Trip Log of Robert Youens

[Youens-sister]

Post 11-25, Day 72:
Monday afternoon was rainy. I was able to make about 33 miles, but the rain made it slow going.

Today it was cooold! – but once I got going conditions were pretty good. Paddled 53 mile and camped about 11 miles from Vicksburg, MS. I plan to stop there and call a Taxi for a grocery shopping trip. The plan is to load up and make this my last stop till New Orleans.

[Lee Schneidermann]

Happy Thanksgiving Robert. Godspeed to you!

Lee

[Youens-sister]

Answer to Judy’s Question for the Day 72: On March 12, 1894, the popular soft drink Coca-Cola was bottled for the first time in Vicksburg, MS by Joseph Biedenharn, a local confectioner. Today, surviving nineteenth-century Biedenharn soda bottles are prized by collectors of Coca-Cola memorabilia, and his candy store is the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum.

[Youens-sister]

Lee, Thanks for the best wishes. I'll make sure Robert gets the message.

Post 11-26, Day 73

Robert called from Vicksburg, sounding like a kid at Christmas. “You won’t believe where I am”. As he pulled into the harbor, they were christening the new towboat “Melody Golding”. He caught the end of a sort of open house. He called from the Captains chair (there is a Captain, Reserve Captain and a Pilot). There were 4 computer screens, 11 satelite instruments and a fax machine. The leather furniture in the galleys and quarters along with the uniformed crew, made it look like a 5 star hotel.

The shopping trip took a little while but I’m really loaded. Ready to get to New Orleans, rain or shine.

[Youens-sister]

Answer to Judy’s Question for the Day 73 Natchez was settled by the French in 1716 and is the oldest permanent settlement on the Mississippi River. Natchez once had 500 millionaires, more than any other city except New York City. Source – 50states.com

[Youens-sister]

Post 11-27, Day 74 – Thanksgiving

The day started normally, but got interesting. I was out by 6:45 am and soon passed a 30’ sailboat, tied up. As the morning went on, he caught me and we visited for a few minutes. The captain was Shawn Wegann, an offshore worker from Morgan City, La. He wanted a sailboat and had found a really good deal on the internet. He flew to Iowa and was sailing the boat home. Except, he was motoring – the wind on the river today was not good for sailing.

About 3:00 pm, a fog started rolling in. I was definitely surprised and started looking for a place to stop – going from bouy to bouy, with very little visibility. I had been on the outside of a bend in the river, staying with the current. I could hear a towboat coming from downstream so I pulled in closer to shore. About this time I noticed a protrusion of land in the bend. I have seen this phenomena 3 times before. About ¼ mile behind the towboat, as it passes the protrusion, a massive 5’ tall breaking wave crashes. In the fog, it was scary. I realized, I needed to be on the other side of the river to find a place to camp – I listened really hard for a minute before I took off across the river.

I’m now safe and settled in I paddled 51 miles today, leaving about 288 miles to New Orleans. Now I can relax and to eat my Thanksgiving dinner.

[Youens-sister]

Post 11-28, Day 75

It’s a real “Black Friday” here. There is a heavy fog – nothings moving on the river.

(From Judy: He had hoped the fog would lift and he’d be back on the river in a few hours – but, )
The fog got thicker instead of lifting. I heard a couple of towboats, so I walked down to the river to look. Couldn’t see a thing until they were right in front of me. They must be guiding those barges down the river hi-tech style. With all the sophisticated electronics, I guess its like playing a computer game. I don’t trust them to see anything the size of a canoe. Then to add to the misery I just got a report of heavy rain heading this way. Time to secure everything!

[Youens-sister]

Answer to Judy’s Question for the Day 74: Shoes were first sold as pairs in 1884 at Phil Gilbert's Shoe Parlor in Vicksburg, MS. (Source: Vicksburg, MS website)

[Lee Schneidermann]

I'm curious if Robert will be publishing a "travel-log" of pictures from his trip? If so, will it be on this, or a different web-site?

Lee

[Youens-sister]

Post 11-29, Day 76
To Lee: Robert owns the domain name RobertYouens.com and hopes to get it up when he gets home. He has lots of good pictures that he plans to link to that site.

Robert called a little after 6:00am this morning. I drug myself to the computer and we talked weather forecasts, today, the 5 day, etc.. I told him the fog should lift later in the day, but he was ready to go – tired of sitting in the fog. He’s looking at some rain in the next few days, but the forecast shows some good days too!

Paddling in the fog on the Mississippi is not a good thing, but Robert is “one with his canoe” and understands the river. (That may sound like hokum, but it’s true). He was out by 10:45 am, hugging the bank in the fog until it lifted slightly about 2:00 pm.

He listens to the towboats on his marine band radio. Late in the day, he heard one say to another “Did you see that canoe with a death wish – paddling in the fog”. He got on the radio to tell them he was out of the channel (the main current) and watching out for them.

It was about 5:00 pm and 35 miles down the river, when he stopped to camp. A couple of hunters spotted him and stopped to say hello. Of course, they were amazed to find out he had come from Lake Itasca, Minnesota. The rain started just as he got the tent up.

[Lee Schneidermann]

I have thought about Robert daily since I first stumbled acrossed this site. It is very easy to romanticize the notion of a trip like this. It is quite another to endure through it.
I think it's remarkable that we have been allowed to glimpse at this incredible undertaking while in the comfort of a dry, heated, electrically lit environ. I pray he will safely finish his course.
I'm sure that he, and everyone his achievement has touched, will be the better for it.
Thank you again for keeping us all "in touch" with Robert.

Lee

[Youens-sister]

Post 11-30, Day 77
To Lee: I was overwhelmed by your thoughtful post. Your words will mean a great deal to Robert.

I hope to go with Robert’s wive Deborah to pick him up in New Orleans next week-end.

Thank you for joining the trip. Judy

[Youens-sister]

Answer to Judy’s Question for the Day 75: The capitol of Louisiana is Baton Rouge. It. is located on the Mississippi River at a site upon Istrouma Bluff, the first bluff upriver from the Mississippi delta. The bluff protects the city from flooding and other natural disasters.

“Baton Rouge” is french for red stick. Indians had placed a red stick at the site to divide the tribes.

[Youens-sister]

Answer to Judy’s Question for the Day 77: From the Gulf past New Orleans, to Baton Rouge
a 45 foot channel is maintained to allow ocean-going vessels access to the ports.

[Youens-sister]

Post 12-1, Day 78,

The journey has ended.

From Robert: The weather and family responsibilities have determined - “It’s time to stop”.

Yesterday there were 5’ to 7’ waves on the river. Wind gusts were registered at 39 MPH. From the bank, I watched as waves broke over the top of barges. I got a radio call through to a towboat Captain and asked him to call Deborah and let her know I was O.K. I’m still amazed at how many friendly, helpful people I have met on the river.

Today the river was under a severe weather warning, which was to continue for days. I had hoped to make it in to Baton Rouge this week-end, but the weather wasn't going to allow it. I was able to reach the Old River Control Structures. This is the area where a lock allows river traffic into the Atchafalaya Basin. I paddled into a channel out of the worst waves – then saw a sign ”no boats past this point”. I hiked up a steep bank and after a good long walk, I was in luck again. Billy Fontenot, a local hunter with a ATV in the back of his truck, came to my rescue. He made the difficult task of getting my canoe and equipment up the bank, look easy. Thanks to Billy, I’m resting in Ville Platte, LA.

I am idebted and thankful to everyone who followed the trek and sent their best wishes.

Robert Youens