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The last time we met Bill we were paddling down the Mississippi River, as he was.That was 12 years ago.
Last week Bill walked into our shop after parking his canoe on the river bank of Bonaventure Cemetery. He had stuck his paddle in the mud to tie off his boat.
Since that first chance meeting, Bill has paddled nearly 30,000 more miles, traversing the U.S. and Canadian waterways. Several years ago he paddled the Savannah River and ran into some good friends of ours.
He is currently half way through paddling 'around the block'... that is down the Mississippi, around the Gulf, up the East Coast, into the Hudson River, through the canals, into the Great Lakes, and back to where he started in the Midwest. He is not the first and won't be the last. So what makes his trip so different.. Well, actually nothing! He's just a man with a plan and some time to kill.
He is not testing gear for more millions of consumers.
He is not writing on a blog 'look at me'. He has no fans, and nobody on Facebook 'likes' him.
He is not raising awareness to the plight of battery chickens or old timers' disease. He's just moving across the planet with minimal impact, leaving no trace, and digging on mother nature... one stroke at a time. Paddle on, Bill.. keep our spirits alive.