Day 53: 10/28/06

This odd-shaped river craft is a ferry. Many smaller towns are not connected to the other side of the river by bridge. The old-school ferry works swell!


For the first time, we shared a lock with a tow. This 1X2 barge was carrying concrete. It's nowhere near the size of the 6X10 behemoths we'll be seeing after St. Louis.

Day 52: 10/27/06

This barge struggled to make it upriver, as we struggled to make it down. The wind was just too strong, and the rain was on and off all day. The weather kept us at Red Landing south of Hamburg, IL for a couple nights. We caught up on journals, read novels, and sudokued until the sun came out. We were also entertained by the Cardinals big win on the radio.

Day 51 :10/26/06

Here we float along with debris from a dredging project going on up river. Amongst the debris included foam, chewed up wood, and other organic matter.





In Clarksville, MO a gentleman came out and warned us of the Mississippi Queen being enroute. We were quite impressed by it, but unfortunately we were unable to hear the worlds largest calliope which is housed within.

Day 50: 10/25/06

Louisiana? That was quick! Awe dang it's only Louisiana, MO.






While passing Louisiana, MO Joe and Ben cross the 1,000 mile mark. Joe celebrates by screaming like he did when we saw our first flying Asian carp later in the day. Unfortunately, we don't have a picture of that!






Ben shows his excitement by signing the milestone...can you call that signing?

Day 49: 10/24/06

Ben is shocked when he sees the Reggie G., a tow boat that we have heard stories about. One of them involved the Reggie G. running into the lock gates twice of lock 17. It is an abnormal tow having around 7,000 horsepower and two propellers, which spin in the same direction. These two factors somehow make it a very difficult tow to maneuver.

Hannibal a statue of young Mark Twain piloting a paddle boat looks over the river. He was a pilot in this area for five years before turning to literature.






While safe on a Army Corps sandbar we watched the Reggie G. pass us in the middle of the night. The spot light on these tows are so bright that they've woken us on numerous occasions, having us think that our time on this earth is up.

Day 48: 10/23/06

Ben tricked Joe into thinking that white-washing this picket fence in downtown Hannibal was fun. Joe doesn't read signs very well.


Hannibal, MO was a natural stop for us on the way to the gulf. Mark Twain was born here and piloted a paddleboat on the river for 5 years. His stories chronicle life on the Mississippi and serve as inspiration to river rats everywhere. We are no exception.


Hannibal, although touristy, has a certain hometown feel about it. We'll definitely be back. Thank you Mr. Clemens!

Our favorite Mark Twain quote: "Don't let schooling interfere with your education."

Day 47: 10/22/06

Today we left the hospitality of Quincy, IL behind us. We found many kind people in this river town, including the volunteers at the Boat Club and the skipper of a docked yacht from Stillwater, MN. Thanks for your help and encouragement, we won't forget ya!


Most of the cabins and homes on this section of the Mississippi inside of the levees are built on stilts. Hopefully, despite the fuzzy pic, you can make out that this cabin is a converted, caboose train car.

Day 46: 10/21/06

This tiny turtle nest graced the shore of our campsite. This nest was likely discovered by a prowling predator, because the eggshells are visible. When the baby turtles crawl from their birthplace, the sand is usually minimally disturbed. Let's look at the brightside though, at least a raccoon or coyote was able to feed the family!
We have seen a lot of ridiculous, illegally-dumped garbage on the river but this one takes the cake. We have this qestion for you, Columbus Road Baptist Church, Quincy, Illinois: WWJPHB? (Where Would Jesus Park His Bus?) Probably not on the banks of the Mississippi! For shame!

Day 45: 10/20/06

Last night, after leaving Nauvoo, we had very little daylight to find a campsite. Usually near the end of pools in the Mississippi, there are no islands and Pool 19 was no exception. We ended up camping on a tiny peninsula sandwiched between the river and the BN-SF railroad tracks. It was okay though, because this peninsula had a fridge. Anything good in there Ben?




The great migration south continues! We wonder if some of these pelicans were with us when we crossed Lake Winnibigoshish nearly two months ago. This was another reminder of how important the river is as a flyway. We're glad we don't have to do this migration every year. Once in a lifetime is good enough.

Day 44: 10/19/06

We have become good at using what we have to stay as warm as possible. The wind being from left to right is diverted over the canoe, glances off the top of Ben's tent, and lastly glances off Joe's tent, leaving Ben warm at the end.

We awe at the city of Nauvoo, IL and it's gigantic Mormon temple. In this city 70,000 Mormons gathered with Brigham Young and started their journey to Utah. Supposedly plans on an arch over the river are being discussed to represent the point at which they crossed the Mississippi. Holy Cow!
As we entered Fort Madison, IA we were impressed by a double-decker bridge with a road on the top and railroad on the bottom, still with one section that is able to be raised allowing barges to pass underneath.

Day 43: 10/18/06

This type of weather looks nice, but even though it's sunny and calm, it's not necessarily warm. Days like this tend to be colder and cloudy, rainy days are warmer. Either way we paddle onward.


Ben shows his approval of the fine weather and his fancy new slicks purchased in Burlington, Iowa. These fine outfits make us even more visible to river boat traffic, which is always a good thing.









Joe enjoys some delicious chocolate milk and a Caesar salad while loitering outside a grocery store in the small town of Oquawka, Illinois. We walked over a mile and a half from our campsite in order to experience this town and the fine dining within.

Day 42: 10/17/06

Bill and Sue from Lake City, MN caught up with us while we were held up at Lock and Dam #17, where we were held up by a coal-bearing tow. They invited us on board "Sweet Caroline" and provided us with hot oatmeal (complete w/blueberries) and coffee. They were on their way to Florida via the Mississippi and “Ten-Tomm” Waterways. Odds are they’ll beat us to the warm weather. Thanks for your company and kindness!



Ben and Joe display their own techniques of tent-drying after a rainy night in Illinois. Ben’s worked better, but Joe gets style points.

Day 41: 10/16/06

This section of the river was highlighted by scattered gigantic trees, mostly Cottonwoods and River Maples. This particular tree dwarfs Ben. It probably was around to see Mark Twain float by on a paddlewheel.


Ben and Joe spotted a contraption on the horizon that was neither barge nor pleasure-craft. Upon binocularization, it was a crazy, cobble-jobbed raft! The five brave souls on deck were the remnants of the Miss Rockaway Armada (known as the "Door Raft"), which started in Minneapolis-St. Paul in mid-August. They are traveling artists that are hoping to make it to St. Louis in true Huck-Finn-style before the cold hits. Check out the blog of our fellow river-travelers. Good luck guys and we hope to run into you again!


Joe is bummed (but not too bummed) when the Canadian Goose he proudly caught turns out to be a decoy. Duck and goose decoys littered the water near our campsite aptly named “Bogus Island”.

Day 40: 10/15/06

Over the past couple of days, we were finally able to escape the whirlwinds that have engulfed the Quad Cities and us. While in Davenport, we had a bite to eat with the lovely servers of the Front Street Brewery. It was excellent!


Passing through Davenport and Rock Island, we passed one of the barges operated by Living Lands and Waters, a fantastic group that has focused their efforts on cleaning up the Mississippi and other watersheds by doing huge trash cleanups. In their last “XStream Cleanup" of the Quad Citie area, they removed hundreds of old tires, 50 pieces of furniture and dozens of appliances illegally dumped in the river. Learn about this and other projects by visiting (and donating) their website. They run cleanup and educational oportunities across the midwest!


This was our first bird’s eye view of a passing barge. At the Mississippi River Visitor Center, we learned that most barges passing upstream carry coal, salt, and oil, while downstream barges carry primarily grain for shipment overseas.


On one of the bridge pylons in Davenport, was a high-water mark from the flood of 1993. This interstate bridge was spared, but much of the south was hit hard.

10/11/06-10/14/06

Joe shows off some amazing flora near the city of Hampton Illinois. Not only is it poison ivy, but it is a mega-flora version of P.I. It winds up this tree to nearly half of the tree's total height. Poison Oak is the next greenery that we will have to look out for as we meander further south.

Here Ben and Joe wander down some lonely railroad tracks towards Fisherman's Corner Campground, as they return from the local Porter's convenience store.



We were held up at Fisherman's Corner Campground for a few nights, as winter caught up with us for a while. We experienced 40mph wind gusts, temps in the upper 20s, and small amounts of sleet/snow, all of these conditions not being very keen for canoe travel.



The wonderful Smith family (Our Motorhome Neighbors) was extremely helpful to us while we hunkered down for the cold weather. Bob was kind enough to chauffeur us to East Moline where we got our computer fixed, allowing us to keep the blog going strong. Thank you folks for all you did for us :)

Day 38: 10/10/06

Today we passsed through Clinton, IA, but didn't have time to go to the showboat. Sorry Dan!



We've had to deal with wake from all sorts of vessels on our trip, but this one produced absolutely none. If only there were just canoes, kayaks, and hovercrafts...



Joe's head had a fight with a poison ivy vine while setting up camp. Joe lost. His punishment is to get rid of the ivy's oil by washing his hair with soap and water. Too bad the only water around is the Mississippi. Joe is sad, but covers it up well. Nice tan man!

Day 37: 10/9/06

After a long weekend break, we're back on the water!
Pool 13, just north of Clinton, IA. The river is 3.5 miles across at this point, the widest point in the Mississippi! We battled a hard cross wind and were unable to progress toward the Lock and Dam holding back this mass of water. Insstead of locking through, we opted for portaging around the near side of the dam.


This is a boat ramp coming down to the water's edge. You can see a large swinging gate that can be closed to seal off the levee. You only find structures like this as you move south down the river, where flooding becomes a greater concern.

Day 36:10/5/06

This morning in Savannah, IL, we met with Bill Scott, the Vice President of the Friends of the Upper Mississippi River Refuges. This non-profit has been instrumental in conserving the natural and cultural resources of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge and the Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge. Please visit the Brothers for the River homepage to donate and/or volunteer for this group!
We caught a huge crayfish in Pool 13 of the river. Ben wanted to eat it, but those little beady eyes stopped him just short.
We ended our day just north of Clinton, IA and are taking a few days off from the river. But on our way back north to MN, we swung through Dubuque for a couple of hours at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. The exhibits were stunning and hit home for us as we experience this river firsthand. Check it out for yourselves sometime.

Day 35: 10/4/06

We awoke this drizzly morn at Bellevue State Park, overlooking the Mississippi Valley. It also overlooks a cornfield. Only in Iowa.
For the next two days our father and a family friend, Nick, joined us on the river. The company is welcomed and they don't even slow us down. Much.
We happened upon an island crawling with tree frogs. This little fella was only an inch long and clung to our canoe like glue. Tasty too. ;)