Please pose any questions you have below in the comments and we’ll answer them as quickly as we can…Thanks:)

Q: What the hell are you going to do with the raft?

A: We we’re able to sell it! We needed the money to rent a car to drive back home with all of our gear.

Q: How did Scully do, especially the last couple of days when you put on many miles with limited beach stops? And what was Scully’s treat at the end of the trip?

A: We would always keep an eye on Skully, especially during the week of high heat we had through Memphis. When we saw him getting antsy or panting more than usual, we would stop at the next sandbar and take a cool-off/bathroom break. It was difficult to find sandbars during the last couple days of our trip but there was still plenty of shoreline to stop at. The shoreline tended to be grassy, so we would have to keep an eye on him so he wouldn’t cross paths with a snake or alligator. He did fine after these breaks, usually sleeping until we found our camp spot for the night. Since we’ve finished, Skully has had more steak, chicken, chips, cake, etc. than he has had in his entire life. He is fat and happy to be off the raft.

Q: Are you coming through Nashville on the drive up?

A: No, sorry Bryan. It was really good seeing you in Memphis though!

Q: Mr. BowW WowW I am just checking to see if your Dad gave you your package of dog treats that I sent to Uncle Robbs for all the hard work you did guarding the Boys and keeping things runing smoothy on the Ole Mississippi River?

A: GrrrrOOOF-OOOF arrRROOOFROOF!

Q: Now what next?

A: Back to normalcy of real life, for now. We are both returning back home hoping our jobs are still there. Contemplating hiking the Appalachian trial, rafting the Yukon River in Alaska, or bicycling America from coast to coast. Too early to tell…

Q: What was your favorite part of the river?

A: The multitude of sandbars and sand beaches. The Upped Mississippi had fewer sand areas and it drove people to them on the weekends. The Lower Mississippi had massive sand settlements miles long, at the ends there were “pirate coves” to pull into with the raft that would be out of the current and out of the barge wakes. Sandbars provided our best nights of sleep, safe from animals and wake.

Q: A book with short stories out for sale?

A: Yes, Tanner is planning a publication about the Barrel Raft trip. Whether its how-to-guide, collection of experiences or a picture-caption book, there will be something coming out for sale. If anyone is interested and wants to be on a mailing list, please email tanner@barrelraftboys.com

Q: How much did you float without really using the engine? 

A: Overall we floated 50% of the time. The ideal floating conditions are low winds, long straight stretches and zero traffic, as our raft would go off-course due to wind, wake and current. The Upper Mississippi locks and dams forced us to use the motor to navigate to, in and from. The Lower Mississippi river was easier to float; although the sharp turns have back and side currents, causing the to raft to drift to outside turns. Wing dams line the entire river, whether exposed or not, they must be avoided and required the motor. Barge wakes were the most detrimental, each time a barge would pass we’d direct the raft to take perpendicular wake.

Q: In this lower Miss area(lower Mo. and upper Arkansas) how far could you travel on a tank
of gas ( 6 gal)?

A: The lower Mississippi, beginning in Cairo Illinois where the Ohio river converges, had an average surface speed of 4 mph (August, September). Keeping our 9.9 hp outboard on an idle, we’d get about 10 miles to the gallon traveling 50-60 miles on a tank. The Lower Mississippi required us to stock 23 gallons of fuel as gas stations were 130 miles apart.

Q: What towns did you stop at for gas and supplies, and if you have
and recommendations of where and/or where not to stop?

A: Great question, some towns are easier than others especially if your walking. Marinas are the best options (only in Upper Mississippi) as the octanes are higher and more convenient, although more expensive. I plan to list a guide/map of supplies on the Mississippi soon, check back soon.

Q: I liked the map showing your log postings, How did you obtain this?

A: This website is developed with WordPress. Here is the list of plugins used:

CP Google Maps – associate geocode information to posts and display on map.

FV WordPress Flowplayer – plays videos

Personal Fundraiser – fundraising

Social – integrates site content (posts, pages) with social media posts for Twitter and Facebook.

WordPress Social Ring – let visitors share posts/pages on social networks