Ameristar Casino and Hotel*

Council Bluffs, Iowa

November 11, 2023

Dear Family & Friends:

It has been a long and consequential 11 days since my last report. Here is an update.

November 2. I launched from Yankton in the morning. The day was cloudy and cold, but I enjoyed a brisk current. I arrived at Clay County Park and was greeted by members of the South Dakota Canoe & Kayak Association. We had a great dinner at the Brickhouse Restaurant in Vermillion.I think I’ll apply for membership in this great organization.

November 3. I departed from Clay County Park in the morning, bound for Ponca State Park in Nebraska. I had a great current in the River and arrived at Ponca State Park at 2pm. I decided to continue downstream for another 2 hours. The night was bitter cold. I saw my first mileage marker along the shore indicating I have 750 miles to the end of the Missouri River where it merges with the Mississippi River, north of St. Louis, Missouri.

November 4. This day on the East side of the River I exited South Dakota and entered Iowa. Nebraska is on the West side. I arrived at Sioux City, Iowa in just over 3 hours. The River and towns have a much busier and more commercial and industrial feel than the Upper Missouri. I rode on a nice current and encountered my first wing dam. Wing dams are rocks that are stacked in the River perpendicular from shore. There are thousands of these dams on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. These dams divert the River towards the center channel where the water is deeper and runs faster. This assists commercial traffic on the River. However, these dams can be dangerous to paddlers because, they may not be visible on the surface of the river. If a paddler proceeds over a wing dam and strikes a submerged rock, the canoe or kayak may be flipped over and/or the paddler may be thrown out of the canoe or kayak. This happened to me on the Mississippi River in 2019.  Mark and Thane Johnson and Kathy picked me up at the boat ramp and transported my canoe and me to Thane’s home in Sioux City. Thane lives with his sweet daughter, Eve. We had a great pizza dinner at a restaurant. I used Thane’s truck to pick up some supplies, including a sleeping bag that fits inside my sleeping bag. The nights are sooo cold, River Angel and experienced peddler, David Mays, came over to visit with us in the evening. David lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He has been a great help to me on my trip.

November 5. Back on the River in the morning, despite the prediction for strong headwinds, gusting to 26 miles per hour. This was a bad day to be on the water. The wind and waves pushed me into every bay along the River. When the waves breached the bow of my canoe and ran up the spray skirt to the cockpit where I was sitting, I called it a day after paddling just 10 miles. As I was paddling into the bay to set up camp, the wire connecting my rudder to the foot paddle in the canoe broke. Not good since I need that rudder to steer my canoe on the River. I temporarily repaired the damage with some twine.

November 6. This was one of the best days of my trip as far as current. I paddled lover 30 miles and set up camp at Pop & Doc’s Marina in Nebraska. The marina is closed for the season, but I set up my camp on a bluff overlooking the River. Great views!

November 7. I saw my first barge on the Missouri River. This was a bad day on the River because of the winds and waves and my dysfunctional rudder. I muscled my way 20 miles to Pelican Point State Park in Nebraska.

November 8. I woke up to a beautiful morning at Pelican Point. The sun was out all day. The water was glassy calm, and I had a nice tailwind and current to move me down Mighty Moe. This was one of the best speed/distance days of the trip. I traveled over 30 rivers miles. I wish every day was this good. I set up camp at Wilson State Park Recreation Area in Iowa.

November 9. I woke up at 7am and the temperature was 30 degrees. I could see my breadth when I exhaled. Brrr. A Park Ranger stopped at my campsite and told me there is no camping in the Iowa state parks without permission. I asked: who do I contact for permission? He said you can’t contact anyone since the parks are closed for the season. Go figure! This was probably the hardest paddle day on the River. I had sustained headwinds all day with large waves and whitecaps. My rudder was useless so the River was able to push my canoe and me all over the River like a cork in a stormy sea. I still gained about 30 miles and arrived in Omaha, Nebraska at 4:30pm (it now gets dark at 5pm). I booked a room at the Ameristar Casino and Hotel. The dinner that night at the hotel was delicious. Pam Maybee, a paddler snd River Angel who lives 40 miles south of Omaha, put me in touch with Dru at Dru’s Yak Shak. Dru agreed to pick up and repair my canoe tomorrow. Thanks so much for the much-needed help Pam.

November 10. Dru picked up my canoe at 7:30am. Some local workers at the hotel helped carry the canoe up from its docking place in the water near the hotel. Every day, I meet new River Angels.

November 11. Dru arrived at my hotel with my repaired canoe and we drove to a boat ramp where I launched at 8am.

Alex’s article about my trip appeared in the Springfield Times. Well done Alex, and thanks.

*additional photos & videos can be seen on my eightsummits Facebook page