Orange is my favorite color.: Mississippi Challenge 2011 Day Two

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Mississippi Challenge 2011 Day Two

You can barely see the Minneapolis skyline in the distance.

Waiting in the lock. It's getting hot in here.

I loved my orange kayak (that I borrowed).

Our Mascot was a beany baby ass.

The second day of the paddle was a little more difficult for me probably because I didn't sleep well. I was up at 5. We packed up the soggy tent and the soggy stuff inside the tent. We had a quick breakfast and headed off onto the river. Even at 8 a.m. it was hot. Some of the water was green with clumps of suds standing on the water. I tried to break up the suds with my kayak. We saw several dead carp floating. We came upon another floating creature but this one had fur and a tail and we didn't look much closer at it. As I paddled under the 35E bridge in St. Paul, I stayed to the side so I could be in the shade and remove my wide brimmed hat. This hat kept the sun off my face but it was very hot and sometimes it obstructed my view. There I was, quietly paddling along when a fish jumped into my kayak and landed in my hat. I screamed. I'm not afraid of fish but this one startled me. This fish was actually a minnow and about an inch long. I put it back. Poor thing, something must have been chasing it. We had a rest stop at Harriet Island. Another paddler was walking beside us and tripped on a 2x4 sticking out of the ground and I'm pretty sure he broke his toe. He thought he broke his toe. I heard a snap. I told him, "Go ahead and swear - it will relieve the pain." He didn't swear. I would have. I doubt he finished the trip poor guy. We paddled through the rest of St. Paul. As I went under the Robert Street bridge there were a lot of barges on the sides. The currents got all strange. My boat turned sideways with no warning and nothing I could do to stop it. After we got out of downtown the current was more predictable. The water moved fast and helped us on our way. I went past a kayak called a Hobie. This kayak can be paddled or propelled by bicycle type foot pedals. I tried to pull a "Tom Sawyer" on the owner of the Hobie. I said, "If you want to trade for a while and paddle my kayak, I'll let you. This one is pretty nice." She laughed and said she knows what it is like because her daughter has one. I replied, "Well, ok, if you are sure. You are missing out on a good opportunity." Our lunch break wasn't until after we passed under the 494 bridge. It felt good to stand up and move around and get some food. We had submarine sandwiches, organic fruit (plums and nectarines and watermelon) and cookies. I filled up my water bottle several times. We were back on the water and moving past Newport and St. Paul Park. The refinery has oddly shaped towers with pipes that move diagonally around the smokestacks and make it look like something out of a Dr. Suess book. Eagles and vultures soared overhead. A train moved on the right side of the river. We stopped at Lions Park in Cottage Grove. Only five more miles to go. I was getting tired by now and starting to slow down. I was in no hurry. Part of my slowing down was exhaustion but part of it was trying to enjoy this river experience and not rush through it too fast. At the end we were greeted with cheers and applause and popsicles. As I helped lift the kayak onto the vehicle I was overcome by my own smell. P U! I smelled terrible. I had used deodorant that morning but I guess nothing can work when you get so hot the sweat runs into your eyes and mouth. I was hot. I was sweaty. I was tired. I had mud on my legs and sand between my toes. I stopped at a gas station to buy a diet Pepsi and was a little embarrassed by my appearance until I saw another paddler in there. I got in line behind him. Put together, I didn't think I looked as bad. I had a great time on this Mississippi River Challenge. I am not ruling out doing it again next year.