In The Beginning

Who is this guy and what's he doing?

The guy is me and he's standing by the boat he plans to take down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

 I had been thinking about something different I could do before I’m too old and found inspiration from my son Matt’s jet ski adventure to the Gulf of Mexico in 2008. He had purchased three jet skis and with three friends made the trip from Lacrosse, WI to Pensacola, FL in just under two weeks. I was a bit jealous of his trip but knew too that I wouldn't want to travel that far on a jet ski. That is in my mind an overly ambitious undertaking and more suitable for the less developed mind of a kid in their twenties. To complicate things for them even more, it was a flood year on the Mississippi river.

Flooding on the Mississippi June 2008.  

Pic taken from the seat of a Jet Ski

 They left in June and what would normally have been encounters with happy boaters and sunbathers was instead floating logs, closed up marinas, and conditions that would be considered generally unpleasant by a mature person. You have to be young and unaware of bad consequences to do something like that. 

Another big problem that plagued his trip and is a problem that I expect to become familiar with is the cost factor. To navigate three jet skis and four bodies to the Gulf was not an economical undertaking. You may recall that 2008 was a year of very high gas prices. Fuel cost alone ran almost three thousand dollars and of course the price is always at a premium on the water. 

Somewhere on the Mississippi River.
A gentle reminder to patrons using this gas dock.

He and his friends did however make it and they had great fun too.

Matt and friends Andy, Chelsi, and Steve
In the South and Much Better Conditions

 I had often been intrigued with the idea of a trip like this but I knew I wouldn't want to travel on a jet ski and in flood conditions as he and his friends had. I’m much older and smarter and my thinking was that I could surely come up with a better plan to take up such a big adventure.  I let the idea float around in my head and I didn't think much more of it for quite awhile. One day I decided to briefly mention it to Matt to see how the idea sounded out loud. I proposed it as a trip for Mary and me in perhaps a few years. I said I’d like to accomplish it in a small boat and would need a lot of time. I made it clear to him that a small boat would suit me and in now way had I any interest in a large boat. His response, as is usual with Matt, was “yeah!, why wait?  just go, it's easy”. This infusion of enthusiasm made it seem as if it could really happen. I let the excitement flow through me but then slowly began to realize I had made a trap for myself.  Now my thoughts switched to, “ Oh Crap, what have I gotten myself in to". In a matter of minutes this thing went from being a fun idea to me realizing that I can’t turn back now or I’ll be a big dud in his eyes. Of course you have to know Matt too. His saying, "what’s the big deal?, just get in a boat and go", was his usual quick response.  I knew that if I interested him in helping search for a new boat his attention would be quickly diverted toward this task. This I thought, in my own sinister way, would allow me to tap him for the work of getting a boat ready for the trip.

Up to this point I hadn't made any mention of this to Mary.  While Matt already had me on my way down the river, Mary didn't know a thing about my intentions. I've read a number of stories about other's trips like this but I hadn't run into an account of a husband and wife traveling so far on the river in a small boat. Most guys would be stressed over the worry of asking their wife's permission to take such a trip. That wasn't bothering me though. I was nervous because I planned to ask her to go along! That made me a bit apprehensive about mentioning it and I wasn't sure what her response would be. I did expect to get some push back about her needing to be off work so long.  I waited until Matt was around one day and then brought up the topic figuring he'd do the promoting for me. The plan worked and Mary bought the whole idea with a smile. I'd always told her she listens to him more closely than me anyway. Of course she doesn't really know what she was signing up for and probably won't until a few days after we've started on our way. Naturally she asked why it takes so long and why do I need that much time off work?  My response, knowing now that she's excited, was, "do you want to go or not?"

 In the ensuing weeks I'd often bring the topic up to Mary and try to paint a less than pleasant picture of some aspect of the trip. Bugs, fish, hot days, smelly and dirty places, and bad food were on my short list of disgusting features. Nothing said so far has been able to discourage her and the plan is still going ahead with her aboard.  Even being off work so long has seemed to settle into her mind. 

I’d be lying if I said I didn't already know the basics of a trip like this. From what I've read, and in knowing of Matt’s trip, I’d gathered some basic knowledge on how to proceed. There are some big issues that jump right out at you. First is the boat; I don’t have one that’s good enough so I'll need something new. Then there’s route; I'll follow Matt's. And there's the element of time; definitely in the summer but how long will it take? And last but not least, there’s the human accommodations, you know, the basic activities of life, eat, sleep, potty, clothes, equipment, supplies,....etc.) These questions needed answers and I knew that in some cases, by nailing down one aspect another would probably change.  I started peeling through the issues around March 2012.  With Mary firmly in the plan, and me excited about getting things ready, we began the first steps in a trip that will take us TWO-TO THE GULF.

Thanks to Matt and his friends for the pics.