Archive for category sarah

We’re so close to the gulf that I can smell the ocean breeze…and the cow poop. We’re camping at mile marker 20 on the left descending bank and there are a bunch of cows roaming freely around us. They sound a bit upset that we’ve taken over their high ground. Their mooing is intensifying – getting louder and more frequent!

When we first pulled over I thought brett was joking about sleeping here; there’s mudd/mush/poo everywhere, as well as some mean looking cows staring back at us. But brett wasn’t joking and we actually turned it into a really great campsite! It seems that no matter where we stop we always make something out of nothing. We shovelled off most of the big mounds of poo, set up our tent, put a tarp down and now we have a nice soft ground to sleep on. We’ve made ourselves at home and embraced the poop. I don’t even smell it anymore – probably because I’m covered in it.

Although I’m so excited to reach the gulf and accomplish our goal, I’m really going to miss expeditioning and camping with a team that can turn a manure mound into home sweet home.

Good night, all!

Sarah

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It’s been an hour or so since Magnus took off for New Orleans, and it already feels different. It’s going to be weird to wake up in the morning and have one less crew member, leftovers at breakfast and no sounds/smells to follow. After rowing down river for 100 days together we’re pretty much like family and our river family will never be the same now that we’ve lost another member. I must say, his jokes have gotten funnier recently – maybe that’s because we’re delirious half the time or maybe it’s just because he’s had 3 months to work on material. Either way, New Orleans has never met a Magus before and they’re in for a treat! Magnus, you’ve been a wicked team member, great friend and we’ll miss you a lot! The only thing that’s making me feel better right now is that I know we’ll definitely see ya down river!

We wish you the best, my friend!

Sarah

Last night I went to bed reflecting on the past 3 months on the river. I’ve come to the conclusion that I love people. I just can’t express it enough. No matter where we go, the people we meet just melt my heart. Their genuine concern, their kind words, their generosity and their sincere welcomes and wishes make us feel so loved and looked after.

I just wanted to thank anyone and everyone we’ve been lucky enough to meet along the way. You’ve made our trip what it is and I’m forever grateful!

That’s all for now, I just wanted to say this. And I know my mom is just as thankful as I am, knowing that people are taking care of us every mile of the way.

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American family and all Americans alike!
I know I have plenty to be thankful for!

Sarah

1o. Brett let us sleep in until 6am! (He didn’t even ring in the morning with his usual rooster call, COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOOO! We all just leisurely woke up around the same time!)

9. The boys let me steer the boat the entire day. The only arm work-out I got was moving the tiller back and forth at the helm!

8. We made it to Vicksburg where we had a gorgeous hotel to stay in for 2 nights – where we are right now!

7. We got to shower!!!!

6. I ate the most tender brisket I’ve ever had in my entire life! (The other night I found myself digging through our nightly stew for any little meaty chunks from the can of beef chilly we added in. I felt like I won the lottery every time I found a little piece, so it was nice to have a whole plate of protein to myself, last night!)

5. Bess (from Ameristar Hotel) surprised me with the most decadent chocolate birthday cake, known to man!

4. We went to the casino and I learned how to play roulette…and came out even!

3. I slept in bed!

2. I slept with a pillow!

1. I was able to talk to/read all of the beautiful messages from my family and friends, because we got reception on our phone, here in Vicksburg!

So here I am, sitting in this luxurious hotel, in a beautiful bed with thick blankets and multiple pillows, pinching myself. I am just so blown away by the generosity of strangers – I know I keep saying this, but I can’t say it enough. I hope one day I’ll be able to pay it forward, ten-fold!

Looks like I really got to have my cake and eat it too. Thanks, everyone!

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Today’s highlight – arriving back at the canoe shop to find 6 matching blankets that a very kind lady dropped off for us. I didn’t get to meet this mystery lady, but I wanted to say THANKS, if you’re reading this! We can never have too many blankets – warm people are happy people.

Sarah

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Today was the perfect day to spend a few hours
bathing Annie – no more sand under her fingernails, or mine.
My hands haven’t been cleaner the entire trip and it couldn’t
have come at a better time – tonight’s dinner was
finger lickin’ good!

We met Jon’s friend, Charles, this afternoon who
instantly invited us over for dinner…little did I know,
he was preparing a fried chicken feast! Never have
I eaten fried chicken like this, before…This man
deserves an award. Brett and Magnus could have
rolled me back to Helena tonight, I felt so full. So
now I’m going to cuddle up inside a dugout canoe
here in the shop, dream about the river and digest
this dinner!!

Goodnight, all!

Sarah

Along with a jewelry shop, offices, an old gas station,
a tin shed, an old brothel, national historic sites and
a museum, we’re now adding a canoe company/
warehouse to our list of places we’ve been lucky enough
to sleep in.

It’s because of this last particular venue (Quapaw Canoe Co.) That I
now have plans for next summer. You see, I’m surrounded by the
most beautiful dugout canoes I’ve ever seen and now I want to
make one and take it down a little river.

Who wants to join me? Think about it and get back
to me! That’s all for now! Goodnight!

Sarah

I could’ve spent weeks in Memphis; that city is alive and it has the most amazing vibe. Highlights – Civil Rights Museum, Beale street, live music lunch hour at a local cafe and some ribs at Rendezvous (thanks so much, Deb Jeffrey!).
Although I was sad to leave Memphis so soon, I’m in love with camping along the pristine sandy beaches that line the river – one of which is where we’ve made ourselves at home for the night.
This is just a quick update for now, but it’s the beginning of my attempt to write a little something everyday (pending adequate wireless coverage and battery power, of course).
Well, Brett is just starting to read us a chapter out of “Through Black Spruce” so until tomorrow, good night!
Sarah

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I used to dream about blue skies and sunny days, but now I’m dreaming about dark clouds and heavy rain. Even though we’ve been soaked for the past little while, the rain has redeemed itself. Thanks to the extra water flowing down the river, we now have current! something we’ve all been dreaming about since August 22nd! We easily rowed 45 miles today and made it to Hannibal…before dark! Our second longest day (in distance) and completely unexpected from when we woke up this morning!

Hannibal seems like an amazing city and I can’t wait to explore it tomorrow. But for now, I’m going to catch up on some sleep in a real bed; Mike and Pam from Lula’s B&B invited us to stay the night, so thanks to Lula’s! Also, thanks to Cydney from the Mark Twain Museum (where we’ll be visiting tomorrow) for arranging this for us!
Good night!

Sarah

We arrived in Burlington, Iowa, yesterday after celebrating our 2 month anniversary on the river! Although this wasn’t really a planned stop, it was an incredible break from the elements. Two nights ago I felt like I a giant prune that had been sitting in the bathtub for 36 continuous hours. We were soaked to the bone the entire day and once we pulled over, our sleeping bags were soaked, our tent was soaked and our tarp was soaked. This all changed yesterday afternoon when Tracy (our new friend from the Quad Cities) met us on the Big Muddy’s dock and drove us to a laundromat to dry our gear (and brought us breakfast this morning, so thanks Tracy!).

We slept well last night, especially after a funny conversation as we were going to sleep. Magnus commented that our sleeping bags smelled like fresh bread but Tank thought they smelled like dirty socks. Seeing as we threw everything together in one big dryer, it was probably a dirty sock scent. I just imagined the fresh bread. Either way, we were dry and I felt like a princess. Getting dry wasn’t the main purpose of the stop; there were more repairs to be done on the mast, of course, but it was a great feeling to de-wrinkle our pruney skin. Not only were we dry, but we’re now shipping out 50lbs heavier from all of the food we ate yesterday.

While we were getting things done around town, Tracy’s friend, Bernie, brought us all cheeseburgers and fries so thanks to Bernie! And since Big Muddy’s Bar and Grill let us set up shop for the day (thanks, Dennis!) we were planning on feasting there for dinner; that’s when another surprise came our way. A mystery person told Dennis (the owner) that they would pick up our dinner tab! We needed to know who this amazing person was, so after some detective work, we’d like to thank Dr. Alice Hillyer for the most delicious meal! We are just overwhelmed by everyone’s generousity, so thanks thanks thanks again!

Sarah