Mississippi River Trip - Kayak 4 A Kure

[nobucks]

As I've posted before, Black Dog Kayaks is supplying tandem/triple kayaks to two guys who are kayaking the length of the Mississippi River to raise money for children's cancer research. My business partner, Mark, and I went with the River Team, Louis and John, for the first two days of the trip.

Sunday, we kicked off the event by launching at Lake Itasca.

We didn't actually leave Itasca until Monday and, in two days, only made it twenty miles. It was slow going. On Monday we walked the boats on the end of a rope through the shallow rapids for about five miles and on Tuesday, walked them through some swamps for about a mile and a half. Paddling was tight and twisty. Louis and John are camping tonight at Coffee Pot Landing, on the way to Bemidji.

We had a great trip. The boats worked well, the skin proved to be very tough through some hard knocks and drags in the rapids, and we had a great time with Louis, John, and Deb (the chase vehicle driver).

You can find video from Sunday, as well as following their progress, here:
http://www.kayak4akure.com/Mississippiexpedition.html

 

[nobucks]

Here's a link to some pics from our three days with K4AK. Most of the river pics that I took are on a waterproof 35mm camera, so I'll be posting more after those are developed.

http://www.blackdogkayaks.com/ms-river.html

 

[bearridge]

Friend Joel,

I will keep an eye out fer 'em az they head this way. I will try ta take 'em a cold drink when they git down here. The weather the last few days haz been bout az good az it gits in the spring, but I figger it will be hot by the time they pass Memphis.

regards
bearridge

The goal of all inanimate objects is to resist man and ultimately defeat him. Russell Baker

 

[nobucks]

Thanks, bearridge. You may want to contact them through their website and let them know. They're looking forward to meeting various people along the way.

I added some video to YouTube of Louis talking about the nature of the river so far and how the kayaks handled on the tight, shallow river.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OyLG5u2Zps

 

[oldsparkey]

Thanks, bearridge. You may want to contact them through their website and let them know. They're looking forward to meeting various people along the way.

When or if they meet bear they will be in for an unforgettable experience , especially if he has his coolie hat on. That alone would make me get down to Baton Rouge in one day.

Ole Bear is an unforgettable person ( I should say CHARACTER ) when you meet him you will never forget him , no matter how much you drink or pop them forget it pills.

He has a heart of gold and will do anything for you .... even including sweet talking you into doing some white water.
Look out after the guys (who are sane at this time ) when they meet up with him , next thing you will know ... they will be looking for some white water to paddle or surfing behind the tugs on there wakes while they are going down the Mississippi pushing a bardge. :lol: YEeee HAAAAaaaaaaa ride em cowboy.

Chuck

 

[Wannabe]

Chuck
Never surfed a tow wake in a paddle boat but I rode a ship wake in Matagorta Bay in a 40' crewboat. WHAT A RIDE. Must have been good, my passenger left fingernail prints in the dash. :shock:
Bob

 

[bearridge]

Friend Bob,

The High Sheriff knows I like ta mess with the big tow wakes. I tried it in a canoe, but decided I mite lose a boat that way, so I now chase 'em in my sit upon. The captains dont like it one bit 'n dont mind yellin' at me over the loud speakers. I dont blame 'em fer not wantin' ta deal with the paperwork.

Rogue waves kin surprize ya.

regards
bearridge

The great question - which I have not been able to answer - is, "What does a woman want?" Sigmund Freud

 

[nobucks]

More pics posted. The new ones are from the waterproof disposable camera that we brought with us. I also broke the picture page into several different pages to make it load more quickly.

 

[nobucks]

New clip from Kayak4AKure:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_qoraYNI-k

They're in Mississippi now. Looks like the barges are throwing up the predicted wake and John and Louis are having fun riding it out. Also, the kayak took a couple of hits on the bottom and they had to put on a patch or two.

Looking at the map, I'm guessing that they've logged at least 1500 miles in their skin on frame kayak so far. It's 1300 river miles from Lake Itasca to the Ohio River, and they've gone quite a ways down the river from there.

 

[bearridge]

Friend Joel,

Some family matters come up 'n I didnt know fer sho when yer pals wuz comin' by here. I figger they made it past here today. :cry:

They got a cellularized phone? Kin ya call 'em ask where they are? Terrene Landin' iz jest below where the White River pours in...bout two miles below Victoria Bend. I kin drive over there with somethin' cold 'n a greazy burger. Below Terrene, there aint much of anythin' til Vicksburg....bout a hunerd miles az the water flows.

Weather folks callin' fer thunderstorms........that usually means no rain.

regards
bearridge

ps If they got hold of some hot dice in Tunica, mebbe they aint left there yet? :mrgreen:

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers

 

[bearridge]

also....tell 'em when the big tows come by, dont head fer the bank (like they done in the you tube)....go out toward the thalwag (center) behind the tows. Waves head ta the banks....but it flattens out behind the tows. They still gotta keep an eye out fer a rogue wave. Hit 'em head on...no problem.

 

[nobucks]

I'll give 'em a call tomorrow night. They turn in kind of early.

I know what you mean about waves near the shore. You end up getting all kinds of reflecting waves and you end up paddling in a washing machine.

 

[bearridge]

I know what you mean about waves near the shore. You end up getting all kinds of reflecting waves and you end up paddling in a washing machine.

Friend Joel,

Exactly. When the big tows head upriver, sometimes the waves git so mixed up they jest dont know which way ta go. The big swells out in the middle jest go up 'n down....but ya gotta keep a eye out fer a rogue wave that mite come up 500 yards behind the boat. This gits worse az ya head fer the Chocolate City. Paddlin' below there iz no fun at all accordin' ta Ferris Jordan. Not only big tows, but ocean ships....'n none of 'em give a dang fer a fella swingin' a paddle.

It wuz a rogue wave that flipped that Boston Whaler with the booklearnin' doctors, the dog 'n all their brown bear research gear. They waited on the tow ta pass, then set out ta cross over....'n a rogue caught 'em sidewise. They wuz settin' on the bottom lookin' like they had seen a ghost when me'n Lance found 'em. The dog didnt make the trip. I hear it aint eazy ta flip a Boston Whaler boat.

regards
bearridge

Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck. George Carlin

 

[bearridge]

Holy smokin' paddles. I jest looked at the schedule section on their website. They planned ta spend Memorial Day in Tunica 'n hit Vicksburg today. That iz near bout 240 miles. If they shoved off on the 29th, that would be 80 miles a day. That would be some hard paddlin' all day, ever day. They woulda past by here on the 29th....'er camped nearby.

Heck, the towboats better watch out fer their wake! 8)

regards
bearridge

The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival. Aristotle

 

[nobucks]

Here's a news report from the Tunica, Mississippi Visitor's Bureau. No mention of Black Dog Kayaks, but the pic includes the kayak and my spare paddle that I left for them to use.

http://hospitality-1st.com/PressNews/Tu ... 52907.html

Tunica, MS – May 2007 – Kayak 4 A Kure made a stop in Tunica at the Tunica RiverPark on their way down the entire Mississippi River to raise money for Children’s Cancer Research.
The team Kayak 4 A Kure paddled into the most exciting landmark on the Mississippi River, the award-winning Tunica RiverPark, that has a museum, nature trail, and Tunica Queen riverboat.

The group started their journey at the mouth of the Mississippi River in Lake Itasca, MN. They are scheduled to finish outside their adventure down the Mighty Mississippi just outside of New Orleans, Louisiana at the Gulf of Mexico on June 10th. They are holding fundraisers at all of their stops down the Mississippi River.

“We are using our own money, volunteering our time and energy, and all of the money we raise is going to St. Jude, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, and the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders,â€Â

 

[bearridge]

Friend Joel,

Reckon there iz a trip report comin'?

Last nite Lance called. He sez "I seen that fella frum Wisconsin....comin' down the river". Then he sez it wuz jest one fella....rowin'. Sounded like a dory....like the ones the geezers row down the Colorado. I tole him he had the wrong fella.

Lance had hiz son 'n granddaughter runnin' hoop nets. It wuz hot. The fella frum Wisconsin asked him if it wuz that hot all the time. Lance sez "only fer Yankees". :wink:

Folks seem ta run the Father of Waters at the wrong time of year. Everbody sets out soon az it thaws out up there. Folks oughta shove off in September 'n go slow so when ya git down here it iz October. Finish up in November in the Big Sleazy.....actually, I'd take out in Baton Rogue 'n go share a cold drink with piper....mebbe play one of hiz homemade mandolins. [Mite do like Truthful Jack: charge 'em ta play, then charge 'em agin ta stop.] :mrgreen:

After givin' it some more thought, I'd do like Father Joliet 'n the Marquette U. kids done...........pull out where the Arkansaw 'n White Rivers enter.

regards
bearridge

Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating.

 

[nobucks]

Bear,

No updates yet. I haven't been able to get in touch with anyone from their crew yet, so I assume they're on the road home. I'll post when I know something.

 

[nobucks]

I talked to Louis this afternoon. They came off the River on schedule and are back in Amarillo.

Louis said that the lack of updates was due to the fact that after they left Tunica they no longer had internet access. The trip went well and went faster than expected. They were moving so fast that several times they overshot their hookup with the support team, one time overshooting by 14 miles!

In Louisiana, law enforcement strongly urged them to avoid New Orleans, which is, apparently, still under martial law. They took the advice and turned off on another river, which Louis said would be the route the Mississippi River would take if the Corps of Engineers didn't keep it flowing straight on into New Orleans. They came off the River at Morgan City, Louisiana.

The kayak performed well, although the 2000+ miles wore on it. They lost their can of PVC cement and had to make due with lesser glues and ended up having leaks quite a ways down the river, until they met up with a boat repair guy who put a second bottom over the skin using their extra fabric and some epoxy. :shock:

Look for updates on their site soon.

 

[bearridge]

In Louisiana, law enforcement strongly urged them to avoid New Orleans, which is, apparently, still under martial law.

Friend Joel,

I dont think so. New Orleans aint ever been under martial law....'er any other kind. :wink:

regards
bearridge

ps Lookin' forward ta the report. Achafalaya River?

He did not care to speak ill of any man behind his back, but he believed the gentleman was an attorney. Dr. Samuel Johnson

 

[nobucks]

Friend Bear, that's the word he used. I assume it was an exaggeration. I think that is what Ray Nagin called it, but you're right, it's not martial in the legal sense of the term.

From a news article - "Nagin said that Martial Law means that officers don't have to worry about civil rights and Miranda rights in stopping the looters."

Anyway, the cops told them to stay away. How's that? :wink: