Sunday, April 16, 2006
Easter on the Jimmy B
I talked to Holli today and she wanted me to let everyone know how things were going on our boat excursion West. Spring has come in all its glory. The 1st wildflowers are visible alone the river banks, bugs of all sizes and colors dart to and fro over the placid, sunbaked river surface, and river dolphins jump playfully over our wake. When my great great grandfather, Captain Joseph LaBarge, piloted his steam powered paddleboats along the Missouri River, they would have to replenish their fuel by stopping at wood piles along the way. This could be dangerous because Indians knew that these were good locations for an ambush. In the years since the mid 1800's the tribes have become much more sophisticated in their tactics, making riverboats anchored at major port cities into gambling establishments. So far our intrepid group has managed to escape with our lives. We are in Montana now and while docking for supplies I took a side trip South to a town called LaBarge, Wyoming. During WWII my uncle Jack was on a troop train going West and the train made a very short stop at LaBarge. He jumped out of the train and ran into the nearest bar and asked the bartender "Are there any LaBarges here?" The bartender replied "See that large oak tree out front? Last week we hung a LaBarge on that tree." At which point my uncle spun around and trotted back to the train. My brother Jim, not deterred by our uncles experience, visited there a couple years ago. He went to the local library to read about the towns history. Seems that at one time oil was discovered there and the name of the town was changed to Oil City. When the oil ran out the town fathers, in their great wisdom, changed the name back to LaBarge. When I got back to the boat I thought about how the route we are taking is very much the same at that traveled at the start of the 1800's by Lewis and Clark. Lewis would ride the boat while the crew would pull or pole the boat upstream. Clark however would walk the entire way. On the Jimmy B. the captain is called behind his back, the Lord High Commander. He has been known to enforce discipline by making certain passengers get out of the boat. We call that "Doing a Clark." If they have to jump in the water to push us off a sandbar we call that "Doing a Clark bar." We find humor where ever we can after several long months on the river.# posted by Bob @ 10:43 PM 
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After getting to your destination in California for the wedding, all aboard the Jimmy B should take the extra time and continue to the Pacific in a southwesterly pattern until you hit an island called New Zealand. At the port, I will meet you and a good time will be had by all :)
Thanks, Uncle Bob, for entertaining me with your tales on the Jimmy B! Good luck getting to the final destination!
Thanks, Uncle Bob, for entertaining me with your tales on the Jimmy B! Good luck getting to the final destination!
Thanks Uncle Bob (aka "LHC") for the shout out...I'm wondering...Have you had any trouble keeping the crew away from eating your special salads? Also, was there a chocolate fountain in LaBarge, Wyoming?
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