Today was good! I woke up around 7:30am to the heat of the sun. I rolled my sleeping bag and mat up. I was going to go to church this morning at 10:30am, so I had some time to kill. During those three hours, I read Huck Finn, threw rocks in the river, and made a few spears from some sticks! Around 10:00am I got up and begun to walk .5 miles to First Christian Church. They greeted me with open arms. After service a nice older couple named, Julie and Sonny, came up to me and wanted to take me out for dinner. I gladly accepted! We went to a great home cooking restaurant called, KCs Place. After lunch I wanted to find some fishing line and hooks, so I could try and catch a catfish, but every shop was closed! Julie and Sonny took me back to my canoe. I thanked them and said goodbye. I got on the river around 1:00pm. The private vessel traffic was thick today! I saw about twenty private boats pass me, only two barges though! I got to the Clarksville, MO, lock. I called the lock and he asked, are you the canoer? After a brief pause of surprise I reply, yes sir.. He says, come on down, we got the gates open for ya, someone told us you were coming. I hurried to get to the lock! I got through and continued on downriver. I didnt feel like paddling much, so I just floated. I was looking to make camp on an island for tonight. I thought one was good, so I took a slough to get to it. After realizing there was a better island on the other side, I paddled .5 miles back up the slough. I was fighting the current to get back on the main channel. I finally get on the main channel and the place I thought was better was underwater. I continue on going along the chain of islands, it is now about 7:30 pm and the sun is starting to set. Around 8:00pm I finally find a place! I pull up and I look next to the tree I was going to tie up. I see a snake curled up there. I believe it was a water moccasin. I get a little closer, trying to distinguish if it is a black rat snake or a water moccasin. After seeing the yellow underneath its chin, I figured it was a water moccasin. I start to move some sticks and he shoots into the water. I then look around where I was placing my hands to make sure there werent anymore and tie my canoe up. I go through the border of trees and find a great sandy island! I tied my hammock up between two trees and tried to get a fire going. The fire was a failure though, nothing would light. Everything is still a little wet. After a few minutes of hearing the discouraging sound of thousands of mosquitos buzzing above me, I decided it was time for bed. I am now laying in my hammock hearing twigs snapping all around me. Overall it was a great day! I am 80 miles from St. Louis and ready to see my family!
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 03:10:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015