I am still on the road with unreliable internet access. I have been on the road since March. The back-to-back funeral pilgrimages for my estranged brother and estranged mother were declared over in Falconer, New York in May when I resumed my survey of the tributaries to the Mississippi River Valley by following the Allegheny River to the Ohio River, etc., etc. I am currently on the south shore of Lake Superior. A phenom of hydrology is that one body of water always leads to another. Kinda like grief and family cycles? It is never clear where one cycle leaves off and another begins.

My travels remain unfocused and my spirit of adventure is wearing thin. I need to pack up camp and move on this morning but my motivation is far better matched to sitting here by this little wetland bayou, watching the wetland wake to the overcast morning. Nudge, nudge.

Not sure where today will end. I am feeling the call of my beloved Mississippi River Valley. I know the South Valley well, but still haven't seen much of the valley north of St Lois. Compared to the bayous of Louisiana, where I know the river best, I am quite close to the Mississippi headwaters in north central Minnesota. The infamous highway which ties Canada to Mexico, running through my home base on the way, also lies in that direction. Tug tug. . . I am still uneasy about my role in the family dysfunction cycles there, but I sure miss my grandkids.

Just an update.