Me, sliding off my mat in the foreground--my first cowboy camping experience. Jake and Julie's tent in the background. Photo by Leanne Davis.
I was surprised that I enjoyed sleeping out in the open with just my inflatable mattress and sleeping bag. I was also surprised that no bugs bothered me! Leanne woke up at 5, but there was already a barge going through lock 24, so we had to wait til 7 to get started. We packed up camp with Jake and Julie, paddled across the pool to the entrance of the lock together. J & J stopped in a town and Leanne and I paddled on for several hours, stopping for a midday lunch at Rip Rap landing in Illinois. J & J paddled past us and didn’t see me wave them down. There was a concrete outhouse at the landing, but when I opened the door, the floor was caked in more than a foot of mud, and a ton of trash (another photo I am sad to have lost). Clearly, the parks department forgot about cleaning this location out when it flooded last time. I cooked some warm lunch and we took a nap under the trees. Our nap lasted longer than expected, and we were enjoying just relaxing at this spot after so many days of weird schedules, so we decided to stay the night there, too. So it was a short day, just 10 miles of paddling.
In the evening, my phone stopped working. I have been really good about keeping it dry, so I think it was just the end of its life—it was booting and rebooting itself without ever letting me access anything on it. One of my absolute pet peeves is how ‘disposable’ cellphones are. I hate that I have to get a new one so frequently. I hate that they don’t last six years or more. I hate that in order to stay current and on top of news/peoples’ lives/etc. it’s basically a requirement to have one at all. I love what my smartphone allows me to do, I just hate that it’s not something that LASTS. I worry about all the minerals mined that go into making each phone. I worry about all the electronic waste and plastic that goes into making each phone. I get seriously stressed out and anxious having to choose the ‘right’ phone that will fit my budget, allow me to do everything I need it to do, not be extravagant, and last as long as possible.
In the evening, my phone stopped working. I have been really good about keeping it dry, so I think it was just the end of its life—it was booting and rebooting itself without ever letting me access anything on it. One of my absolute pet peeves is how ‘disposable’ cellphones are. I hate that I have to get a new one so frequently. I hate that they don’t last six years or more. I hate that in order to stay current and on top of news/peoples’ lives/etc. it’s basically a requirement to have one at all. I love what my smartphone allows me to do, I just hate that it’s not something that LASTS. I worry about all the minerals mined that go into making each phone. I worry about all the electronic waste and plastic that goes into making each phone. I get seriously stressed out and anxious having to choose the ‘right’ phone that will fit my budget, allow me to do everything I need it to do, not be extravagant, and last as long as possible.
Naptime. Photo by Leanne Davis
Naptime.
RSS Feed
