Its been another week, and once again we've sent milestones tumbling. We explored a pre-revolutionary war town, sprinted past the Ohio River (what a whimpy guy), and Clark did his best to put a new strain our on relationship. Here are the ups and down (and a few things in between) for the week of 07/31-08/06.

Weekly Miles: 261
Overall Miles: 1,444

Day 42- 47 Miles: St. Louis to Fort Chartres Island. Before we could finally leave the dreaded city, St Louis felt the need to challenge us one last time. We had a bit of a scare as we found ourselves dodging barges on our way out of the port. This also included one stint where Clark and I took turns paddling and pumping water out of the canoe. It was a bit eye opening, and a great experience to file away as we continue south.
Day 43- 11 Miles: Fort Chartres to Ste. Genevieve. We learned everything we could (and then some) about the little town of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. Be on the lookout for a blogpost later this week detailing our extended stay in this little French run town.
Day 44- 34 Miles: Ste. Genevieve to right around Lacours Island (no one ever named our island). We got off to a slow and groggy start thanks to a late night the day before. The day started with birds getting into our food, and eating our bread. We then jumped off the water early with the threat of thunderstorms. So overall, not our best day (close those judging eyes).
Day 45- 47 Miles: Lacours Island to an unnamed one near Albrecht Creek. No one likes to label things down here so work with me as the landmarks become more generic. Mark it down as another instance of things not going as planned. We had hoped to set a new personal record, but rough waters and a strong headwind had other ideas. That's ok we still enjoyed a breathtaking sunset (which has become the norm).
Day 46- 45 Miles: Albrecht Creek to just south of Wickliffe, Kentucky. We came, saw, and conquered the Ohio River which was really cool. Mostly because our mile markers thus far have been counting down to this river rather than the Gulf. Our troubles started when we had to bushwhack through a legit jungle of poison ivy to get to Cairo, Illinois. There we were able to refill our water before it was back through the jungle. The day ended with Trent (such an offense I'm using his real name) noticing he had lost his tent poles. So guess what? We've given up the little bit of privacy we once had, and now must share a tent for the foreseeable future (let's see how long this trip now lasts).

(the Ohio River in all her glory)

Day 47- 47 Miles: Wickiffe to the Tennessee Kentucky border. Moved through what can only be described as a barge mine field. Forget St Louis, the barge traffic really picks up after the Ohio River!
Day 48- 30 Miles: KY/TN border to right outside Tiptonville, Tennessee. Jumped off in New Madrid, Missouri and learned all about both their earthquake, and the major battles that took place there during the Civil War (shoutout to Island 10). Our day was cut short as we had to run for cover at 4 pm, and set up camp for the night. You can blame Mother Nature for that one.

A Look Ahead: Plain and simple our next stop is Memphis, and we're now less than a week away. So go ahead, crank up the volume, and go Walking in Memphis with us as we countdown to our next major city.