Archive for December, 2009
Annie’s New Home
Posted by LowerMississippiRiverkeeper in general, photo on December 29th, 2009
Now that Annie is officially under the care of Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper I wanted to assure everyone that she is getting only the finest treatment. I also want to let everyone know that I feel that Annie still belongs to all of the Crew and to the River and that I have merely been entrusted with her care and with coordinating her future endeavors. That said, Annie is safe and secure at Base Camp in her very own tent. We have had a number of bad storms come through since she arrived back here and not a drop of water has made it into her tent which is more than can be said for the expedition wall tent… (it’s a great tent! i’m just saying…;). Her tent is, obviously, a blue tarp so we are currently looking at more permanent options. I am also in the process of cleaning her out and prepping her interior for a new finish job. I will probably also rebuild her oar locks at the same time. Seeing as she has had 1000’s of continuous hours of use over the past few months there is plenty work to be done to get her back into shipshape and Bristol fashion (be sure let me know if you figure out what Bristol fashion consists of). I know it is not nearly as exciting as the expedition but I will be sure to keep everyone updated on Annie’s progress so stay tuned!
Annie dried out and getting cleaned up at Base Camp.
Annie keeping dry in her tent.
Thank You and Stay Tuned!
Tonight should be fun.
My Sister and Dad are having a welcome home party for the Old Man River team and myself. They had a going away party before we left and it was the perfect way to kick off the expedition. Now, many months later, this is the perfect way to close an exciting chapter of the Old Man River Project.�
Obviously this expedition could not have happened without the support of some important people. I just wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge my key supporters.
Darlene and Jeff Anderson. They believed in my dream to build a York boat and go down the Mississippi River. Without their generous donation this project would have never happened.
Gordon Laco. Throughout this project Gord has been a vital asset who has given me confidence and provided me with expertise. From building the boat to understanding the keys of being a leader on expedition, whenever I had a question Gord had an answer.
John Ruskey. Perhaps no person was more vital in developing my understanding about the Mississippi River than John. For years I have been calling with questions and John always took the time to give me his insight.
Brent Thornton. My old University roommate, Brent has always been there to help me with the technicalities. If you loved the blog, love Brent as he is the guy who built and maintained the website.�
Lyndsey Loiacono. My girlfriend and talented graphic designer who have long made me look more professional than I am. From making the business cards to designing the ?Old Man River? image, she does it all.
Les Stroud. Les gave me five camera?s from his show Survivorman and provided me with key creative insight on how to shoot a guerilla style production. Without the camera gear, I could not have documented the journey.
Paul and Marylee Orr. These two were the ones who inspired me about the Mississippi River. During the expedition they were our beloved base camp providing support whenever we needed it. Now they are the owners of ANNIE.�
Donna Dixon Aykroyd. Donna has connected me with many powerful people over the years. She believed in me since day one and continues to make me believe in what is possible.
Family. Mom, Dad, Sister and Chief (my dog). You have always supported me and encouraged me to push on.
Crew. Without the team there would be no project. Cliff thanks for keeping ANNIE working. Riggy thanks for being willing and able to get that shot. Max thanks for your creative insight. Tank thanks for snapping pictures. Magnus thanks for trusting me and flying all the way from Australia. And Sarah thanks for always smiling and being you.�
And thank you for following the adventure. The expedition is over but there is much more great stuff to come. More blogs and more over the coming months so stay tuned!
See ya down river,
Brett
This post was created at this location.
Bye Annie
music by: John Ruskey
On Home & Adventure
One at home dreams of adventure, as one on adventure dreams of home.
Reflection by Kyle Clifford Quinn
From the beginning of our modern day expedition, through the wild rice of the headwaters all the way down to the ever-important marsh grasses of the Gulf of Mexico, there were three constants in our lives. The great Mississippi river, passionate people and the shear determination of the Annie crew.
It is not necessary for me to tell you how hard the crew worked day and night towards our objective because Annie was successfully delivered to the Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper. What I will tell you is how my faith in humanity was revived. Life itself is a journey and without the help and love of our fellow humans, we could not have reached our destination.
We are all connected in one way or another from across this great and delicate world. That connection for me is what I like to call the Great Spirit. Whatever your religion or race this Great Spirit watches over all of us. I would give thanks to the Great Spirit by blessing the river with an offering of my precious tobacco.
For all that have helped us throughout our expedition I take my hat off to you and thank you. The only way to repay each and every one of you is to pay it forward. So I shall.
Of course another great and heart-felt thank you must go to the Old Man River Project crew and our Capitan Brett. Through all the highs and lows of life on the river we stuck TOGETHER. I am very proud to be a member of the Old Man River Project.
A wise man once told me if you can remember one thing in life, let it be laughter. Its a universal language.
See you down river,
Kyle Clifford Quinn
This post was created at this location.
Finally Facing Forward
After spending approximately 4 months observing old man river from behind, through the meticulous task of rowing, I am finally able to face forward as our expedition is complete. The Gulf of Mexico was a sight for sore eyes. After the climactic 4 days of the voyage we discovered a channel out to the open waters where marshland stretched out into the brackish sea and oil rigs defeated the horizon. Once we set anchor, we as a team plunged into the cool water and the fate of our expedition was achieved. A feeling of solace washed over me in waves of delight as we were towed to the boat ramp. It was time to take our strong, patient and beautiful Annie home to Baton Rouge. Through her travels she tasted the sweetness of the headwaters, the mud throughout the middle, the bitterness of Cancer Alley and the salt of the Gulf of Mexico. Thanks for everything Annie, her captain and crew. To all of our followers, I thank you for the support and interest in our adventure and hope you will stick around for some more images to be posted in the near future. For now, I think I am going to relax. It’s been grand.
Mission Complete
Dear Fans of Old Man River Project,
I am please to tell you that the Old Man River Project has reached the Gulf of Mexixo. We are now driving ANNIE back to Baton Rouge.
110 days since departing Bemidiji State Park the expedition has ended. Wow.
I am proud of what we have accomplished. This expedition was not easy, however it was more than worth while. The Mississippi River has brought me closer to understanding my place in this complicated world. The widsom I have gained will take years to fully understand and so for now I will marvel in the wonder of this moment; knowing we as a team took on so much and over came even more.
There will be more blogs to come and the full story, captured in over 600 hours of video is on it’s way.
See you down river,
Brett
This post was created at this location.
how now, brown cow?
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
This post was created at this location.
Final Test
Last night was insane. Wicked winds followed by thunder and lighting made for a short sleep. By far the greatest storm yet.
We all got soaked, we all were cold and we all did not sleep. Welcome to life on expedition. Sure you get nice sunsets and warm days but you also get your fair share of raw weather. I will never forget last night.
Sorry I am so tiried I can’t go into details.
Today was not much better. The winds were so hard, at times reachin 25 mph, that we held our breaths as we rolled over 6 foot waves. Every so often a massive wave would smash over the edge and hit my back as I oared; this helped keep me awake and ready.
The day was small in distance but we did row in some of the fiercest weather yet. In total only 11 miles were completed, far from the 40 I had hoped for. The good news is that tomorrow should be decent and I expect us to row 50 miles.
That is it, off to bed.
See ya down river,
Brett
This post was created at this location.
South of New Orleans
Another night on the river and a night too cherish for sure. We are 20 miles south of the French Quarter only 74 miles from the Head of Passes. These moments are running outn, the Gulf of Mexico is near.
Like an old solider on the battle field ready to make his last charge, our days are numbered. Our final push in well underway.
How many nights like this do we have left beside Old Man River? Maybe two or three. And so, although tomorrow will rain all day, I know wet cloths do not matter anymore because soon this will all be behind me. Amazing, sad, exciting and moving.
Anyways, time for bed, it is just after 8 pm and my alarm is set for 4:46 am. But first a little reading then some dreaming and before too long, back on the oars.
See ya down river,
Brett
This post was created at this location.
-
You are currently browsing the archives for December, 2009
Sponsor
Promo Video
Opens in a new window
Analytics
1,760Unique
VisitorsPowered By