Day 13

We made it to Guttenberg, Iowa and landed on a small island. Not long after we got there, four more guys landed at the same island. It turned out they were paddling the ENTIRE Mississippi.

They reminded us of four other guys we know floating down the Mississippi—ahem!—But these guys were pretty darn cool too. One guy didn’t even bring a tent! He just sleeps out in the open or in a hammock or something crazy like that!

While we were hanging out with these guys, a bright spotlight shone on the island from on the river. A massive barge was moving past our island. Its light was so powerful that we had to shade our eyes. Until this point, we had never witnessed a barge moving at night. The river barges are big, but at night they seem even bigger.

Anyhow, these guys we met are also raising money for the fishermen affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Check out there website at arsts.org.

Balancing Act

There is so much to do every day. There is a lot of river left to paddle and sometimes it’s tempting to paddle all day long. Sometimes it’s tempting to get out of the canoe and shoot videos all day long. Sometimes we want to sit in trees and sing songs all day and then grab a rope and swing over the river like Tarzaan and then do a sweet flip into the water and then forget about all that stuff we left behind in the “real world” like the price of gas, soap, and Justin Bieber.

 Actually, I think Joe has some Justin Bieber on his phone. Nevermind. I guess we have Bieber.

The truth is, our trip down the Mississippi has been a great balancing act. Besides keeping our balance in the canoe, we also need to keep our balance between distance and documentary, miles and music, art and accomplishment. We will complete all of our goals, but sometimes the wonderful experiences on the river are just too much to resist.