“I’m just waiting on a friend.”- Mick & Keith
Wednesday June 11th
Mike and I woke up early to calm lake conditions and headed out early. It was a long day, a rewarding day. After being mildly perturbed about making such little progress yesterday, we were able to rebound and finish the lake today. It wasn’t easy.
The first few hours the winds were light. That changed in the afternoon. We fought and paddled our way to the dam.
Canyon Ferry was intimidating, again I found myself too far out towards the middle. You think “if a storm blows in quickly, no chance I could swim to shore.” I immediately made my way closer to shore, the challenge is this takes time when dealing with wind and waves.
As I approached the dam, I heard a voice from shore “Keith, I am here to portage you around the dam!!” Hallelujah. Will and Falimino Garvin were there to greet Mike and I as we reached the marina right ahead of the dam.
Norm Miller strikes again. He arranged to have Will portage us around the dam and Will also extended an invitation for us to stay at his house. This wasn’t refused.
After dinner at O’Malleys, we made our escape. Will assisted us with running errands and let us crash at his historic home. His house, in Helena, was built in 1887. A true treasure, a big thank you to the Garvins.
Will also has paddled from Helena MT to Helena AR, not as impressive as Twin Bridges to Dallas..but not bad. Of course he actually finished, my fate is still to be determined.
There are many who cheer you on from afar! We can’t selfishly await for your safe return. If nothing less than to sit in rocking chairs on the patio listening to your many “long-winded” tales.
Hey Keith. I checked your tracker. What are you doing over there in the middle of all those trees? Looks like you got an early start today. How is the weather holding up? With all the dams and lake areas, is there a lot of traffic on the lakes? Based on your estimated mileage, you will be about 5% complete by the end of the weekend. Not bad! Keep paddling.