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.  ;)  

Day 79, 41 Miles – Baton Rouge to Bayou Goula (MM 194)

Hurley's dredging arm and the upper Baton Rouge bridge

Beautiful Baton Rouge

Grain loader

I woke up in a fine mood and feeling much better than yesterday. Kathy and I launched before we even made coffee, determined to make some miles to what looked like one of the only safe anchorages in the next 50 miles. Shortly after we pulled the sand stakes we were floating by Hurley closer than 100 feet. We got out in the channel and I climbed up top to drop in the stern sweep while Kathy made a pot of coffee. For the next 14 miles I stood up top waving to truck drivers, yelling good morning to factory employees and dodging barge traffic; all the while sipping coffee and enjoying the industrial surrounding. It was a fine morning indeed. Soon after passing the lower bridge the mechanical banks thinned into the tree lined shore that we have known for the last 500 miles. Over the next 20 plus miles the river maintained it's natural beauty and sparsely populated banks. It was near on dark when we found a sand bar just a few miles upstream from our goal anchorage. We decided to gamble sand and land fall against anchoring in a side channel. After dinner we played an intense game of cards in the cabin, which offered some protection against the biting insects, and after the fierce but friendly competition we emerged for fresh air. "wowsers," I said as a massive sea ship passed by us north bound. Kathy and I both watched in awe as the behemoth sailed by. The ship was about on the same latitude with us when their wake came soaring up the beach. "Kathy, we are about to get hit hard," I yelled and we both maneuvered to the downstream side of the Big Getter. Our weight helped stabilize our vessel but the wake was so strong it rocked one of our stake loose. Neither one of us wanted to deal with that kind of motion all night long so we high tailed it to Bayou Goula, the safe haven that we had originally set out for. It was dark by the time we dropped anchor but went to sleep with out concern of 'waking' up.

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