FLOATZILLA 2024 EXPEDITION!

 A few years ago, I saw a friend wearing a tee shirt with this design on it, and not being able to determine what it was, I asked her, and she said, "Can't you see the kayak in the center?"  I had to readjust my eyes, but finally I could see a kayak.  She had just returned from a paddling event called Floatzilla, but still, the design made no sense to me.  It was way back in 2017, when Peggy V. first told a group I was kayaking with, about an event in her former hometown, called Floatzilla. 

The reason I did not connect with the design, is because I had not seen the movie Godzilla, which is about a creature of the deep, who is depicted in photo below (notice the scales around the eye, which are also a part of the tee shirt design).  The word is based on a Japanese word for "ugly monster creature of the sea", which sounds like "godzilla". to an English-speaking person. 

Fast forward to August, 2024, and I find myself in a group of nine ladies, who are headed from Arkansas, with kayaks in tow, to be a part of this event, called Floatzilla.  The name of our group (WHOyakers), is a "combo" name, in the same way that floatzilla is a "combo" name.  The WHO stands for Women Hiking the Ozarks, which is the "origin" story of this group of adventurers.  The group enjoyed being together, and when the Ozarks gets too hot to hike, it is time for the group to get together to kayak the numerous lakes and streams in our area.  On our drive northward, we stopped at Centennial Park in Missouri's Jefferson City capitol, for a picnic, in a scenic spot overlooking the Missouri River.

 

The park had a nice view of the Missouri State Capitol building:

 

The park was situated on a bluff directly above the train tracks that run beside the Missouri River.

Our next stop was The Dutchman's Store (www.DutchmansStore.com), in the small town of Cantril, Iowa.  I was especially looking forward to this stop, because Peggy had told us that they were famous for their inexpensive, soft-serve ice cream, where you can make your ice cream cone as tall as you want!

  On their website, they describe themselves as an old-time general store, bragging that if they do not have it---you do not need it!  Apparently, this is where descendants of Goliath shop (remember the Bible story of the giant David overcame with a slingshot?), because one of the employees was displaying a pair of GIANT denim jeans!

Our next stop was the swinging bridge (also called the Lovers Leap Bridge), located in Columbus Junction, Iowa (Louisa County).  It is a 262 foot cable bridge, with wooden planks, that spans a ravine, 100 feet below you.   One person can get it noticeably swinging, so you can imagine the effect that nine adventurous ladies have on the swinging action!

 

    

It was a few more hours of driving, but we finally made it safely to the rental we had on Campbell's Island, Illinois.  The large, paved driveway had plenty of room for "The Three Yakateers" trucks, and we were able to unload the trucks and store the nine kayaks securely in the garage.  

After a good night's rest, we took an early morning stroll through the neighborhood, down to the park with a huge monument, telling about a historic battle fought here in the War of 1812.  In 1814, a pro-British band of Sauk Indians led by Black Hawk, attacked a force of United States soldiers under Lieutenant John Campbell.  The U.S. soldiers were defeated by Black Hawk and his warriors.  Many locations in the area remember the victor of this battle, because they bear the Black Hawk name.  

This was the first time I had ever seen a Mississippi River Mile Marker.  Now that I have seen it, I am eager to see the beginning of the Mississippi River, which is located at Lake Itaska, in Minnesota.  At that location, one can walk across the Mississippi, on some strategically placed stepping stones. (or so I have been told).  The Mississippi River is the second longest river in North America, flowing 2,350 miles from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico.  The closer one gets to the Gulf of Mexico, the smaller the river mile number.  For example, the Interstate 10 Bridge near Baton Rouge, is listed as Mile #229.3.  So based on the system, Campbell Island where we are located, is 490 river miles north of the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Below is a photo I found on the Internet of the stepping stones across the Mississippi River, at its headwaters.  I was able to walk across the headwaters of the Sacramento River in California with my son, and now I have the goal of walking across the headwaters of the Mississippi River, which means a visit to northern Minnesota.  I am assuming this goal will probably need to be met at a time OTHER than during one of Minnesota's legendary winter seasons!

After exploring the Campbell's Island park on the Mississippi River, we headed to another location along the river, which was the home where Christine and her husband lived, before they moved to the Ozarks.  The current owner was incredibly gracious, showing us around the property, and taking our photo. 

We continued on our tour of the Quad Cities area to this location downtown, where a four-story mural honoring Chief Black Hawk is being restored on one of the buildings there.

No visit to the Quad Cities is complete, without a stop in the John Deere Pavilion (www.johndeere.com).  The attraction is free, and I was overwhelmed by all the photo opportunities!  A staff member took the photo below of all nine of our ladies, standing within the prongs of a forty-foot- wide, John Deere combine. ( After this photo, all nine of us tried (unsuccessfully) to fit into the cab of the combine--remembering past fads of trying to see how many people could fit into a volkswagon "bug" car!)  In the photo below, a staff member showed us how to do the "corn pose", which is why we all have one arm lifted, to resemble a corn stalk. 

Besides giant farm equipment, they also had smaller vehicles that were more my style!

All that climbing around on farm equipment worked up an appetite, so we stopped at Lagomarcino's, and Peggy told us she had been in school with some of the Lagomarcino family.  It is a turn of the century ice cream parlor, and confectionery.  On their website (www.Lagomarcino.com) I learned that the family first arrived in Moline, Illinois, in 1908, and used their skills to satisfy the "sweet tooth" of the people of Moline.  I tasted their ice cream, and can assure you they have perfected their product!

Our next stop was to tour the Rock Island Arsenal, where Peggy's father used to work.  In keeping with enhanced security measures of military operations, we each had to complete a questionnaire, show a photo ID, give our SS# so they can do a background check), and be photographed.  This gave each one of us a plastic photo ID badge, that will be good for one year. (you can print out the form ahead of time by going to the website of www.Army.mil/ria to get complete instructions/requirements for a visitor pass).   So next time we want to visit, we can just put our card in the card reader at the gate, and not have to fill out all the paperwork again.  At the visitor center, there is an overlook of Lock #15, which was the lock that the gals would be kayaking through on Saturday.  As luck would have it, two of the park rangers were there, and told us about the work they would be doing at the lock on the day of Floatzilla, to assure safe passage for all of the kayaks.  They are shown in photo below, bookending our group. 

The floor of the visitor center is a satellite view of the Mississippi River area that we were visiting.  We were currently at the location designated as 12 in the green square.  A somewhat unusual aspect of this area is that the Mississippi River runs from the east to the west here.  Normally, one thinks of the Mississippi running north to south.  The city names printed in yellow, comprise what is know as "Quad Cities"--Davenport & Bettendorf in Iowa; Rock Island and Moline in Illinois. 

If one has done much exploring of the Mississippi River, you are probably familiar with the logo shown here, of a  steamboat , surrounded by a captain's steering wheel, proclaiming the Great River Road.  I have visited other Great River Road Interpretive Centers in areas around Memphis, Tennessee, and Vicksburg, Mississippi.  Each one has been a worthwhile stop, and there are many more that you can discover on their website at www.ExperienceMississippiRiver.com.  The Interpretive Center  on Rock Island was fascinating---It had displays showing the past, present, and future aspects of the river, a gift shop, viewing platform, and dioramas depicting areas of interest. 

We also toured the historic Colonel Davenport house (www.davenporthouse.org) while on the grounds of Rock Island Arsenal.  It is a circa 1833 structure and was considered a mansion of it time. 

According to our local guides, a stop at Whitey's Ice cream is a MUST.  (I am easily convinced that any ice cream store is a must see!)  They have more than one location, and you can find out more on their website at www.whiteysicecream.com ; I felt compelled to order the "Mississippi Mud" flavor, and I was NOT disappointed!

In addition to their hand-dipped ice cream, they also operate a soft serve store next door  We enjoyed using the photo prop, the "Country Style Ice Cream" store had, adjacent to their picnic tables. 

Our next stop was to go to Credit Island, to pick up our packets for Floatzilla.  There was a different table, for each of the different launch points along the river (Notice the green "Empire Park" sign, beside the table we were looking for)

Outside the building with the packet pickup info, there was a display of outdoor equipment, including these incredibly beautiful "Touring Canoes", that Canadian waters are famous for.  

Besides receiving a green Floatzilla tee shirt as part of our registration payment, our group was scheduled to serve as volunteers to help at Empire Park, early on the morning of the event; so. we also received a different tee shirt for volunteers.    The volunteers really stood out, wearing their bright red and yellow, tie-dye shirts!

After we all had our packets, tee shirts, whistles, and River Action litter bags, we headed to one of the parks close to the Iowa/Illinois bridge, that would serve as a launching spot the next day.  There happened to be a man there, who agreed to take a photo of our group, with the bridge, a full moon, and the commercial tourist boat, Celebration, in the background.  The low rays of the sun gave a a cheery golden appearance .   I like to say the photo shows the Mississippi River behind us, and the Mississippi mud in front of us. (Flood waters from a while back, had deposited some extra sediment near the riverbank)

While we were out sightseeing, we stopped at a produce stand that Peggy's family had patronized for decades, and bought some of the famous Iowa corn.  Diana and Peggy took it outside at our vrbo, to complete the task of "schucking" away the corn silks. 

 

 

Very early Saturday morning, August 17, 2024, we put on our volunteer shirts and headed out for Empire Park, where we would be assisting with parking, late packet pickup, and boat launching.  Photo below shows our group, along with the man who was the "supervising" volunteer, who had brought the packets not already picked up.  

There were hundreds of canoes and kayaks to assist in launching that day, and it was fun seeing all the different kinds.  This rig especially interested me, because its rack of boats was two deep.  Usually in our area, the trailers carrying kayaks are not this long. 

It was reassuring to see this fire and rescue boat in the launch area, ready to be of assistance if there were any mishaps. 

This photo below shows my WHOyaker friend, Dorothy, assisting drivers in showing where to go to launch their boats, and then where to move their vehicle to, after unloading.  Isn't that a cool shirt design??   Best volunteer tee shirt EVER!!

Parking volunteers were needed because, in addition to Floatzilla, visitors were driving into Empire  Park for a "Shine and Show" vintage car event.

This was also the starting point for a foot race going on that morning, called a color run.  The participants start out with a white tee shirt, then get doused along the way with all kinds of colored powders!

This trip was especially enjoyable for my friend, Diane, and I, because we got to visit once again, with a fellow hiker we had hiked many miles with, during a Road Scholar program (www.roadscholar.org) in Southern Illinois ( see my story about that experience in the Archives, dated October 27, 2013, and entitled "Road Scholar Expedition to Pakentuck!).  In the intervening years since the Road Scholar program, we were friends on Facebook, and I remembered that Clayton had mentioned years ago about participating in a paddling event in the Quad Cities area.  So when I asked him about it, and mentioned I was coming with my friends to Floatzilla 2024 (but did not want to paddle as many miles as they did), he offered to assist me in getting to a launch area with a shorter paddle required.  Photo below shows Clayton, with Diane and me. 

Clayton had arrived, as promised, at Empire Park, with his kayak already loaded on top of his car, and proceeded to load mine on the other rack. 

Clayton wanted to meet the other WHOyakers, and when I introduced him, he was visibly "taken back", by their showing appreciation to him, for transporting me and my kayak, to a less strenuous launch area!

Since Clayton and I had a much shorter paddle, we proceeded to the Dunn Brothers coffee shop (www.DunnBrothers.com), owned by one of the Road Scholar alums from our 2013 hiking group.

Some of the other Road Scholar alums from that trip, who still lived in the area, met us for a "reunion" at the Dunn Brothers coffee shop.  It was fun to get to hear about their lives, since we had all hiked together many years ago!

After leaving the coffee shop, we drove to Credit Island, where we unloaded our kayaks from the top of Clayton's car, and prepared to start our paddle across the Mississippi River!  I have to admit, I was somewhat apprehensive about paddling on such a daunting body of flowing water, and relied on praying God's Word to give me the courage to proceed.  I have this verse laminated, and keep it in my life jacket pocket:  "I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you"  Isaiah 43:2a  I assure you, I did NOT want to be overwhelmed (or overturned!) when I was passing through the Mississippi River!

God answered my prayers, and we made it safely across the Mississippi River!  I can now say I have paddled from Iowa to Illinois!  Photo below shows me giving thanks, after we had come ashore in Illinois.  The gathering place for Clayton, me, and all the other hundreds of paddlers was Lake Potter, a 50-acre protected lake, with an outlet to the Mississippi River.  Floatzilla participants who do not want to do any paddling whatsoever on the Mississippi River, can simply show up at Lake Potter,and be a part of the group photo. 

Floatzilla is marketed as the largest paddle event in the Mississippi River.  This crane is displaying all the flags of the states who have registered participants in Floatzilla, as well as all the states the Mississippi River flows through.   At a designated time, this same crane lifts a metal basket (about the size of a refrigerator) holding a single photographer, who is tasked with taking a photo of all the paddlers that have clustered together in Potter Lake for a photograph.  Originally, the stated intent was to break the Guiness Book of World Records for the most paddlers gathered in a single photograph.  Now, it seems that goal is secondary, and just having an enjoyable time on the water is the main emphasis. 

There were food vendors and live music on the banks of Potter Lake, so Clayton and I enjoyed a delicious taco, while we waited for the rest of the WHOyakers to paddle into Potter Lake. 

When the rest of the WHOyakers arrived, Clayton positioned his kayak so he could get a photo of the nine of us in our kayaks, having survived our Mississippi River paddling adventure!

The photo below shows me and my WHOyaker friend, Dorothy, patiently waiting for the crowd to clear out, after the photographer (suspended above us, dangling from the crane) had signaled to the crowd that he finished his photo assignment.  There was a camera drone flying over us and the rest of the crowd, and we were able to watch the event on YouTube, from the drone footage that was taken. 

There were still volunteer opportunities after the photo was taken, and the photo below shows Peggy, Dorothy, and Christine, hauling out one of the kayaks for a group I called The Sunflower Girls, because of their shirts and the sunsflowers on their kayaks. 

After all nine kayaks were loaded in "The Three Yakateers" trucks, anyone in our group who had the energy went to an area of the Quad Cities, where the Backwater Gamblers Waterski Show is staged.  We had visited the day before, because Christine's husband had been involved with the group, when they lived there.  The ski team leaders told us that on Saturday afternoon, they would be doing an annual event where they provide a waterski experience for special needs individuals, such as folks who are confined to a wheel chair.

There was a vast array of adaptive waterski devices, suitable for a variety of ages.  We talked to one of the individuals in a wheel chair who had just completed her time on the special water ski device, and she said it was one of the highlights of her summer.  Each participant is flanked on either side, by a trained waterskiier who can be of immediate assistance, if needed.  We got to see one of the youngsters give a broad smile, and wave his hands, as he breezed by his parents, who were watching in the bleachers.  The Backwater Gamblers put on a free water-ski show on select Sunday afternoons, and you can learn more about their organization on their Facebook page called, "Backwater Gamblers Water Ski Show Team". 

Our group of weary paddlers left the Quad Cities early Sunday morning, Southbound for the Ozarks.  The highlight of that final day was getting to see "The Finnegan Dinner Show", near St. Louis, at the relative's home of one of our kayakers.  I call it a "dinner show" because toddler Finnegan entertained us, as we ate the dinners we had carried into their house, from the leftovers we had packed in our ice chests, in Illinois.  And the best part, we did not have to buy a ticket to see this show---it was delightful!

This entire Floatzilla trip, with these wonderful ladies, gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!