Dave's Final Thoughts

Dave’s final thoughts on the trip:

It’s hard to believe a couple of 62 year olds paddled 2120 miles in 68 days, from Lake Itasca, MN to Morgan City, LA. Would like to know how many paddle stokes we made? The chance to do an adventure of this magnitude with a childhood friend is also special. I could not have done this trip solo or with anyone else except Jim. His inner strength, determination, and drive are amazing. I was blessed.

To all the viewers, bloggers, supporters, etc on the website, thank you so much, you were what made us keep going. To Lindsay and Steve for all the hard work on the wonderful website, thanks from the bottom of my heart. I owe you big time! To my amazing wife of 41 years (today is our anniversary) thanks for indulging me in my selfish pursuit of my dreams. You are always there for me even though I don’t deserve it. I love you so much!

To all the people we have met along the way that were so nice to us, thanks! The kindness shown to me by total strangers in the form of assistance, lodging, food, and just generosity will never be forgotten. It has restored my belief in the goodness of people.

To Jim, who endured my quirks for 68 days, thanks for letting me be a part of your life. The good times far outweighed the bad and it was the adventure of a lifetime to me. Hard to live with anyone for 68 days in a space as small as a canoe, but we pulled it off, thanks!!!!!

In summary this trip was amazing! We saw 10 states, about 30 locks and dams, abundant wildlife, boats and boaters of all descriptions, all types of weather, 2 rivers, towns ranging from tiny to huge, barges ranging from small to scary, campsites ranging from great to awful, a river ranging in size from tiny to amazing, and I’m glad we did it.

-Dave Lane