Paddling South: Winnipeg to New Orleans by Canoe

Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Paddling South: Winnipeg to New Orleans by Canoe by Rick Ranson, Rick Ranson
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Rick Ranson ISBN: 9781897126233
Publisher: Rick Ranson Publication: November 5, 2015
Imprint: Smashwords Edition Language: English
Author: Rick Ranson
ISBN: 9781897126233
Publisher: Rick Ranson
Publication: November 5, 2015
Imprint: Smashwords Edition
Language: English

The stories that became Paddling South, Winnipeg to New Orleans by Canoe stem from a voyage a high school friend and I took in the fall of 1969. Although there was a forty year wait between voyage and publication, the book retains its accuracy because both John Van Landeghem and I kept separate journals.

While I was writing the book John lent me his diary so I was able to refer to both accounts. After forty years it was a revelation to see what John actually thought of the trip and me, so much so that at one point I phoned John in Edmonton and said:

“You didn’t like me much did you.”

Personal faults aside this was an amazing adventure in the Mark Twain tradition. This was not so much a man against nature saga, although there was that element, the trip was just two kids on an adventure. And it was an adventure.

We couldn’t find a place to camp so we spent three nights in The Fargo City Jail as guests of the Fargo Police.

“But you gotta be out by Thursday. We need the space. Thursdays is when we start getting our regulars.”

While on the Mississippi we almost sank a half a dozen times, we almost got swamped by a ship, a barge, waves, you name it. Getting almost killed was a daily event.

We met a collection of characters; from the merely odd to the melancholy and to the downright dangerous. It was as if Samuel Clements was writing our itinerary.

Paddling South was nominated as The Best Non Fiction Book by a Manitoba Author 2008.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The stories that became Paddling South, Winnipeg to New Orleans by Canoe stem from a voyage a high school friend and I took in the fall of 1969. Although there was a forty year wait between voyage and publication, the book retains its accuracy because both John Van Landeghem and I kept separate journals.

While I was writing the book John lent me his diary so I was able to refer to both accounts. After forty years it was a revelation to see what John actually thought of the trip and me, so much so that at one point I phoned John in Edmonton and said:

“You didn’t like me much did you.”

Personal faults aside this was an amazing adventure in the Mark Twain tradition. This was not so much a man against nature saga, although there was that element, the trip was just two kids on an adventure. And it was an adventure.

We couldn’t find a place to camp so we spent three nights in The Fargo City Jail as guests of the Fargo Police.

“But you gotta be out by Thursday. We need the space. Thursdays is when we start getting our regulars.”

While on the Mississippi we almost sank a half a dozen times, we almost got swamped by a ship, a barge, waves, you name it. Getting almost killed was a daily event.

We met a collection of characters; from the merely odd to the melancholy and to the downright dangerous. It was as if Samuel Clements was writing our itinerary.

Paddling South was nominated as The Best Non Fiction Book by a Manitoba Author 2008.

More books from Biography & Memoir

Cover of the book Vayamos adelante by Rick Ranson
Cover of the book Daniel's Music by Rick Ranson
Cover of the book Little Australian Pony Girl by Rick Ranson
Cover of the book United States District Courts and Judges of Arkansas, 1836–1960 by Rick Ranson
Cover of the book Breaking New Ground by Rick Ranson
Cover of the book From Tiny Acorns by Rick Ranson
Cover of the book Black Sabbath FAQ by Rick Ranson
Cover of the book The Leopard McCauley Chapter Two by Rick Ranson
Cover of the book 20 fast vergessene Fußball-Legenden by Rick Ranson
Cover of the book The Mouth Is for Talking by Rick Ranson
Cover of the book A Sailor's Life 1920-2001 by Rick Ranson
Cover of the book A Chance in the World by Rick Ranson
Cover of the book Harold’S Boys by Rick Ranson
Cover of the book Surviving Breast Cancer by Rick Ranson
Cover of the book The Gulf Between Us by Rick Ranson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy