Iowa — Mississippi River

Day 53 Mississippi River

I woke up early to cloud covered skies and enough of a headache that I contemplated my decisions the night before. The forecast called for on and off rain throughout the morning, with it picking it in the late afternoon.

I packed up the tent and made breakfast under the cover of an overhang that protected the deck of a beautiful log cabin home that Pam rents out on a nightly basis (the cabin was unoccupied.....I hope).

I hit the water and began working my way South toward a rendezvous in Quincy, IL. An old college friend of my Moms (whom she hadn't seen in 25+ years!) had been following the journey and offered to put me up for the evening.

Illinois, Iowa, Good People, Video, MissouriWill CollinsMay 28, 2019Quincy, CantonComment

Day 52 Mississippi River - The Warsaw Brewing Company

With sunny skies and a slight breeze I did my best to dry out wet gear.

As I paddled through the day my solar charger replenished both my phone and speaker battery, meaning music was rolling in the boat.

The river hard turned into what for all intense purpose was a massive lake. Extremely wide with no islands to duck behind for wind cover, I paddled into a slight headwind. Passing Fort Maddison, IA and Nauvoo, IL the river was at its widest point to date. A beautiful, large white church peered out towards the water from a hill near Nauvoo.

Around 5pm I pulled up to lock 19 near Keokuk, IA. As I entered what is the longest lock on the Mississippi, I asked the Lock master if he knew of a good spot to pitch a tent for the night. First, he recommended some of the islands down river, then he told me of a restaurant just down the way, the Warsaw Brewing Company.

Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Good People, Mississippi StoriesWill CollinsMay 27, 2019Nauvoo, Keokuk, Fort MadisonComment

Day 51 Mississippi River

I woke up after a cold and damp night hopeful for sun. I unzipped the tent door and peaked outside to find heavy cloud cover and mist once again. Dang it.

After the discouraging start it took me an hour or so to get moving and pack up my belongings inside the tent. With the rainfly still soaked from the the past 3 days of moisture I decided to keep it separate from the rest of my sleeping essentials in an effort to mitigate any seeping that could/would occur had they been packed together.

I moseyed around the morning mist in my rain gear, feeling a bit down about my circumstances. I was cold and wet, and had spent the past 3 days in the same condition, and to top it all off I had missed rendezvous with helpful folks offering warm beds the past two nights.

Iowa, Illinois, Hard times, StormsWill CollinsMay 27, 2019BurlingtonComment

Day 49 Mississippi River

The morning sky was painted with a blanket of dark grey clouds. The forecast called for rain and wind today, and based off the cool air and uninviting cloud cover it looked as though the prediction was spot on.

After a quick breakfast I broke camp and hit the water at a decent hour. Much of the morning consisted of on and off again rain showers. By noon the rain fell consistently, with a fair headwind chipping in as well. In my rain jacket, pants and boots I continued to paddle, and by mid afternoon arrived at lock 16, just above Muscatine, IA. As I entered the chamber I asked the Lock master if there was a good place in town to stop and dry off at. He recommend the Mississippi Brewing Company, and with that I heeded his advice.

As the wind picked up and the rain rolled on I ferried across the river to the local marina. Pulling up to a public dock, I unloaded the boat and lifted the empty canoe up onto the floating walkway. A short jaunt across a railroad track and down a few blocks of downtown Muscatine put me outside the neon lights of the Mississippi Brewing Co.

Good People, Iowa, Storms, Hard times, Mississippi StoriesWill CollinsMay 27, 2019MuscatineComment

Day 48 Mississippi River

As I came to in the morning, I stuck my head out of the tent. A massive barge was parked just off shore from my camp waiting to enter the nearby lock. As I made oatmeal and coffee the engine fired up and a blow horn from the the lock signaled the all clear for the barge to enter. Shortly after hitting the water toward the Quad Cities I received a message from an old family friend, Ben L. I had forgotten that Ben lived in the Quad Cities, and he reached out, asking if I was available to grab dinner that evening. Being that it was still mid morning and East Moline was a short distance away, I told him that sadly dinner wouldn't work, as I would be cruising through town shortly. Luckily, Ben was able to get away for lunch, so we made plans to meet for a quick bite.

I paddled to a public boat launch and met Ben around 11:30am. He helped me to unload the boat, and we stashed the gear and canoe on a nearby dock. It had been years since I'd seen Ben, and it was great to catch up. He had stayed with my family for a time when I was in high school and he was working his first job as a psychologist at DeKalb High.

Good People, Illinois, IowaWill CollinsMay 27, 2019Davenport, Quad Cities, East MolineComment

Day 47 Mississippi River

After a great night spent with my cousins, I woke up with plans of meeting them for breakfast. Sandy and I drove to the Mississippi Cafe in Albany, IL to meet them. A delicious meal of ham and eggs filled me up, as did talk around the table.

After the meal Katie, Bart and the boys headed back home toward Genoa, IL. Sandy and I drove across the river to Clinton, IA to hit the nearest grocery store. I stocked up on food for the coming days.

We drove the 20 or so minutes back to Sandy's and began packing up the gear I had set out to dry, refilling my water bottles and loading the boat. With the sun shining for the first time in 3 days it was almost as if it was meant to be that I had taken the weekend off with Sandy and family and was set to hit the river once again. I gave a heartfelt thank you to Sandy for her extreme generosity in hosting both me and my family, and pushed off from shore. Sandy stood on the raised bank, waving as I coasted away. A few doors down I recognized one of the gentlemen who had throw his wife the 60th birthday party. He waved and gave me a shout - I returned it with a "Thanks for having me to the party!!".

Illinois, Iowa, Good PeopleWill CollinsMay 27, 2019Quad Cities, Albany, ClintonComment

Day 46 Mississippi River

After a late morning of sleeping in I walked next door to Sandy's house for breakfast. Today would be an off day on the river. My parents planned to come and visit in the morning, while my cousins planned to drive out in the early evening and stay the night.

After several cups of coffee my Mom and Dad arrived at Sandy's place mid morning. The four of us sat around the table and talked while taking in the view of the river. Rain, wind and cloud cover dominated the area, making my day off seem even more satisfying. After sharing conversations and watching College Game (where my brother was seen on TV waving a Colorado Buffs flag outside of his hometown of Dallas, TX), my parents and I set out to grab lunch and check out the river town of Le Claire, IA.

The downtown area of Le Claire was full of activity on this Saturday, despite the light rain sprinkling on and off again. We walked the street, popping into shops here and there and grabbing lunch at the Blue Iguana, a local Mexican joint. We also stopped by American Archeology, home of the TV show "American Pickers". Being as none of us had seen the show, other patrons seemed much more enthusiastic about the shop, taking pictures with the sign and buying souvenirs to prove they had been.

Good People, Illinois, IowaWill CollinsMay 26, 2019Le Claire, CordovaComment

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.

Iowa, Good PeopleWill CollinsMay 26, 2019Sabula, ClintonComment

Day 43 Mississippi River - Sabula, IA - Iowa's only Island City

Sabula, IA - Iowa's only Island City

I woke up on the sandy bank of an Island across the river near Bellevue, IA. I had stumbled upon the site the night before, after going through Lock and Dam 12 at dusk. As I pulled out of the lock, a barge was waiting on downriver side. With my headlamp showing a small red light, I exited the lock and paddled directly next to the waiting barge. On my Marine radio I heard the Lock Master call to the towboat.

"Captain, just wanted to give you a heads up we have a real tiny canoe leaving the lock"

The captain radioed back "yup- I can see his tiny little red light"

Relived that my head lamp actually provided a small safety net, I cruised by the massive barge and began looking for camp. I found the sandy bank by accident when I literally almost ran into it. It was a pleasant surprise being that it was dark and getting late.

Iowa, Good PeopleWill CollinsMay 26, 2019Bellevue, SabulaComment

Day 38 Mississippi River

After waking up in Pikes Peak campground, Peter and I packed up his blue Chevy Colorado and drove around the corner to a lookout area from atop the Iowa Bluffs. As we peered out from the stone outcropping, the Mississippi River Valley stretched the horizon. A blue sky and gorgeous sun greeted us. Across the water on the opposite shore Wisconsin's namesake river meandered into the Miss, draining much of the States watershed into the valley. Upriver we could see Praire Du Chien, WI. Down river the trees and winding path of the Miss looked inviting.
After talking and snapping a few photos we walked back to the truck and descended down the bluffs back to the valley floor.

We made a stop at Huckleberry's family restaurant for breakfast. A fitting name for a restaurant on the banks of the Mississippi. After grub and a few more stops along the river the two of us drove back upstream toward where Peter had originally picked me up. We unloaded all the gear from the truck, and with Petes help repacked the boat. With that Peter headed out with plans of driving south to Illinois for the weekend.

Good People, Wisconsin, IowaWill CollinsMay 26, 2019Praire Du ChienComment

Day 37 Mississippi River

I popped my head out of the tent first thing in the morning to find a cloud engulfing the river. Thick fog had socked in camp, and hung around so low and dense that seeing the opposite shore wasn't an option, let alone around the next bend. Knowing that the mid morning sun would eventually burn off the haze, I enjoyed a slow AM that gave way to reading, knocking out a few posts, and a few cups of Joe.

With the Iowa/Minnesota border a mile or so down river I was soaking up my last breaths of Minnesota air. 36 days spent canoeing this great state. From the trickling headwaters at Lake Itasca, filled with swampland and waterfowl, to the swimming black bear near Grand Rapids, the turning tree tops of Brainerd, the city skyline of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the towering bluffs of the driftless, hundreds if not thousands of bald eagles, deer, beaver, and of course the amazing people. On a few occasions I heard folks toss around the phrase "Minnesota Nice", which is what I've come to realize as the norther equivalent of "Souther Hospitality". The past 36 days have proved to me that Minnesota Nice is more than a saying or a slogan. It's a northern way of life. And I'm damn thankful to have been able to experience it in its truest form- via canoe on the Mighty Mississippi.

Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Good People, VideoWill CollinsMay 26, 2019Praire Du ChienComment

103 Days. 2,300+ solo miles. A pen, pad, camera and the adventure of a lifetime. Crossing America by Canoe. A Mississippi River story.