Friday, June 1, 2007

FINISHED!!!
















The last leg of my trip was action adventure compared to the tedious poling I’d done for the previous eleven days. Due to severe rainfall recently in Western and Central Nebraska, the Platte River was in flood stage. Thursday morning I pushed my boat into the river with a huge knot in my stomach, wondering how it would handle the churning, boiling water.
It looked like the liquid in a blender when you're making a chocolate shake. It was impossible to believe that this was the same river I'd slogged down for over eleven days. The current was moving so fast and powerfully that trees were toppling into the river, standing waves reached two feet high and cross currents boiled and churned, alternating small whirlpools with powerful burbles. About all I could do was avoid the worst of it and hope for the best."
Fortunately, Plattepus I handled the currents and the waves as if it had been designed for them. Larger waves just washed right over the boat, and swirling currents spun under the shallow draft hull without causing problems. I thought it was humorous that about the only boats that dared to be on the river were $10,000 airboats and my little Plattepus.
Friday morning, with the end in sight, I took a rare opportunity to just enjoy the ride. For once, everything was finally in my favor. The wind was at my back, the current was strong, the river was wide and I knew that I'd make my goal. So I sat back in my chair for half an hour and listened to the birds, watched the clouds, reflected on what an amazing journey it has been, and thanked God for the privilege of being able to do this and for all of the people who have made it possible."
Although I was alone the whole way on the river, there is no sense in which it was a "solo" voyage. None of us ever accomplishes anything on our own, whether in business, in school, on the river or in life. There are always an incredible number of people behind the scenes making it possible. I even think of the people years and years ago who first sparked my interest in building boats, and my parents who taught me to try to achieve the improbable. Then there is Tammy, my wife, who dropped everything to be a support person for the trip along with Sheila, our daughter. And Beth, who keeps things on an even keel at the shelter while I'm gone. The list really does go on and on.
The homeless have never been far from my mind as I’ve poled and paddled. I have this image stuck in my head from the last couple of days. I picture all of us out here floating down the flooded river. Some have luxury liners, some have speedboats, some have canoes, and some are clinging to scraps of wood, barely staying afloat and desperately wondering how long this is going to go on.
I think it is still too easy even for me to give myself all kinds of credit for where I am in life and just dismiss those who are clinging to flotsam and jetsam, as if it is all their fault somehow that they don't have a better boat. When I fall into that kind of thinking, I'm failing to recognize all of those who have contributed to my being where I am, and failing to recognize that some people have never had the same backup I've had.
In the end, the current pushed me to my takeout on a muddy bank, burned, windblown and tired. For the sake of completeness, I paddled across the Missouri River to Iowa, picked up a handfull of Iowa mud as evidence, then paddled back for hugs and pictures. And a long, long nap.

6 comments:

Peggy Williams-Muzney said...

Ron,
I have SO enjoyed the newspaper accounts of your trip down the Platte as well as the more detailed adventures in your blog. I used to live in Gothenburg in the 70s and 80s, and my son loved to canoe the Platte when he was a young boy. He did it in the middle of summer, though, when school was out, and you know what that means - very little water and a lot of grunting the boat across the sandbars. I have forwarded a couple of these stories to him, as well as your blog address, so he has been living your adventure vicariously from his Omaha home. I am surprised as the personality of the river.

Peggy Williams-Muzney
South Sioux City, NE

Ina said...

Well, since I posted the first comment on this blog site, perhaps this one will be the last. In any event no one wishes you more hearty congratulations, nor is more proud of you, nor is more thankful that it is safely over, than we are. I wouldn't go as far as to say we can't wait for the next adventure but we ARE thinking about it! :) (See Nebraska by train? (read: from INSIDE a train!)

Much love from us both!

Unknown said...

Hi Ron,
You can still take and itiotic idea, do it, and make other jealous they were not with you. You da man!
Stu (your one man fan club in Africa)

whimsicalfaery said...

I just finished your Rani series last night for the umpteenth time, and decided I needed to tell you how much I've enjoyed them. I'm a Wycliffe MK myself, and having grown up on the Brazil side of the Amazon jungle, many times I felt like I was reading MY autobiography. As far as I can tell, you're busy adventuring, getting burnt to a crisp, and risking life and limb right now, but if you ever have a minute, I'd love to exchange a few emails. I'm 22 now, just finishing up my fifth consecutive year in the States, and I'd like some encouragement from another "survivor." My email is annie@goldrule.net.

Thanks for making me laugh so hard I fell off the couch. (And that goes for the fifth and sixth times too.)

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Unknown said...

Hi Ron -

Looks like this blog is pretty old, but I'm hoping this'll reach you anyway. My name's Esther Eaton. I'm a reporter for World Magazine (world.wng.org). I grew up with your books as a favorite family read-aloud while we sat around the fire on camping trips hacking at various sticks with pocket knives.

I'd love to do an interview with you to introduce your story to World's readers. Any interest? If so, email me at eeaton (at) wng.org and let's find a time to connect.