Birthday Cake and Several Lakes

As soon as I exited my tent this morning, John Sullivan came walking up with this birthday cake in his hands.  You can imagine my surprise when he explained that he had somehow paddled downstream to the next town, then back again, just to surprise me with this cake.  He GOT ME!  This was one of my first Birthday Cakes ever.  It was a wonderful way to start the day, and I once again found myself thanking God for these wonderful people in my life.  

John, Richard, and I started paddling at 0800.  We were quickly taken in by the beauty of these small townships along this stretch of the Mississippi.  In Fountain, MN, we stopped for ice cream and other sundry items.  The town reminded me of West Virginia.  As you will see from the video, it sits right at the base of hills and has a train that runs right through it.  Just majestic to see from the wide, wide river.

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.