barges — Mississippi River

Day 100 Mississippi River

I had hoped to get an early start on the water this morning. Once the 6:15am alarm rang I peeked my head out of the tent to find dense, low lying fog engulfing the river. I calmly laid my head back onto my pillow and drifted off. This process replayed itself three or so more times before I found the fog burning off. Satisfied with the conditions, I made a quick breakfast and hit the water.

While still busy, the traffic today has considerably slowed down (thankfully). I still have cargo ships, freighters and barges buzzing by, but at this point both edges of the river are open. No containers moored to either side.

I got a lot of love on the water today. A horn toot from a towboat, lots of waves from folks on the shores and cheers from workers on the docks. At one point, a massive cargo ship passed me on the left side. On my right a ferry was docked, and the worker ushering cars onboard gave me a calm wave. I then heard a voice yelling from a distance. As I looked to my left the captain of the cargo ship (true to form in his all white captain "uniform") and another were out on the catwalk that extends from the cockpit. One fellow was waving his arms emphatically back and forth, yelling my way. I gave him a big wave, fist pump and thumbs up back. They loved it. A few horn blows later they passed, and on the stern of the vessel was painted "HONG KONG", their home port.

barges, Storms, LouisianaWill CollinsJune 5, 2019bargesComment

Day 97 Mississippi River

Another gorgeous day awaited me as I packed up camp on the gator print sandbar. Once on the water the day consisted of avoiding large barges and ocean going cargo ships. A slight breeze from the south created a light headwind that seemed to turn on and off as I weaved the large "S" curves of the river, gaining a wind barrier from time to time.

A half hour or so before sunset I pulled off the water in a peculiar spot. A thin patch of trees stood in front of the levy near the small town of Welcome, LA. Tying my boat up to the rocky shore I unloaded and set up the hammock between two trees, as no flat space was available for a tent. With the sounds and lights of barges, tow boats, ocean vessels, cranes, grain elevators and industry busing about I laid down and fell asleep.

Solid day. Looking forward to getting past New Orleans soon.

barges, LouisianaWill CollinsJune 5, 2019barges, WelcomeComment

103 Days. 2,300+ solo miles. A pen, pad, camera and the adventure of a lifetime. Crossing America by Canoe. A Mississippi River story.