After the stress of yesterday, we finally settled in wet tents with dry sleeping bags. I awoke this morning, feeling optimistic about today’s weather report, and I was not disappointed by the outcome of beautiful weather.
Didn't get started paddling this morning until 0845, and by 2pm, I was setting at the lock and dam having, already paddled 31 miles. Conditions were directly opposite from yesterday. Not too hot, with following winds at 7 Knots. Paddling past “Bird Island” was a particular treat. Such an unusually beautiful sight. After the team caught up, we all agreed to paddle an additional four miles to get to our campsite tonight. We camped across the river from downtown Clinton, IA. Hope you enjoy the photos and videos from today's paddle.
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What an honor to have met these young men!
A decision had to be made as I paddled the 12 miles to Bellevue, IA. I had two options, either of which could spell disaster. Only one thing was certain. A big storm would soon pass overhead. Should I charge on to seek refuge in Bellevue, or wait out the storm somewhere on the shore line? With predicted 50 knot winds and some estimates even higher, staying in the boat was not an option. People were yelling from their shoreline homes to “get off the water!” Clouds were intensifying quickly. One lady even came running to the shoreline to show me the radar image. She predicted I had about 45 minutes to get off the water. I opted to go for the lock. Hope she joins Facebook so I can thank her.
It must have been the fastest lock passage ever. I pulled the cable for lockage and could immediately hear the gates start moving. In just a few short minutes, I was through lock #12 and behind the downstream wall. After grabbing the cell phone and empty solar battery, I started running. The brunt of the storm hit just seconds before I reached the security of a storefront in downtown Bellevue. Spent the morning at a restaurant, enjoying a hearty breakfast. I also had lunch there while waiting for the other paddlers to arrive. Sorry that I was unable to make any photos or videos of this exciting last 24 hours. Every battery I had was empty by this time. The upstream weather conditions had taken their toll. With no place to stay in Bellevue, the team decided to press on. Unfortunately, the only downtown hotel was closed on Mondays. With the help of a local police officer, we found a park we could camp at just two miles downstream. Please read tomorrow's blog for more. Reflecting back on this day, one thing was clear - I made the right decision to leave our island campsite and press on to safety, where there was electricity to charge my devices. I am thankful for all the blessings of this day. Ironically, the town where I received so much care and River Angel support is named Bellevue, the same name as my church in Memphis Tennessee. Is there a message to behold here?
Thankfully, Dale's phone service issues have been resolved. These images and videos are so spectacular that I couldn't resist posting them now, rather than later. Happy Father's Day, and enjoy!
6/22/15 Update from Dale via text message: Due to the lack of sunshine, my solar panel could not charge the battery for phone charging. So, I've been without power for around 36 hours. As you can see from the pictures, yesterday morning was dangerously foggy. Beautiful, but a bit unnerving at the same time. As we entered into Dubuque, Iowa, the large number of recreation power boats made it almost impossible to paddle. In spite of all the hardships yesterday, we still managed to paddle 35 miles, but every mile was earned the hard way. We were very fortunate to find a campsite when we did last night as they are few and far between in this neck of the river.
If not for the stormy weather, we would be right on target to arrive in Alton later today. Unfortunately, we have had another setback today, and have taken refuge in a wonderful little restaurant in Bellevue, IA, called the Carousel Corner. On the bright side, I'm charging my phone! Check back with us later tonight for the exciting details about getting here today. When we paddled onto this island last night, little did we know it would be our storm refuge for the next 36 hours. Now trapped here for two nights. On the positive side, we have our own deserted personal private beach. Since it is an uninhabited island, however, the only way to communicate with the outside world is by phone. There are no facilities of any kind, just a friendly buck, some bobcat tracks and lots of turtle egg shells. Unfortunately, it looks like none of the eggs hatched, and were most likely eaten by the raccoons. Coons are industrious little creatures with a keen since of smell and delicate hands.
Phone service is sketchy at best. This, coupled with Sprint cutting my roaming service /data sharing capabilities, made matters worse. I have an unlimited plan that somehow Sprint found a way to limit. I cannot access the internet, receive incoming calls, or contact Sprint technical support since they allegedly “fixed the problem” last night. In a last ditch effort, I called the nearest Sprint store and was told that the problem is signals bouncing between two towers. Must leave this island to see if the problem is simply towers-related or otherwise. It is now one in the morning and I must find some way to sleep in this humidity for we plan on paddling out at 0630. In less than four hours, must wake to pack. On the bright side - I can now see the stars for the first time in 48 hours.
The early bird gets the worm. At 0430 this morning, fish were striking everywhere - minnows jumping as high as 2 feet out of the water to avoid being eaten. If I were fishing, looks to me that early morning would be the best time.
As I paddled through the backwaters from Prairie du Chien, WI, I found the main channel by following "Where the Wild Rice Flows". Entered the river at mile marker 632 at 0845. If I am to make it to St Louis by 4th July some daily routine changes will be necessary. I Have been blessed with the ability to find my inner next level. I may want to start paddling even earlier in the morning. Will need to make 30 miles per day through a couple dammed large pools each day. (I have always call dammed waters lakes). There are 17 dams remaining between here and Altona, Really looking forward to Paddling where the Mighty Mississippi flows freely to the Gulf of Mexico. I am now paddling more alone than with the crew. To reach the Gulf of Mexico, I must set my own pace and not hold back. I must continue on, even if it means others are left behind. I do believe it is possible for all of us to finish at the Gulf of Mexico the same day, for the fast waters of the lower Mississippi will make it much easier to stay on schedule.
After paddling downstream a few miles, we stopped for breakfast at the home of River Angels John and Phyllis Verden in Lansing, Iowa. As you can see from these pictures, the view of the river from their house is spectacular! The food and fellowship was just what we needed, and was so appreciated by the whole team.
With an 8 knot wind coming up from the rear at about six o’clock to the boat, we paddled a total of 35 miles today. Using the signal rope again, we passed through lock #9 with no difficulties. I tend to like the signal rope because I don’t have to get the radio out or go to the trouble of locating the telephone number
This was the hardest paddle day so far. Paddled only 28 miles, directly into strong winds with white-capping waves. To make matters worse, I got deep into a stump field filled with wild rice. Let me explain that last sentence. In this area, there are many man-made lakes, where they just cut down the trees and left the stumps in very shallow water. That’s what I’m calling a “stump field”. When we began our journey at the headwaters, the wild rice was not yet growing above the top of the water, and many times our only indication of where the current was flowing was to watch the wild rice underwater. So today we used our very own “GBA Theory” to paddle where the wild rice flows. Ever try paddling where the wild rice flows? Got more wonderful notes today from friends who have made donations. It's all worth it when people you haven't seen for years donate and send inspiring notes…the Philippines, no less.
Awesomesauce
Met up with film crew, last night and camped on an island nine miles up from La Crosse, WI. It was peaceful paddle into the city where I was met by local TV Chanel 8. Enjoyed a very relaxing interview, which took place while I was still in my boat. Spent the day re-supplying, doing laundry and cleaning up. John Sullivan paddled ahead the day before, getting things ready for our arrival.
Found a wonderful campsite just across the bridge from downtown. The campground is most convenient and beautiful. Plan on paddling out at 0800tomorrow morning for waters less traveled, unknown to us, with storms predicted in the area. Sign in tomorrow to read about the adventures which lie ahead just down river.
The beauty of the river between Red Wing and LA Cross as it flows through hills and valleys is something to behold. Have been pleased with life in general these last few days. Bickering among the team has stopped, routine has become the norm and I usually can find things without having to open several bags . Having John Sullivan paddle alongside at such an appropriate time was a blessing.
Richard and I camped last night a mile up from Winona, MN. Today I paddled through one of the locks the old fashion way - used the signal rope. Went very smoothly and got a chance to experience the lockage without a two-way radio. We have now paddled through 10 locks and there is 20 to go before the river flows naturally just above its confluence with the Missouri north of St Louis. I was interviewed today by Wenonah Canoes. We also enjoyed a delicious breakfast in downtown Winona. Plans are to start paddling at 0800 tomorrow. I think thefilm crew are "stealth" camping, so who knows where they are! Looking forward to being in La Crosse tomorrow, as we pass through the last of the state of Minnesota and enter Wisconsin. I plan to do laundry and catch up on some reading while there.
He's a friend, a brother, a cousin. A seaman, a champion, a hero. A man who grew up with little, but has accomplished so much in his 80 years. Some call him "Papi", some call him the Greybeard Adventurer. I am proud to call him Uncle. Hope you enjoy this quick video. Happy Birthday Uncle Dale!
Speaking of which, the river is much wider in this area than I had imagined. The wider width is mostly because of the many small lakes one must paddle through to reach the faster waters below. After paddling through several locks and dams today, we still managed to paddle 40 miles. I paddled up to the last lock for the day and pulled the rope the old fashioned way. I wanted to experience the drama of this old fashioned lockage process, for it will likely change with time.
We ate cake most of the day. The extra calories must have given all of us some extra energy because we ended up paddling an unplanned extra distance before stopping for the night. Found this great campsite overlooking the city of Winona, MN and met yet another wonderful River Angel. The view of the city is spectacular.
"A view of the Lagoon near the campsite were John Sullivan and I slept the my first night of the fifth week on the river."
John Sullivan and I debated about leaving the fly off the tent last night. From experience, if you have to debate, it’s best to put it on. It was a good thing we did, because it started raining around 0300 and rained until around three this afternoon. Good night's sleep though.
We were able to dry things out this afternoon, and also found some time to hike into the marshes of lower Pepin. Several of the images were take in these marshes. One video is of a black water marsh I call home for the alleged Pepin Monster. The mosquitoes here are very aggressive. If one can imagine how bad it is having to dig a hole for bathroom purposes, imagine how frustrating it was to have to swat mosquitoes at the same time. I squatted there, fanning them away as best I could, but the beasts are so fast that I still got bitten numerous times during a shortened potty call. Did tent keeping (house keeping for those of you that live in Louisburg). Cleaned myself up and washed clothes. Thank goodness for WetOnes - one of only a couple creature comforts items I have with me. Right now, I am trying to take a nap but the beauty of this campsite makes it hard to sleep for to do so would mean that I have to take my eyes off the surrounding natural beauty of this area. Richard Sojourner has arrived and camping with us. Must get some rest now. Plans are for early morning start.
Dale Crossing the ferocious Lake Pepin
As we approached our goal of paddling the length of Lake Pepin in one day, John made the best summary of the day: "Pepin was not going to make it easy for us to get out"! The alleged monster did find a way to get even, but we prevailed and found this beautiful lakeside campsite at the bitter end where water flows freely into the narrow river channel ahead.
I awoke at 0500 to begin preparing to leave from our camp before the expected rain came in. Unfortunately, it was already raining, so I put my rain gear on while I was still in my tent. Boy, was that a mistake! Read on for an ‘epic fail’ story, Greybeard style!
THE REST OF THE STORY....
By the time John Sullivan and I made it to the Red Wing Marina, I just couldn’t paddle any more. All day, I could feel my clothes getting wetter and wetter under the rain gear. I was just miserable in my concave seat of the boat. Upon stepping out of the boat, I immediately felt of the back side of my rain pants. Yep, I put them on backwards this morning. The fly of the pants had been gaped open, allowing the COLD rain water to slowly creep down the crack of my pants. Needless to say, it was even more obvious when I removed the rain gear! It is SO funny now, but at the time, I sure was frustrated! Ha! Anyway, some misfortunes turn into gold. As we paddled into the marina at Red Wing, we heard a car horn blow. I was thanking the good Lord as Peg Linder introduced herself and explained that she was there to help. She took us to the Red Wing Boots Corporate office so that I could meet with Julie Quin and receive a pair of Red Wing’s newest water shoes: Vasque Water Shoes. These gems will be keeping my feet comfortable for many days and months to come. Peg invited us back to her house where we are staying tonight. So thankful for the delicious food, conversation, and a roof over our heads tonight. We are so fortunate to have met this wonderful River Angel and her family! Getting up at 0530 tomorrow for another early start
Our campsite tonight is ten miles downstream from Lock #2.
It was very exciting to be the last paddlers to use the Upper St Anthony Lock, which closed this evening. RIP Upper St Anthony Lock.
I hope you enjoy the images and videos I took as we passed through the three lock system. The paddle into Minneapolis was overshadowed by the lock experience, which in itself was breathtaking. Another highlight was a celebratory dinner at the home of River Angel Alice Kuenzil.
Okay folks, here’s our big challenge! Our AnnA (Type 1 Diabetic) turns 11 tomorrow, June 8th. In honor of her birthday, an anonymous donor has agreed to match funds raised for the next 48 hours. Our goal is to reach an overall team goal of $11,000 at the end of the challenge. Again, for every dollar donated, our “person” will match it – dollar for dollar. Here’s a screen print of our funds raised to-date. With the donor’s match, we only need $947.73 to make it to $11k. In addition to that, we are thrilled to see Dale and Team cross through the St. Anthony Lock & Dam on Tuesday, June 9th. This dam will be closing at the end of the day, so they will most likely be the very last boats to come through the lock before it closes for good. Yall get your checkbooks out and help us meet this ultra cool, ultra exciting goal to celebrate Dale’s accomplishments and AnnA’s 11th birthday!! ** Challenge ends promptly at 3pm Central Time on Tuesday, June 9, 2015. ** If you prefer to mail a check payable to JDRF, please send a text message to 270-893-0310 with your pledge amount and we will send you the address to mail it to.
Some days start easy and end with a roar.
Late start today after a great evening at the Neibler’s. John Sullivan and I paddled together, catching up on the latest from Facebook, Mississippi River Paddlers, and other news. Marvelous homes lined the river’s edge, making the scenery something to behold. Portages were easy, as we were able put in just below the Coon Rapids dam. Our island campsite was wonderful to start with. Beautiful sunset, wildlife to admire, and an overall perfect spot. Then, obnoxiously loud music from the park across from where we were camping intruded on our environment. Soon though, the party was extinguished when an intense weather cell passed nearby. The dam operators started releasing water, so the river waters on our island campsite began to quickly rise. We had to get up in the middle of the night to move the boats further into the woods. Even though the bad weather was long gone, the wind was giving it her best shot to blow my tent away. Some of my stuff got wet, but the tent held up very well through the hard rains and swift winds. Now to clear up all the mess and find a new campsite closer to the St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam.
Friday, June 5th, Day 22, provided perfect paddling weather: fast water, no headwind, and glorious sunshine. I even got internet service at a riverside country club, which was an added bonus. We arrived at the campsite later in the afternoon, which gave me a wonderful experience of just floating near the river’s edge with the first sun in four days on my back. Just perfect.
Day 23’s paddle was a short 13-mile trek to the home of wonderful River Angels for a bit of R&R. Tom & Kris Niebler provided hot showers, shopping, and delicious food. The evening hours were filled with great conversations, stories, and even some movies by Brad Tallent and Austin Graham of Adventureitus Productions. Fellow paddler and River Angel, John F. Sullivan, also met up with us on the water today and plans to paddle with us for a few days. We welcomed his presence to our "flotilla". Our plans for Sunday include a late morning departure, with a leisurely two-day paddle to Minneapolis. We will be paddling through the St. Anthony Lock & Dam on Tuesday, June 9, as it will be permanently closing after our cross-through. Coincidentally, that is also the day after AnnA's 11th birthday. See next blog entry for information about the big birthday challenge.
To add to what was already a fantastic day, I was thrilled to see Alex and his parents greet us at the campsite with food and drinks. We all enjoyed their many stories and the laughs were just as welcomed as the cold beverages!
Got up at 0500 this am to paddle 22 miles today. It was overcast, same as past two days, which had also been very windy. Was hoping the early start would be somewhat wind free. It was…for the first 30 minutes. Paddled by an island where the Adventuritus Productions crew was waiting to video the paddle through. All was well there, but from that point to the dam was another story.
All of a sudden a blast of wind that turned my boat sideways. Conditions deteriorated quickly. Clearly, rain was on the horizon. I had to hug the coast line which normally gives some protection be with the wind directly up river not even that worked. With difficulty, I made it to the Dam a little before 1000. I would not be able to leave the Blanchard Dam area for almost six hours. Started my portage routine where I calculated that it would take me five trips to get all of my gear down to the put in. I had just dropped off the first load when the sky fell. There I was with stuff on both ends unprotected from theft possibility and weather. I was tired, cold, and alone. As Richard said, “This is the mother of all portages”. It took the better part of two hours to get everything down in the rain, including the boat.
Tom Graves eventually located a RV Park three miles downriver, so we stuffed all the wet stuff into our boats and paddled. Fortunately, there was a large Pavilion where we pitched tents and began to dry stuff out. We now are fourteen miles short on our day 20 goal.
It’s only 7pm, and I am already in bed. This is day 19 of paddling and I am still excited about what challenges the river will throw at us tomorrow and in the days to come. I hope to get a few miles in before the strong winds arrive by getting an early start tomorrow morning.
In the month of May, this amazing newly formed group made multiple donations to JDRF through my team, Dale Sanders Mississippi River Source to Sea. The proceeds from a very successful bake sale (in honor of the late Darryl Bobett) and from weekly cruise-ins bring them to a grand total of $1792.75 donated. To date, they are the largest contributors to our team goal of $20,000.
To the GRMC President, Raymond Yates, I would like to personally extend an offer for your group to join me and my team at ANY port. Nothing would please me more than to have the opportunity to shake the hands of each of these fine men who worked so hard to raise these funds. I have heard that you like to "give it back" and so do I. My home in Memphis will always be open to you and yours. I can’t thank you guys enough…groups like yours truly make a difference! |
AuthorI'm the Grey Beard Adventurer. But you can call me Dale Sanders, and these are my stories. Categories
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