Day 41: Southern Hospitality

The days blend together like crazy.  It seems like ages ago that we capsized and was just yesterday. 


We stopped in New Madrid today for Ders to get sunglasses (they're pretty essential).  While waiting for him I chatted with the town pastor and his wife.  They gave me their phone number in case we ran into trouble further South.  At first I took it just to be polite, but upon talking with them further I realized they actually would be able to help us if necessary.  They organized a place to stay for a group of girls doing a similar trip a few years back when they ran into hurricane forecasts in New Orleans.  Apparently pastors are pretty well connected.


We set back out and were in Caruthersville by 6:00.  As soon as we landed a man offered us a ride to fill up water.  He was unable to work due to health reasons and made ends meet by buying and selling fruit as well as fixing up and selling things like bikes and couches.  As a parting gift he gave us two cantaloupe.  He also offered me marijuana while in his truck (not the first time we've been offered on this trip).  I politely declined.


We decided to charge phones and cook dinner at the boat landing and then paddle to the first habitable spot we saw.  While cooking a man and woman drove up and chatted with us.  They had seen us on the river.  They gave us each a beer which tasted amazing after a long day on the water and told us there was a wal-mart about a half mile away.  In need of propane we decided one of us should make the trek.  I went and it turned to be closer to two miles than a half mile, but oh well, we really needed propane. 


When I got back, Anders was talking to a man that had a really nice camera.  He was waiting to take pictures of the moon which was supposed to be spectacular that night.  He took a couple pictures of us and said he was going to try and get us in their paper.  He also took Anders' email address and sent him the pictures of us and the moon.  Anders then told me about two men that appeared to be sizing up our outfit for theft.  He was above the river in the park area and two guys were walking around our boat suspiciously.  He walked down there and said something to them and they barely acknowledged him.  He claims to have heard one say, "We can't steal anything anymore."  Sadly, a day that saw so much hospitality and good will (I only touched on the many great conversations of the day with random people) ended with two men contemplating a heist of our gear.


We got back on the water a little later than planned and ended up setting up camp in the dark on a sloped sand bar.  Not the greatest sleeping arrangements, but we really couldn't complain after such a good day.