On my 60th birthday, today, Nov. 13, 1946, I have returned to St. Petersburg FL. Ninety-eight days ago I left on the HUCK FINN, chugging upstream to St. Paul, MN. It was a 60 day trip, about 1/365th of my life.

Many times I was asked by strangers why I was doing this. I simply told them it was something I wanted to do before I was too old. "Are you retired?" they often queried. I never stayed with a job or a career long enough to officially retire from it. I have always enjoyed staying busy and working at something, whether profitable, or charitable. In fact, being and staying busy for me is a compulsion, from which I never intend to "retire". It is not a path I have chosen, as much as a road I find myself on from which there is no exit. Though I am attracted to the idea of "rest areas", I rarely stop there--I simply do not relax well. I envy very much those who can and do. So I am compelled to distract myself, to be entertained, to be challenged and to do ...to not do, I fear, would be my undoing. As for treating this malaise, I can say only that diesel fuel, and boats, have been less expensive, and more successful than psychiatrists and pharmaceuticals.

Those alluring RR tracks at sunrise were shot in Hannibal MO in October. You are looking South. The tracks are veering to the East toward the Mississippi R. only 100 yards beyond. Following the river bank for hundreds of miles, the Santa Fe locomotives haul long payloads of coal, grain, gravel, petroleum and other materials. These are sometimes transferred to barges at loading docks along the river. Or, they may receive their cargo from barges unloading at the same facilities. All of this happens mostly unseen except to the barge and train crews, and to the occasional river traveller in a small boat. Next you see HUCK at sunset at a small city dock next to public boat launch ramps in Keokuk, IA. This was just a mile downriver from the Keokuk Lock and Dam, the largest on the Mississippi. The Keokuk Lock can hold an entire 3 wideX5 long barge tow with tug attached. This lock also has the greatest "drop" on the river at 38 feet. Part of the dam includes a hydroelectric generating plant in continuous operation for more than 50 years. We were lucky to have been given a pass through the lock ahead of a large tow, whose captain invited us to go ahead, while he "held off" until our lockthrough was complete. This allowed us to make it to our little dock for that night just before dark. A good thing, since it's quite unnerving to get stuck on the river after dark without a clear plan for safe tying or anchoring. We found the tugboat captains to be almost always courteous and considerate. We routinely made radio contact with them when meeting or passing. There were lots of ducks near the ramps at Keokuk. With duck hunting season in progress, they were wise to stay in town. We saw lots of duck blinds further downriver, and hundreds of decoys carefully arranged to attract overflying ducks. We heard lots of shots, too, soon after sunup at first light. The shooting never lasted long, I guess because it didn't take long for even a duck to figure out you don't stay long where someone is trying to blow your head off.