grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Canoeing the Mississippi River at Helena

By 34 Comments

(Note: Helena Advertising and Promotions Commission sponsored this blogger trip. Opinions are my own.)

Mississippi River, Osceola River Port

Never swim in the Mississippi River. EVER.

My sister and I heard this warning over and over again from Momma and Daddy and Papa Creecy. Although the Mississippi River was our very own natural wonder, we knew better than to dip one toe into his churning current.
Please, can we go see the river?

After a trip to the grocery store, Momma often drove us over the levee to make sure he was still there. We always took out-of town visitors to see our river at the Osceola River Port. And crossing into Memphis, we held our breath on the bridge spanning the water, a game we played in route to the Zoo or Goldsmith’s or the Mid-South Fair. It was a l-o-n-g way over.

The Mississippi River flowed through our veins,  yet we never swam in it. EVER.

When a classmate drowned, we understood and respected his power.
I recently stepped a toe into the Mississippi River. Both feet in fact. The cool water felt marvelous, yet forbidden. As I pulled my life jacket tight, I felt Papa Creecy shudder from the heavens…

I was part of a small group of Arkansas Women Bloggers invited by the Helena Advertising and Promotions Commission to spend a few days in their delta town overlooking the Mississippi River. Although Helena is directly downstream from our farm near Osceola, this was my first visit.

And a cram-packed, entertaining visit it was. One of my favorite activities—canoeing on the Mississippi River.
Led by the Quapaw Canoe Company, we canoed to Buck Island (also known as Island 63). And for those of you from Mississippi County, Island 63 is NOTHING like our infamous Island 35… not in the least…
Canoeing the Mississippi River at Helena
The spectacular autumn air held a freshness I’d yet to feel in Dallas since the prolonged, hot summer. A sense of nervous excitement grew, for me anyway—being on the river, feeling the tug of water against the oar. We laughed and talked and row, row, rowed, landing on the island just before sunset.

Buck Island was remote.

Mississippi River at Helena, Island 63, Buck Island
Arriving at Buck Island

Uninhabited, the only signs of life were animal tracks stamped in the sand.

Buck Island, Island 63, Helena, Mississippi River
beautiful white sand

In only moments, our guides built an impressive fire from sticks and driftwood gathered from the nearby woods. As the sun sank into the riverbank, we ate dinner by bonfire glow, debated the perfect way to roast a marshmallow, and drank the finest boxed wine from hefty coffee mugs.

Buck Island, Island 63, Mississippi River at Helena
Kyran Pittman demonstrating marshmallow perfection

 

I wanted to stay on that island forever.
Canoeing back in silence, Venus shone brightly above the tree line, and the Milky Way cut a bright swath in the night. Like a great whale, a barge slipped by moving the black water. I imagined rafting the river at a different time, in a different world, one without lights from the nearby bridge or the hum of soybeans being loaded onto nearby barges.
Mississippi River at Helena
Mississippi River barge

 

Underneath an endless sky surrounded by the mighty river, I returned to shore awestruck.
It is not a commonplace river, but on the contrary is in all ways remarkable. –Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi
talya
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

 

Musical Pairing:

Ol Man River, Paul Robeson

 

Wanna receive my monthly Newsletter? Sign up here!

Comments

  2. Marvelous, Talya. I wondered where you found the white sand. Thanks for sharing this story of the river and the clip with Paul Robeson, the best rendition of that song ever.

    Reply

  12. I loved this post. Brought me back to canoeing with my girl scout troup in middle school (the colorado river…not quite as large but still the biggest river I’d ever seen.) They warned us against swimming too, though let us “swim”, with our life jackets, in a small inlet between a sandbar and the river where the water was less than 2 feet high. I grew up living on a boat and felt like a toddler with that big ole life jacket in such shallow water, but it was better than nothing. I’d been itching to get in that water all day.

    But me and my friend found a way to at least get our feet wet during the rest of the trip…we took turns sitting on the bow with our feet dangling in the water. I’m surprized they let us do that but possibly we were too far away for our troup leaders to see what we were doing. We paddled til sunset, when the sunshine scattered over the river and turned it golden, and everything seemed to hush save the splash of the paddles. Such good memories!

    I wanted to let you know that the new Wherever Wednesday is up, and that I featured your post in the “highlights from last month”! http://texifornia.blogspot.com/2013/12/this-is-wherever-wednesday.html Love your writing!

    Reply

  13. Awesome post! Glad you were able to do this! I watched a whole redwood Cyprus tree standing straight up slowly sink and then flipping it’s roots up into the air going down that river so I will pass on swimming in it. Beautiful pics though!

    Reply

  14. Hey girl – I’m just now settling back into the bloggy groove. I remember meeting you at the conference last year. This is an awesome post – beautiful pictures and I love the way you tell your story. I never really thought of the power of the Mississippi river or that there could be an a place in the middle with so much charm.

    Reply

  15. Greetings! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a collection of volunteers and
    starting a new initiative in a community in the same niche.
    Your blog provided us beneficial information to
    work on. You have done a marvellous job!

    Reply

  16. There are many types of tiles available nowadays.

    The method of tile cleaning will depend more on the tile type.
    However there are couple of things to be followed to add the
    sheen and glow of the tiles.

    Do the regular floor cleaning
    Clean the spills as soon as they occur

    It is very crucial to clean dirt and water too as soon as they are split to prevent the stains.
    Place a doormat which helps in reduction of mud or dirt entering through footsteps.

    There are basically following tile floors where in one will
    use the tile and grout cleaning process, types of tiles are as follow –

    Ceramic
    Porcelain
    Stone

    Porcelain Tile cleaning

    Porcelain tiles maintenance is not difficult if the surface is cleaned regularly.
    The surface can be vacuum cleaned every day or just sweep it.
    The wet mopping is required once in a week. Use of mild floor cleaners will do for the mopping.
    One can make it at home by mixing vinegar and water.

    Ceramic Tile Cleaning

    The rule is followed here as well; remove the dirt as soon as possible.
    Vacuum clean the tiles every day or a simple broom
    can be used. Plain water or the special ceramic tile cleaners can be used for the
    wet mopping.

    Stone Tile Cleaning

    One need to be careful while cleaning the tiles
    made of stones as they are natural minerals. Never use harsh floor cleaners.
    Sweep or vacuum clean. After using any floor cleaner use
    a dry mop to soak any type of liquid residue.

    Grout Cleaning

    Along with the tile cleaning it is very important to regularly clean the grout, i.e.
    the lines between the tiles. Hence tile and grout cleaning goes
    simultaneously. Grout is porous in nature and attracts dirt, grease etc.
    The surface looks shabby if the grout is unclean. It can also be
    a cause of mildew or mould in the damp areas like bathrooms.

    It is best to have a seal (colour or clear)
    on the grout which will not only protect the surface but also acts as an anti-fungal agent.

    Many a times it gets difficult to maintain the floor due
    to hectic working schedules. Hence we come in picture and provide the tile and grout cleaning services
    to our clients at a very affordable price. Moreover the price depends on the type
    of the tiles, number of tiles and size of the tiles
    to be cleaned.

    Following steps are followed for the tile and grout cleaning after you contact us-

    Pre inspection of the tiles and floor.
    Shifting of the furniture, if any, from that space.

    Dry Sweeping of the surface
    Application of the suitable cleaning solution.
    Cleaning the surface with a soft pad.
    High pressure cleaning
    Mopping and drying the surface.

    We have our experts who carry special tools to do
    the tile and grout cleaning; the grout sealing is also done
    if ordered.

    Reply

  17. Awesome blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere?
    A design like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog shine.
    Please let me know where you got your theme. Many thanks

    Reply

  18. The first of the mobile phones to be launched in India was during
    the 1990’s. This gives a fair idea to the customer as to whether to make or not
    to make or change the purchase decision. To choose the
    color and style of Barbie’s hair is very manageable.

    Reply

  19. obviously like your web site but you have to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts.
    Several of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very bothersome to inform the truth nevertheless I
    will definitely come back again.

    Reply

  20. Concerning managing affiliate marketing, you should be
    cautious, since it may include numerous tricks. The Internet is a huge library of information, use it
    to learn of other opportunities and ways to increase your income.

    Yet another way of earning more profits with affiliate marketing is
    through residual affiliate programs.

    Reply

Trackbacks

COMMENT:

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!