River and Bayou

Today was a good day. There was very little barge traffic, and I managed to stay in the channel most of the day, taking advantage of the fastest water flowing in the river. I didn’t take my usual midday break, instead paddling and floating for nearly seven hours. straight. When I finally pulled ashore to Continue reading

If there was one day that encapsulated just about every different type of river conditions I’ve encountered thus far, today would be that day. The day’s paddling started almost euphorically. I glided around Brown’s Point enjoying the lively currents pouring out of Paw Paw and Marshall Cut-Off and it seemed like my final lap into Continue reading

A very undramatic day of paddling today. Just more miles, more bends in the river, more barges. There appears to be a lot more commercial presence along the banks of the river as I paddle out of the wilds of the Delta and get closer to Vicksburg. Grain and cargo-handling elevators are more frequent. Small Continue reading

If yesterday I said that barges don’t work on Saturday, well then, they must save all that work for Sunday. Because today was barge after barge after barge. They were relentless and non-stop. And as much as I would have just enjoyed the day drifting and floating slowly down river, it seemed most of my Continue reading

I don’t think the barges run on Saturday. At least that’s what it seemed like today. I only saw four barges all day and, for the most part, had the river to myself. No barges. No sports fishermen. No one. Today, the river belonged to me. And I took in the expansiveness. You see so Continue reading

Well. Greenville was a bust. Or, more specifically, Warfield Point Park campground was a bust. Warfield Point Park is a county campground just at the entrance to Greenville Harbor. It’s the only campground on my entire trip not behind the levees and right on the riverfront. So, theoretically, I should have been able to paddle Continue reading

Because of authentication issues I’m currently having with Facebook, I am unable to access my FB page in order to repost the link to my daily blog posts there. I hope to clear up those authentication problems in the next day or two, but until then, can someone please post to my FB timeline that Continue reading

Every morning, it’s the same. Put on my headlamp. Crawl out of the tent. Sett up my chair and table. Breakout the stove. Make coffee. And watch the sun come up over the river. At times like that, it’s very easy to imagine what living on the river must have been like two or three Continue reading

When I woke this morning, I knew I was going to have a hard time winning the day. Even after coffee, I just couldn’t find the energy to do all the things that needed to be done to pack and load up the canoe properly. I just needed to rest after every little effort. Load Continue reading

Another tough day. Weather radio said temperatures over 100 degrees. THI near 112. I think it’s probably a bit cooler on the river. Maybe 10 degrees or so. Often when I’m paddling, I start to fall asleep. Seems to be around mid-morning most days. Being asleep in a canoe or on a raft drifting slowly Continue reading