Hard to believe this humble stream will eventually become the mighty Big Muddy.

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These narrow little channel cut-offs were sometimes a great shortcut around a long bend in the river. However trying to film and paddle at the same time didn’t work out so well.
This was on Day 2 of the expedition–traveling through the rice marshes in Northern Minnesota.

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At nearly 10 miles across, being in the middle of this lake was like crossing the open ocean! It took a good hour of pedaling before I could even make out the far shore.

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Just down river from Grand Rapids, MN.

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This little plane made a couple passes over me, on my way into Brainerd, MN.

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Believe it or not, I caught up with the the plane as it was docking. The pilot was returning from his job at a nearby regional airport and lives on the shores of the river, upstream from Brainerd. Talk about a great commute!!!

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The river plunged over the Falls off to the left, behind the big yellow barricades. It was pretty spooky to be paddling so close to a waterfall, but the current didn’t feel strong enough to make it actually dangerous. My canoeing companions Kyle and Stephanie are alongside.

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This was an unsettling experience! As the water level dropped, the concrete walls slowly loomed above us. There was lots of creaking and groaning and when I looked behind I could see the river spilling through the teeth of the dam.

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Demonstration at Fort Snelling during a living history exhibition.

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I saw many of these guys along the Upper Mississippi, and they always made a mad dash for the water upon my approach. I finally had a chance to grab some footage, but I’m so far away that it’s rather unspectacular… I was kind of hoping the embankment would be so steep that he would tumble and cartwheel down, as some of them did. Just upriver from La Crosse, WI.

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Here I am at the National Mississippi River History Museum in Dubuque, Iowa, retracing my progress down the river so far.

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This was the hardest rainfall of the whole trip. Visibility was terrible. I just had to put my head down and grind it out. Fortunately it didn’t last too long, and the rest of the day was actually quite pleasant!

Just south of E Davenport, IA.

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What timing! You can see how high the river is in this video–well above flood stage. In fact, from a distance I was very concerned that I wouldn’t fit under the bridge!

The Great River Road (hwy 9) is above the railroad tracks.

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The constant winds often made the water very choppy and unpleasant. I tried to capture some of the turbulence here. This was taken south of Nauvoo, IL. It is one of the wider parts of the entire river, and dammed up at Keokuk, IA which contributes to the waves.

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I have no idea what this was, but it reminded me of the timed fountains you sometimes see in city parks or plazas. Seeing as how this was outside of some kind of industrial plant, it was a little disturbing to think what was causing it…

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Sometimes the river would be quite cluttered with Industry. Here I pass a large gravel plant on one side, and a brace of barges motoring upstream on the other.

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As soon as I hit Memphis I made a beeline for Beale Street, and was greeted by this parade. (I pretended it was in honor of my arrival!)

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I just lucked out to arrive in Memphis the night of this show. It was a fundraiser at an amphitheater in Overton Park, walking distance from where I was staying. As you can see, I had a front row seat in the grass!

I’ve always liked this song, but it’s been rehashed in so many commercials and films that it started to lose its charm. Hearing it live reminded me what a WICKED groove it lays down!

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This topographic replica of the river reproduces it’s journey from Cairo, IL to the Gulf. It was definitley fun to walk alongside it and contemplate the many miles I had traveled to get to Memphis, and the miles yet in store.

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In Louisiana the river was lined with chemical plants, giant towers spouting flame, and maze-like pipelines. It was incredible to see how unabashedly the river was made to serve the needs of Commerce and Industry.

God only knows what this black stuff being spewed into the river was! Needless to say, by this point I was hesitant to even let the river water drip on me!

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OK, so he was motoring, not sailing. And it wasn’t really into the sunset, but rather into the harsh glare of the noonday sun over the petrochemical plants of Louisiana…
Nevertheless, Andrew was a worthy companion for those last 3 days and I hope his journey continued on with great success.

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I just happened upon this performance while wandering around.

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This video doesn’t do them justice, but I just happened upon these guys playing late at night on Frenchman Street. They put on a great show and I had to stick around and boogie for a little bit. If anyone can identify them let me know!

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It took me awhile to realize that this used to be a densely populated neighborhood. All that was left now was the occasional driveway. Amazing at how quickly nature moved to reclaim the space.