A water adventure can be anything from paddling a canoe on a weeklong trip to sitting back for a couple

of hours while someone else steers the

boat. It depends on how much time

you have and what you’re seeking.

On the Mississippi

The mighty Mississippi pulses with the power

of a semi-tamed beast. No one appreciates

that more than John Ruskey, who operates

Quapaw Canoe Company out of Clarksdale.

With a full beard, a mustache and sun-

streaked hair flowing from beneath the brim

of a black hat, John could pass for one of the

early 1800s adventurers who piloted heavily

laden flatboats down the Mississippi. John

actually did float down the river with a friend

some 30 years ago on a raft they built out of

oil drums and scrap lumber. He eventually

came to Clarksdale to learn blues guitar and

stayed to play in a blues band, paint folk art

and teach youngsters how to carve dugout

canoes. For seven years, he was curator of the

Delta Blues Museum. In 1998, he opened the

Quapaw Canoe Company, offering canoe and

kayak rentals and guided trips (662.627.4070

for reservations) on the Mississippi.

Trips can last from one day to a week or

longer. They can involve one person or a

group. Meals are provided on overnight

trips, or you can take your own food. Your

Mississippi River experience is up to you.

Tour the Pascagoula

Twisting and curling for some 80 miles from

near Lucedale down to the Gulf of Mexico, the

Pascagoula is one of the last free-flowing rivers

Mississippi Waterways: They’re a Natural

Guided trips offer surprising new

looks at the state’s familiar waters.

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