In Davenport, Iowa, we had  a surprise visit from Rodger Doncaster, who was one of the crew of the Atlantic crossing of the Son of Town Hall. He came aboard the Vilma B to see our progress and was highly impressed. Here you see him in a discussion with Poppa Neutrino, on the front deck of the paddlewheel houseboat which is floating alongside our raft flotilla, providing temporary galley space and backup motor power.

One of the many (29) locks we have passed through between Minneapolis and St. Louis. We got to be very proficient at entering and exiting these narrow locks, where there was often a huge barge rig just outside the gates on the downstream side, making the exit quite tricky. We had a little trouble at Lock 12, but after that, we managed to get clear of them every time, without further mishaps.

Arriving in Hannibal, Missouri, boyhood home of Mark Twain, we were greeted by a group of modern day Tom Sawyers and Huck Finns - who stopped diving off the pier long enough to investigate our raft.

see log entry for Hannibal

The Vilma B just visible, tied up beneath Hannibal's sign with Mark Twain's picture.

Basil Campbell and Myron Skott joined us for several days on the river when we left Hannibal. Here you see Basil playing chess with Shawn, as Capt. Betsy takes the helm watch.

see log entry

Myron helped Ed finish the frame at the front of the raft and install the third of the tarps donated by Terri Grauel, who visited and travelled with us from Clinton to Camanche, Iowa. (the photos from this period have yet to be scanned)

Shawn and Anabel practice juggling techniques taught them by Basil, using glow-in-the-dark balls.

Myron and Basil left the raft at Lock 25 to continue their trip on their recumbent bicycles.

This is the Vilma B at Grafton, Illinois, just before the arrival of the June's Barn. See the Dows Iowa Raft page for more about this part of the project. Also the Vilma B log for this event

Water splashes up over the front pontoon of the Vilma B, but the rake of the June's Barn, to the left, slides right over the same waves.

Inside the last lock, Anabel waits for the lock to empty before taking up her position on the outboard controls to leave the lock. The gate behind her was an unusual type - it came up from under the water after we entered the lock.

Traffic is much heavier on the Lower Mississippi, and you have to be on constant look out for whirlpools as well as the big barge rigs.

See log entry

After leaving the last lock, we passed through St. Louis and went right by the famous arch. We kept on going and didn't stop until we got past the city and back out into the countryside.

Lori Butterfield, our National Geographic producer, discussing our next piece with Poppa Neutrino, when she visited us in Memphis.