Word of the day: FRIVOLITY. Another day of cool weather; a brief 20 miles; reunion with Christin; I get to see my baby girl! There’s a spring in my stair step today (after getting past the hazy beer hangover).

Yes, we woke late, started slow, and felt sorta miserable for the first hour. We’re old enough to know better than to let someone over-serve us beers, especially those microbrew hazy hazards. Stick to the dive bars and High Life! (Classic/appropriate High Life ad)

After an hour of sweating, peddling and paddling, we declared ourselves right again, and made a pact to control ourselves more in the future. Then we kicked the pace up a notch and started to enjoy the day. We weren’t rushed, we knew we could do 20 miles in 5-6 hours in these conditions, and we were happy to be heading towards a minor Hager family reunion. We did have a somewhat comical encounter when we decided to take a risk on a short cut through a long channel. In the end we probably saved 1/2 a mile, but had to walk the last few hundred feet. But the river bottom was packed sand and the water was warm, so we decided to take a break in the shallows then enjoyed a short stroll.

As if on queue, my friend Cheryl Meyers chose this moment to remind me that the river is unusually low right now. Cheryl knows she doesn’t need USGS data for this, she’s got near real time Leechman reports (i.e. one week behind). Indeed the flow is largely imperceptible most of the time, but if we’re not battling headwinds then we’re happy; I guess now we’re conditioned for the worst, so even record low flow seems great if it’s calm.

Our destination to meet the girls was the Bellevue State Park in Bellevue Iowa. We made good time and arrived to Bellevue around 3pm. However, the park was proving elusive to find. We slowed at the Spruce Creek County Campground, but knew that wasn’t what we were looking for. We went on another 3/4 mile and still no indication of the park, and now lock & dam #12 was getting close. Finally we stopped and took a closer look at the map to realize the state park is not actually on the river, but across the highway 1/2 mile inland. Doh! I made a call to Spruce Creek and we got a bonus paddle back upstream to the campground.

Our accommodations were not right on the river, but we could paddle up the creek to park the boats and unload gear on the campsite. The showers were fabulous and we had no camp neighbors within 200’. When the girls arrived Mark and I were still unloading and setting up. We built a campfire (the first on this leg with Mark), and we each selected a freeze dried dinner to eat around the fire. We were all exhausted and headed to bed just after 9, ready for a big day on the water for Caroline and the guys tomorrow.

I think the two best hugs I’ve received from Caroline were when I was leaving for this crazy journey, and when she arrived at the campground today. She’s a special adventurous girl and I’ve really been looking forward to giving her a 24 hour glimpse into my current life. I know she will take this experience and tuck it away in a manner that she can learn from and access at a later time in her life. So, today’s musical foot tapper is in honor of my sweet baby girl: Caroline by Old Crow Medicine Show