Floating to the Mississippi Delta

As a teenager, I was always curious what the Eagle River delta looked like, which was no more than 10 miles from where I lived. The above picture has directions from my house to the delta. I spent a good amount of time next to the river, walking around and riding my bike. But I was always restricted from discovering the delta of my precious hometown river. Walking along the river bank, west of where Cottonwood Creek hits the river, west of the Glenn Highway bridge there's a sign.

My fear of being hog tied-porcivincuphobia started on the first day I saw this sign. I heard pigs squealing, not far in the distance and vowed to never go past that sign. So I was kept from seeing where my river met its ocean.

Now that I live in Colorado, things have changed. I still live next to a river, but I just might get a chance to see where my new river meets its ocean.

I was in my adviser's office, talking with him about plans for new simulations to run. I had been planning on asking him for time off to visit my sister for several weeks, but never got around to asking him since it would need to be tagged alongside a request for another 5-6 weeks of vacation this summer. I worked up the courage to ask him and he immediately gave me all the time I wanted off. Jumping for joy, I went back down the hallway and looked up plane tickets for the flight out to Mississippi. 200 dollars. Hmm do I really want to spend 200 dollars?

I decided what I would do. In order to save money I would just float down the rivers all the way to the Mississippi delta and have my sister pick me up in Naulins. It would be perfect. 20 days on the open water, lots of cornfields, and exertion of very little energy. I would build a boat and just float on down. Afterall, I have boat-building experience.

If you like do live in blissful ignorance, don't click this link

So, I planned out my route.

Hop on Clear Creek, which runs into the Platte, which runs into the Missouri, which runs into the Mississippi, which runs into New Orleans, 2 hours from my sister's house. If the water moves at walking speed, I should be there in 23 days. It'll be like Huck Finn. It'll be the adventure of a lifetime. My thirst for a real adventure will finally be quenched. And then I'll be able to tell my 1 year old nephew the whole story.