We've decided to move our blog. Our new address is
http://broadadventures.tumblr.com/
Please stick with us!
 |
| With bikes near the beginning of it all: The French Broad |
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
We're Moving!
Hey Friends,
We've decided to move our blog. Our new address is
http://broadadventures.tumblr.com/
Please stick with us!
We've decided to move our blog. Our new address is
http://broadadventures.tumblr.com/
Please stick with us!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Two Lil' Girls in a Canoe
Goal to New Orleans: 1,859 miles
Paddled since last blog: 223 miles
Total paddled: 1,784 miles
To go: 75 miles
Current location: the Gulf!
Granola bars consumed since last blog: 16 Total: 153
Fun Size Snickers: 2 more bars Total: 53
Beignets consumed: 12
Days Paddled: 60
Before arriving in Baton Rouge, we were discussing the fact that we were getting a little tired of paddling due to the monotony of the mighty Mississippi. After Baton Rouge, the monotony ended, but we should have been careful what we wished for. The banks were filled with industry and fleets of barges solid until New Orleans 140 miles later. We also began to encounter gigantic ocean-going ships. The more complicated logistics due to this increase in river traffic decreased our pace and added more colorful radio conversations. Within this closer proximity, we were called:
. Two females in kayaks. Betcha they're more fit than we are. Think we can get a date?
. Two guys kayakin'
. They look like driftwood
. A couple of rough women
and our personal favorite:
. Two lil' girls in a canoe
Beyond New Orleans, the river traffic lessened with almost only tankers passing and overtaking. This was welcome and refreshing. It was hard to find camping, but the levees provided for public land with privacy although with the risk of flooding. Louisiana provided a hot ecosystem for gnats to thrive. Thankfully, gnats are crepuscular so Liddell could stop freaking out after dark. (YES! Discovered something that actually made Liddell freak out.)
So the "Gulf of Mexico" which we paddled to on Saturday may or may not have been Baptiste Collette Bayou.... But don't worry, we tasted the water and it may or may not have been salty.
As we reflect on the trip as a whole we could not have looked as good or won as much without the help and support of friends along the way. We want to acknowledge and thank the following people who made this trip possible.
Bette Fitzgerald and Mike Smith for providing boats and assorted gear
Karen Grosskreutz for 4 hours of gear R and D
Erin and Mike for their Ducky
Liz G. and James for hosting us in a fantastic basement in Asheville
Tracy, Bette, and Liz for the send off
Dock, Buckwheat, John Green, and Chrissie for paddling with us through Asheville
Team Shannon for possibly driving more miles than we paddled (with bells on)
Grandma Hruby for hosting us twice in Florence
K. Higg and Jason for hosting us in Chattanooga
Katherine Becksvoort for helping us launch in huge waves in Chattanooga
Annica for hiking to the highest point in West Tennessee with us
Callie and John David for hosting us in Memphis
McCall and Jordan for teaching us about Swamp People and hosting us in Baton Rouge
K. Doss and Andrew for showing us a good time in New Orleans
Lauren Sweeney for our favorite blog comment
Susan Lanier for being Liddell's post office box Diva
Windy and Bette for giving us insight and advice having done this trip in 1997
We also came to a big decision with the "closing" of this trip. Since we were already planning on starting the Pacific Crest Trail in San Diego in April, we're going to bike from the river to the trailhead. 2,200 miles, why not? Look for more action from Team Broad Adventures in March. Whoo leg muscles!
Paddled since last blog: 223 miles
Total paddled: 1,784 miles
To go: 75 miles
Current location: the Gulf!
Granola bars consumed since last blog: 16 Total: 153
Fun Size Snickers: 2 more bars Total: 53
Beignets consumed: 12
Days Paddled: 60
Before arriving in Baton Rouge, we were discussing the fact that we were getting a little tired of paddling due to the monotony of the mighty Mississippi. After Baton Rouge, the monotony ended, but we should have been careful what we wished for. The banks were filled with industry and fleets of barges solid until New Orleans 140 miles later. We also began to encounter gigantic ocean-going ships. The more complicated logistics due to this increase in river traffic decreased our pace and added more colorful radio conversations. Within this closer proximity, we were called:
. Two females in kayaks. Betcha they're more fit than we are. Think we can get a date?
. Two guys kayakin'
. They look like driftwood
. A couple of rough women
and our personal favorite:
. Two lil' girls in a canoe
Beyond New Orleans, the river traffic lessened with almost only tankers passing and overtaking. This was welcome and refreshing. It was hard to find camping, but the levees provided for public land with privacy although with the risk of flooding. Louisiana provided a hot ecosystem for gnats to thrive. Thankfully, gnats are crepuscular so Liddell could stop freaking out after dark. (YES! Discovered something that actually made Liddell freak out.)
So the "Gulf of Mexico" which we paddled to on Saturday may or may not have been Baptiste Collette Bayou.... But don't worry, we tasted the water and it may or may not have been salty.
As we reflect on the trip as a whole we could not have looked as good or won as much without the help and support of friends along the way. We want to acknowledge and thank the following people who made this trip possible.
Bette Fitzgerald and Mike Smith for providing boats and assorted gear
Karen Grosskreutz for 4 hours of gear R and D
Erin and Mike for their Ducky
Liz G. and James for hosting us in a fantastic basement in Asheville
Tracy, Bette, and Liz for the send off
Dock, Buckwheat, John Green, and Chrissie for paddling with us through Asheville
Team Shannon for possibly driving more miles than we paddled (with bells on)
Grandma Hruby for hosting us twice in Florence
K. Higg and Jason for hosting us in Chattanooga
Katherine Becksvoort for helping us launch in huge waves in Chattanooga
Annica for hiking to the highest point in West Tennessee with us
Callie and John David for hosting us in Memphis
McCall and Jordan for teaching us about Swamp People and hosting us in Baton Rouge
K. Doss and Andrew for showing us a good time in New Orleans
Lauren Sweeney for our favorite blog comment
Susan Lanier for being Liddell's post office box Diva
Windy and Bette for giving us insight and advice having done this trip in 1997
We also came to a big decision with the "closing" of this trip. Since we were already planning on starting the Pacific Crest Trail in San Diego in April, we're going to bike from the river to the trailhead. 2,200 miles, why not? Look for more action from Team Broad Adventures in March. Whoo leg muscles!
 |
| New Orleans Harbor |
 |
| Ocean fog |
 |
| Kara feels this way about mud |
 |
| Dang! Ships are big. |
 |
| Timer mishap |
Monday, January 23, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Swamp People
Goal to New Orleans: 1,865 miles
Paddled since last blog: 229 miles
Total paddled: 1,561 miles
To go: 304 miles
Current location: Baton Rouge
Granola bars consumed since last blog: 16 Total: 137
Fun Size Snickers: 6 more bars Total: 51
Days Paddled: 53
We have made it to Baton Rouge (translation: French: hot dog). We paddled two days through extreme fog where we decided our safest bet was to stay right along shore. We used our nautical band radio to talk to a barge parked along shore and the nice captain told us about Channel 13.
Paddling Lesson #13
If you are monitoring a channel expecting to hear barge captains talking, and they NEVER talk to each other, you are probably monitoring the wrong channel.
Now we know they talk all the time, topics include: what side they are passing on (1 or 2), the new automatic fog horn, and how much they hate kayakers. They assume that we don't have a radio and can't hear them question our sanity on Channel 13. Wrong! But Liddell doesn't like confrontation, so they still don't know. We have initiated conversations and gotten kind responses. In all honesty, most conversations and interactions have been positive, but one captain was a douchebag.
Some of our avid readers have been asking us what we think about while paddling. We have trouble answering this question due to the depth of intellectuality, but here it goes:
the water is sparkly that stick looks like a gremlin i wonder what kind of bird that is when will liddell have to pee again i'm hungry woah that tree has leaves i think it's been 3 minutes since i looked at my watch, oh crap it's been 4 how long will it take us to paddle to that red leaf up there cream cheese sounds good i haven't seen a green buoy in a while the green buoys are called can buoys red buoys are nun buoys when the barge captains say one whistle it means passing on the right like in america man some barge captains don't like us most are actually nice though i wonder if they've had bad experiences with kayakers my porgies are wet it seems like the river is turning left now i'm hungry that cloud looks like a giant staple remover i wonder if we can race this barge fried foods sound good man this sparkly water is going to give liddell really bad sunglasses burn that stick looks like a loch ness monster i wonder if that's a white pelican.......
We plan on getting to the Gulf of Mexico in about a week! Then we'll paddle the remaining 65ish miles of the French Broad when it has more water in it. Until next time, remember
Paddling Lesson #7567
On the Mississippi River, fog will never be mist.
Paddled since last blog: 229 miles
Total paddled: 1,561 miles
To go: 304 miles
Current location: Baton Rouge
Granola bars consumed since last blog: 16 Total: 137
Fun Size Snickers: 6 more bars Total: 51
Days Paddled: 53
We have made it to Baton Rouge (translation: French: hot dog). We paddled two days through extreme fog where we decided our safest bet was to stay right along shore. We used our nautical band radio to talk to a barge parked along shore and the nice captain told us about Channel 13.
Paddling Lesson #13
If you are monitoring a channel expecting to hear barge captains talking, and they NEVER talk to each other, you are probably monitoring the wrong channel.
Now we know they talk all the time, topics include: what side they are passing on (1 or 2), the new automatic fog horn, and how much they hate kayakers. They assume that we don't have a radio and can't hear them question our sanity on Channel 13. Wrong! But Liddell doesn't like confrontation, so they still don't know. We have initiated conversations and gotten kind responses. In all honesty, most conversations and interactions have been positive, but one captain was a douchebag.
Some of our avid readers have been asking us what we think about while paddling. We have trouble answering this question due to the depth of intellectuality, but here it goes:
the water is sparkly that stick looks like a gremlin i wonder what kind of bird that is when will liddell have to pee again i'm hungry woah that tree has leaves i think it's been 3 minutes since i looked at my watch, oh crap it's been 4 how long will it take us to paddle to that red leaf up there cream cheese sounds good i haven't seen a green buoy in a while the green buoys are called can buoys red buoys are nun buoys when the barge captains say one whistle it means passing on the right like in america man some barge captains don't like us most are actually nice though i wonder if they've had bad experiences with kayakers my porgies are wet it seems like the river is turning left now i'm hungry that cloud looks like a giant staple remover i wonder if we can race this barge fried foods sound good man this sparkly water is going to give liddell really bad sunglasses burn that stick looks like a loch ness monster i wonder if that's a white pelican.......
We plan on getting to the Gulf of Mexico in about a week! Then we'll paddle the remaining 65ish miles of the French Broad when it has more water in it. Until next time, remember
Paddling Lesson #7567
On the Mississippi River, fog will never be mist.
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| birds |
 |
| Kara's dream home |
 |
| Typical house |
 |
| fog |
 |
| Hot Dog |
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Ambient Sounds
Goal to New Orleans: 1865 miles
Paddled since last blog: 278 miles
Total paddled: 1332 miles
To go: 533 miles
Current location: near Lake Providence, LA on the Mississippi River
Granola bars consumed since last blog: 17 Total: 121
Fun Size Snickers: 2 more bars Total: 45
Days Paddled: 47
We left Memphis on December 31, 2011. That night we saw fireworks "waaaay out there." We can see really far because it is so flat! We were inspired by how festive they made us feel so saved our daily allotment of Lindor chocolate balls for midnight. We woke up at midnight and counted down then watched the ball(s) drop.
Then on New Year's Day we met with Team Shannon who had gone to the Liberty Bowl (Go Dores!) the day before. We had a tailgate in the Fitzgerald's Casino parking lot in Tunica, Mississippi.
We have left Arkansas so hopefully Liddell will stop singing:
"Arkansas, Arkansas, I just love old Arkansas.
I love my Ma, I love my Pa, but I just love old Arkansas"
We have finished our longest read aloud book, "Rising Tide," and though we don't play favorites, this is one of our top four thus far on the trip. The book was completely based on the lower Mississippi so we enjoyed paddling right by places we were reading about.
Paddling Lesson 87
Don't paddle under bridge construction.
After paddling by Greenville, MS, we chose a campsite near a parked barge. While reading "Rising Tide" a tugboat with 42 barges pulled up right off shore of our campsite and shined bright lights on our campsite for about an hour. Though it was difficult to tell with lights in our eyes, we believe that smaller tugs came and took one barge at a time from the large tow. But again, it was extremely difficult to comprehend the process. Then, we were awakened by the loudest closest motor y'all have ever heard. Though only 5:45 am, we considered getting up and leaving because we wouldn't be able to sleep more. We were happily surprised when we woke up at 7:45 (with the motors still loud). Apparently the ambient sound helped us sleep through our alarm. We packed up and it was a little disconcerting having captains in 3 tugs watching the whole morning routine. One of the tows was so close, Kara nearly hit it when getting off the beach. That one had barges with liquids and every barge had its own engine that was big and loud.
Paddling Lesson 46
Don't camp near parked barges.
We've seen some large birds of prey and think that they may be immature bald eagles... because of the farting.
Paddled since last blog: 278 miles
Total paddled: 1332 miles
To go: 533 miles
Current location: near Lake Providence, LA on the Mississippi River
Granola bars consumed since last blog: 17 Total: 121
Fun Size Snickers: 2 more bars Total: 45
Days Paddled: 47
We left Memphis on December 31, 2011. That night we saw fireworks "waaaay out there." We can see really far because it is so flat! We were inspired by how festive they made us feel so saved our daily allotment of Lindor chocolate balls for midnight. We woke up at midnight and counted down then watched the ball(s) drop.
Then on New Year's Day we met with Team Shannon who had gone to the Liberty Bowl (Go Dores!) the day before. We had a tailgate in the Fitzgerald's Casino parking lot in Tunica, Mississippi.
We have left Arkansas so hopefully Liddell will stop singing:
"Arkansas, Arkansas, I just love old Arkansas.
I love my Ma, I love my Pa, but I just love old Arkansas"
We have finished our longest read aloud book, "Rising Tide," and though we don't play favorites, this is one of our top four thus far on the trip. The book was completely based on the lower Mississippi so we enjoyed paddling right by places we were reading about.
Paddling Lesson 87
Don't paddle under bridge construction.
After paddling by Greenville, MS, we chose a campsite near a parked barge. While reading "Rising Tide" a tugboat with 42 barges pulled up right off shore of our campsite and shined bright lights on our campsite for about an hour. Though it was difficult to tell with lights in our eyes, we believe that smaller tugs came and took one barge at a time from the large tow. But again, it was extremely difficult to comprehend the process. Then, we were awakened by the loudest closest motor y'all have ever heard. Though only 5:45 am, we considered getting up and leaving because we wouldn't be able to sleep more. We were happily surprised when we woke up at 7:45 (with the motors still loud). Apparently the ambient sound helped us sleep through our alarm. We packed up and it was a little disconcerting having captains in 3 tugs watching the whole morning routine. One of the tows was so close, Kara nearly hit it when getting off the beach. That one had barges with liquids and every barge had its own engine that was big and loud.
Paddling Lesson 46
Don't camp near parked barges.
We've seen some large birds of prey and think that they may be immature bald eagles... because of the farting.
Friday, December 30, 2011
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Goal to New Orleans: 1865 miles
Paddled since last blog: 237 miles
Total paddled: 1059 miles
To go: 806 miles
Current location: Memphis, TN on the Mississippi River
Granola bars consumed since last blog: 18 Total: 104
Fun Size Snickers: 4 more bars Total: 43
Days paddled: 40
Since our last blog post, we have been riding the current of the Mighty Mississippi River. We continue to be astounded by how enormously huge this river is. We were also surprised by the irregularities of the current that presumably are caused by features far below the surface. The topography of the Mississippi River valley is notably flatter than that of the French Broad, the Tennessee, or the Ohio. It's nucking futs how flat this region is! In fact, according to John Barry in Rising Tide, our current book, the average slope of the river is, "3 inches to a mile."
We have started filling large water jugs at municipal sources as opposed to filtering the river. We chose to do this because the river is brown and drains 41% of the continental United States! And as we all know, Americans are dirty and we don't want their wash water. Another interesting feature of the Mississippi is the mud. Although the bank often appears to be packed sand, it's usually mud. By topping her boots in the mud, Kara intimately learned
Paddling Lesson #79
The reason you've heard of Mississippi Mud is it sticks with you.
Not knowing what kind of mileage we would have, we were excited Christmas Day by our distance record of 40 miles. We felt so empowered by our feat that we decided to push the envelope and go for gold. The idea was beyond the pail, but we challenged ourselves to paddle 60 miles in one day. Our strategy involved 1) No hot breakfast, 2) Actually getting up with the alarm, 3) Skip lunch and opt for granola bars while on the water, 4) Paddle until dark. Though we did achieve our goal, we learned
Paddling Lesson #27
If you think paddling 60 miles and eating nothing but granola bars is a good idea, you're wrong.
Now we are in Memphis enjoying much needed showers and laundry.
PS We saw the Delta Mariner again, this time headed back down river.
Paddled since last blog: 237 miles
Total paddled: 1059 miles
To go: 806 miles
Current location: Memphis, TN on the Mississippi River
Granola bars consumed since last blog: 18 Total: 104
Fun Size Snickers: 4 more bars Total: 43
Days paddled: 40
Since our last blog post, we have been riding the current of the Mighty Mississippi River. We continue to be astounded by how enormously huge this river is. We were also surprised by the irregularities of the current that presumably are caused by features far below the surface. The topography of the Mississippi River valley is notably flatter than that of the French Broad, the Tennessee, or the Ohio. It's nucking futs how flat this region is! In fact, according to John Barry in Rising Tide, our current book, the average slope of the river is, "3 inches to a mile."
We have started filling large water jugs at municipal sources as opposed to filtering the river. We chose to do this because the river is brown and drains 41% of the continental United States! And as we all know, Americans are dirty and we don't want their wash water. Another interesting feature of the Mississippi is the mud. Although the bank often appears to be packed sand, it's usually mud. By topping her boots in the mud, Kara intimately learned
Paddling Lesson #79
The reason you've heard of Mississippi Mud is it sticks with you.
Not knowing what kind of mileage we would have, we were excited Christmas Day by our distance record of 40 miles. We felt so empowered by our feat that we decided to push the envelope and go for gold. The idea was beyond the pail, but we challenged ourselves to paddle 60 miles in one day. Our strategy involved 1) No hot breakfast, 2) Actually getting up with the alarm, 3) Skip lunch and opt for granola bars while on the water, 4) Paddle until dark. Though we did achieve our goal, we learned
Paddling Lesson #27
If you think paddling 60 miles and eating nothing but granola bars is a good idea, you're wrong.
Now we are in Memphis enjoying much needed showers and laundry.
PS We saw the Delta Mariner again, this time headed back down river.
Friday, December 23, 2011
There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch?
Goal to New Orleans: 1865 miles
Paddled since last blog: 122 miles
Total paddled: 822 miles
To go: 1043 miles
Current location: Illinois on the Ohio River
Granola bars consumed since last blog: 12
Total: 86
Fun Size Snickers: 4 more bars
Total: 39
Days paddled: 34
We had a great visit with Annica with free hot showers, Super Walmart resupply, watching a multiple hour arrest go down, Ranger Justin, and hiking to the highest point in West Tennessee (669 feet). We learned
Paddling Lesson #112
If there's a warrant for your arrest, don't park where park rangers patrol.
We entered Kentucky and paddled next to Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area which has elk and bison! We saw a bunch of bald eagles. If anybody knows what an adolescent bald eagle looks like, let us know in a comment because we think we saw several... We also paddled up close to a large flock of white pelicans! That was cool.
There's been a lot of barges, a majority carrying coal. In Kentucky, barge captains wave back to us! As we were finishing locking through Kentucky Lock, a barge operator actually radioed us. The barges have been good neighbors to us on the river and extended their reach to shore....
We decided it was about time for a rainy lunch when we happened upon a gazebo. We happily paddled toward it and we noticed a man with a camo boat using the ramp. We were surprised by his cotton wearing in the rain and were confused what the fuck he was doing. We had a short interaction as we darted to the gazebo. He quickly sped off in his boat leaving his van on the ramp, and while we were eating lunch, we were commenting on how slowly the passing barge was going. While surveying the scene, we saw our boater man pull up and make an exchange with a person on board. Then the barge sped up and the man returned to the boat ramp. Upon returning, the man headed towards us with a crate and was disappointed to discover how quickly we had eaten our lunch. After some confusion, he explained that when he told the barge chef what we were doing, she packaged a warm lunch for us. It contained 2 CoolWhip containers of gumbo (duct taped with love to prevent spills), fried shrimp, fried catfish, French fries, 2 Sprites, and even spoons! Christmas came early and this has made 5 great meals for Liddell. Best barge exchange yet!
Today we celebrated three major milestones. We completed our through paddle of the 652 mile Tennessee River, we visited Paducah, Kentucky, and we arrived in Illinois.
Our current read aloud book "With A Southern Accent" written by Liddell's Great Aunt Viola provides
Paddling Lesson #12
If you can't sell corn on the ear, sell it on foot.
Merry Christmas to all! And remember during your holiday festivities
Paddling Lesson #84
If you choose to cool your beverage in the river, be sure to tie it up.
Paddled since last blog: 122 miles
Total paddled: 822 miles
To go: 1043 miles
Current location: Illinois on the Ohio River
Granola bars consumed since last blog: 12
Total: 86
Fun Size Snickers: 4 more bars
Total: 39
Days paddled: 34
We had a great visit with Annica with free hot showers, Super Walmart resupply, watching a multiple hour arrest go down, Ranger Justin, and hiking to the highest point in West Tennessee (669 feet). We learned
Paddling Lesson #112
If there's a warrant for your arrest, don't park where park rangers patrol.
We entered Kentucky and paddled next to Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area which has elk and bison! We saw a bunch of bald eagles. If anybody knows what an adolescent bald eagle looks like, let us know in a comment because we think we saw several... We also paddled up close to a large flock of white pelicans! That was cool.
There's been a lot of barges, a majority carrying coal. In Kentucky, barge captains wave back to us! As we were finishing locking through Kentucky Lock, a barge operator actually radioed us. The barges have been good neighbors to us on the river and extended their reach to shore....
We decided it was about time for a rainy lunch when we happened upon a gazebo. We happily paddled toward it and we noticed a man with a camo boat using the ramp. We were surprised by his cotton wearing in the rain and were confused what the fuck he was doing. We had a short interaction as we darted to the gazebo. He quickly sped off in his boat leaving his van on the ramp, and while we were eating lunch, we were commenting on how slowly the passing barge was going. While surveying the scene, we saw our boater man pull up and make an exchange with a person on board. Then the barge sped up and the man returned to the boat ramp. Upon returning, the man headed towards us with a crate and was disappointed to discover how quickly we had eaten our lunch. After some confusion, he explained that when he told the barge chef what we were doing, she packaged a warm lunch for us. It contained 2 CoolWhip containers of gumbo (duct taped with love to prevent spills), fried shrimp, fried catfish, French fries, 2 Sprites, and even spoons! Christmas came early and this has made 5 great meals for Liddell. Best barge exchange yet!
Today we celebrated three major milestones. We completed our through paddle of the 652 mile Tennessee River, we visited Paducah, Kentucky, and we arrived in Illinois.
Our current read aloud book "With A Southern Accent" written by Liddell's Great Aunt Viola provides
Paddling Lesson #12
If you can't sell corn on the ear, sell it on foot.
Merry Christmas to all! And remember during your holiday festivities
Paddling Lesson #84
If you choose to cool your beverage in the river, be sure to tie it up.
 |
| Duck blind with lots o' decoys |
 |
| Coal from Kentucky |
 |
| Abandoned grain silo that's actually 5 stories high, bottom 2 are flooded |
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