gone on the river
Days 62-64, July 30 - August 1
Measurements: none. Miles traveled (on the river): none.
I've taken a few days in Memphis to rest, recover, regroup, enjoy myself, and prepare for the next leg of the journey.
Key to this has been the fact that my good friend Jesse flew down to visit. We've had a great time together, and it's been really good for me. I was lovely, I think, in ways that I couldn't even quite see until I got this opportunity to spend time with one of my people, in person.
We've done the town, here. Visited lots of restaurants and had a range of meals from so-so to fantastic (looking at you, Good Fortune Co) and some interesting beers and cocktails. We walked along the river, on a lovely park walkway up on the bluff. We visited that crazy pyramid that's now a Bass Pro shop, and I bought a replacement tent, may it never collapse in a wind storm. We visited the Civil Rights Museum, which was depressing and inspiring in almost equal measure. We saw Nope in the theater (so good!), my first theater experience since Grand Rapids, MN, in mid-June. We walked around the bizarre nostalgic cosplay that Beale Street has become. And through it all we had great conversations, including such light topics as "what is happiness and are humans capable of being happy?"
Jesse has been tallying "insanity points" based on my various new quirks, such as naming and talking to the boat, naming the bike various anagrams of Brompton, etc.
It's been good. Like most times I've gotten used to a certain temporary existence and set of patterns, I'm sorry to see it go. But it's time for me to get back on the river, and for Jesse to fly back to the Twin Cities.
To be honest, I've got some anxiety about getting back on the water. Storms, mosquitoes, and barges, oh my. And heat, and sun, and work. Has Memphis stopped pumping raw sewage into the river? Will the water quality continue to get worse and worse?
But also: what's around that next bend? Where are my fish and herons and eagles and turtles? What's Greenville like, and Vicksburg, and Natchez? So it's complicated. And I'm doing it.
The goal today, like most days on the river: let's go about thirty miles, if we can. Let's have a good time.