Hal and larry's river boat adventure;
This is the trip log for the trip down the Arkansas river, the lower Mississippi river and
the intercoastal waterway .

We left Amarillo texas the morning of sept. 3rd. 2009. trailered boat with larry's duramax
Chevrolet diesel pickup- all the way east on 1-40 to Sallisaw Oklahoma. We had worked
on boat in preparation for this trip for over 20 days together. Larry. had worked tirelessly
for months in preparation for the journey we were starting. Arrived @ 5:30pm, applegate
cove marina, Hc61, box 308 sallisaw Ok. 74955 ph.918-775-4522. to get there you
travel S. on route 59 turn right @pier 7 convenience store. Following signs to marina, we
unhooked boat at Rhoda Carpenters house. She manages the marina. Both of us are tired
from the long drive. We went to Shad's catfish hole for dinner, of course we ate catfish.
We drove back into town and got a room for the night.

09/04/09. put the boat in the water at 10:00am, discovered that we have a leak around the
out-drive unit. Pulled boat back out of the water, mechanics steve and chris sealed around
out-drive unit with 5200 marine, fast-cure adhesive. We'll go get another room for the
nite in town and let it dry. Larry had found a really neat restaurant on his previous trip to
Sallisaw, Wildhorse bbq. Ribs. We went there for lunch and it was as he remembered,
ribs were unique, very large and meaty.

09/05/09 put the boat back in the water, no leaks! Waiting for the AIS unit to come to the
marina by mail. We're sleeping on the boat tonight, we're trying to sleep in oppressive
heat. The air conditioner is not working, very hot and humid in Oklahoma!

09/06/09 finally, air conditioner is working. It had an air lock? Filled boat with water and
busied myself checking and re-checking supplies. Twin Scope is not working, and we
need it for depth reading. Fortunately we have two others that give us depth-reading.
We've met a bunch of really nice people here. Old bob cooked us breakfast two mornings
in a row. Theres Rhoda and tom,captain ken, mechanics steve and chris, plus danny
Wilson and his wife Brenda.e-mail saddle gap 1 @yahoo.com

09/07/09 we went with danny Wilson on his boat to# 15 kerr lock and dam. Larry taught
danny and myself how to lock thru- both ways, up and down river.

09/08/09 and 09/09/09 Pretty much, down days. We work on systems and wait, ais and
gold card are finally in and we should leave tomorrow. Air conditioner is working and
reliable on the pre-set schedule. It gets hot in the boat late-nite, but, it comes on and
cools the boat down sufficiently. Again, it works on the pre-set schedule! Better than no
air at all.

 09/10/09 Down-river @ 9:30am m.m 340.9 locked thru Kerr #15 and W.D.
Mayo #14 with no problems. We tried to get fuel in Van Buren Ark. No body around,
plus, the marina looked shallow and dangerous to get in and out of. We opted to go on
down river. We went to the entrance of#13 James W. Trimble lock and dam and went
starboard up Massard Creek. We should have dropped anchor after going in about 100
yards, but, we didn't. We were both new to all of this and unaware of the dangers that
lurk under-water on the Arkansas river. We hit a wing dam about 300yards in, it raised
the back of the boat at least 1 foot out of the water and made one hell of a sound. I went
overboard and underwater to check for damages, and it's a miracle that we found minor
damage only. The prop-guard that larry had built to go around the prop and bottom of the
out-drive saved us. We both thought that our trip was finished before we really even got
started. We anchored for the nite and slept swinging on anchor chain, as they say.

09/11/09 locked thru #13 j.w. trimble @8:30am. Engine seems to be running as good or
better than we expected. The prop-guard paid for itself, hell-for-stout. We have about 70
gal. of fuel, and we need to make it to Spadra marina. It's by russelville ark. Spadra is the
Spanish word for saber. Locked thru Ozark jetta taylor #12 @ 12:50pm. 26 miles to
spadra marina. We finally found the marina after we had wandered around for about 1
hour it was poorly marked and we had went under an old train trestle bridge ,then
traveled up the waterway and bumped another wing dam or an old concrete pier or piling
. maybe just a rock! Anyway, it scared the hell out of us. Scary and stressful, my stomach
is in knots. Finally, found a very old and decrepit marina. People were in the process of
trying to re-build the docks. Again, very hot and humid, only 20 amp. Power available.
No air conditioning on boat tonite, but, we can plug in larrys sleep apnea machine. And
we have lights inside the boat. We borrowed the courtesy car and went to town to eat.
Stopped and observed a very fat and poisonous copperhead snake on edge of roadway
returning, we decided to run over it. And we did! We filled with fuel 58 gals.for 115
miles of travel, equals 1.95 mpg. Not bad for a 454 chevy eng. Pushing 12000 lbs.
09/12/09 we left spadra marina m.m. 230 @8:00am tempers are flaring a little, no doubt
caused by all the stress. Larry yelled at a total stranger to get over out of his way. The
man responded that the channel was 150 feet wide. I was prepared to duck fully
expecting a single barrel 12 ga. To come out of the bottom of the boat. I've got to remind
larry that we are in Arkansas, hope he doesn't get us killed! Locked thru #10 Dardanelle
m.m.206 @12:30pm. We're spending the nite at charley's hidden harbor marina, owner
charley hoke ph.501-354-8080 again a 20 amp. Plug-in is all that's available. Unbearably
hot, muggy and stinky. No air. That takes a 30 amp. service. Charley by the way had the
highest priced gas of the whole trip, $3.60 per. Gal. but, he had 93 octane ha. Ha.

09/13/09 woke up to rain. Lots of rain! Boat is very wet and damp. Like a dummy I
didn't get up and close the windows completely. Because ofthe heat. It's my fault I
should have got up and closed them. Boats are hell when they're wet inside and nothing
dries very fast in Arkansas. Locked thru Arthur v. Ormond #9 @1O:00 am still, lots of
rain and wind. Down river to #8 toad suck ferry @12:45pm. Also locked thru #7 murray
lock and dam @3:00pm m.m.126.5 no decent little marinas in little rock ark. The yacht
club doesn't cater to transient pleasure craft as they called us! Spent the nite in slackwater
harbor m.m.l11.3 we tied up to an old fuel barge that had not been used in a long time.
Both of us are tired and wore out from fighting the wind and rain. Good safe anchorage
out of the wind and current from the river. I got bit on the inside calf of my left leg by a
red wasp. I stepped on a piece of sheet steel and they had a nest under it. Wham, one of
them got me. I'll probably pay dearly for that. We took pictures of all the old barges.

09/14/09 cast off at 7:OOam40 miles to pine bluff ark. Locked thru#6 david d. terry
@7:45am downriver- locked thru#5 @1O:45am spending the nite at island harbor marina
pine bluff ark. We were met by a man called C.O. he had the worst toupe I have ever seen
but, he absolutely went out of his way to make us comfortable. He cleaned the bathroom
for at least and hour after larry chewed his ass, telling him how nasty the shower stall
was. It was really nasty, Larry wasn't wrong. I was just glad to get a shower! Hot shower
, laundry, and he loaned us his car so that we could go to town for a fine meal. I did all of
mine and larrys laundry. After he went to sleep. Although ,I'm starting to feel fevered
from the wasp sting. Gassed boat,62.8 gals. For 106.9 miles, equals-1.70 mpg.

09/15/09 rain by the buckets full , we can't leave. We met pete and penny geurin, pete
was a 65 year old living the American dream. Penny was 40 and she was every man's
dream nice to look at. e.o. and his buddy travis fixed us a fried fish dinner with all the
trimmings, including hush puppies.  i'm running a high fever by now, my left calf is
swollen 2 cm. larger than my right calf. Lots of draining at damage site. 3inches by5
inches of blisters and skin eruption. Rained off and on all day and nite with lots of wind
this is terrible weather, and also if my memory serves me nerves and stress are really
starting to show me the severity and dangers of this journey. Tempers and patience are
wearing thin on all edges. Pow-wow time! We discussed turning around and going
back, fear, bad weather, and bad luck will have that effect on you. My leg is very bad!
Allergic reaction. Lots of benadryl, other meds. Anti-biotics and change bandages often.
We're in very hot, humid and unsanitary conditions, and I cannot let this leg get infected.
We decided to forge on! Down-river-I know that things could be very rough the rest of
this journey, neither one of us knows what the hell we are doing. And to try to bluster
your way thru this will get your boat tore all to hell. But, neither one of us really knows
give!, so we will learn quick, work together and although this was supposedly the easy
part of the joumey, we ironically both believe that things will get better. That what and
adventure and life is all about. If it was really all that easy everyone would be doing it,
instead of sitting around marinas talking and dreaming about a trip down the river. To
hell with it, lets do it! We met gary smith, the best fisherman in Arkansas. He won a bass
tournament with a 10 fish limit. 86.3 lbs. wow!

09/16/09Iocked thru Emmett sanders #4 @12:30pm. Traveled 40 miles to m.m.31.2 big
bayou meto park we tied up to someone's private boat dock &boat house, quiet, peaceful
and mosquitos by the millions. Ravenous blood suckers that try to drive you insane and
eat you alive! It is so humid and wet tonight that I think I need gills. Still fevered,
keeping larry hydrated and reminding him to take his meds. He forgets constantly, and
that's all we need is for him to get sick.

09/17/09 down-river @7:00am I don't think that we were the first to tie up to that private
dock., nor will we be the last. But, we really appreciated it. passed by Pendleton lake
m.m.22.7Iocked thru Wilbur d. mills #2 @9:30am. Locked thru norrell#1 @1O:40am. At
11:45am. We passed over the dam "fast lane" @ Montgomery lock. They were releasing
93,000 cubic feet of water a second---into to the Mississippi river, at m.m.-O- ending the
Arkansas river and starting down the ole miss. @ m.m.599-. the Mississippi river has a
very strong current and it is full of eddies, whirlpools and undertows. All very dangerous.
As we motor down it the current is not too bad and it only increases with the amount of
water flowing down it, like at flood stage. The river is probably flowing about one
million. 1 to one million.2 c.f.s. but, it has flowed more than 3 million c.f.s. and capable
of doing it again. You can't control the river, only try. As so much history has
proven. larry and I are really excited. All the preparation in the world can't express what
we are seeing and experiencing. Traveling into the miss.river is much like being granted a
portkey to the past. And, that we are not so much preparing to follow a thread of history,
but, actually being woven into it! Anchored @ m.m.557.0 chocktaw bend. 8ft. of water
and good safe anchorage.

09/18/09 7:45am. We are heading south to Greenville miss. We've got 19 miles to go .we
had spent a restful nite swinging on anchor. Great !plow anchor. We didn't slip an inch!
At Greenville, the marina looks deserted. They had unhooked the fuel tanks 2 weeks
prior-so, no fuel! They were preparing to move the marina we learned closer to the yacht
club. We met james coslett, who was a true "salt of the earth" person. He hauled us
around town for 4 to 5 hours in his pickup. Getting 110 gals. Of gas, ice, med. Supplies
and treated larry and I to lunch at the yacht club as his guests. He also gave us a historical
overview of the city. We bought him breakfast the next morning. He took us to a cafe that
had been in existence before- and-after the 1927 flood that literally changed America. He
was a truly amazing person.

09/19/09 left Greenville at 9:00am, Vicksburg miss. Is 103 miles. Decided to anchor for
the nite @ m.m. 468.8 cottonwood bar larry caught a 30 lb. catfish, a blue. very strong
and very pretty. Current is really strong. We were worried because we couldn't get out of
the channel very far. But, the anchor held fine and we fared well. Bugs and mosquitos are
ferocious, arry and myself are literally ate up. Head to toe. We washed a dark green
shimmering carpet of bugs off the boat with the raw water pump

09/20/09 left anchor at 8:00am. 30 miles to Vicksburg. Anchor winch is not working
properly, it jams. I've taken to pulling it in by hand. Very strenuous and slightly
dangerous. I fear that I will drop something overboard, so I have to be very careful and
also hang on for dear life. You can't just go down and pick an object up if you drop it.
It's gone forever! M.m.437.3 vicksburg, @ 11:OOam.Larry hailed a on-duty deputy
sheriff for assistance. We have to hump gas cans over the levee to fuel the boat. He was
on duty with many others, looking for the body of an individual who had fallen off a
barge and drowned. He called his buddy, an off-duty deputy who assisted us. 11 cans of
gas plus 4 bags of ice. Also larry had to go to auto zone and buy a new inverter, he had
in-advertently fried his last nite, toughing the positive cable to the negative post. Poof!
$90.00 you only get one chance with those things. He needs it to power his sleep apnea
machine by converting 12 volt batteries to 110 power. We ate supper and breakfast at the
casino buffet. Very good food, and cheap. back on the ramp, a man gave larry an old
lower miss. River chart book. Very, very, helpful.

09/21/09 left Vicksburg @9:00am. Barge and boat traffic ,very heavy. Lots of rough
water. Very wide and 50ft. depth current is very strong and really helps us conserve fuel.
At 1900 r.p.m we can maintain 9-10 knots. At the junction where the yazoo river flows
into the miss.river we're seeing lots of debris. Logs, whole trees, clumps of branches and
mats of grass. Due to lots of flooding, heavy rains up the yazoo, which means "river of
death" by the way! We made natchez/Vidalia miss. At 5:00 pm. Larry is totally worn out,
and I'm not much better. No fuel, of course.! We tied up behind an old barge. Nice and
safe. Just below us on the left bank was an old deserted casino riverboat, larry and I dedeuced
that it could quite possibly be haunted. Pure white and 3 stories tall, you could
almost envision her in her grandeur. At one time, she no doubt had people standing on
every deck, going in an out of her wonderful state-rooms. Now just a shell of her past,
with her doors swinging open and ajar-abandoned, a giant white apparition watching
over us. Goodbye "lady luck" we wish we could have known you!

09/22/09 left natchez/Vidalia at 6:30am. 63 miles to old river lock. That's where the
atchafalya river starts ,ending down-river at morgan city la. We were thinking about
going that way,closer to fuel but, longer in mileage to new Orleans. The missississi river
is slowly trying to change it's course. Much to the chagrin of the corps. Of engineers. The
run is steeper downhill to the ocean, and the miss.river runs a much flatter course in it's
natural path to the gulf via new Orleans. Man! Is trying to prevent it from changing
course, a very hard task! During flooding, the miss. River has chewed holes nearly 100 ft.
deep at the entrance of old river lock nearly destroying it on several occasions. You can't
control the river, but, we try! We sailed right on by old river lock, barges loaded with rock
were backed up 5 deep waiting to lock-thru. We would have had a very long wait. On to
new Orleans! 7 days without a shower, maybe I'll just jump in the river and get clean.
No, the current would carry me away. Boat stinks to high heaven, always very hot and
humid. We are in the deep south. The good news is, my leg is nearly healed! Just met a
push barge, the alice j. hooker. Behind us is the jo-anne stegmeyer. What names for tow
boats, probably named them after their wives. Larry likes the jo-anne stegmeyer, he says
it over and over and laughs. It"s good to hear him laugh. A driving rain storm has hit us ,
it has literally brought river traffic to a halt. Larry did a good job getting us slightly out of
the channel and holding power in the current. Just like all the other boats are doing. Hell!
We can't even see downriver! I've got to find safe anchorage for us as it is getting late in
the day. We are not good enough sailors to navigate at night, and the dangers of the river
increase ten-fold. Found it! M.m.253.5 profit island chute. 14 ft. of water and 250 yds.
Out of channel. Larry caught a 20 lb. blue catfish. We turned it loose also, after holding it
and admiring it. Fairly restful night, although very hot and humid.

09/23/09. larry didn't have a good nite. Woke up in a rampage, and told me to go fuck
myself How could I expect anything less. Conditions are absolutely perfect for that sort
of temperament. Later, we both showered and cleaned the boat. Mold, mildew, etc. fruit
,especially goes bad quickly. We left anchor at 9:00am. Heavy fog,-thirty miles to baton
rouge Louisiana. By the way, possibly, another great anchorage is at m.m.247.5 the
"outlet" of profit island chute. As we approach baton rouge, barge traffic is really starting
to increase again. Larry, is trying really hard to do it "right". He radios ahead to them
asking which way they would like us to pass them. 1 whistle, right, or starboard. 2
whistle, left, or port. Whether meeting another boat or over-taking another boat it's
basically the same. 1 whistle ,go right. 2 whistle, go left. The tow boat captains show and
indifference, to small pleasure craft, " as we are called". Some are polite, and answer us.
Some are not! It bothers larry greatly when they don't answer. he'll grab the radio and
say ,-you're the silent type, huh! I don't blame him for being miffed. But, it's no big
deal! I hope he doesn't get us killed. More stress and more knots in my stomach. I don't
care if they answer or not! I tell them I'm passing 1 whistle, or on the 2, and if they don't
like that, they have to break their silence and aknowledge us. Their chatter reminds me of
truck drivers on their c.b. radios. The true danger lies in the fact that they are so huge!
Sometimes they are 5-or-6 semis wide and 20 long. Ponderous and powerful, like an
elephant. They move faster than you think. And, it takes the better part of one-half to a
mile to stop one. If you have river width, and depth, they're easy to maneuver around.
But, narrow and shallow, the situation changes. If they run over you, it's all over in an
instant. 11:OOambaton rouge, we made 6 calls by radio and by cell phone. No one will let
us dock. They hide behind "liability". And we need gas. Finally I spot a gnarly piece of
land that is the baton rouge public boat ramp. We anchor just off shore almost under the
1-10 bridge. We spot lots of transients "bums" living and lurking in the bushes. Got
lucky! We hailed and on-duty wildlife officer who was on his daily rounds. A mr. paul
stucke. He was glad to assist us in getting fuel and supplies 80 gals. Of fuel plus 5 bags of
ice. We had to use the small dinghy "boat" to ferry everything back and forth. What a
sight I was ferrying red gas cans in that tiny boat. I klutzed the throttle on the 1st. trip and
nearly ran in to the side of the boat. Larry just stood with his arms folded shaking his
head, but I know that he was giggling his ass off. I felt like a fool and it scared hell out of
me, but, I finally got the hang of it.

09/24/09 we left baton rouge at 6:30am. M.m.229.2. we're motoring past lots of industry
on the river. Chemical plants, refineries, grain elevators, concrete plants, shipping and
receiving. Lots of ship and barge traffic around burnside la. M.m.158.0 it's2:00pm and
we're making good time. Cheerful, and we're getting along good. We've got to stay in
sync and work together. M.m.142.4 anchored at belle point. I caught a 20lb. blue catfish
and larry took pictures. And, I thanked him for talking me into buying a very heavy-duty
fishing rod.#50lb.rated,651b. pro line braid, and 40lb. leader. Big fish require heavy tools.

09/25/09 left anchor at 7:00am sailing down the miss. River. We broke down in
Hahnville la. M.m.125 dead in the water, our engine sputtered, lost power and quit! We
floated in to a security area, bayou fleet. Floated into a barge that unbeknownst to us had
30,000 gal. of benzene in it. Scared hell out of us and them also. All they could see was a
motor yacht loaded with red gas cans floating in. they thought we were terrorists. Larry
tried to pull us away with the small dinghy boat but, the current was too strong. I was
scared to death that the current would pull him under the barge. It happens! The people
working there saved us. Walked the boat around behind all the barges and tied us off. Then
promptly marched us to the office to find out who the hell we were? After they realized
that we weren't terrorists, they treated us so good. Chris, the general manager. Took us to
the parts store got our alternator tested, and made sure we got laundry facilities a hot
shower and fed aboard one of the many tow boats that they owned. We bought a new
battery and belts for the engine. We shredded a set of belts. I felt it was my fault and
brooded over it greatly. Things happen. Chris gave larry an older I.C.W. chart book very
helpful in our future travel to the gulf. It was worth $120.00. we could never re-pay them
for the hospitality, and never forget them. Thanks, to chris, coon, curry, bill, and brian.and
all the others. I did laundry till. 11pm after we had sneaked to the bar with one of the
Cajun deck hands for a few beers and look over the local talent.

09/26/0926 miles to new Orleans! Locked thru industrial lock at 12noon. We went in
with a single tow barge, piece of cake! 30min. we were out the other side and headed for
lake ponchatrain. Lots of crab pots in the lake we have to watch out for them and dodge
them. Engine is sputtering and stopping. I tried to drop anchor once, and thought I was
going to get tossed over-board. Lake ponchatrain is very shallow, and the wind throws up
very large waves. Making it very dangerous. We limped into schuberts marine, south
shore. By metarie.3pm. we walked about a mile to a sports bar called "the bait shop"
good food and good beer. We're paying 15.00 per nite for a 20 amp service, but it isn't
bad. We're close to a bathroom that has a shower and a washer and dryer

09/27/09 Sunday. Rest, work on the boat. We walked to russell's cafe for breakfast. Not
so good. And expensive for what we got, but, it's food. Changed fuel filter, worked on
winch, charged all the batteries and did laundry. Walked to live bait for food, beer, and
watched football. The waitress, malissa. Spoiled us rotten. Wernet a fellow also named
larry, who gave us the combination to his fence , gate lock. Saved us about a half mile
walk. He gave us a tour of the townhouses that Katrina had flooded, 4 years prior. He had
bought 4 of them .fixing them up agonizingly slow the devastation was absolutely
terrible. He was quite a jovial fellow, he had a talking pair of breasts on his wall. When
you pushed a button they jiggled and sang big titties and beer! I want one!

09/28/09 $100.00 for charts, and $55.00 for a taxi. It never stops. We changed belts on
the engine again. Now, they are all new. Met captain noble of the "Janice kay" they had
sailed from Sarasota fla. For a dress fitting. They filled the tank on the boat. 2500 gal. of
diesel. And headed back! That's a $4 million dollar boat, $11,000 for diesel, plus the
captain makes $535.00 a day. All for a dress fitting! Must be nice

09/29/09 high winds! We can't leave,.

09/30/09 8:00am. Leaving schuberts marine. And leave we did! With everyone watching
in a storm of controversy and unpleasantries. On several occasions on our journey we had
scuffed the dinghy at the very rear of the boat. 20 ft. of boat in front of you. 13 ft. behind
you. Turn out a little too quickly and you rub. This time was different! Most of the time
the dock was smooth, as was lock walls. This time the rubber dinghy caught behind a
double set of upright 2by6's I tried to free it but, when it caught it swung the front of the
boat violently starboard. It nearly threw me off the swim platform between the boat and
the dock. Bad deal! I saved myself by grabbing the side of the boat. It didn't rupture the
boat or rip it off the swim platform, but, it tried! Again, larry built the brackets that held it
on, "hell-for-stout". It survived and we survived and we fought, and then chuckled about
it later. Into the I.C.W. canal, thru st. joe pass, into Mississippi sound. Then engine
trouble, loss of power. Then it would die, re-start, and limp along. Then die again and we
would be adrift. We made it to an obscure place called bayou caddy. A man let us tie up
to his dock. A wholesale shrimping operation. Larry asked about food? And low and
behold we were right beside a casino that had a great buffet. Boy, did we eat!

10/01/09 we had a mechanic check the fuel pump, new plugs, and again went to town for
parts, gas, and supplies. We barely made it to Biloxi miss. We had spent $200.00 for
nothing from an old alcoholic burnt out mechanic. What bad luck! We got a slip at
Biloxi small craft harbor, right beside the "hard rock cafe" and casino. Again good food
and free sodas in the casino. Signs of the aftermath and destructive power of hurricane
Katrina are everywhere. Lots of stories of suffering and loss.

10/02/09 we've got a mechanic. "tommy barnes". Of course he showed up with the
wrong fuel pump. And he forgot the new cap and rotor we asked him to get. He had to
order the fuel pump from Birmingham ala. Weather is going to turn bad, and we can't
travel the gulf in high waves ,wind and rain. Who knows when we'll get to mobile

10/03/09 at least we have good food at the casino. Larry and myself have walked this
marina foot by foot. And looked at every boat in it!

10/04/09 more of the same, and rain. We walked the art fair down the street. Something
to do.

10/05/09. severe rain and wind. High humidity. Possibly, clearing this afternoon?

10/06/09. I fear that we're putting too much faith in someone we don't know. "the
mechanic". Very pretty day, wish we could sail on. Larry and I are getting along really
good. The girl scouts came by today and larry bought some girl scout cookies. Nothing
like girl scout cookies on a hot day to break up the monotony. Girl scout cookies in
Biloxi! We met an old man. his name is Gerald, 73 years old an still going strong. He
throws a net over the harbor wall catching "mullet". Pet name to the 10cals,"Biloxi
bacon". He catches them, and then fillets them. He has a Korean lady who owns a cafe
downtown that pays him $3.00 per pound for fillets. That's $150.00 for about 2 days
work in the hot sun. sweat and heat. He threw his net over a black drum fish that must
have weighed 40 Ibs. huge! Larry helped him get it out of the net and dropped it back
over the wall. It was tearing his net up. Plus, this time of year they have worms and he
didn't want it.

10/07/09 more double/talk from the mechanic. No fuel pump, yet! We walked the car
show. "nostalgic" 40's-50's- and 60's. that terrible knot is back in my stomach, stress,
from worrying. Larry bought shrimp from the Vietnamese shrimpers. $3.00 per pound for
fresh shrimp. We cooked it on the grill. And it was delicious! Tomorrow, we're going to
put pressure on the mechanic. We've found a fuel pump in diamond head.

10/08/09. well! He's lucky he didn't get drowned. But, he put on a new fuel pump, new
distributor cap.but, forgot the rotor. We're done with tommy barnes!

10/09/09. we're on our way! Goodbye Biloxi!.7:20 am. Last night. Henry, the harbor
master. gave us a free nites stay. Every little good deed helps! 12 noon we're adrift in the
gulf on the inter-coastal waterway. Funny! This time, it didn't even scare us. But, we
found the true culprit. Junk in the fuel tank is clogging the mesh screen on the siphon
tube. We can blow thru it and the boat might run fine for an hour or 4 hours. We never
know? I realize now, that if I would have cut out about a half inch of tube at the bottom at
an angle. it would have made it far better. And possibly not picked up junk. I read in the
mechanics books . on the boat that an angle is far better than the flat end of a tube. We
made it to mobile bay, then on up to dog river marina. About 18 miles from the mobile
bay bridge that we crossed under. We tied up, then went for supper at the yacht club. Very
expensive, but, the food was very good.

10/10/09. well, we made a "major" decision! After meeting and talking with several boats
that had just came down-the tom/bigbee. We have decided to call it quits! A couple of
the boats had considerable prop damage. Lots of flotsam, jetsom, and debris from
flooding in the river. River is up 9-to-1O feet and lots of heavy currentA-to-5 knots. We
would need to hold 10 knot power to make 5 knots. burning double fuel, and dodging all
the debris. Plus! Straining to stay in the channel. We just don't need that! 1100 miles is
enough! Job well done! We've learned a lot. We've got use of the courtesy car, I'll take
larry to the airport in Gulfport in the morning hours. I did laundry till nearly 11:30pm.
Larry is totally exhausted and totally out of clean clothes. I let him go to sleep early we
have to get up at 3am.

10/11/09.3:30 am. Took larry to the airport, 70 miles west on 1-10 he'll fly to dallas, then
to little rock. Rent a car and drive to Sallisaw. Rest. Pick up his diesel and boat trailer and
head back. I'll have to stay in touch by phone, so that he doesn't get lost. Just me and the
pelicans for a couple of days. I worry and worry, hope everything goes well, no wrecks
and no breakdowns.

10/12/09 I caught 8 catfish last night, "hardheads" not too good to eat. But, fun to catch. I
sat at the fuel dock by day, chatting with all the boat people that come and go. Met
charles broward, brother to t.g. Sheppard, the country and western singer. Charles is a
song writer. He lives on a 45 foot sail boat that has been dry
docked for 6 and one half years! He gave me a tour of his boat, it had beautiful wood
inside. Interesting! "dan" the avionics engineer, headed to belize then on to
Honduras ."matt" construction engineer, "gordy" real-estate broker. "paul" machine st.
The list goes on and on. Boat people are a breed all their own!

10/13/09 larry, made it back. But, minus a wheel, hub, and tire. It came off some where
on his driving to mobile. We took the trailer to port city trailers for repairs. They had to
put new inner and outer bearing kits on all 6 axles, very expensive. Over $500.00. Larry's
boat weighs 10,000 lbs. empty. Even with me cleaning and throwing away everything
that I possibly could it is still closer to 12,000 lbs. we wouldn't have made it 100 miles
without damage and repairs.

10/14/09. dog river marine lifted the boat out of the water with their 40 ton lift. power
washed ,scrubbed, and acid washed the hull. And set the boat on the trailer with inch
precision. Headed for home! Dauphin parkway, right on Theodore/dawes, left on 1-10
west. Then on to swing north slightly OnI-20 north of lake ponchatrain then back onto 110
to Lafayette la. North onI-49 spent the night at a motel

10/15/09. north to Shreveport la. West to dallas. Spent the night at Vemon texas. Larry
was so worried about the fog that he didn't sleep hardly all night. Woke me up at
midnight thinking that it was almost daylight. The clock was malfunctioning in the motel
room. Ha! No hurry at all and low and behold no fog! When daylight did come, he was
ready to go, and go we did!

10/16/09. Amarillo at 2 pm. When I finally caught sight of Larry's big shop and my little
green pickup I nearly wept! I was so relieved to get back safe, and have the boat back
safe with no significant damage. Although, we did lose the tread off a tire outside of
Wichita falls texas. But, we changed it with a spare and made it home.

10/17/09. helped Larry winterize the boat, and backed it into the r.v. bay. We've made it
back alive and still friends. We visited that night, talking about our adventure. we'll do
that often. I may very well be staying on land for the rest of my adventures, but, this is a
big one that we can say that we did together.

10/18/09 heading to Colorado at 6 am. At home @ 1 pm. SAFE!