Mississippi River Adventure

A love for history and adventure inspired the Mississippi River adventures of Jeff Larsen, who is a regional manager for our Shreveport, Louisiana and Longview, Texas branches.  Part of the IES family since 1981, Jeff also serves as a Firefighter/EMT in Greenwood, Louisiana.  He has never shied away from adventure, or hard work - both of which were essential to his success - both on and off the river.

See below for a short video highlighting some of what went into his journeys, including a few of the photos taken along the way...

In addition to a few highlights, the summary below illustrates a number of
the skills Jeff uses every day to serve IES, our partners, and customers like you! 

THE GOAL

To travel the entire navigable part of the Mississippi River by boat!

THE CHALLENGE

Since paddling could take up to three months, that wasn't an option for a regional manager overseeing two branches and some very important customer accounts. 

Jeff knew he needed a powered boat and learned that some fuel stops could be 400-440 miles apart.  The boat would have to be as fuel efficient as possible - offering 10 mpg or better, which Jeff calculated would require hauling a minimum of 44 gallons of fuel.

THE SOLUTION

After a great deal of research and consideration, the boat Jeff settled on was a Freighter Canoe, which is used primarily in Canada and Alaska.  Since they aren't readily available for purchase in the southern United States, he decided to build.

THE RESOURCES

According to Jeff, he's "not a woodworker."  Although, he did build a chair once... 
(It was quite a chair though!  Check out the photo!)  

However, since this was his first boat, Jeff sought out plans and instructions online - finding a great deal of information on Pinterest and YouTube.  

THE DESIGN

The freighter canoe Jeff decided on is 20' long with a 43" beam.  It took two years and two weeks to build the Lost Caddo, as well as the trailer!  Below are a few of its stats.

• Materials:  Red Cedar, White Oak, and Cypress
• Weight:  Approximately 400 pounds (empty)
• Fuel Capacity: 50-gallon tank, with a 6-gallon reserve
• Top Speed:  Just over 30 mph (empty)

THE NAME

Jeff named the canoe the Lost Caddo after the Native Americans that make up the Caddo Nation in the region.  He and an uncle officially applied the name, while an aunt blessed the vessel during a special naming ceremony attended by other family members - including his parents.   

PLANNING & PREPARATION

While essential to the build, planning, and preparation, as well as being self-sufficient and self-contained, were critical to the trip's success, and more importantly Jeff's health and safety. 

RISK & REWARD

In addition to risks on this powerful river (especially the congested lower Mississippi), there can be hazards off the river too. Jeff was reminded of this after spending a night camping on the Poche family's land, which is located along the river in Paulina, Louisiana.  The next morning, while he was making coffee, his hosts drove up in their golf cart and asked him if the gators had bothered him the night before...  They were serious!  Jeff was floored.  And, said he had to laugh.  Later...

Jeff did find reward in traveling the Mississippi River in a canoe he built himself - all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.  However, he admits that alone, and without cell service, reaching his destination without anyone to celebrate it with was a bit anti-climatic.  He simply savored the accomplishment over a cup of coffee, followed by some fishing.  

But the story doesn't end there...  

As Jeff was making his way back to Venice (where he had a ride waiting), he spotted two similar, but larger canoes being paddled by a crew of 11.  They were as glad to see him, as he was them - especially after he shared his last 11 beers, and a pint of moonshine (courtesy of a friend from the fire department).  It became a great opportunity to celebrate Jeff's accomplishment, as well as the birthday of one of their crew members, who Jeff was further able to aid by taking him back to Venice, and even on to New Orleans, with him.  His new passenger had upcoming work commitments that required he return sooner than the rest.  Before they took off though, Jeff gave the other 10, who were on their way to the Gulf, his 6-gallon water cooler. 

In response to his kindness, one of the men, John Ruskey, gave Jeff a numbered print like the one shown here.   And, as the artist of the print, he also agreed to sign it.  Since then, Jeff has built a cedar frame (with wood left over from building the Lost Caddo), and proudly hung his most tangible souvenir in his office in Shreveport.

You will find a couple of the photos of this last encounter in the video above as well as on the Rivergator Facebook page.

JULY 2017 TRIP

The Lost Caddo's inaugural journey from St. Paul, Minnesota to Vicksburg, Mississippi took nine days - while averaging 20 mph and spending up to 18 hours a day on the river!  

NOVEMBER 2017 TRIP

Traveling from Vicksburg, Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico took 3.5 days.  

NEXT UP

Jeff is considering taking the Lost Caddo to Cuba! 

WANT TO SEE MORE?

• The first link below is to a KTBS interview that Jeff did just after the first trip and returning to work at IES.
  
  
• The "Mississippi by Canoe" video features a group of retirees, who also traveled the Mississippi River by canoe last summer. Jeff even crossed paths with them!  To the right is a photo he took during their encounter. Like their trip (a 70-day journey - paddling around 950,000 strokes!), their video is also much longer (almost an hour).  But, it is worth the watch!  It highlights some of the history and beauty of Ol' Man River.  Plus, at the 41:07 mark, the narrator introduces a few of the fellow Mississippi River travelers they encountered making the journey solo - including our own Jeff Larsen! 
  
  
• The final link is to Rivergator, created by John Ruskey, who is also the artist of the map above.  THE RIVERGATOR is a mile-by-mile paddlers guide to the Lower Mississippi and provides plenty of resources for those inspired to take this journey.