After getting up 30 minutes later than we had planned everybody had to hurry up to be finished in time, but what for? O.K., we took off the engines at 7.30am and we arrive in Red Wing in time – 8 am – but there was not really a reason to be as early. There was nothing to do so we just hang up in the boat and were looking for places to sleep – some of us found really special places.
But then at 9am the pupils arrived and we started to go up to the island. Arriving at the island we hurry up to be prepared to welcome our hosts with a tunnel which they had to pass to go up onto the island. When everybody was out of the "sweet afton" and went through the tunnel Dan and the staff began to welcome them once again with the "I Love the Mississippi … River" song and told them what they were going to do do.
That day was good for the pupils because we had 4 instructors and 4 groups, so each group could pass an hour with each instructor. And they had one more time luck. They had the chance to make one hour on a birdtrip together with Mike Davis who could answer each question and knows more of the Mississippi than anyone else did.
When the first lesson started Dasment and Rendolph went with Kanny Salwly, a second very interesting storyteller, who told about circle of life.
Laura Christin and Alexander Michael went with the birdtours while Caitlin, Maike and me went on making water quality testing with Joey.
The second lesson the people who were hungry - Tailor, Maike, Laura and me - went to the "sweet afton" to eat some chips and sweets because there were nothing else because we forget taking the freezer with us – it was still at the "Lilly Belle". So I went down with Dan to take it to the island. Because we get back with the freezer at the end of the lunchtime we had to stay at the table during the third lesson and had our lunch. So we, or almost most of us, went on assisting once more in the forth lesson. Maike and Caitlin helped Joey once again, Alex supervised the lunch table on which Laura was sleeping, Dasment was sightseen and Randolph and me went out on the water with Mike.
When the pupils left the island we put up the tent, load everything into the boats and drove to Red Wing.
Landed at the "Lilly Belle" we get down a bit and talked about the next and last 2 days of the Rivers of Life Tour".
When we finished our discussions we went up to the library to check our eMails – business goes on in the States.
At 6.30pm we came together again at the "Lilly Belle" with four other students from the "ELC". Then we drove to the Mexican Restaurant to eat something before Tracy drove us to the cinema.
Arrived at the cinema we made two groups. One group wanted to see "Aeger Management" the other saw "Mac Guire" at what both had fun.
In the case that the "Aeger Management" finished earlier the "management – girls" had the chance to do some shopping and which girl won’t take that chance.
Close to 9.30pm Tracy came back to the cinema just to take us and we drove back to our camp, were we arrive at 10.10pm.
Dominik Pavlik