Whoo-whoop! #1

Mighty Quapaw Best of 2021 (Part 1)

(Photos by Chief of Many Hats, John Ruskey, except where otherwise noted. Feel free to share, but also please credit appropriately. This photo was taken by Mimi Hurley. Thank you Mimi for celebration trip 2021 in honor of John Hurley)

River Time, LMRD #855, Sunday, Jan 16, 2022. Running a couple of weeks late…. but as you know, we’re always on “river time” here. River time is like Delta time, or Island time, but slower.

I’m finally getting a chance to go through photos and pick out “the best of 2021.” It came out out to around 444 photos! But i’ve narrowed that down to 41, which is still too big for this newsletter format. So i’ve split the best into 4 postings, which I will send out over the next consecutive 4 days under the heading Whoo-whoop! #1, Whoo-whoop! #2, Whoo-whoop! #3 and Whoo-whoop! #4.

I think you’ll enjoy the amazing variety of scenery, adventures and wildlife we’ve experienced this past year. You might see yourself in one of these photos, if you look closely, or maybe the island you camped on with us, or the canoe you paddled in. Paddles Up and a Mighty Quapaw “Whoo-whoop!” from the river-rat team at Quapaw Canoe Company.

(BTW: river friends Ben Weaver and Strong Buffalo are performing Loving Water tonight, Sunday, January 16th, at the Turf Club in Saint Paul.)

Happy Ca-New Year Y’all!

Mississippi River Summer Camp (Robin Ladner & Girls Camp 2021 —partnership with the Lower Mississippi River Foundation)

Here’s looking back downstream, at the best of 2021…

Camp for British travel writer, Lynn Houghton

With some of our favorite scenes, and best campsites of the year…

Where Does the Path Lead?

For us Mighty Quapaws, all tracks lead to the river…

Jackson Academy 6th Graders Boys Camp

Where creation thrives…

Montezuma Island Chapel of Willows

and the sacred is found everywhere…

Bachelor Trip Camp

We found some of the most beautiful sandbars…

Full Moon Setting over Cat Island (Neal Moore 22 Rivers Expedition)

Incredible Islands…

Sandy Landing with young Cottonwoods near Hurricane Point

And intriguing Landings…

Artist’s Camp Spring 2021

Some of the best campsites ever…

Campsite in willows near the mouth of the Arkansas River

This one with a paddle-in canoe garage…

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(…whooops, sorry…. We’ve run out of room on this mailer…. Best of 2021 will be continued tomorrow with Whoo-whoop! #2…)

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Sending a Mighty Quapaw Shout Out! to our friends and musicians Ben Weaver and Strong Buffalo, for their new recording Loving Water. You can hear Loving Water on Bandcamp. They are performing tonight, Sunday, January 16th, live at the Turf Club in Saint Paul with Charlie Parr for his monthly residency.

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