Day 44 Mississippi River
After waking up at the house in Sabula, IA, Lisa and Sue said their goodbyes and took off early. My mom, sister and I decided to hit the one restaurant on the island, the sandbar grill. Like much of Sabula, the building looked as though it had seen better days. We had been told however, that the food was great.
After ordering and enjoying French toast, hash browns, bacon and coffee we got talking with the only other patron in the place. The older fellow had grown up in Sabula and had a memory sharp as a tack, telling us the names of family's that's used to live in particular houses, and stories about his interactions with them as a kid. He also mentioned how buzzing Sabula used to be. 4 gas stations, 2 grocery stores and even a bakery. Today all of that was gone other than 1 gas station. I asked the fellow what caused the fall and he mentioned something I had never thought of before. Route 64 runs from Chicago right through Sabula. When interstate 80 was built folks from the city no longer passed through town. Traffic, and therefore business, now bypassed Sabula.
The fellow also told stories of his 1917 canvas Old Town canoe that his father had bought used in the 30s. He claimed to still have the boat, though admittedly it had been a while since he'd taken it out. He recalled paddling the Mississippi regularly as a kid, racing friends and exploring the back channels.
After breakfast the three of us walked back to the house to wrap up our stay. We loaded up the truck with the two kayaks they had brought and walked my boat and gear down the road to the launch point. After saying our goodbyes the girls drove off back toward DeKalb, IL while I loaded the canoe and got ready to push off.
The afternoon made for a great day paddling. Sun and a light breeze. I enjoyed a few cookies my Mom had left me with.
By dusk I made it to a large sand bank just down river of Clinton, IA. I set up camp and called it a night.
Great day with family. The river rolls on.