Day 60: 11/5/06

This morning, we woke up on a vast, rocky island with lots of topography. I felt a bit like the first human on mars...only I could breathe.


The river has gotten a little wingdam crazy since leaving St. Louis. They have become very unpredictable, some rising out of the water, some just under, and many with whitewater. We've taken to yelling "Winger!" (no, not your favorite 80s rocks band) as soon as they appear on the horizon.

Today, we reached the southern tip of Illinois, reaching another milestone, Mile Marker "0" of the Upper Mississippi. In our minds, the Upper Miss stopped a few days ago, north of St. Louis. The current has gotten 2-3 miles an hour swifter, and the barge traffic has gotten much heavier. Also, we've gotten a little bit more looney. A triple 0 of celebration from Ben!