Mile Marker 131

As we entered the wide turn at mile marker 131 (Hoppie had advised taking the red buoy line due to a shallow sandbank on the green (right) side. There we met Eric & Nate. Eric works at the Wausau Walmart and Nate is from La Crosse with a girlfriend in Mosinee. They were paddling a bright orange canoe. They had spent a month and a half paddling UP to the source of the Mississippi before heading down bound for the Gulf. Both were dark from the sun, shirtless. Eric had one-way shades on and Nate screwed up his eyes under the brim of his straw hat.
"What are you going to do when you reach the Gulf?" I asked from my hammock.
"Go home" Nate said without flourish. We gave them cold beers and said goodbye. We could't believe that they were doing 50 miles a day!

The wind died making our passage a little smoother. Another fish jumped up onto our deck followed by a few others who must have suffered brain damage bouncing off the kayak strapped to the side of the boat.