The first thing we needed to do to get the Brower’s Spring was to get throught the Federal Aviation Administration gate that guards the road up Sawtelle Peak. We needed to ske from one of the switchbacks over to Jefferson Peak and up and over the Continental Divide into the Hell Roaring Creek Drainage where the spring is located.
Curt Judy unlocked the gate for us so we could ski over to Jefferson Peak from the road switchback. Thanks, Curt!Mount Jefferson from on top of the bowl.
This is the top of Mount Jefferson which stands at 10,200 ft. We traversed the top of the bowl and dropped into the Hell Roaring Creek drainage off to the left. This was a spectacular moment in the ski.
You can see the Teton Range from on top.Sometime at the beginning of our ski in to the spring.Your can see the triangle where I am standing and the push pin where the spring coordinates are, almost touching.
GPS showed me I was soooooo close to the spring. The surroundings indicated to me that I was likely standing on or near the spring. I could feel it in my heart and soul. My heart was racing and I was excited.
Brower’s Spring just inside the trees in center of photo.
I skied out of those trees where I am sure I was on or near the spring. Rod Wellington, who has also been there, confirmed that the area looked familiar to him.
We even got some turns in. Unfortunately, no photos of our figure eights. Darn!
We assumed that the trip would entail an easy seven-mile ski out of Hell Roaring Canyon. We were mistaken. Because of the snow cover, we needed to be cautious of avalanche danger, and often fell prey to terrain traps, which produced steep drop-offs, false canyons, and unskiable gulleys. Because of this, we were destined to stay over night, which neither of us prepared for. In fact, we absent-mindedly left the car with no means of fire or sleeping gear. We were both tense until we gave in to the fact we were staying the night. Then, our priority switched to surviving the night. We never doubted our ability to do so.
We were at the top of that distant ridge at one point. You could see the Sawtoothe Range in Idaho. We had to be vigilant about avalanche danger.Norm getting water from Hell Roaring Creek. At this point we knew we were sleeping in the mountains.Norm building the shelter. We both took part in this important project.The PBR Haley threw in our pack. Happy we had the extra calories before a long cold night.
I shivered uncontrollably all night. I was only able to sleep for about five minutes. Norm was the same way. Somehow, the hours past and it was time to go. I am thankful to have survived and avoided hypothermia. I had trailmix to eat and a granola bar which we split. I had to eat one of the granola bars for calories just after going to bed. Perhaps, it helped, I could not tell.
Beautiful full moon night, despite the situation.Hell Roaring CreekWe skied 12 miles instead of 7 because of terrain traps that forced us to back up and go another way.Grizzly tracks. We made ourselves known by talking at the bear for the last couple hours of our ski.The end finally in sight. And, so were the bear tracks, which came up from the valley where Haley and Jeannie were sleeping in the car.Haley and Jeannie, support crew, waiting patiently for us. We had minimal contact with walkie talkies that we brought, so we were able to notify them of our overnight stay.Here is the grizzly track Haley took a photo of at the base of Hell Roaring Canyon, where we came out.Oh my God, we did it! Good job!
Next came the bike ride, 90-some miles from the base of Hell Roaring Canyon to Clark Canyon Dam. The ride took three days. The ride of all rides, the vistas were spectacular.
A short video of our preparation at Base Camp International – Livingston, MT. Thank you very much to Norm Miller & Kris Walker for the video and their gracious hospitality!
Compact fit. Of course, ther is a lot of stuff in the hatches, too.
We practiced packing the boat yesterday. Thanks to Norm Miller, I’ll be running a pretty tight ship. At least it looks pretty trim.
Norm demonstrating how to get out of the spray skirt should The boat tumble over.
Sail simulation.
we are heading to Sawtelle Peak for the ski in to the Missouri River’s ultimate source, Brower’s Spring. We will be skiing, and not paddling. The spring is just below the Continental Divide.
Our visit with Norm and his girlfriend, Kris Walker, has been heartwarming and incredibly fun. We will take away some very memorable moments lasting a lifetime!
Please be patient with me as I transition my computer tool from a laptop with Vista Business to an iPad. It is my first Mac experience aside from an iPhone I’ve only owned for two months. I hope to be able to keep you better updated.
On Sunday, April 14, we enjoyed the warmth of our river community as they sent us on our way from Cooper’s Landing on the Missouri River. I find it intriguing that I will be paddling down the entire length of the river for the next 3.5 months beginning in Montana. I have been dreaming about this journey for over seven years. The time had actually come.
Last minute detail: loading the boat, with Dave Bandy.
We have been on the road for nine days. The trip thus far has been fantastic. We have driven on two-lane highways nearly 98% of the trip. Before we actually got out of town, Haley decorated the van. “I got this, Mom, I used to be a cheerleader.” We drove through some gorgeous countryside in northern Kansas and southeaster Nebraska.
Gorgeous country. Beautiful Haley.
In Phillipsburg, KS, we had a radiator leak which appeared to be a major obstacle. The only radiator repair shop in town was completely booked for two days. I had to drive over and talk to the owner, and tried to convince him that WE REALLY NEEDED HELP. But, he just could not take us in, and so referred us to Wick’s Muffler and Auto Repair. What a wonderful referral THAT was! Galen Wickham and his son Gabe got right on it! Galen brought the car in the shop immediately to try and find the leak. The two of them traced it back to a pinhole leak in a steel hose off of the water pump. A call was made to Hays, NE, 60 miles to the south. We crossed our fingers…
Galen Wickham, left, and son Gabe. Thanks again guys!
Yes, they had the part but all deliveries had already left town. The best estimate for departure after car work would be about 5:30 that evening. However, I offered to drive to Hays myself and, as it turned out, that is what happened. Galen loaned me his truck so I could pick up the part. Galen estimated a possible 1:00 departure as a result. WOW! Ending up at Galen’s shop was just short of a miracle! We were back on the road by 2:00. Not only that, he was so intrigued by our expedition, he told his mom and dad and brother about it, and they all chipped in to pay for the repair. Now, when does THAT ever happen?? Thanks again, Wickham family. You guys ROCK! I will be telling this story for years. Ron from the local paper, The Advocate of Phillips County, stopped by to ask a few questions about the expedition. Off we went and arrived in Scottsbluff, NE, that night. We got a lovely room and Holiday Inn Express, and enjoyed a hot tub, swim, and had pizza delivered. The next morning we watched the weather channel very closely while sitting in the breakfast nook at the hotel. A winter storm was coming up through the panhandle of NE starting today, Tuesday, which is right where we were. We debated for a couple hours, literally, whether to try and outrun the storm going north, as some guests had already left for Casper, WY. Eventually, we decided to go for it. Turns out the storm would envelope the entire southeastern portion of WY, and over a foot of snow fell. We ended up making it as far as Orin Junction, WY, and the roads all around us began to close. We were 60 miles short of our Casper, WY, destination. Fortunately, there was a small truck stop at the junction, and we immediately settled in once we knew forward progress was no longer available.
Sinclair Truck Stop at Orin Junction, WYThe glorious Teton Mountain Range!The Grand Teton
We thoroughly enjoyed our layover at the truck stop, despite the fact we had to sleep in the car that night. The truck stop closed at 10:00 and reopened at 5:00 AM. We spent seven hours in the car as the snow fell all around us. The car turned into a makeshift igloo, it appeared, and we stayed warm and cozy wrapped in down sleeping bags, jackets, and a comforter. What an adventure! Strangers are just an opportunity to make friends, and that’s what we all did at the truck stop. We were thankful that we had such a pleasant and cozy place to hang out, and the food was to beat all. Finally on Wednesday the road opened up to Douglas, which was 12 miles up the road. We opted to make the drive and get a hotel. Being able to sleep on a bed was nice, but the hotel was less than desirable. We got out of there first thing in the morning and drove all the way to Jackson, Wyoming. Our progress was somewhat slowed because of the photo opportunities along the way. We found it difficult to pass up such beautiful countryside without stopping to take pictures. I am sure we will not regret the many stops we made. Jackson was a significant destination that we were all looking forward to, and very excited about. We were finally in some serious mountain country! We were grateful for the chance to view the Teton Mountain Range, which appeared through the clouds majestically and with great grandeur! We loved our stay in Jackson, and our accommodations at the Parkway Inn. Because this time of year is considered the off-season, we were able to get discounted rates at the hotel. We loved it! We stayed two nights and refreshed ourselves by going for a walk, swimming, sitting in the hot tub, and doing laundry. Saturday morning we embarked upon a full ‘day of travel. We drove north up to Sawtelle Peak so I could check out the conditions of the road we plan on driving up to begin our ski into Brower’s Spring. We then started driving down Red Rock Road towards Red Rock Pass, which is very close to the exit point of our ski. Since it was 1:30 PM and temperatures were mild, we opted to stop short of the pass because of the mud. We stopped and walked down the road and enjoyed a snack lunch while viewing the awesome mountains around which we were surrounded.
We will be skiing in to Brower’s Spring from Sawtelle Peak tomorrow morning! The spring is behind the mts on the right.This was spotted out my car window in Idaho.The muddy road into Centennial Valley, where our ski trip will end at Hell Roaring Creek.Mountains are everywhere in Montana! Madison RangeJefferson RiverBeaver head River at Three Forks
We then drove up towards the Beaverhead and Jefferson River so I could take a look at the rivers I will be paddling within a week, or so. This was a chance for me to connect with my route and visualize the environment of which I would soon become a part. Finally, we arrived at Base Camp International, Norm Miller and Kristen Walker’s house in Livingston, MT, where all paddlers of the Missouri River, or any river, are welcome to stop and regroup before setting out on the river.
Norm and I have been in email and phone contact since I decided to embark upon this adventure, so despite the fact we had never met, I felt like we were good friends already. Our stay here has been nothing less that warm and cozy. We immediately felt like family, and have enjoyed each others’ company immensely.
Tomorrow we begin our journey into Brower’s Spring. Then, the bike ride to Clark Canyon Dam and finally, Blue Moon hits the water.
The day has finally arrived. I have been losing sleep for nine months since I made the decision to paddle down the Missouri. Once I decided to take on this challenge, it was another month, or two or three, before I made the decision to start at the source. I knew I would regret not making the extra 298 miles if I started at Three Forks instead of Brower’s Spring.
The base of the mountains Norm and I will be coming out of after our ski into Brower’s Spring. (Photo by Norm Miller)
The time is 3:23 AM. My alarm is set for 4:30 AM. I feel like I have an extra hour so I’m trying to get in one last “quick” blog post before we take off. Now, THAT’s a challenge!
The Columbia Daily Tribune, our local newspaper, is supposed to publish a story this morning. I just checked on it. Yep, it’s there. Here is the link for “PRIMED TO PADDLE: Kayaker ready to tackle river’s entire length.” I will post the story under my Media page once the article becomes NOT available online, unless you have a subscription.
Yesterday was a very busy day packing. I actually spent two days hard at it. Three and one half months requires thinking through all of your needs, and wants, then trying to downsize the load. I’m not very good at that. Thankfully, Haley arrived after lunch and really helped me accomplish this daunting task. She is very organized and more rational than me when it comes to, “Is it really a need, or merely a want.”
We took a moment to take a picture with our matching “Say YES More” T-shirts. ‘Say Yes More’ is Dave Cornthwaite’s campaign, of which I am an ambassador. The first medium T-shirt was itty-bitty, so I gave it to Haley and he sent me a larger one. Find out more about Dave’s exciting adventures on his Website.
T-shirts for Dave Cornthwaite’s “Say Yes More” ambassador program.
Last night we enjoyed spending time with my niece, Rene Freels, and her husband, Kyle, and son, Sam. We enjoyed fabulous food (as usual) at El Maguey, not to mention their $1.25 margaritas. This is my favorite restaurant in town.
We then enjoyed going down to the river to meet a lot of my river friends who were enjoying a campfire, pot luck barbeque, and acoustic guitar music. We have access to a spot right next to Cooper’s Landing where we have get-togethers sometimes. We also stopped by Cooper’s and I was able to introduce them to many more wonderful people in our river community. We had a great evening. I was happy to introduce them to a little slice of my world. Unfortunately, no photos.
Once home again, I began to round up all of the little loose-end items such as dental floss, water bottles, hairbrush, shampoo and other things that I actually use until I leave. I started a batch of strawberry/banana fruit roll-ups in the dehydrator, too.
This morning I will do one last batch of laundry, gather all of my food and try to sort some of it out into portions. I need to make my custom trail mix as well. Then, once light starts dawning on this part of the earth, the kayaks will go on the car, and I’ll pack the car with all of my stuff. We just left everything on the porch since the weather is good and we have Minnie, our wonderful, and loud, watchdog. No one can approach the house without her approval.
Minnie
The weather looks rough for the next few days in this area, and on our drive up north. It is my understanding that snow has been falling in Montana. I try not to let the weather reports get me emotionally stirred up. I am taking things one step at a time, and making decisions as opportunities present themselves. You might say I am “Going with the Flow.” Yes, I like the sound of that. Here is my awesome road crew, Haley, Jeannie Kuntz, and me.
Haley, Jeannie, and Me: Hittin’ the road this morning at 10:00.
My extra hour has turned into two after posting photos. Still, not bad. But, gotta go!
Cheers! See you on the water! Montana here we come! YeeHaw!
Pelicans Dancing (Photo by Norm Miller)
(One hour, 30-minute blog post! That is a new personal record. That is good, real good.) 🙂
The blog reality is: I wanted to post a page about River Relief clean ups before I leave, and I did that today. The page is all about the St. Charles clean up last weekend. But, holy smokes, Batman, blog pages/posts take a lot of time and tender loving care, hours in fact.
To my blog followers: check my FaceBook Expedition Page often because blog posts will be more brief and less frequent once I’m on the water. I will be updating, but not blogging so much. Just wanted to get that out there.
Yikes! 3 days to go!! Tribune interview on Saturday. Send off at Cooper’s on Sunday!
Live fast ~ Paddle slow
“For thousands of years, we have gone to sea. We have crafted vessels to carry us and we have called them by name. These ships will nurture and care for us through perilous seas, and so we affectionately call them “she.” To them we toast, and ask to celebrate “BLUE MOON.” Then everybody raises their glass filled with champagne or your favorite non-alcoholic beverage and shouts, “TO THE SAILORS OF OLD…TO BLUE MOON.” Everybody takes a sip.
That is the start of the script for the christening ceremony. Tomorrow, a.k.a., Easter Sunday, Blue Moon will take her first ride in the Missouri River as the Blue Moon. For those of you who are not aware, Bob Bellingham of Australia paddled down the Missouri River last summer in the same boat, which was then the Barbara May. In the spirit of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” I have purchased Bob’s boat for my expedition, and she is no stranger to the river.
Bob Bellingham in his Shasta, which is now my Shasta, and my ride down the river.
The Barbara May brought Bob down the river, from Three Forks to St. Louis, in 89 days. Ideally, Blue Moon will replicate that schedule so that I arrive in St. Louis on August 1st (give or take a couple of days). Tomorrow, I will conduct a short ceremony in order to loosely hold on to the tradition of renaming and/or christening a boat. Those paddling with me, and anyone else interested, are invited to take part.
Today, I hope to apply this blog site address onto the sides of Blue Moon.
Things are really revving up, gear-wise. Packages are showing up on my porch, such as the lettering for my web address, my solar panel, compression dry sacks, my sleeping bag, a camera, cleaner for the boat deck, etc.
I spent 3 hours in Batteries + yesterday trying to assemble an appropriate electronic system to charge my laptop from the roll-up solar panel. Solar panels do not advertise laptop charging. Normally, they are geared for only the smaller electronic appliances, i.e., iPhone, iPad, camera, or GPS. After yesterday, I’m ready to teach a Physics lesson for sure.
I had to get a 12V battery, which I learned, come in a wide variety of sizes and corresponding weights. I need a battery that will not be too big, but that will charge my laptop up in a reasonable amount of time and/or charging sessions. I won’t go into any details because my brain is still tired from yesterday’s numerous calculations. Big thanks to Herb for patiently assisting me in assembling a system! And thanks to Chad, Batteries+ store owner, who gave me a business account, which results in a small discount on all of the accessories I bought…
for my roll-up solar charger. Big thanks to Julia at PowerFilmSolar for the discount, too.
One of the employees at Batteries+ suggested a wind turbine for the boat. Holy cow, that’s brilliant! I’m sure I’ll be thinking a lot about that on those windy days on the lakes!
I have been dehydrating lots of food and vacuum sealing small packages. Why have I not been doing this for the last 30 years? The beef jerky is out of this world! And, the bananas, green apples, pineapple, etc. are all soooo delicious! I’ve also dried tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, peppers, and spaghetti sauce. Yep, spaghetti sauce. Starting on broccoli today. These veggies will be wonderful to throw into my side dish pasta meals.
Naturally dried tomatoes and mushrooms
I now have my tent, sleeping bag, stove, Thermarest, paddling gear, under layers, neoprene boots and shoes, Teva sandals, portable hard drive, three cameras, an iPhone, a laptop (which I’ve owned for a long time and hope it performs), maps, drybags, compression dry bags, compass, whistle, wheeleez for portaging, and a lot of little items that I had to pick up as I walked through Walt’s Wilderness store. Little things like a first-aid kit, meal kit, coffee french-press with cup set, moleskin, caribiners, and a wide-mouth water bottle for my alfalfa sprouts. I even picked up my one and only packaged freeze-dried meal: camp eggs! I love eggs and will need to cook up this package for some special occasion, which could be anything, like one full day with zero wind!! I may be missing my eggs on this trip.
I will test my gear this week-end when I go to Missouri River Relief’s MO River clean-up in St. Charles. Seven years have passed since I started back to school and have not had an opportunity to go to a river clean-up since. These clean-up events are a must-do activity for everyone, ESPECIALLY, river communities. The sense of accomplishment, camaraderie, and contribution to society cannot be fully appreciated until you take part in one. I am so looking forward to being with fellow river stewards, cleaning up the trash, and trying out the gear that I will become one with for the next 3 and 1/2 months. I definitely have to make sure that French Press works. Gotta have my cup of Joe to get my day on track!
Confluence Clean-Up in 2012. Jeannie Kuntz massages the crew after a long day. (Jeannie will be driving to Montana with my daughter Haley and me. :))River Warriors St. Charles Clean-up in 2011
Stay tuned for an upcoming post in which I will share with you the red-hot heart-warming LoveYourBigMuddy Blues Benefit from last Wednesday, March 27.
Yesterday, I passed out some expedition stickers to my 8th grade science students. Well, they are not mine literally, but I spent an entire semester at Jefferson Junior High School with many of them, ten weeks as a student teacher of 8th-grade social studies, and six weeks of 8th-grade science. I kind of consider them mine, at least figuratively.
Jefferson Junior High School. Columbia, Missouri’s first high school in 1911.
I was substitute teaching yesterday for my science students and we watched a marvelous Planet Earth video called “Fresh Water.” I watched the movie five times as I had five classes to teach. Never was I bored with it, but with each viewing became totally immersed in the photography of the wildlife and the waterways highlighted in the movie.
Grand Canyon’s Colorado River
One river highlighted was the Amazon River in South America. The Amazon carries more water than the next top-ten biggest rivers combined. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean after meandering 4,000 miles eastward from its source in the Peruvian Andes.
The Amazon River
The students enjoyed the video, too. We saw grizzly bears feeding on salmon in British Columbia, a team of smooth-coated otters harassing a 13-foot crocodile in an Indian River, eight-foot fresh water dolphins, Botos,
Fresh water dolphins of the Amazon River.
navigating by sonar in the murky waters of the Amazon River, the falling waters of Venezuela’s Angel Falls, the highest in the world, mating lake flies producing smoke-like columns extending hundreds of yards up in the sky on one of the world’s largest lakes in the East African Rift Valley, and a red-bellied piranha feeding frenzy in the underwater forests of Brazil’s Pantanal – the world’s largest wetland.
Angel FallsLake Flies mating before dropping eggs on water and dying.
Honestly, I had not planned to give away my stickers and tell them about my expedition, but the opportunity presented itself perfectly after watching “Fresh Water.”
“Ladies and Gentlemen (the line I use to get their attention), I don’t know when I will be back in this classroom, so I have a small announcement to make: I have been planning an expedition since last June. I will be leaving in 2 ½ months, on April 14th, to solo kayak the entire length of the Missouri River, which starts in Montana. The Missouri River is the longest river in North America and the fourth longest in the world, and flows about 2600 miles from its ‘source’ in the Centennial Mountains to St. Louis.”
Their response:
WHAT are you doing? What’s a kayak? Where are you going to sleep? What will you do for food? Who is going with you? How long will it take you? You’ll have a motor, won’t you? Won’t you be scared? The river is dangerous. That’s crazy. I could never do that! Good luck.
My response:
“This is one of my objectives: I want you, and kids like you, to know that “you can do anything”, if you have the desire, a positive attitude, and support to help you. I want to model that for you by doing this trip.”
Now, I would like to add:
So listen up: chase negatives away, just like the smooth-coated otters did with the crocodile, and “Make It Happen,” no matter what the “It” may be. Got it, guys?
Statement of Objectives
The proposed expedition will take six participants from Yellowknife, N.W.T. to Kugluktuk, NU, by canoe and develop educational materials to bring the journey to Canadian classrooms. In pursuing this opportunity, expedition members wish to further develop their careers as educators in combination with a passion for outdoor and experiential education. In doing so, we hope to be able to contribute in a positive manner to the understanding and appreciation of Canadian history and geography through various forms of media. Our objective is to expand the geographic appreciation, and knowledge of this remote region of the Canadian wilderness, encouraging thoughtful debate and discussion on both environmental and
economic themes.
In support of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s mandate to make Canada better known to Canadians and to the world, while on the expedition, we will be creating a series of interactive lesson plans for classrooms. We will be submitting these to the Canadian Council for Geographic Education, and upon completion of the trip, these lesson plans will be made available through this website. Students and teachers will be able to explore the route and find a range of materials appropriate to their grade level.
From Canoe and Kayak Magazine:
Coppermine 2012
An ambitious 1,000-mile odyssey across the Canadian North
Why is it important that young Canadians learn about this part of their country? Stef Superina: Canada’s north, its rich history and diverse geography, are all too commonly skipped in our history textbooks. As a country that derives much of its wealth from natural resources, the Canadian north will play an important role in our country’s growth. Engaging our youth in discussion on economic and environmental themes is integral to the sustainable development of our country’s resource base, as they will ultimately become the decision makers of the future.
I think I said somewhere: The Missouri River, its rich history and diverse geography, is all too commonly skipped in our history textbooks. Well, maybe not those exact words, but in similar concept.
How cool it would be to have support from a geographical society!? But then, I’d need a crew. Then, it would no longer be a solo trek. Then, it would be an occupation, and I’d never make it to the classroom with the children. Being in the classroom with the children is important, too. I will just have to make do with less support, and more creativity, resourcefulness, and energy. And, perhaps, a Coppermine will help. (…and a really good camera!)
My daughter, Haley Rose, came with me to St. Louis yesterday to pick up my Shasta kayak that I bought from Australian Bob Wellington in September. Bob paddled from Three Forks, Montana, to St. Louis last summer in 89 days. Following the principle of “reuse,” I bought his boat and gear as he had no desire to ship it all back to Australia. It was a win-win deal (right, Bob? :)).
Cool guy in a cool boat at a cool spot
Michael Clark of Big Muddy Adventures was nice enough to store the boat for me over the fall semester while I finished my degree. After some great conversation about interactive teaching from the river, which is what Michael does with Skype, writing curriculum, and redirecting at-risk youth towards the River, among other cool things, we threw all the gear in the back of the van and tied the Barbara May on to the top. Haley snapped a photo of me and Michael and the Barbara May.
We stopped and visited with my niece, Rene Freels, and her funny husband, Kyle, and son, Sam, and had a wonderful lunch and good time laughing and talking about the expedition. We talked about the Kickstarter program (Rene was the first to suggest Kickstarter to me), making T-shirts, social media, sponsorship, donation gift ideas like stickers, signed photos, bumper stickers, boat rides, etc. etc. Promoting myself does not come naturally. I welcome any suggestions. Oh, and we talked about bears.
Although I like the name Barbara May, and I am confident that Bob’s wife is a very sweet woman, I HAVE to rechristen the boat with a new name. Yes, some people say a boat’s name should bear some special significance to the owner. Frankly, I have not found warm and fuzzy in a name yet. “Easy Rider” is my race name in the Race to the Dome paddling race. I like that name, but mostly for the theme song that goes with it. You remember the Ballad of Easy Rider by the Byrds, right? Give a listen:
Haley and I tossed around some names on the ride home from STL but came up virtually empty-handed. Here are the names we have thus far: Easy Rider, Rio Oso (river bear, my dog’s name), and Blue Moon. I’d like to have Pepper in the name somewhere, but can’t get anything to flow.
Pepper on lower tier. Sugar Lily above.
Pepper was my cat, also my very best friend, who went missing on the 4th of July, 2011, one week after moving into my new home. Still not over it.
So, I am looking for suggestions as to what to name my boat. Please comment on my blog, or go to my Facebook Page: LoveYourBigMuddy Expedition, “like” the page, if you have not already, and throw out some suggestions for me. You never know what might strike the harmonious chord.
loveyourbigmuddy expeditions 
