Archive for November, 2009

Good Evening,

As it stands right now, we are 75 miles from Baton Rouge between the Old River Control Structure and the Angola Prison.

We landed just after the sunset after another good day on the river. We will arrive in Baton Rouge, Sunday afternoon, so we will have plenty of time to enjoy our surroundings.

I am deeply in love with this river. I know my days out here are numbered, just 14 days to go. Now 14 days is still a good chuck of time, most do not even get 14 days off in a row, so trust me, I know how fortunate I am. However, the idea that my Mississippi River life is coming to a close is upon us all.

The part of the river that I will miss most is camp. I love pulling over on a giant sandbar as we set up for the evening. The sunsets are incredible, the stars that follow are vivid and the sleeps are always refreshing.

It’s the sense of pure freedom that makes river life so rewarding. I am taken back by the wilderness feeling this river still shares; the trees, the sand, the back channels and full moons. I know true wilderness is thousands of miles away, but you often do not see the faces of civilization for hours upon end.

I know we do not have much time left out here, and if there was ever a time to bottle my true emotion, it would be now.

Life back home holds many opportunities that await me, many loved ones who worry and wait – soon enough. The chance to catch a shooting star or watch a eagle soar is what will been gone before long.

Home, well it is not going anywhere, anytime soon. Yes I miss home and all that comes with it, but I know I will be home before too long.

I will miss this river. I may even cry when I reach the end, no joke. We have not even reached Paul and Marylee (Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper) or the Gulf and let’s not forget leaving our beloved ANNIE at her new home.

I just wanted to let you know what I am feeling.

See ya down river, from the river,

Brett

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Greetings,

Today we pushed off from Vicksburg, Mississippi after a short two night stay that was jammed packed.

We have past many historical sites so far on our journey but none stand out like Vicksburg. Now your probably reading this and thinking, “Vicksburg? I’ve never heard of such a place.” Let me assume you have heard of Gettysburg, well the events that took place in Vicksburg were just as critical to the outcome of the American Civil War, as Gettysburg.

Here is a quick overview. (The Union represented the northern States and the Confederates, the Southern States)

The Siege of Vicksburg ended after a series of maneuvers by Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant who won control of the rivertown and thus control of the Mississippi River.

The fall of Vicksburg, combined with General Robert E. Lee’s defeat at Gettysburg the previous day, was the turning point of the American Civil War.

We had the opportunity to visit the battlefield and it will go down as one of the most impressive experiences for me.

A cool fact that I enjoy is that the city of Vicksburg would not celebrate Independence Day for about eighty years as a result of the siege and surrender, which happened to have taken place on July 4th.

I thought I’d share some history for once. Vicksburg is a very cool place and I would/will come back, as 2 nights just are not enough.

Special thanks to Bess Averett, Ameristar Casino and Hotel for the red carpet treatment. Laura, great tour of your home town. Bubba, we will always remember that view. Beckie, the lunch was amazing.

See ya down river,

Brett

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From Brett:
It’s dark, I hear insects and the fire is roaring beside me. Life is good on the Mississippi River.

Since leaving Helena, Arkansas after our enjoyable visit with river legend, John Ruskey, we have been pushing hard. The current has slowed, the wind blows from the south (nothing new…) and yet we have not lightened our grip on making miles.

Today we rowed 52 miles, yesterday, 53. Tomorrow we will push for 55.

It has not been easy. The current has slowed since Helena and this has made me nervous. You see, it has come to a point where I have had to set dates. We need to reach the Gulf of Mexico for Dec 10th with stops in Vicksburg, Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Magnus will leave the expedition team in Baton Rouge, the future home of our vessel ANNIE as he has an internship to start in New Orleans Dec 21st. And so we must push.

Every morning I set my alarm for 4:45 am with a 15 minute snooze. My biological clock usually wakes me up minutes before my blackerry rings, so I usually end up lying in my sleeping bag waiting for the alarm.

I have had no choice but to embrace the cold darkness of the early mornings. The temptation to sleep longer is always there but I understand how every hour is of great value, especially with so many miles to go. And so, when I awake everyday, I separate my mind from the warmth around me. I lay around for a minute or two as i look into the stars above, which by the way are extraodinary. I think about what I want us to accomplish that day; how many miles, when can we get on the water, will the current hold up? Then I wake the crew up with a “cock – a – doodle – dooo!” – they hate it, but it gets them up.

Tank is the only other crewmate who enjoys the peace of the morning darkness. The rest of them, they would sleep well into the morning if they had the chance. These days it takes about 45 minutes to wake up and get on the water. We make coffee and hot water the night before – we lost the luxury of morning fires weeks ago – it just eats too much time. Before the sun crests over the horizon, we are rowing.

The best time to row is in the darkness when the river is calm, but these days we don’t take that risk. Instead we row from 6 am to 3-4:30 pm. By 5:30pm it’s pitch dark. On a good day we row 40 miles by noon – on a hard day, maybe 25.

That’s a little bit of insight into what goes on around here.

We have 83 miles until Vicksburg and we should arrive Sunday for Sarah’s 25 birthday. The Ameristar Casino is putting us up for two nights which is great, the team is pumped.

Vicksburg has a very important history in America’s development – just look to the Civil War. I look forward to reaching this important stop on Old Man River.

See ya dow river,

Brett

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