Days 28 – 30 The Mississippi and New Orleans

10th July 

Waking up next to the great Mississippi was fantastic. Such a powerful river and I knew in the back of my mind that in about 24 hours I would be sailing her. Today was a different adventure though. We were meeting with Anderson-Tully a logging company as we were interested by the way that logs used to be transported down the river.

We jumped on the bikes and headed off in to the Mississippi forest. The EagleRider boys did a great job getting some of the transport vehicles through some treacherous terrain. We arrived and were taken through the process of how wood was sourced and manufactured in to the timber used all around the world. Seeing how these guys worked in blistering heat was incredible. I really felt I had seen some real culture of Mississippi and the people that live in her.

Tomorrow though I was about to see a completely different side of the coin. The people of the river.

11th July 

We had an early start to meet my guide for the day, John Ruskey. He was the owner of the Quapaw Canoe Company and a man who had sailed the Mississippi for most of his life. We had already been told about John, before we met him, by locals of the community and his passion for rafting and the river was well known. He has been taking people along the river for so long that the two almost go hand in hand.

I arrived to find a 10 man handmade raft. We added some additional touches before we set sail. Not long after we meet, the Quapaw crew and I began rowing the long journey of the Mississippi River. John was fairly confident we could make 35 miles in one day. I wasn’t as sure, but would you believe it, the river was so full from all the rain and the current was strong. The experience was almost therapeutic. Huckleberry Boorman was starting to understand why John had been doing this for so long.

We managed to land as evening fell and a storm was brewing. It felt like this storm had been following us the whole way. Everyday, rain. So back on the bike and soaked through we drove to New Orleans.

12th July 

New Orleans. The home of Jazz, Gumbo and the beignet. 3 things I am a fan of. We had arrived the night before and experienced some of the local jazz bands down the world famous Bourbon Street. We had already seen some incredible local music and New Orleans did not disappoint either.

First though we had a history lesson. We met up with the president of the Louisiana Historical Society, Howard Hunter. He took us around the town and explain how the Louisiana Purchase was one of the worst deals the French had ever made. (I might have summarized his words there slightly) There was so much I had not realized about the history of New Orleans and America in General.

Keep up with Charley’s journey on Facebook and Twitter, and check out photos from Mississippi and New Orleans in the gallery.