Paddling Big Muddy
I had to drive out to the hinterlands the other day on an errand for the dark lord. On the way out there, I conjured up an idea... here's how it goes:
I quit my job then my dog and I take a kayak and paddle it the length of the Mississippi River. Along the way we take pictures and write thought-provoking and history laden text that we sell in a book at the end of the trip. I would research most of the places we'd stop beforehand so we'd know where to stop and be able to work in all that knowledge. For instance, near our starting point in Minnesota we could talk to Chippewa Indians about their ancestors relationship to the river and the way the French fur trappers changed it. In St. Louis we could talk about the founding of the city, how it changed hands as the French, then the Spanish, then the French again and finally the Americans claimed it. We could stop in Cairo and make some socially responsible comments about the poverty the people there face. There's tons of material available for this book along the way.
I'm guessing the trip would take about three months. Most of the book would be written by the end of the trip as I would write about the day's experiences nearly every evening on a laptop. After the trip I would have some editing to do then, voila! a bestseller. Then we'd go back later with PBS and do a documentary -- they eat that kind of stuff up.
I only have a few small problems to work out. First of all I've never been in a kayak in my life. (How hard could it be?) Secondly, I doubt I have enough money to live for three months without a job. Possibly, the wife could support me but that's a little bit of a gamble. The dog has never been in a kayak but I'm certain she'd adjust.
Later on, after I arrived home from my road trip I thought about it. Three months living in a kayak and sleeping on muddy river banks. Well, it would be an adventure.
I quit my job then my dog and I take a kayak and paddle it the length of the Mississippi River. Along the way we take pictures and write thought-provoking and history laden text that we sell in a book at the end of the trip. I would research most of the places we'd stop beforehand so we'd know where to stop and be able to work in all that knowledge. For instance, near our starting point in Minnesota we could talk to Chippewa Indians about their ancestors relationship to the river and the way the French fur trappers changed it. In St. Louis we could talk about the founding of the city, how it changed hands as the French, then the Spanish, then the French again and finally the Americans claimed it. We could stop in Cairo and make some socially responsible comments about the poverty the people there face. There's tons of material available for this book along the way.
I'm guessing the trip would take about three months. Most of the book would be written by the end of the trip as I would write about the day's experiences nearly every evening on a laptop. After the trip I would have some editing to do then, voila! a bestseller. Then we'd go back later with PBS and do a documentary -- they eat that kind of stuff up.
I only have a few small problems to work out. First of all I've never been in a kayak in my life. (How hard could it be?) Secondly, I doubt I have enough money to live for three months without a job. Possibly, the wife could support me but that's a little bit of a gamble. The dog has never been in a kayak but I'm certain she'd adjust.
Later on, after I arrived home from my road trip I thought about it. Three months living in a kayak and sleeping on muddy river banks. Well, it would be an adventure.
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on Saturday, June 11, 2005 at 7:24 PM.
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