Boats, bluegrass, friends and a great time.

After stopping 20 miles short of Winona, MN the night before I woke up with the goal of taking a load off in the Minnesota river town for the weekend. Jeff from Toronto, a fellow through paddler whom I had run into early in the trip near Bemidji, MN had tipped me off that the annual bluegrass festival "Boats & Bluegrass" was happening this weekend. Loving both boats and bluegrass, it was an obvious stopping point.

After a tough full days paddle I neared Winona around sunset. Paddling the back channels of the river for some time I spotted a group of canoe and kayakers out for what looked like a leisurely stroll. Worn out and a bit unsure of my exact location I paddled near the group and asked how far to Winnona. A pair in a green Wenonah canoe pointed me to the group leader and local Ranger. He informed me that Winnona was in fact just around the corner, and to make it to the festival I just needed to follow the stock dam to shore on river right. Perfect. As I left he called the group to an island bank and began a speech on the hundreds of Pelicans nearby (he was leading a local "bird paddle" where folks take out boats, paddle around the back channels of the Miss look for the abundant bird populations).

As I paddled toward the dam I gave Marty M. a call. I had met Marty and his son, Finn the fisherman, back on day 1 of my journey at the headwaters of the Mississippi. He and his son were taking the last camping trip of the summer that weekend, before school started the following week. After chatting with them for a few minutes, they offered to put me up in Winnona when I came through. Figuring it probably wouldn't work, I reached out to Marty and lo and behold he was home, had no plans for the weekend and was happy to help. We planned a pick up spot at the public boat ramp near where the Bluegrass festival was supposed to be.

As I paddled closer I began to hear the music. After a long, hot day with a stiff headwind it was easy to smile hearing the distant sound. I pulled up to the spill way a few minutes later, got out of my boat, looked over the dam and saw people. Lots of people. And boats. Lots of boats. Canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, fishing boats, pontoons. Right away I understood that I had stumbled on a good thing. A real good thing.

Marty met me at the boat launch a few minutes later with a cold one to spare. We loaded up my gear into his red minivan, strapped the boat on top and headed into town for food at The Boat House, a great local joint with delicious grub, good beer and a new-aged river-town feel. Steak tacos with pineapple salsa hit the spot. Marty and I shared stories of my trip, his past trips and life in general.

We wrapped up dinner and drove back to Marty's place, an old mining house with lots of character. There I met his wife, Kelly, and was reintroduced to Finn the fisherman. A shower, a load of laundry and a few stories later, we all retired for the night. The plan the next morning was to do some Winona sightseeing, knock out a few errands and meet a pair of friends who were driving out to see me for lunch.

Another great day on the river. The generosity of river folk continues to blow me away. Looking forward to a great weekend in a place that feels right.