Overview
The Big Getter Voyage Map
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In the summer of 2008 I will be taking a pontoon houseboat down the Mississippi River from Minneapolis St. Paul to the Gulf of Mexico. It will be my home and vessel as I descend the mighty Mississip. This will be a healthy and relaxing trip, an adventure worth experiencing, and a good-livin-hell-of-a-time. For six years this trip has been living as a fantastical goal within me. I know the beginning is around the bend, and that makes me smile like I just lost my training wheels.
The boat is not traditional in many ways except for that it floats. It is a unique HPB (human powered boat) that in basic appearance looks like a hybrid between a cataraft on steroids and a traditional houseboat. There are four different systems of propulsion that can be operated individually or in conjunction with one another. Its primary form of power comes from two pedal-driven-propeller stations located at the stern on both sides of the boat. They resemble recumbent bicycles with a propeller instead of wheels. In addition, there is a set of oars for rowing on the front deck. The boat also has, for those occasions when the current is strong, sweeps that can be operated from the top of the cabin. Sweeps are long oars that resemble gigantic hockey sticks. They protrude fore and aft of the boat and are used for steering and lateral movement but not necessarily to gain downstream momentum. Lastly there is an outboard motor that can be used in emergencies, for safety and to make up lost time.
The 3-foot diameter inflatable pontoons are 22 feet long and are attached to a frame constructed from 2” Aluminum pipe. The frame also doubles as the skeletal structure, which supports a hanging floor, two side decks, a front deck and a cabin. Plywood that is cut to the right dimensions and fastened to the aluminum pipe forms the floor and decks. As for the cabin, it is waterproof nylon, canvas and mesh all sewn together and fitted around the aluminum pipe. Inside the cabin there are four berths, a living area, a kitchen and storage. Oh yeah there is a bathroom too, outfitted with all the amenities a camping king would expect.
From June through August I’ll weave approximately 1800 miles through 10 states to the ever-nearing Gulf Coast. Geographically speaking the Mississippi River is separated into two sections, the upper and lower, with the dividing point lying at the confluence with the Ohio River. Both section are as unique as they are long and will offer a river front glimpse at Middle America. One major difference of the Upper Mississippi is that it is a series of pools created by channel dams, while the lower half is free flowing. Due to this, the average current will be much faster downstream of the Ohio River. Along the way I will ‘lock through’ 27 locks, visit the homes of Mark Twain and Elvis, dodge barge traffic, and do some fishing and sunbathing. I intend to explore as much as possible, learn what I can and enjoy life to brim.
If you’d like to come, believe me, I want you to. In fact, I want as much company as possible. The cabin will sleep four, so I hope to have three others with me at all times. The invitation is open to everyone and anyone, family, friends, friends of friends, and especially to characters I meet along the way. There is an itinerary in the blog archive that will help you choose when, where and for how long you would like to join the adventure. Don't worry; I expect the trip will take me 100 days, so you'll have all summer to fit in a Mississippi get-a-way.
Navigation Tips
Once you have selected a blog from the blog archive you will have to scroll down to view it. ;)
Blog Archive
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2008
(131)
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August
(24)
- Day 61 - Still in Memphis
- Day 62 - Last day in Memphis
- Day 63, 33 Miles – Memphis to 2 miles above Tunica
- Day 64, 45 Miles – Above Tunica to MM 657 (below H...
- Day 65, 48 Miles – MM 657 to Island No. 69 (MM 612)
- Day 66, 40 Miles – MM 612 to MM 572
- Day 67, 27 Miles - MM 575 to MM 548
- Day 68, 31 Miles - MM 548 to MM 517
- Day 69, 51 Miles - MM 517 to MM 466
- Day 70, 23 Miles - MM 466 to MM 443
- Day 71, 6 Miles - MM 443 to Vicksburg
- Day 72 - Lay over in Vicksburg
- Day 73, 28 miles - Vicksburg to MM 409
- Day 74, 46 Miles - MM 409 to Natchez
- Day 75, 27 Miles - Natchez to MM 336
- Day 76, 36 Miles - MM 336 to MM 300
- Day 77, 35 Miles – MM 300 to St. Francisville Ferry
- Day 78, 30 Miles – MM 265 to Baton Rouge
- Day 79, 41 Miles – Baton Rouge to Bayou Goula (MM ...
- Day 80, 43 Miles – MM 194 to MM 151
- "67 here, 'bout to flip out"
- Day 81, 26 Miles - MM 149 to MM 123
- Day 82, MM 123 to Algiers Canal (MM89)
- More soon
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August
(24)
"67 here, 'bout to flip out"
So the industry and barge traffic has increased exponentially over the last two days and I now listen to the VHF radio religiously. Although I don't speak that often it is fun to listen to all the rough and rugged river jargon of the tug boat captains, not to mention the invaluable knowledge of what is happening around me. Sometimes however, I don't understand the colorful language and have to wait until after the fact to decipher the meaning. Here's an example. Kathy and I were startled one time as one of those huge ocean going ships honked. I automatically assumed I was doing something wrong but was unaware of what that could be. Immediately I turned up the volume on the radio and heard "67 here, 'bout to flip out." I never had heard anyone announce that the were about to go postal and thought that our society should be required to honk a horn before they went ballistic or became irate. It would be the civil way to be uncivilized. Soon however the ship, which was anchored, had pulled in its anchor and began to turn around, or 'flip out.' Another amusing comment I heard was, "Ah, by the time you get here, you'll have plenty of daylight, see ya on the two whistle." That translates to: you'll have plenty of room to pass me on the right. It has been a ball listening to and learning a little bit of river slang. I also heard "He's dragging his feet all the way to work" and "I got more space than asia." At one point in time I was listening into a conversation about me. One tug boat pilot was alerting another northbound barge that was around the bend that I was in the channel. He said "you got a little motorboat, raft, house, ..... it's hard to describe, you'll see it, blue pontoons, crazy looking little animal." I got a real grin out of that one.
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