July 19 - St. Louis

Time to get going again. It's been great to take this break and spend time with family and friends. At first it was hard to adjust, but as time went by I was right back into my normal daily life activities. Even had a chance to play golf with high school friends, Chuck Dorn, Jim Umland and Bob Catron in Minneapolis yesterday. Now one would think good friends would give me strokes for not playing all summer. Instead they just took my money and wished me well on my journey! I guess I'd have done the same if the roles were reversed. (When you've got someone down, step on them!)

This morning my daughter, Heidi took me to the airport in Duluth. Tough to say goodbye to everyone, but at the same time I needed to get back paddling. Also, knowing it would not be long and I'd be back on the 7th of August for Ryan's golf tournment will help with missing family and home.

Heidi dropped me off at 5:30 in the morning and after a layover in Minneapolis, I arrived in St. Louis at 1:00 P.M. My friend, Jim McIntyre, from way back in grade school was there to pick me up. Jim loves baseball and each summer takes a trip to various ballparks around the country. So he offered to help me out on this part of trip which involves shuttling me to Kansas City and then to Yankton, S.D.

I've decided to do this Missouri River section downstream. I've talked to many people that have Missouri River experience and all said there's no way I can make it going upstream. Hate to do this, but for one of the few times I'll listen and follow the advice!

From the airport Jim and I headed over to Bass Pro to get my gear. Asst. Manager, Wendy Jennings was there to help me. I'd met Wendy when I dropped my gear off and she was the person in charge today. Bob Brownlee, the store manager, and Matt Prost who arranged for me to store my gear at Bass Pro were off today. Sorry I missed them, but I will stay in touch with all here at Bass Pro as I continue my journey. They have really been nice and gone out of their way to help me in any way they can. In fact, Jenny said she had a little care package that everyone put together for me. It included a dry bag with two top of the line hiking shirts and hiking pants in it. Nice surprise! I really needed the dry bag and also the long sleeve hiking shirt for I had nothing other than a light wind breaker for cool days. That is if we every get cool days again!

I said goodbye to Wendy and Jim and I went back to the motel to relax for awhile before we headed to the ball park and watched the St. Louis and Atlanta Braves game. What an evening we had at the ball game!

Just before game time we could see a severe storm aproaching, which turned out to be close to a tornado. Unbelievable wind and rain came down for about an hour. Everyone headed for the best shelter they could find in the stadium, which for us turned out to be under the stands above us which only provided some cover from the rain, but little from the wind. All I could think about was my canoe, which was locked to a tree back at the motel, wondering if it would be in one piece. The way this storm was I figured there's a good chance it could be damaged.

Long story short - the storm finally let up and they even played the game, which St. Louis won.

This storm, as I'm sure all know, made national news. Lots of damage in the St. Louis area and as I write this blog days later, over 200,000 people are still without power. Even found out there were a number of people injured at the game that evening. Good thing was when we got back to the motel my canoe was okay. It was sitting right in the same place I'd left it - only now filled with water. What a relief, sure didn't want to swim the rest of the way to the Pacific!

Off to bed and then Jim and I will head to Kansas City tomorrow.

Thanks again everyone at Bass Pro, not only for your help but more important, your friendship.

July 20 - Car Ride from St. Charles to Kansas City

Jim and I left for Kansas City at around 10:00 in the morning. Just an enjoyable time reminiscing about old times. As I said in yesterday's blog, we go way back to actually kindergarden. First story I reminded him of was the story my mother tells of our first day of kindergarden when Jim took my rug that we all had to have for our mid-morning nap. I wonder if they still do that in kindergarden. Anyway, when it was time for my nap I could not find my rug and spotted this other boy resting on it. I went over to get my rug and then next thing I knew, the teacher sent me home. Jim wouldn't give me my rug so I guess I punched him in the nose and out the door I went.

Mom says when she got back home from doing errands after walking me to school I was sitting on the steps. Needless to say she was not very proud of me. (Hopefully that has changed since. She's still going strong at age 94!) Not sure if I'm the only one ever to get expelled from kindergarden, but I think I'm the only one from Barron, WI! Anyway all turned out okay and from that day on Jim and I have been great friends. He along with Ken McGrath from grade school have been very close for all these years. Lots of memories!

During the drive to Kansas City I also was thinking about my decision to do this stretch of the river in reverse order. In researching the internet I could find only one other person that attempted canoeing the Lewis and Clark journey by starting in St. Louis and going upstream. He had to do the same - go up to Yankton, SD and return downstream to St. Louis. Then go back to Yankton where they first dam on the Missouri is and continue on westward where the river becomes lakes and one is able to navigate again.

In any case I will find out tomorrow.

Back to stories. "Jim, remember when you loaned me your brand new bike and I rode it into that big oak tree.............."

July 21 - Kansas City to Waverly MO

Up at 5:00AM and down to the river at 6:00 and back to the motel by 6:30! It's raining and lightning.
Wasn't able to get started until noon today because of a front coming through.
Finally at around noon there was a break in the sky and Jim and I headed back to the river and I was able to push off a little before 12:30. The current was strong and I was feeling a whole lot better about going downstream. I said goodbye to Jim and off I was once more.
Jim plans to go to the Kansas City Royals game this evening and tomorrow and will meet me in St. Louis in 3 or 4 days. Sounded like he had good plans for that time, so off I went to do my thing.

Oh, was I moving! Along with the current and my paddling, I figure I was moving at 7 or 8 miles an hour. This current was different than what I experienced on the Mississippi. Not sure why but even along the shore there seemed to be much more current. I was able to go up the Mississippi because the current along the shore on it was not bad, but here it was different. Later on I will experiment with going the other direction, but right now because of the late start, I want to get in as many miles as I can. (Some things never change,,, push push push!)

Good first day. Did get a little rain, but by 2:00 the sun was out and only in the 70's which made for comfortable paddling. Plans were to take it easy today and set up camp around 7:00, but like most other days, at 9:00 and turning dark I was still looking for a place to camp! Of course between 7:00 and 9:00 there were many great sand bars I could have camped on, but I needed to go around the next bend and find a better one! Finally at about 9:15 (now getting dark) I found a small sand bar that had one flat spot about the size of my tent that would work.

First day is history and it felt good to be back on the river. Oh, and tomorrow I will set up camp earlier!

July 22 - Waverly to Boonville

Last night was interesting. Just after I settled in for the night a boat came up next to my camp and shined a huge light over towards me. Then it continued downstream for about 100 yards and anchored. A few minutes later another boat anchored about 100 yards downstream of me. They had me surrounded! What they were doing was fishing for catfish. So, until about 1:00AM I had two beams of light coming towards me.

When I did finally got to sleep I was awakened about 2:00AM by dogs. Just above me someone was out coon hunting. Needless to say it was a short night of sleep.

Tough day today. It was very warm,, I mean hot! I did come out of the water at around 8:00AM and portage around a loop thinking I was saving a little time and distance. Turns out I'd been just as well served staying on the water. I think the time spent loading and unloading did not save me any time.

One thing for sure, the decision to go downstream back to St. Louis was a wise one. I experimented a couple of times to go upstream and found it almost impossible. If you do not have your paddle constantly moving you go nowhere and even backwards at times. At Waverly I met a pastor walking his dog by the boat ramp and he told me the current stays strong because to keep the water level up they continually release water from the dams upstream. Another gentleman who has spent a lot of time canoeing the Missouri said basically the only time you can go upstream is when they stop the release of water from the dams in the late fall and winter. So, it eases my mind that I'm doing this section in reverse and also will now go up to the first dam near Yankton, SD and back to Kansas City when I finish this section. Once that is done I will need to find a way to get back up to Yankton and continue on to the Pacific. (I will worry about that later)

To put things in perspective about going with the current, I made close to 100 miles today. Although that was starting at 6:00AM and paddling past 9:00PM. If I was going the other way it would have been an average speed of about 1 mile an hour.

The last few hours of paddling have been very enjoyable, not much heat and beautiful sandstone bluffs along the north side of the river, plus numerous sandbars that a number of people are camping along this weekend.

I made camp just on the east end of a long sandbar that a couple was camping on, making sure I was far enough away to give them privacy.

Just after setting up camp and taking a swim to clean up, the couple camping upstream came for a visit. Erik Feather and Deirdre Lester brought some drinks and food for me. We visited for over an hour. Very nice couple and I hope to stay in touch with them as I continue. By the way Erik, the food you cooked up was great!

July 23 - East of Boonville to Gasconade, MO

Off and paddling at about 6:00AM. Tough, tough morning. I started out thinking I will be making this a short day. The heated started early and by 9:00 I needed to pull over for a break. I stopped just short of Jefferson City and took about a 30 minute break. (Can not remember the name of the town that was a mile away, but a couple said it was the pumpkin capitol of MO)

Felt better after the break and continued on toward Jefferson only to stop again at the boat ramp in Jefferson for another break. Did not start up again until 1:00 after having something to eat and a lot of water I was feeling a whole lot better. I also called Jim and he was on his way to Columbia from Kansas City. We decided we would try and hook up downstream and spend the night at Herman, MO if I could make it at least somewhere close to it.

So off I went, still needing to make a good 40 to 50 miles if I had any chance to meet Jim.

At the mouth of the Osage river that entered into the Missouri I came upon a large group of people gathered on a huge sandbar. There must have been over 50 people all having a great time swimming, playing volleyball, barbequeing. I left with a huge hunk of homemade deer sausage and 4 beers! Dear sausage was great, beer will keep for another time! Water will be the key to keeping me going.

As I continued, finding Jim was going to be tough for my cell phone went dead. There were two boat landings that I was possibly going to meet him at but he was at neither. At the last one I pulled in to a little town called Portland. At the landing were two guys, one in a raft and the other in a canoe. They had started at the Osage River and were slowly working their way to St. Louis.
Just taking their time and enjoying each day. (Wish I could do that, but not in my make-up!)

I was able to get a bite to eat and charge my phone a little before I pushed off from Portland. About a mile down the river I was able get hold of Jim. He said he'd left Portland about an hour earlier and was now at a motel in Portland. Told me he'd come and get me, but I said no that I'd try and make it to Gasconade which was about 7 miles from Herman. (Real reason I had to continue to try and make Gasconade was it is tough for me to go backwards!)

Well, now I had to still make over 18 miles to get there and it was after 7:00PM. To make a long story shorter, I made it at 10:00, but only by luck. I almost went right by it because Gasconade was in a bay to the south and just before I was passing the bay I turned around for some reason and saw a light about a mile or so down the bay. This time I did turn around! Took forever to paddle back upstream to the bay but did find Jim waiting for me.

We stuffed my canoe and gear into the woods and headed for the motel in Herman.

Another long day was over, but a good one. Plus, a bed tonight, although I will have to put up with some snoring,,, it will not faze me tonight.

July 24 - Gasconade to St. Charles, MO

Great night's sleep and I did not hear any snoring! Jim got me back to Gasconade and I pushed off at 6:00AM.

We made plans to meet in Washington, MO, which was about 30 miles for me to paddle.

Made it to Washington around 10:30 and had lunch with Jim at a very nice waterfront park. Everything along the Missouri has some reference to Lewis and Clark and here was no different except it also noted that Daniel Boone was buried close by. In fact, on Jim's way to Washington he stopped at the site. This was Daniel Boone's initial burial site, but later his remains were sent back to Kentucky for his final resting place. He was 85 when he died. Heck, and I thought I wasn't going to learn a thing today!

Well, the end is near! Plans were to go all the way back to the arch in St. Louis, but decided to end where I left my gear and had biked to in St. Charles. It would take another day to get to St. Louis and to have Jim get me back to Kansas City and up to the first dam in South Dakota was asking too much of him. Plus he would have had to spend another day by himself. Besides, I've connected the dots as to where I left off. My only reason to go back to the arch was seeing the confluence of the Missouri and the Mississippi. That I would have done if my journey was following the entire Lewis and Clark adventure. Mine is to get from one ocean to the other non- motorized by paddle and bike portaging.

So, I finished the day with an easy paddle to St. Charles and we loaded up and headed back to Kansas City.

This section went quick and was fun. I met many nice people and having Jim helping me made it special.

Now it's time for more stories as we head back to Kansas City. We will go to the Kansas City Baltimore game tomorrow and then head to Gavins Point Dam in SD on Wednesday.

DAYS OFF: July 25th and 26th

On our ride back yesterday it struck me how hard this must be for people who have not done long distance adventures to comprehend doing such mileage. Even for me it was difficult to imagine as we drove back the 300 miles from St. Charles that I just paddled this distance. Yet, while out doing the actual paddle it just did not seem that difficult. Tough to explain, I guess one just has to try it sometime! In fact for those back home, look up the Superior Hiking Trail. Tnis is one of the highest rated trails in the USA. It runs from Duluth to Grand Portage along Lake Superior. My PCT friend, Commodore did this a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Heck, if you're interested, maybe this old guy would go with you someday, or at least I could give you some suggestions.

Got a little off track there!

Just a couple of notes on my two days off.

On the 25th I just lollygagged! Lay around all day resting my stiff neck, sore back and blistered hands. Never really noticed this while I was paddling. Must be the adrenline wearing off!

Also went to the Kansas City and Baltimore baseball game that evening.

On the 26th Jim and I drove up to the South Dakota spot where I will put in tomorrow below the Gavins Dam. As we drove two things were on my mind. First - this looks like this is going to be a very boring strectch of the river to paddle. Just not much scenery - everything is flat. Second is that tomorrow I will be saying goodbye to Jim. He is special for a number of reasons. He and Ken McGrath were my first two friends and we've been friends ever since that kindergarden experience! Who but a real friend would follow some crazy old guy paddling for a week! I just do not know how to thank him. I do know I will miss him. Good thing is I will see him in two weeks at our son Ryan's memorial golf tournament.

July 27 - Below the Gavins Dam to Sioux City

Back on the water. Jim dropped me off at around 6:00AM at my entry point and I was on my way with mixed feelings - glad I was back on the water but sad I had to leave my friend. Like I said in my last entry, Jim is a very special friend and I can not thank him enough . Like my friend, Bob Maxwell back in Grand Rivers, KY, Jim also knows I will always be there for him. Thanks my friend!

What a surprise today. On our drive up here I thought this would be a boring stretch of paddling, but it is the opposite. It's beautiful. Lots of trees along the river banks mixed in with beautiful homes and numerous places to camp.

The river is wider than it was on the stretch from K.C. to St Charles. Especially from Vermillion to Sioux City with lots of sandbars which show evidence that they are used for camping. Most likely locals spending weekends on the river camping.

I got to Sioux City around 6:00PM and pulled in to the Marina Inn on the Nebraska side, which is a beautiful motel on the river. I was able to get a room for a reasonable rate and decided to take it. Real reason to stay here is that all I had to do was pull my canoe up on some rock, climb over a railing and I was at the motel. Which means in the morning I will be able to get back on the water quickly after a nice rest in an air conditioned room! It was in the 90's today!!!

Time for a shower and maybe a nice steak!

July 28 - Sioux City to Little Sioux

Woke up feeling great and was on the water by 6:00AM. By the way, I did have a great steak last night. Rob Gaston from Minneapolis is the Marina Inn resturant manager and said they serve the best steaks around. He was right.

The first part of the day went well. Miles were flying by until about noon. Then the wind picked up and the heat kicked in. The wind was coming straight from the south and along with the heat made for a miserable afternoon of paddling. Proabably the worst day I've had so far. By day's end I could hardly move and was feeling very lightheaded.

Tomorrow is supposed to be much of the same. Wind from the south and even hotter. I'll need to stop more and drink more water. I think that was my mistake today.

Need to get to bed.

July 29 - Little Sioux to Bellevue

Feeling good this morning! Last night I was not looking forward to today, but now I feel great.

I got on the water by 6:00 and had a great morning of paddling. The wind is not as bad as yesterday and the humidity is a lot better which made for a delightful morning's paddle. Plus I saw my first turkey this morning. I had a flock of about 8 turkeys walking along the river's edge. Also, saw a couple of deer and a number of geese.

At about noon I started to get a lot of speedboat traffic. I was getting close to the Dodge Park boat landing which is just outside of Omaha. The closer I got the more boats, jet skis and water skiers I met. Pretty much bobbing around like a cork. As I turned a corner in the river I could see the landing and quickly understood why there was so much traffic. Dodge Park has a huge boat landing area. In fact there is so much traffic they have three ramps. Boats everywhere.

I pulled into one of the ramps wondering what the best strategy would be to continue on.

As luck has it my question was quickly answered. Dodge Park also was the right on the Riverfront Bike trail that goes through Omaha. So, after a bite to eat I set up for the bike portage. Now this was some bike trail. It was all concrete and 10 feet wide. After a mile or two I came upon bike information sign that had bike trail maps. Turns out the trail is not totally finished but gave the route to take on roads where need be. It also should cut off the two big loops that I would have had to paddle! So, what would have taken probably six hours of paddling turned into two hours of bike portaging to a nice motel on the south side of Omaha. Oh life is good today! Nice shower, nice cool room, good meal. I wonder if I'll get so lucky that tomorrow brings less heat and less wind! Probably asking too much.
Oh well , I will deal with that tomorrow and enjoy the evening. (Wonder why I did not see anyone else biking today. Maybe it had something to do with the 101 degree heat posted on a bank I passed!)

Shucks,,, just saw on TV that it's going to be over 100 the next two days!

July 30th - Bellevue to North of Brownville

This was a long day, hot day! I stopped often. Well, I stopped a couple of times! I did have lots of water with me and drank often, so even with the heat I still felt strong. Nothing really exciting happened today. Being Sunday I figured I'd see a lot of boats again today. I did see a few, but nothing like yesterday around Omaha.

Maybe about 10 miles from my put-in point I passed the mouth of the Platte River where it empties into the Missouri. During spring and flood times this river supposedly really increases the flow of the Missouri, along with dumping a lot of debris like logs and other things that can cause problems for boaters. Today that is not the case. In fact, not far from the mouth of the Platte there's a bridge that crosses it and I was told there was very little water running under it. So what I saw was basically water from the Missouri backing up into the mouth for a ways.

Basically the Missouri is probably 100 yds wide. Maybe a little more and in some places less. It has numerous sandbars so camping is not a problem. There are lots of boat ramps. I figure I see one at least every 15 to 20 miles. Most have water and toilets and also make for good camping.

There also are a lot more homes, trailer parks and cabins than I've seen on either the Ohio or Mississippi. On those rivers homes are usually near towns. Here they seem to stretch all along the river both on the Iowa and Nebraska side. Also it seems homeowners can do almost whatever they want to the shoreline. Many times I've seen new homes (cabins) going up and sand being moved around right up to the banks of the Missouri. Not sure what the laws are here, but you could never do it back home on our lakes and rivers.

I've also been wondering why I have not seen any barge traffic. I was told today that barges do not come up this far any more. They only come as far as St. Joseph and they figured at this time of the year and as low as the water is, there are probably no barges running. I'm sure that is the case, because I did not see a barge on the river between Kansas City and St. Louis last week.

All in all this section of paddling has been enjoyable. Good scenery mixed in with nice city waterfronts and neat cabins and homes. Just wish the heat would let up and the wind switch direction. It's been in my face since I've started, with gusts over 20 miles an hour according to the reports on my radio. It sounds like it will be over 100 the next three days and with the same type of southerly winds!

I wonder if there's a better camp spot around the corner!

July 31st -North of Brownville to a sandbar north of St. Joseph

Great day today. I even stopped and visited with people! Just short of the Nebraska - Kansas border on the west side of the river, a boat came over to me. This is one of the few times a boat has actually stopped. Usually they just go by and wave and look back to see how I'm handling the wake they created. The person stopping worked for the Nebraska Dept. of Natural Resources and was surveying fishermen. We had a nice talk and just before I pushed off he asked where I was from. I told him Superior, WI. He said,"Is George Austreng still there?" I said, "How do you know George?" He said, "I taught school with George back in the early 70's." Well, it turns out it was Walt Belding who I also had taught with!

After recalling old times with Walt I was on my way. Walt is working two or three days for the Nebraska DNR and lives back upstream in Nebraska City. Nice man and he really enjoys being on the river and meeting folks. Back in 2004 he met the person I mentioned before who used the same canoe as I, while doing the Lewis and Clark journey. Small world!

Around 2:30 I came to the small town of White Cloud. White Cloud is right on the river so I pulled in with the hope of getting something to eat. No such luck. All that was left in the town was a plumbing business, post office and the White Cloud Grain Elevator.

I walked over to the office of the grain elevator with the hope of getting my phone charged and maybe getting out of the heat for awhile. Gary Ramey was in the office and has happy to let me charge my phone and relax for awhile. I also met Charliss Krothanke and Shirley Jones. Shirley grew up in the area and filled me on some of the history of White Clould. At one time White Cloud was going to be the St. Joseph of Nebraska because of its location to the Missouri, but politics and the dams upstream changed all that. If it weren't for this elevator and the casino about 7 miles away it would be a ghost town.

Also learned from Shirley that there are three endangered species along the river since the dams were built. They include the Pallica Sturgeon, Piping Plover and the Least Tern. It cannot be proven this happened because of the dams, but it all started at the same time they were built. Another interesting note is that on top of the high bluff north of town is the original survey marker for plotting the western states.

Very enjoyable and interesting visit and the melon was good too! I need to do this more often!

Continued down the river with the idea of finding a campsite within 30 miles of St. Joesph. I found a nice spot about 20 miles away at around 8:30 on a sandbar. Made camp, went for a swim and just lay in my tent looking up at the stars, just wrapped up in my own thoughts. One of my better days. Even though it was close to a 70 mile day I really enjoyed the visits I had today.

Time to look for the Big Dipper!

Note: For those who have not read my PCT journal, I always look for the Big Dipper before I fall asleep. Each star represents meaningful people in my life. If you are interested you can find that description in my PCT journal.  It is called "Seven Stars" - you can find it here.

August 1st - Sandbar north of St. Joseph to Atchison, Kansas

Plans were to go to St. Joseph today and find a motel. I'm way ahead of schedule (as usual). If I keep going at this 60 to 70 mile pace I will be in Kansas City on Wednesday and my rental car ride back up to Yankton is scheduled for Saturday. So, I'm planning on spending a day in St. Joesph and visiting some of the historical sites. There are a number of neat museums in St. Joseph, including the Pony Express Museum and the Jesse James Home Museum.

As I approached St. Joseph I was surprised at what I saw. I was expecting this neat riverfront much like I saw in Sioux City. Instead all I saw was another casino and high freeway bridge that pretty much ran the length of the town.

I pulled over to what I thought was a boat ramp but turned out to be just an overlook. Up above were Robert and Kim Duncan and their little boy Dalton. They were from the Kansas City area and had spotted me paddling and wondered what I was doing. They were excited about my adventure and gave me their telephone number and said if I needed any help when I got to Kansas City to please not hesitate to call. Again, I'm just amazed at the willingness of people I meet to lend a helping hand.

I asked Robert if he could see a boat ramp and he said no, so I figured it must be ahead a little ways. I said goodbye to the Duncans, telling them I'd call when I reach Kansas City.

Couldn't find the boat ramp. It must have been the one I passed on the north side of town. So, my next option is to paddle downstream a couple of miles to a campground, which I did.

Found out there was no tent camping - only RV camping at the campground. The lady said I'd need to go back about three miles and I could get out at the Sunset Grill Ramp. Other option would be to paddle to Atchison, Kansas 25 miles or so downstream. Well, as most know I do not go back, so I was on my way to Atchinson, Kansas, the birthplace of Amelia Earhart.

Never fails, my short day paddling plans have turned into another 45-50 mile day!

Got to Independence Park in Atchinson around 3:30 and met Jon and Charlotte Angell and their children Emily and Rebekah. They saw me paddling up to the ramp and figured I was doing something out of the ordinary! Jon writes for a paper (I believe this is correct) in a small town in Kansas. They took pictures and listened to my story as Emily and Rebekah helped me put my trailer together. Jon was going to write an article for his paper.

After our visit, and once Emily, Rebekah and I had the trailer and bike put together I worked my way to town to find a motel. I'd heard Atchinson was a very paddle-friendly town and what I heard was right. People waved as I rode by. Many honked and gave me a thumbs up as they read the side of my canoe! Even got my motel room at a very nice reduced rate!

August 2nd, Day off in Atchison

Woke up at 4:30 ready to start paddling and realized I was in a motel! Went back to sleep and woke up at 8:30! Did a few sets of pushups and situps and then washed clothes before I headed to the library to do my journal entries.

Atchison is a neat town. They really have a nice riverfront dedicated to our military veterans. I was disappointed in St. Joseph's waterfront, but Atchison's is very impressive for a town of 17,000. They also have a nice museum with collections of railroad, Old West and many personal effects of Amelia Earhart's.

Basically trying to get through the day. Tough for me to just sit around so I took my bike and rode around for most of the afternoon. (For anyone coming this way, I'd recommend Paolucci's Restaurant and Lounge. Great Italian food.)

Tomorrow I will work my way to Kansas City. It's only 6o miles so I will,,, must,,, go slow and do only about 30 miles tomorrow and arrive the following day, Friday in K.C., giving me time to get a motel and prepare for my ride back to Yankton on Saturday and fly home on Sunday from Sioux City.

Only 5:30PM, guess I'll go back to the motel and do another set of pushups and situps!

August 4 - Sandbar by Leavenworth to Kansas City

Interesting evening last night. Very relaxing. I did take that swim in the Missouri and even completed all six of my Sudoku puzzles without mistakes. Went to bed at sundown watching the stars and waiting for the Big Dipper to appear. Then at about 10 I heard a loud siren that lasted for about 5 minutes. After that a couple of helicopters came over. Things settled down, only to hear off in the distance what sounded like race cars which lasted for another hour. At about 12 the first of two large cargo planes came over my head with the intention of landing close by.

In the morning I quickly found out the answers. The Kansas airport is within a couple of miles as the crow flies and for some reason these two planes came from a different direction than the other planes that flew over earlier in the evening. Also by looking at my map there seems to be a race track close by. The siren, well I found out the answer to that when I started paddling. Just, and I mean JUST around the corner from my campsite, the river borders one of the many prisons in the area. Wonder if anyone escaped last night!

Paddled into Kansas City at Kaw Point Landing just after noon. Kaw Point is just around the corner on the Kansas River which joins the Missouri in the heart of Kansas. I did not leave from this landing when I went to St. Louis. I left from a landing about 10 miles to the east of here so I was unfamiliar with Kaw Point. My impression was that it would be a beautiful landing being in the heart of Kansas City and at the spot where the Kansas and Missouri Rivers joined. It was not. Kaw Point is located in the heart of Kansas City's industrial district. River factories and warehouses all over. Even at the landing there was a lot of garbage in the river. Disappointing but it does look like they are making an effort to clean it up and make a nice park. It has the potential of being a great place. The view of Kansas City is spectacular from here. I suspect funding is the reason for it being a work in progress.

Well, the lower Missouri River section is history. Again I met many nice people and was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of this section. I'm also now happy with my decision to paddle it downstream. Atlhough I had the heat and headwinds to battle I still made great time. It would have taken maybe a month or probably more to do it upstream. However, I do believe it is possible if one wanted to spend the amount of time it would take to do it. To do it one would be paddling at a hiking pace of about 2 and a half miles an hour or less. Maybe sometime in the future I will attempt it!

Anyway, now I must pedal the 8 to 10 miles to my motel and get ready to drive my gear back to Yankton, SD.

I weaved my way through this industrial area and over the highway 69 bridge crossing the Missouri without incident. I have my transportation all set for tomorrow to take my gear to Yankton, SD and will fly home on Sunday the 7th of August in time to help prepare for The Ryan Hoff Memorial Youth Foundation Golf Scramble which will be held August 12th.

I will be back in Yankton on August 17th and start paddling to Mandan, ND on the 18th. Mandan is about 500 miles away and it will be my stopping point for this year. So far the trip has been more enjoyable than I figured. Best part has been everyone I've met. So many nice people and everyone always willing to help when needed. Thanks to all!

I will give an update next week before I head back to Yankton.

August 16th Home - Back To Yankton Tomorrow

I will be flying back to Yankton tomorrow, Thursday, August 17th and plan to start paddling to Mandan, ND on Friday.

The time off has been good for me. I'm well rested and anxious to get back. Even got a few chores done around the house!

Ryan Hoff Memorial Golf Tournament was a great success. We raised over $12,000.00, which is down a little from the last two years, but still very good considering the economy. We are excited about the direction the foundation is going. This fall the foundation will be awarding the incoming 9th grade class at Superior High School $5000.00 and given the chance to manage the money under the direction of their class advisors and administration for their 4 year high school careers. Then upon graduation they will vote as a class how they want their proceeds to be used in our community. The original $5000.00 will then transfer to the next incoming 9th grade class. The foundation over the next 4 year will give each incoming 9th grade class $5000.00 upon which time the project will be self supporting.

We also are exploring ways to use the school district's school forest in creating a type of "out- reach" learning center. The hope is to give our youth the opportunity to experience a variety of lifelong learning activities.

Thanks to all who sponsored and or participated in the tournament. Superior is a great community. LuAnn and I cherish the support and love you've given our family and we hope the foundation is one that all can be proud of.

I will have about 500 river miles to get to Mandan and hope to do it in two or less weeks. The key will be wind, for now I will be paddling the first three lakes of the Missouri starting with the Lewis and Clark Lake in Yankton. Lake Oahe looks like it will be the most challenging. Sounds like waves can get 5 feet and higher on this lake and can come up very quickly. From reading about other canoe and kayakers doing this section you could be windbound for days. Just have to play it by ear and hope my luck is good.

Depending on when I get to Mandan, I may decide to go a few more miles to the Garrison Dam. My goal is to be done by Labor Day so if my luck is good and I can get through Lake Oahe, that will be my stopping point for this year. Then in the spring of 2007 I continue to the Pacific. I did play with the thought of continuing and trying to go all the way to the Pacific this year (I believe I could make it) but it's time to go home and spend some quality time with family before winter sets in.

August 17th - Superior to Yankton

I did not mentioned that I lucked out again in storing my gear when I got to Yankton. Turns out a good friend, Dean Neumann, had a niece that lived in Yankton. Dean and his wife Teri have been friends for years. Teri is a retired elementary teacher in Superior and Dean a retired middle school principal. Dean's niece, Lara Cunningham and husband Darrin were nice enough not only to care for my gear, but even offered to pick me up at the airport in Sioux Falls upon my return, which he did.

Turns out Darrin and his boss, Jim Vlahakis, had a golf tournament today just north of Sioux Falls so they said they would pick me up when they were done at around 5:30. That was great, although my plane arrived at 10:20 in the morning which meant a few hours of waiting, which was okay. What I did was walk over to the mall about 7 miles from the airport and hung around until they arrived.

Darrin and Jim picked me up a little after five and we were in Yankton around 6:30. It was a long day so after supper I excused myself and I was off to bed by 8:00.

Plan for tomorrow is Darrin taking me down to the marina around 8:00 and I will be off heading to Mandan wondering how it will be, canoeing four large lakes between Yankton and Mandan. I start with the Lewis and Clark Lake here at Mandan.

Guess I'll find out real soon.

August 18th - Gavins Dam Marina to North of Verdel

Up at 6:00 and out the door around 7:30. Darrin and his two sons, Jimmie and Jacob, took me down to the the Marina at around 8:00 after a quick stop at WalMart for some groceries.

Jimmie and Jacob helped me get my gear into my canoe and after pictures I was off. Paddling lake waters was going to be a new experience and I was wondering what kind of miles I would make in a day and how I'd handle the waves when the wind picks up. Today it is relatively calm and what wind I have is coming from the southwest and not much of a factor.

All was going well until around 11:00. I was making good time, but I could see that a storm was nearing from the west. As I continued to paddle I also saw that I was approaching high cliffs on my side of the lake and it could be hard to find a place to pull over in case things got real bad. Smart thing would be to pull over, but of course I kept going!

I rounded a corner and realized this was going to be a bad storm. Very dark in the west and lightning off in the distance. I saw a place I could pull over, but again I figured I may find something better around the next bend. Sure enough, just when things were going to get real nasty, I came upon a boat landing. I quickly pulled my canoe out of the water, turned it over and headed up the boat ramp to see if I could find some protection. As luck has it, there was an outhouse at the top of the ramp, so the next hour I spent in the outhouse out of the rain. Not the best place to have a late morning snack!

Once back on the water, nice and dry, I paddled to the end of Lewis and Clark Lake and started to weave my way through sandbars with tall grass, which made it hard to see which way was the right way. Finally got through most of the tough stuff near Running Water. Now the current was getting faster, but I was still, with a little effort, able keep up good speed.

I ended the day just past the Verdel Landing and the mile or two of cottages and trailers west of the ramp.

Very pleased with the first day. Lake paddle was good although I knew if I had any wind it would be a tough go. Once on the river by Springfield, the current picked up but was manageable. Tomorrow will be river until the Randall Dam and then more lake paddle on Francis Case Lake.

August 19 - West of Verdel Landing to Platte Creek

Great Day! What wind I have is from the south and I'm moving northwest.

First part of the day was paddling the last river section I will have for this section. Very nice morning paddle with high bluffs on the Neb. side of the river. Even though I've been on only one lake I can tell you I like the rivers a whole lot better than lakes.

I reached the Randall Dam around 2:00 and then hooked up my bike and trailer and pedaled around the dam to the North Wheeler Recreation Area.

Francis Case Lake is a BIG lake! Good thing is there is little wind and the lake is relatively calm.

For the rest of the day I just paddled along the northeast shore wondering what this would be like if I had wind.

As the day wound down so did what wind I had and now the lake was almost like glass. Just a beautiful sight with the sun starting to set in the west.

Made camp near Platte Creek as the sun was setting. Ate dinner and lay in my tent enjoying the evening and wondering what tomorrow would bring. Hopefully no wind.

August 20 - Platte Creek to Chamberlan

Very good morning but not so good afternoon.

Morning paddle was great with light winds at my back and I was making very good time. Then at around 2:00 the winds picked up and I started to bounce like a cork. Much like when I was in heavy barge traffic on the Ohio. Only relief I would get was when I rounded a corner that blocked the south wind.

Late in the afternoon I spotted a canoe on the east side of the shore so I pulled over. There was a young man in a rubber raft-like canoe, loaded with more gear than I thought possible to still keep the craft afloat. He was just beat. I'd seen the look before on the PCT trail when a hiker just had had enough. Turns out this guy (never got his name) was from Florida and started two months ago in Glasgow and plans to quit when he got to Sioux City. He said he was making about 20 miles a day. I asked how he was doing and his response was, "I hate these lakes!"

I did not stay long. He was really down and there was no way I could cheer him up. I just told him things are going to get better once you reach the Randall Dam.

As I left I just thought to myself - what would I do if I only made 20 miles a day? I'd go nuts!

Well, as I continued so did the winds. They continued to pick up and by 3:00 I was riding 4 to 5 foot surfs! I felt like I was body surfing on the ocean. Still felt safe, but knew I needed to get off the water soon because it looked like storms in the west, and if the wind got any stronger I'd be swimming.

At about 4:30 I found a little bay with what looked like an abandoned boat ramp. I pulled in and proceeded to make camp , but as I did a car came down the road. Turns out it was a game warden just checking the area. He said he hadn't been to this ramp in over two weeks because it was rarely used any more and he was surprised to see me.

He told me to hunker down good because severe weather was headed this way. Also said if I wanted to throw my gear in the back of his truck he'd take me to Chamberlain. I said I couldn't do that but asked how far away Chamberlain was. He said, "about 6 or 7 miles!" That was that. I hooked up my bike (warden watched in amazement) and pedaled to Chamberlain.

I found a motel just off I-90 and went in to see what it would cost. The guy said, "$99.00!" I told him I could not afford that because I was on a very tight budget and started to leave. He saw that I was on a bike and had this canoe and asked what I was doing. When I told him, he said, "How about $60.00 and a jacuzzi suite!"

Things turned out well again. Storm hit with very high winds and old Coach is bathing in his Jacuzzi!

August 21st Chamberlan to West of Cedar Creek Landing on Lake Sharpe

I must admit I was a little down last night. After bouncing around on the lake and meeting the guy in the rubberized canoe I got to thinking about what is ahead. Two things: First, I will go nuts if I have to stay ashore windbound or make less than 25 miles a day. Second, the look on face of the guy I met was not good. I've been there, maybe for other reasons, while on my perimeter bike ride, and it is no place I want to go back to. I've been feeling pretty good the last few months and this adventure has been great so far. I do not need to fall backwards. So I hope for good weather and if need be, I will bike some.

Heck, my worry of last night turned into a great day - at least for today. The wind was supposed to be out of the north, which would be right in my face, but instead it is mostly out of the east which helps a lot for I'm going northeast and many times east. Also the water has been relatively calm all day.

I made it to Fort Thompson at around 12:30. As I ate lunch, I met a number of American Natives who were really interested in what I was doing. We chatted about a number of things for the next half hour. As I was getting ready for the ride around Big Bend Dam one of the guys said I could cut off the big bend in the river by riding about 15 miles and then taking a back road to where Medicine Creek flows into the Missouri. Sounded good to me. Except the gentlemen for got to mention the 2 plus mile hill I had to push my bike and canoe up! Finally did make it to the river and now the wind was straight from the east and I'm heading west!

The rest of the day was very good. I just got lost in my thoughts (mad at myself for getting down last night) and hoped the rest of this journey to Mandan is as good as today.

Finally stopped paddling at around 9:00. Because of the good conditions I wanted to get as many miles as I could in. Made camp near Cedar Creek, ate and fell right to sleep.

Good day and I feel good!

August 22nd Cedar Creek to Pierre, SD

Man, was I tired last night. One of the biggest differences I've noticed in paddling these lakes than on the rivers is you need to put so much more effort into each stroke and by day's end I find my arms and shoulders about ready to fall off. It's going to take a little to get used to it. What's helped is that when I was on the river, every hour or so I'd paddle as hard as I could for about 5 minutes and I believe this has helped me keep up a pretty good pace the last few days. Hopefully I can keep it up.

I was up early and paddling at 6:00. Pierre was in my reach and I felt I could easily make it by late afternoon if conditions stayed as good as they were yesterday. As I started out they were, just a light wind out of the east and at my back.

The wind stayed down until about 9:30, then it began to pick up and by 12:oo I was riding waves again! I was able to make it to the Fort George Landing and decided I better get off the water, which I did. I figured I had about 15 miles to Pierre so I decided to get the bike out and pedal the rest of the way.

Ride went well and I was in Pierre by 3:00 and better yet, in a Super 8 Motel that I got for $36.05! Time for a shower and a good rest. I'm beat and my arms feel like rubber.


NOTE:

Plans for tomorrow are to get up at 5:00 and be on the road at 6:00. I have about a 15 mile portage to the spot I want to enter Oahe Lake. This is the large lake (over a mile wide) everyone has been talking about. Supposedly it can get real rough and I will need to play close attention to my maps so not to go into a wide - deadend channel. I hate having to turn around!

Back a ways I was told this lake is as low as it has ever been. Probably 40 feet low. Not sure this will help me with navigation and wave action or not, we'll see. Also saw in the paper that for the next 5 days the wind is supposed to be out of the south at 5 to 15 miles an hour. If that is true I should be okay for I'm heading straight north now until I get to Mandan. On the down side, it is supposed to be in the high 90's the next couple of days. Oh well, can't have everything!

August 23 - Pierre to 212 Bridge

Ready to go at 6:00 AM and it's still dark out. I'm real close to the mountain time zone and it stays darker longer in the morning, but on the other end I have more light later in the day.

Decided to go across the street and have breakfast at Hardees before I start pedaling to my entry point above the Lake Oahe Dam.

Well, it's 6:30 and still a little dark, but I'm off. I have some hill climbing to do so I might as well get that done before the morning traffic starts, plus it is cool right now. Pulling a loaded-down canoe on this little bike takes a little out of you, so might as well do it now before the heat starts. Temperature is supposed to get to 106 today.

Got my first view of Lake Oahe about 7:30. What an awesome sight. Not sure my pictures from here will do it justice. Very intimidating from the road. We'll find out soon how the paddling goes.
Because the lake is so low, in fact the lowest it's ever been since the dams have been put in, I had to pedal a little further than where I planned to put in. The boat ramp was closed, according to the sign at the turnoff. Ended up entering the lake at the Bush Boat Landing. Luck is on my side again. This huge lake is very calm - hardly a good walleye chop, which is just fine with me.

Man, this is a big body of water! Glad it is calm and it also helps that the water is low. It is easy to determine a bay from the main river.

I believe I made it a little over 25 miles today on the water to the Highway 212 bridge which is out in the middle of nowhere. A very easy paddle. At least for one day all my worries of rough water did not materialize.

At the 212 bridge I asked a local if it was okay to camp here. He didn't know, but he said if you look up on top of the hill there's a campground and a motel about a mile and half away. Let's see, it's been over 100 all day, do I want to camp on these rocks or do I want to check out the motel campground? Even this cheap "Coach" decided on the checking out the campground and motel.

Motel is only 50 bucks including tax, plus it has a nice restaurant. Hotel it is! I'm getting soft.

Great meal, great view, excellent first day on Lake Oahe. Although at the restaurant I heard there's a chance of severe weather tomorrow. I'll worry about that tomorrow, time for bed.

August 24 - Hwy 212 bridge to Walth Bay

Great night's sleep and I'm down to the boat landing by 6:30. Still a little dark and quite foggy, but enough visibility to start. Water looks good, again just a slight walleye chop and what wind there is is coming from the southeast. My buddies John Nielsen, Jim Waletzko, and Charlie Wright would love to be fishing these waters today. Unfortunately, I do not have time to catch them a stringer of walleyes.
The goal is to try to make it about 30 miles today, which hopefully gets me to the Walth Bay campground. That means I'll have about 10 miles to get to Mobridge the next day.
Paddling went well all day long, although I can see why others have gotten discouraged with these lakes.
For me, it's become boring for a number of reasons. One is the scenery is the same all day long. As you travel you look straight ahead and it seems like it takes forever to get to the point you are looking at. Then when you are away from the shore, you look over and it looks like you are standing still. Whereas on a river, you can judge your speed by looking at the shoreline. In Keith Drury's guidebook, as I read between the lines, I got the feeling he too got discouraged paddling this section. But it must be done, so we keep going. Also I still remember the look on the face of the guy with the rubber raft and his comment: "I hate these lakes".
I probably should not complain because I am fortunate to have the tailwinds and calm water. Of course, I will complain once more - it's to be 100 degrees plus again today.
The day went well until about 3:00. Then I could see black clouds both in front of me and behind me. Around me it was dead still, and the water was calm but you could feel something was about to happen. Sure enough, it did. At about 4:00 to the west coming off the hills was a big dust storm. Even this old guy knew he'd better get to shore fast - which I did.
Within about 15 minutes the winds were just a howling and you could hardly see in front of your face because of the sand. This lasted for about a good half hour. Fortunately, I was able to take cover behind some brush until it subsided.
I got no rain out of this, although it took another good 40 minutes or more before the waves subsided so I could start paddling again. Skies were still really black and eerie in front of me and behind, but it seemed like it was moving away from me, so I didn't feel threatened. I decided to continue on.
Made it to the Walth Bay campground at about 8:00 and set up camp. Found out that there had been tornadoes both behind me and around me. Right where I had started that day there were tornadoes that destroyed some cattle and there were tornado warnings just north of Mobridge which was 10 miles away.
Again, like so many times, I feel very fortunate - must be somebody looking out for this old codger!
Time for bed, arms and shoulders are aching. Goal for tomorrow is to get to Mobridge, update my journal and continue on to Bismarck, which is about 100 miles away. But who's counting!

August 25 - Walth Bay to Mobridge and beyond

Unbelievable! Water is like glass this morning and not a breath of wind. I paddled into Mobridge and at 9:00 I was doing the last 3 days of journals. After breakfast, I was back on the water by 11:00.
The hope is to get to Bismarck/Mandan by Monday. My good buddy, Jim McIntyre, who helped me in the lower part of the Missouri, will again be there to meet me on Monday. Takes quite a friend to drive from Milwaukee to to pick up this old codger. Like my buddy Bob Maxwell back in Paducah, who helped me so much, I guess Jim understands if the roles were reversed, I'd do the same for him.
Also while eating breakfast, I was chatting with a guy who had some experience on the river in this area. He told me I will find alot of deadheads between here and Beaver Creek and within 30 miles Lake Oahe becomes a river again. Because the water is so low between Beaver Creek and Bismarck, there will be sections of mud flats and sandbars, making it tough to find the correct channel to paddle. On top of that, he said the current gets swifter as Lake Oahe narrows. He wasn't sure it could be paddled.
Well, we'll find out in the next few days. We will see how the arms and shoulders hold up. Time to get back to the river - see you in Bismarck/Mandan.

August 26th - Mobridge to Shaws Landing

Lake Oahe has been very gentle. Nothing like what I was told to expect. Today there's been hardly a ripple on the water. Only obstacles have been the hundreds of dead trees standing in the water. As I cut the corners of the lake, one must be a little careful as I work my way through the maze of trees. It would really be a danger if I had to fight waves, but I've been lucky all along this stretch.

Tomorrow I will leave South Dakota and enter North Dakota and should reach Bismarck/Mandan sometime on Monday. It's funny, as I near the end the more anxious I seem to get. Sort of wishing it was over, yet knowing in a week or two after I've finished I will be missing the river. I'm also noticing more river current as I near the end of the this lake which doesn't help the arm and shoulder fatigue I've been feeling the last few days. Hopefully a good night's rest will help. Think I have about 80 some miles to go, but again, who's counting!

August 27th - Shaw Landing to Beaver Creek Low Water Landing

Good weather again today but a real tough day. Current kept getting stronger the more Lake Oahe narrowed. By the time I reached the Beaver Creek area it was very strong with lots of debris and even logs floating past me. In order to make headway I had to stay close to the shoreline. Next to the shore the current dies and even seems to turn and go upstream. I experienced this on the Mississippi which allowed me to paddle against the current.

Problem now is going to be that this river has really narrowed and most of the shoreline is marshland with lots of sandbars and little grassy islands. Staying in the open channel and using the shoreline to one's advantage is going to be difficult.

At day's end I pulled into Beaver Creek's low water landing and met Chuck and Randy (did not get last names). They were from the Billings, Montana area and for the last couple of years have come down to this area to fish walleyes. The last two years they've had great success, but so far this trip they have not. They told me that a few days ago they're releasing more water from the Garrison Dam because of the extreme low water levels on Lake Oahe. Supposedly the plan is to keep releasing water until the middle of next week. Both guys felt it was going to be tough and even dangerous to get from Beaver Creek to Hazelton because of the sandbars and mud flats.

They were camped north of here near the Hazelton Boat Ramp about 18 or so miles upstream and offered to take me around this area. Couldn't do that, but did ask if they could take me up to the ramp and then I'd do this section backwards and bike back up. They said they would but didn't think I'd want to bike back. For one reason they said it's a tough 3 or 4 mile dirt road out to the highway from this landing. So said they would gladly give me a ride back in the morning. They would plan to come down and fish here in the morning until I got here.

So, we packed my gear into their pickup and tied the canoe in with about two thirds of it sticking out over the tailgate and off we went.

Once again, just when I needed help it was there. Many times I've been asked, "Aren't you worried about running into trouble?" My answer is, "No, but I do wonder how I can pay back all the great people that have help me." Chuck and Randy are two of so many great people I've met and I'm indebted to so, so many.

Time to find the Big Dipper and count my blessings.

August 28th - Hazelton to Beaver Creek and then to Bismarck

Great day today. Up early after a great night's sleep. Got on the water and headed back downstream to Beaver Creek. Current was fast - as fast or even faster than the lower Missouri. In fact the 18 or so miles I had to paddle I was able to do in about an hour and a half, and I could have been done quicker if it were not for moving in and around sandbars.

I did have one bad thought: what if Chuck and Randy are not there? The road out of Beaver Creek Landing on bike would be tough, in fact almost impossible. But what little worry I had was quickly answered as I neared the landing. Chuck and Randy were there. They were as excited to see me as I was to see them. Heck, they'd even caught a few walleyes while waiting.

We loaded everything up and headed back to Hazelton. On my way back I told them of my new plan. Because of the current, (and it was going to be like this all the way to Bismarck), I was going to pedal to Bismarck and in the morning do the same thing as we did today.

They said they'd give me a ride to Bismarck if I wanted, but I said no, I had the day to get there and it give me something to do rather than sit around twiddling my thumbs all day. They said, "But it's about 30 miles!" I said, " I know!"

I know they could not understand this, as most people probably can't. How anyone would want to bike 30 miles, dragging a canoe after just paddling 18. Not sure I understand.

Said goodbye to Chuck and Randy and started towards Bismarck. Ride went well and quicker than I figured. Hills were easy to negotiate and I bet I did not have a dozen cars pass me. About 14 miles from Bismarck a lady came out of her house and took my picture and with about seven miles to go the most amazing thing happened. The Mayor of Bismarck and his wife were waiting to greet me! Well, maybe that is not quite true. As I was pedaling by Mary College, two bikers were stopped along side the road. I stopped to say hello and found out it was the Mayor of Bismarck and his wife. (It make for a better story the other way)

Both were very interesting people. Mayor John Warford was from Bemidji, MN and Jenny, his wife, was from Delano, MN. Both have done many similar adventures as I'm doing. They've run marathons, climbed a number of mountains and have done a number of bike tours. Great people, and without knowing the political climate of Bismarck, am sure John and Jenny are well respected. I sure hope upon my return I get to see them again.

Once I got to Bismarck I headed down to the marina to check it out for tomorrow's paddle back to Hazelton. I even put into the water and had a few pictures taken of me as I paddled around. Current was even swifter here, for I found that in a matter of minutes while taking pictures I'd floated a good distance downstream and it was a struggle to get back to the landing.

All but done now. Tomorrow's paddle should go quick and then I will pedal back to this marina and meet my friend Jim for my ride back to Superior.

It will be good to get home. Wonder if anyone has split and cut my 10 cord of wood!

August 29 - Keel Park Landing to Hazelton Boat Landing and then -- HOME

Another beautiful morning. Very little wind and the current is quick. I hope to make it to Hazelton before noon. Yesterday I got some good information from a local fisherman about how to navigate this section without taking a wrong channel and ending up in a dead end.

It's amazing how low the water is around here. On my bike ride yesterday I took a couple of pictures which I hope gives you an idea. In many areas the river is less than 100 yds wide. Back in 1996 this area was over 1 or 2 miles wide. I think I've mentioned before that the water table is down 35 to 40 feet. Hard to imagine that amount of missing water. I'm sure it's made a huge impact on the economy. Many recreational areas no longer exist because the water is maybe over a mile away now.

Trip was quick as expected and I made it even faster than expected, a little after 11:00 AM. Should easily make it back to Bismarck by 3:00. My buddy Jim will be there between 3:30 and 5:00 so it should work out perfect. We will head up to Sheyenne, ND to see my cousin, Gary Hoff and his son, Troy. They are fishing Devils Lake and said they'd have a nice walleye dinner ready for us.

Lots of thoughts today. It seems just like yesterday I started this adventure. So many neat memories. So many nice people. My first thought was about how people kept doing a double take as I pedaled the C&O Canal Trail along the Potomac. I really had a great time meeting so many great people along that trail.

Then there was the bike ride across the mountains. Cars flying by and looking back through their mirror. Always wondered what they thought seeing an old man riding such a little bike. Visitors to the area probably thought that these hill people really are nuts!

On the Ohio I remember worrying about going through my first lock, just to find out it would be a piece of cake. The same was true about the barge traffic. Again, so many great people. So helpful.

The lower Missouri was more fun than I expected. In fact this and the Potomac were my favorite parts of the trip.

Least favorite is what I just completed. I did not enjoy this lake area as much as the others. I was very grateful I got to this point without much trouble, but it just got boring as time went on. You paddle forever feeling like you are going nowhere and if you noticed, I talked about few people in this area. That's because I met very few. Most boaters were a long ways off when they passed and I'm sure had no idea of what I was doing.
I still have two big lakes in front of me. Lake Sakakawea is next and then Fort Peck Lake in Montana. Hopefully by stopping now I will be re-energized next spring and ready to tackle them.

As I ride back to Bismarck I think of what really made this trip - the people. Everyone I met was wonderful. I plan to get in touch with all of you who sent an email or signed my guestbook when I get home. Your comments and encouragement help more than you know.

I think how wonderful it is to have friends like Bob and Marcia Maxwell that put up with me for a couple of days and my old friend Jim McIntyre, shuttling me back and forth along the lower Missouri and even now coming to pick me up, traveling over 1,000 miles to do so. How does one repay?

No way I could of done this without Jeff Foster Trucking of Superior shipping all my gear out to Washington, DC. I was amazed at how many people throughout my travel knew about or knew someone associated with Jeff Foster Trucking. A special thanks to you Jon Foster for making this possible. Then there was Bass Pro in St. Charles, MO. So willing in helping me out by storing my canoe and gear when I went home for a break over the 4th of July. Thanks, Bob Brownlee, Matt Prost, Wendy Jennings, Rich Dalton and all the rest of you at Bass Pro. Someday I will be back to see all of you again.

Then there's my major sponsor, Balance Bar. No way I could have even attempted this without their grant.

Thanks too to Coz Rich of Rich Designs in Superior for my Atlantic to Pacific Decal. Also, ZRE for my 7 ounce paddle, PaddleBoy for my boat trailer, Dahon Bicycle for my folding bike and Kruger Canoe for probably the best canoe/kayak out there for doing such adventures.

Right now I'm really thankful for the winds behind me, for I'm struggling to get back to the landing, about a mile to go.

Plans are to start shortly after Memorial Day next year. Check by every once in awhile. I'll post the rest of my pictures soon and give you an update at least once a month.

Man, this boat is getting hard to pull. Another 6 or so miles to go and I feel like I'm dragging a huge lead weight.

Oh, that is the problem. Seems I have a flat tire on my trailer!

Next year I'm going to slow down!

When I've looked at a map of the USA, even I am a little amazed at how far I've come. Even though I'm glad to be going home, I do look forward to next year. I will need to do some research between now and then, especially on the best way to navigate these next two lakes and what route to take over the Rockies. In any case, I hope everyone has enjoyed following along this year and will join me next year as we work our way to Astoria, OR.