Day 12 12/17/2009
Daily stats Start: 6:35 AM - Cape Girardeau, MO Finish: 2:35 PM - Just south of the Mississippi - Ohio River confluence Time: 8:18:16 Daily dist: 57 miles Total dist: 318 miles Weather: Start around 30 with a high in the mid-40s. Clear and calm.  Early start and a nice sunrise Today ran the risk of becoming the first of what I’m sure will be many routine days. That was, however, until I turned the corner at Cairo IL (pronounced Kay-row) and saw what happens when the rain swollen Ohio river adds it’s flow to the mix. The rive down here is huge, it’s stunning.  The river is HUGE down here Up to this point I could change sides of the river whenever I chose to. After it took me twenty minutes to paddle from the Missouri side to the Kentucky side, I realized that from now on the bank I choose to paddle is going to be a weighty decision. Having all this high water means that I’ll be able to cut corners over what would normally be sand bars. The trouble is that the lack of sand bars is going to make finding camping spots much more interesting. Right now I’m set up on the edge of a hay field just up from the first shore access I could find for the last three miles. Judging from the scolding splashing I’m hearing on the river I believe I may have chosen a beaver’s access point. The last time I heard that noise was when my friend Neil and I put ourselves in a similar spot and ended up with angry beavers dragging branches past our tent all night long. The day went well and I paddled nearly 60 miles. I did decide, whatever the mileage, my limit is 8 hours on the water. Any more than that and I start to fall apart. The flood plain is noticeably wider down there so I know my web access is going to be hit and miss. I asked Neil to please at least post my daily stats which he’s been calculating off my SPOT hits every day. That way you all can at least see the progress I’ve made. CommentsNeil B 12/17/2009 7:35:19 pm LOL. Dam beavers (pun intended). Gotta love 'em. Good luck sleeping! Jan Kleck 12/17/2009 9:02:53 pm Cannot read your blog without at least adding some kind of comment. The river looks very wide and very huge. You need a good night's sleep. May the dam beavers do their work quietly! 8 hours seem plenty - we do not want you squirrely!!!! Jen is supposed to arrive tomorrow - but wouldn't you know - we expect a snowstorm of some kind! Caitlyn Maday 12/18/2009 8:18:07 am Dear,Jake ony 12/18/2009 8:18:32 am i just love beavers there so cool i just hope they dont bite me. 12/19/2009 11:51:03 am Jacob, Dave Carlson 12/19/2009 2:37:05 pm Keep an eye on craigslist for your gear. I don't know exactly where you are, but a lot of gear gets sold on craigslist, very often right after it is stolen... Leave a Reply | Best of the Blog
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