One More

I've got one more story from the Mississippi River Challenge and then I will let it go. One pair of canoe riders caught our attention. This couple was comprised of two men. The older man looked to be in his 40's. The younger man looked about 15. Maybe they were father and son. Both men were small. I'd guess they were both about 5 feet tall. Both of them were wiry and muscular. Sometimes they would remove their life jackets and paddle bareback. They worked well together. When the front paddler paddled on the right, the back paddler did the left. When they switched sides they did it in unison. We could tell they had lots of experience. They paddled very efficiently. Their strokes were shallow but powerful. This pair of muscular men paddled in only one speed - AS FAST AS THEY COULD POSSIBLY GO. They paddled past us many times. They would speed to the next break and then paddle upstream for a time before heading back again. I'm sure they had more time for breaks than anyone else. They probably put on more miles than anyone else too. At the Harriet Island rest stop we saw them racing a kayak upstream. It's hard for a canoe to beat a sea kayak. The race was neck and neck when we went by them. What motivates these guys to paddle so fast? My partner and I would stop to identify a raptor or look at a building or examine a flower. I don't think these guys ever stopped to enjoy themselves except at rest stops. I think they might have missed some of the fun.