Welcome Home Rafteers!		Rafting on the Mississippi River Chicago to New Orleans, June-July 1964 Arrival
Home Preparations On the way Arrival Daily log Where are they now Click on images to enlarge Getting close Pulling in Tying up Home at last! Les, Ron (leaning over), Norm, and Mike More arrival photos here		As the 33-day voyage came to its close, the adventurers faced the inevitable mixed feelings of having something unique come to an end. They would be leaving behind the challenges and enjoyment of the experience, but this would be replaced with an understandable sense of achievement. The exhilaration was shared by a large gathering of relatives and friends who met the rafters as they arrived in New Orleans. We planned our “grand arrival” for 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 12th. We passed under the Huey P. Long Bridge and worked our way down on the west bank of the river, trying to avoid the large ships docked at the wharves, the majority of which are on the east bank (New Orleans side). As we neared the city, we cautiously worked our way across the river, and passed under the Greater New Orleans Bridge, built only six years earlier. We headed for the city’s ceremonial landing spot, Eads Plaza [now Spanish Plaza]. We planned to use the concrete landing where the steamboat President docked; it had just left on one of its scheduled excursions as we arrived. As we approached, we saw the large crowd of family and friends that had gathered to welcome us home. It was a reasonably safe and smooth landing. After greeting everyone, we were interviewed by the newspaper and TV reporters. (WDSU-TV put on us their evening news, and the next day, The Times-Picayune had a photograph and article about our journey.) We soon had to leave our landing spot, as the President was returning. We moved briefly near the Canal Street ferry landing, where we unloaded some of our equipment, and then headed for the Chalmette Monument area, where we planned to abandon the raft. At Chalmette, we removed the rest of our gear, the motor, and anything we wanted to keep. After we were done, all that was left was the raft itself, which we knew would soon be scavenged for the materials (which it was in a few days time). The next day we were invited to the office of the Mayor of New Orleans, Victor Schiro. He gave the three of us from New Orleans—Ron, Mike, and Norm— Certificates of Merit. Les was given a Certificate of Honorary Citizenship, and all of us were given a Key to the City. See picture here. We had traveled about 1,400 miles in 33 days and learned first-hand about a fascinating part of America’s history and geography. We learned that three (and later four) people could live together in a small space for a month and remain friends. Mostly we learned something about ourselves—that we could set a goal and then make it happen. Finally, the trip was great fun, and it gave us the experience of a lifetime, one that we will never forget. Norm Hellmers, Les Netland, Mike Riemer, Ron Wismar More arrival photographs here Return Home