First things first. Check out this on the Monsta Movies blog. quite amusing, and one that Big Muddy Adventures particularly relishes.

Now back to Natchez, MS and the rest of the story….

While I was up at the famous Under the Hill Saloon (using their wifi to post updates, emails, etc… and drinking coffee not whiskey unfortunately), John and crew off-loaded all of the film crew gear, bags and excess stuff from the Junebugs. According to the plan, the Monsta folks are land based for all but the final scene in New Orleans. We want the raft as light as possible to make the 350 miles of river in the eight days we have remaining.

We departed the Monsta Movies crew in a rush at the Natchez landing. A huge thunderstorm appeared across the river and seemed destined to hit us with full force. As we paddled away and under the bridge, I could see the disappointment in the eyes and waving arms of Patricia, Lutz and Volker. They have found something in their hearts on this river. I think that if they had it to do over again, they would have made the film entirely on the river and left all the quirky stories of the town folk along the way for some other project. Still, I can’t wait to see what they found in our river cities.

Somehow the foreboding thunder, lightening and sheets of rain that we could hear and see passed by us with nary a drop and only a short burst of wind. It seems that we are being watched by river angels as all of the potential threats are being dispersed, like Moses and the Red Sea. Knock on wood!

We are only a crew of seven now. There are no breaks from the rowing or tiller position. No one to spell you when your hands are cramped or your back and arms are screaming at you to stop. That is, no breaks until the river bends in an easterly direction. The winds are coming from the South/ Southwest. Until we get a tailwind, we have to lay our backs and arms into the work at all times. We are in good shape now, after 22 days on the river. Still the effort is strenuous. I can tell when the fatigue has set in. The Mighty Quapaws become silent. Their usual banter about girls and cars, or the incessant teasing of each other fades away into river time meditation.

I have been using my iPod as a stimulant to keep up a strong rowing stroke. I have never done that before… played recorded music while on river time. This time is different with good reason. I am seated backwards to the motion of the raft. It was disconcerting at first, not seeing what’s ahead, not catching the first glimpses of creatures in our path, or potential threats. So to counteract this, I decided to try and listen to some music and see how it blends with the passing of the river. It has worked well. But not well enough, I think, to continue this practice after the expedition. I prefer the the familiar position of the canoe and with that the natural sounds of the river.

So, what’s the playlist? It has been quite varied. In the early morning, I have listened to some Gregorian chant from a Benedictine monastic schola or some classical works by the British Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony. Later in the morning I have clicked on a selection of U2, some hill country Blues, i.e. Robert Belfour, the North Mississippi All Stars, Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcom. After lunch, Bob Dylan, the Police, and a new fave, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. When I need some extra energy for a particularly tough stretch, my boys, the Rolling Stones get turned up. Finally, everyday I have played a few selections from our beloved friend Wesley Jefferson, who was buried on Wednesday. One song in particular is on my mind. It is from a great CD called, “Meet Me in the Cotton Field” on Broke and Hungry Records (owned by a St. Louis native, Jeff Konkel). “Blues is Like the River” is a must listen. It has brought more than a few tears to the eyes on this journey. And it was co-written by my river compadre, John Ruskey.

Our routine, sans movie crew, has changed. We are now most interested in time saving and labor saving techniques. We are cooking with the Brunton stove instead of making campfire. We are getting on the raft at 6:30 AM and spending 12-13 hours moving downstream. The river is awesome, but the winds have made traveling tough at times. Each day we have been tortured by 20-25 mph in your face wind. The Mighty Quapaws, John and I are making the necessary miles despite the challenge. Our schedule is intact.

Our second day back with the Monsta Movies crew was a near repeat of the first. We traveled all morning with the threat of storms all around. Mid-afternoon a thunder and lightening and heavy rains appeared imminent so we decided once again to cut short a full day of raft travel and make camp. As we approached the entrance to Cole’s Creek, about 15 miles above Natchez, MS, John announced that the creek might be good gator habitat. Of course, the Monsta Movies crew jumped at the chance to repeat the hunt. And the hunting was good.

Within minutes of setting out in the same formation as the Yucatan Lake excursion, John’s hunch proved true. Cole’s Creek is home to a family of gators. Our first sighting were two young ones swimming along the bank and circling the edge of a large swath of “duck grits” as the Germans called the vibrant green pellets of algae floating in the creek. A little further up a much larger gator surfaced in the duck weed as we call it. She was in obvious protective mode as she swam away from us, probably trying to lead us away from the kids. Then, as she disappeared in that slow and ominous submersion that is distinct to the alligator, Big Papa appeared. At an estimated 4-5 meters long, he gave us all quite a show. His swimming motion parted the sea of green and he seemed quite confident that we would not dare approach, but we did, very cautiously. He watched and swam until enough was enough. In a startling, great explosion of water, the king of the swamp made his exit below the surface. We proceeded further up the creek but with very wary eyes and extreme nervousness. We hoped that he did not suspect us to be a band of wild gator killers. Apparently, he understood since we were able to complete our exploration unharmed and extremely thankful.

While John prepared another one of his magnificent river rat gourmet dinners, I returned back up the creek with Lutz, Marcus, Sabinne and the entire group of Mighty Quapaws to give them the thrill of gator presence. As dinner was consumed, the Monsta Movies crew lamented that it would be their last full night on the river. The mighty Mississippi has worked its magic to its full extent. The river time experience has gone deep into the soul of our German comrades. They now know what John and I know. A Mississippi River expedition is a life changer, a connection to the true heart of America. Our bet is that they will find a way to rejoin us on the raft as we propel it from our present location just below Natchez to our destination and the final scene at New Orleans.

At sixteen feet by 30 feet, the Junebug raft provides space for all to find a place to do work, row or just sit and contemplate the majesty of this beautiful river. Most of the gear gets packed in the “hold”, that is, inside the Junebugs canoes upon which the deck is securely bolted. Junebug 1 (the Cypress strip canoe) and Junebug 2 (the Redwood strip canoe) are water tight with a layer of marine plywood glued and screwed to temporary gunnels. To make them storage, we enter through a double hatch set just aft of the center line. The top hatch is in effect a part of the deck as it is flush. The second hatch is just below and is made water tight.

On deck, square in the middle of the raft is a combination of kitchen and storage with a large cooler, a kitchen box and assorted bags and boxes of film gear neatly organized. A one meter cleared walkway is achieved on each side of the raft. Occasionally it acts as a nap area. Each of the rowing stations also double as water tight storage boxes. The front two hold Monsta Movies gear and Mighty Quapaws dirty laundry, (John and I just throw their stuff in the box as we find it strewn about on the deck or on land- a housekeeping trick we probably learned from our own mothers.) The middle two boxes hold the non-perishable foods- mostly chips, organic cereal and cookies which the MQ’s consume at an impressive, or rather worrisome rate. The back two are John and mine, where our tools of the trade are stored- maps, emergency gadgets, radios, the laptop I use, and other assorted personal equipment. Huck and Jim would be most jealous of our river craft. Most folks who witness it are impressed and quite willing to say so.

A month or so before the expedition, John received an email from Monsta Movies which had an unusual and comedic request. For sure, it contained a sincere idea for the movie, but in email format, it was obviously a silliness derived from a language barrier. “Can you find us some friendly alligators to play with?” We had a good laugh. “alligators to play with?”

Late Sunday afternoon, we set out from our camp at the entrance to a channel leading to Yucatan Lake. We embarked in the two Bell Northshore four seater canoes leaving our beloved Junebugs behind. John took the stern in one with the three in the cast- Patricia and Volker (“Mister and Missus Sippi””, and the talented artist, Mattias. I took the other with the film crew- Sabinne, the lady through whose keen eye the movie will be seen, and Mark, the man who captures all of the sounds, from dialogue to wind and thunder and flowing waters, and Heiko, the quiet and diligent assistant. Meanwhile the MQs, as well as Monsta Movies crew mates, Lutz and Marcus, remained behind at the camp to set it up, cook dinner and batten down the hatches if the forecasted storm was to hit.

The first half hour of our paddle was quiet, beautiful, but relatively uneventful. We enjoyed a great many sightings of fine birds, egret and green herons sitting on logs or tree branches along the bank. It seemed that alligators were either too shy to appear or deeper into the swamp which lay further upstream. John and I decided to change our luck, stir the waters a little bit, act as bait maybe. We jumped out of the canoes for a swim as the Monsta folks gasped at our bravado. We swam, dove and cavorted around for a few minutes then re-entered the canoes, cooled and refreshed and with a gleam in our eye. Swimming in alligator country is a special thrill.

Remarkably, our team of eight remained patient and silent for another ten minutes of paddling until all of a sudden, Mark the audio man pointed excitedly about 10 meters upstream. There it was, a small alligator swimming perpendicular to the channel, only his eyes protruding above the murky green waters. We approached quietly, film rolling, cameras snapping and looks of awe on each of the Germans faces. Soon thereafter another gator slipped into the channel and began a slow meander in front of us. John and I took turns in the lead for the camera and cast to get different looks. To find even better habitat and hopefully more and bigger gators, we cut back off the channel and into the swamp. We wove our way between the flooded trees and logs of the swamp, wary of hanging snakes and vigilant for our “prey”. We struck gold. A large gator appeared sunning himself on a log. For almost three hours, we were able to witness the magic of the swamp and its kings as the gators actually did come out to “play.”

Once on the water the muscle memory kicked in for John, the Mighty Quapaws and myself. We were joined for the first day by “Missus Sippi”, the enigmatic and multi talented Patricia Schaffer, as well as one of the unsung heros of Monsta Movies, Producer’s assistant Jodwiga Wenke. Two gorgeous ladies and a crew of river rats. Needless to say, the tow boat captains were all on the binoculars outside the pilot house as we passed by. Their commentary on the radio was much more animated than their usual response to a Quapaw Canoe or Big Muddy Adventures sighting.

Through clear blues skies and pleasant river conditions we rowed and paddled twenty five miles to Middle Ground Island just above Port Gibson, MS. This place holds special relevance for Wanblee John Ruskey. It was his honeymoon suite with his beautiful wife Sarah in May 2003. Yes, indeed, John and Sarah paddled away from their great wedding reception in a canoe to spend their honeymoon on the river.

With little fear and surprising skill, Patricia made her solo flight on the river in one of the Bell canoes that have been at times throughout the expedition, support craft, or trailing little doggies to the mother vessel. We watched as Patricia paddled at safe distance, exploring the wonders of the chaotic water which often at the wing dikes or in the wake of the massive line of barges moving up and down our nation’s first great super highway. Meanwhile, the MQ’s provided their usual strength at the six rowing stations.

Despite the onslaught of ferocious mosquitos which descend on us at the “mosquito hour”, dusk, I was able to sleep well once again outside of the protection of a tent. I zipped the sleeping bag tight, laid down close to our fire, wore a mosquito net on my head, and enjoyed the luster and magnificence of a Mississippi night sky, Scorpio rising, the Milky Way bathing me, and the new Moon quickly making its way to an early night exit on the western horizon.

We were rejoined on Sunday by the Monsta Movie crew at the Port Gibson State Park landing. Also there to greet us was one of the most interesting and enjoyable ladies of the South, Mrs. Emma Crisler. She is the editor, writer and publisher of the oldest family owned newspaper in Mississippi, printing the 133rd Volume of a classic small town newspaper. She also happens to be John’s mother-in-law. True to the gracious nature of a refined daughter of the South, she brought treats and a copy of her newspaper as well as the Jackson Clarion Ledger. We read hers of course, and I checked the box scores in the big city print to see how my Chicago White Sox have been doing.

Just after setting off, again at noon, a foreboding sky approached from the West. Instead of making our way downstream with the potential of some real dangerous conditions occurring, we decided to ferry cross the river to a sand bar at the entrance of a long channel leading to Yucatan Lake, a classic ox bow of the Mother River. Upon landing a plan was made to fulfill a promise. We would go alligator hunting with the actors and film crew. We would explore the channel leading to the lake and attempt to find the kings of the swamp.

Monsta Movie crew hunting alligators.

We have had time to read some of our personal journals, and in retrospect there is much that I have not posted here on the BMA blog. Maybe that’s a good thing so as to keep this more bloggish than a long narrative. One event which I did write about but did not have pictures of is the epic storm that blew our camp to shreds last week. Since it is true, “a picture is worth a thousand words”, the Monsta Movies folks captured the tempestuous sky and other moments with some of their personal cameras. Check it out at the Monsta Movies blog.

The reunion of the German film crew and the raft crew at New Madrid. Loading the gear and supplies.

The Junebug raft moves steadily in a wind whipped Mississippi River.

Filming the landing of Junebug raft on Island 10 just below New Madrid MO.

Mr. and Mrs. Sippi, Volker and Patricia, plant our American and German flags in the sand on Island 10 marking our camp site for the day.

I heard one of the Mighty Quapaws yell that my own tent had blown away. I ran towards it only to witness our cooking fire actually lift off the ground. The wind had shifted just enough that my supposed safe tent site was now in the path of pieces of burning wood. A few began to land on it. “Poof”, the rain fly burned. Lil Jer, Popeye and I rushed to grab the rest of the tent and succeeded in disassembling it while we were pinned against some willows. The other Quapaws began a frantic and heroic effort at catching all of the tents of the camp which had uprooted their stakes, broken the guide lines and had begun blowing away, gear and all. They miraculously saved every tent and all gear while being pounded by the wind and heavy rain. We were all oblivious to the huge lightning strikes and booming thunder all around.

Matthias Seiffert, the Berlin artist, at work on the Monsta Movies Expedition.

In the aftermath of the super cell storm, a rainbow appeared over our scattered camp.

On Day 2 of the expedition we caused quite a commotion as we passed the McKinley Bridge in St. Louis. A full compliment of law enforcement and fire rescue folks commanded us to land. Of course, we were in no position to do so as the anchored barges and swift current of the river made it unsafe. The raft crew waved and continued on to the Arch. I, however, was able to paddle one of the two canoes in our flotilla to the bank and meet our concerned members of St. Louis’ finest. After a brief conversation and recognition that the Rivermen, Wanblee John and Wamblee Mike, were in command, they called off the responders and informed all that this group was both safe and travelling aboard a vessel that was uniquely designed to fulfill its multiple functions on the Great River.

After landing at the Arch, the US Coast Guard entered the scene to inspect the raft. With detailed due diligence, they combed the deck, the safety equipment and the crew until finally USCG Captain Bill declared it the first raft in 15 years that was safe to continue a journey beyond the Eads Bridge. Our German film team went about their business with little recognition of this important hurdle overcome. However, as the days have progressed, their respect for the expertise of their guides and crew has grown. And their willingness to work with us and river time has grown. We are a true team of international adventurers, going about our business with great professionalism and with a great sense of humor. Mr. and Mrs. Sippi, Volker Strubing and Patricia Schaffer, have even discovered the great fun of a muddy scene.

Day 3 and 4 brought us downstream along the magnificent bluffs of the Middle Mississippi, past St. Genevieve, Kaskaskia and Chester. Tower Rock and the Devils Backbone provided a fine backdrop to our camp on Friday, but the intense storm that arrived just before dawn yesterday left the camp in a state of disarray, folks scurrying about to batten down hatches. The hot sun has taken its toll on all, but a constant ritual of swimming and water fights have made the tough conditions bearable. Our night camps have been typically exquisite… beautiful sand bars with glorious sunsets, full moon rising, and delightful river rat gourmet dinners. The mosquitos have had their feast as well, but all have become river rat tough.

After the storm yesterday, our German friends departed for their appointed film session in Cairo IL, leaving just the Mighty Quapaws, John, Seth and I to move downstream. We endured a very tough day with a headwind causing our muscles to ache as we rowed continuously for six hours. At sunset we approached the Cape Girardeau riverfront. Our bodies and minds spent from the arduous work, we maneuvered through the chaotic waters and fearsome boils and whirlpools finally passing under the beautiful bridge to the sandbar on Marquette Island where our camp is currently at rest for a few hours. We set tents as a magnificent lightning display filled the sky. And now after a quick visit to the Cape, it is time to move on, film schedule and river time making for a dichotomy of stress and pleasure. Prost!!

John Ruskey tightens the raft bolts which secure it to Junebug 1 and 2.

Patricia and Volken, aka Mr. and Mrs. Sippi, row Angela's Ark in preparation for the expedition and movie roles.

The real adventure begins tomorrow when we untether the craft and begin our journey to New Orleans. The “Monsta” folks are excited as are we. It should be a grand endeavor, made especially cool by the brilliance of the raft.