Day 62: 3rd long day of paddling

This tiny river island is claimed for America!

We opted to do a less strenuous paddle today and finish the last 10 or so miles to the Quad Cities tomorrow morning. In the past, paddling 30 miles or more was really at my limit.  I could do it, but then I'd need to rest a couple days.  In the past 3 days I've paddled an average of 29 miles/day and I feel good.  I mean after 3 days of these long days, I'm sore and ready for a more chill day, but I'm feeling stronger than before.  

We opted to pull into Port Byron, Illinois to Camp Hauberg, a spot mostly inhabited by RVs.  When I arrived, there was a couple walking their pekingese from the comfort of an electric golf cart.  The owner was super sweet--she offered us a spot on the grass, brought us some firewood, and brought us breakfast in the morning!  Jake is an Eagle Scout, so we met with some fans of his who are also into scouting, Robin and Jim.  The five of us had dinner across the river in Le Claire IA at a restuarant called Sneaky Pete's.  After 3 long days, we were all very sleepy, and we headed back to the campsite right after dinner.  I crashed in my tent and immediately fell asleep--apparently missing the campfire J & J built.

My dry bag that I put my sleeping bag in ripped today. Grrrr. I "fixed" it with duct tape.

A windmill!

Lots of these old bridges from the 1930s are being repaired