hung out for the afternoon. There's a small bar and grill here, the only business in town, where I had dinner and hung out a while. As the day has worn on more and more traffic is coming down to the landing to put in their boats or just hang out. Right now there are three boatloads of college kids at the landing that are a bit tipsy and loud. As I said before, the river is a totally different creature the weekends. One more day and I'll have my girl back for the final few days of paddling down to St. Louis.
When I talk to people about my trip it sounds like a big deal to them, especially if they've never spent anytime on the water. The days have flown by so quick that I'm beginning to realize that this has just been me dipping my toe in the water. I know I can't continue past St. Louis but I'm kicking myself for not having designed a different trip and started in Montana and floated down. That would have been a 2200 mile trip and would have been something. As it stands 560 miles is just a warm up exercise.
Oh well, you learn as you go along. Maybe one day I'll be a bit quicker not the uptake!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
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