Day 89 on the Mississippi River

September 3, 2022

Saturday

URM 749

1547 miles completed

I paddled 28 miles today.

I woke up at six. I didn’t have any phone service, so I couldn’t work Wordle. I lay there a little while and then I got up. Even though I got up pretty early I still didn’t get started paddling very early.

I started the day talking to a couple who were fishing for catfish…Lynn Rose and Sheila Harris. Len lives in Ripley Tennessee and Sheila lives in nutbush, Tina Turner‘s hometown. We exchange numbers and took a couple of pictures. We will share pictures after we get cell service.

Then I met Connie and Teddy Butler. They live in Lafayette.

Breakfast was one small apple, two small mandarins, a peanut butter sandwich, and coffee.

When I stopped on a sandbar for lunch I met a group of off-the-roaders. They were taking advantage of the Low River to ride their four wheelers along the sand bars on the riverbank. They gave me a beer, a bottle of unsweetened tea, and a small bottle of water. They didn’t seem to be in a mood for much talking so I didn’t get their names. I toasted them a life full of love and laughter with my Bud Lite. They agreed: “That’s what it’s all about.”

Thunderstorms moved in later in the day. I got off the river to wait out the storm, which never materialized. All I got was a light sprinkle. There were thunderstorms all around me. Finally, I paddled on with my raincoat on in the light rain.

I have been stopping around 4:30, but today I paddled later to make up for the time lost  meeting people along the river, and the extended lunch, and waiting out the thunderstorm.

About 6 o’clock I saw a good spot to camp so I stopped.

It was an fun and easy day.