20MAY2012 @ Chesterfield, MO - I actually slept well in the canoe. I know that because I only remember 3 mosquitos, I have no recollection of the fishermen leaving and I have no recollection of the partiers vehicles starting and leaving. I also feel rested. It helps a lot that my bedding exhibits no moisture. Were every night to be similarly dry I would sleep in the canoe often.
By 0930 I had paddled 17 miles into St.Charles. This being Sunday nothing was open early despite it being an historical reinactment weekend. I attempted to arrange a canoe shuttle that would allow me to paddle on to the confluence today but failed. All the logical shuttlers were involved in the reinactment and would be excessively busy late today breaking down all the displays. I went into town and asked several citizens if they wanted some extra money while helping me. I struck out in that effort but met Mike, a fine citizen and a fun guy to hang with. By 1300 I had given up on the shuttle idea and also getting to the confluence tioday. I will go to Pelican island and get to the confluence early tomorrow ... only not as early as I at first expected.
I left St Charles amid the reinactments that included a keelboat plying the river. White clad reinactors sailed down the river, then up, then down for quite a while. It added to the immense number of white and brown tents arrayed in Frontier park, the musket fire, the food, the practical dresses. Almost immediately it rained - enough to get a collection of water in the canoe and dampen my sleeping pad. I demurred that sleeping without a pad would be preferable to being wet,
At 1700 I saw some men loading a skidoo and paddled over to ask if my sleeping in the carport would be allowed. The offerred instead to take me to their home - the riverfront home was not theirs to offer/allow me to stay. David Newton and Steve share a house in Florissant and I was afforded my own bedroom - ahh, comfort.
Today I paddled from river mile 44 to river mile 17, a distance of 27 miles. Animals seen today are geese, ducks and snake.
Soon you will be at the city of Louis IX....
ReplyDeleteMary and I, with Larry Blackwood and his ex wife, canoed a 12-mile stretch of the Shennandoah River yesterday, and we talked about your trip. There was even a "cat 2" section that almost swamped our canoe, but we didn't overturn. Keep up the great commentary, Will! By the way, my own experience with cholesterol is it takes about 3 or 4 months of staying away from anything with eggs, cheese, and butter to have a meaningful impact. That means no ice cream, cake, etc.
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