I have good news, bad news, more good news and great news.

Were going to start with the bad...after going back to see where we left off, I realized that I am THERE - THEIR & THEY'RE challenged. The good news is, I have recognized this problem, admitted I have a problem and now I'm on the road to recovery. Hmmm...I wonder if I can get special front row parking for something like this?

Friday the 4th, Captain Ned got a ride from St. Francisville over to the Pearl River just north of Slidell, LA. He said his kayak was hanging about 6 feet out the back of the Ranger pick up truck with a red shirt duct taped to the stern. The trip took about 2.5 hours. He said it had to be quite the site kroozing down the highway.

Now at sea level Capt. Ned's first night on the Pearl River, or should I say a tributary of the Pearl, he ran into the Holden family. The Holden family set 'Ol Ned up with a Louisiana feast fit for a king and a map of the local waterways. When I spoke with the captain that night he said "you are not going to guess what I'm eating", "I'm eating boiled ship, blue crab, corn on the cob, potatoes with sausage and all kinds of good stuff". He said it was more then he could eat, but he was going to give it his best shot. He wanted me to make sure I mentioned and thanked the Holden family for their hospitality and feast. Thank You!!!

Capt. Ned found out by the park police that he was camping on federal reserve land. After pleasantries exchanged, the situation was explained, the intrigued park police BS'ed with Capt. Ned for a while and said unless exploring the bayou's is your desire, you may want to head in this direction. They helped the good 'ol captain by highlighting a few things on his map and told him of some things to look for.

Capt. Ned paddled a very scenic 20 miles making his way from the West Pearl to the East Pearl. Said he saw many dozens of shanty boat homes while weaving in and out of all these little nooks and crannies. One of the shanty's had a sign entitled "Red Neck Yacht Club". The letters in the sign were spelled backwards. He said he's having a great time, there are lots of people to talk too.

Sunday morning 'Ol Ned packed up his camp site, which was on a bed of oyster shells with fiddler crabs as company and pushed off on another day of paddling. Sunday ended up being the hardest day to date. He had a major head wind all day. When he got to the bay at the mouth of the Pearl he had to carve his way through all of the sea grass and fight the chop. Capt. Ned made it 12 miles on Sunday and he earned every one of them.

Sunday nights camp site was near Claremont Harbor Lake Shores. The captain said he could see civilization a few miles ahead but he was just too damn tired to get there. He plans to keep on keeping on Monday.

Monday wasn't much better for Capt. Ned. The wind was again pretty brutal on forward progress. Wilson unable to help at all. The water again was very choppy. Capt. Ned had to paddle as hard as he could just to keep from going backwards. He then made the executive decision to hit the beach and walk his kayak. It was this beach in Waveland, MS where 'Ol Ned ran into Pamela. Pamela, Capt. Ned said "thank you very much, you were a life saver and your kindness made his day".

Moving on to Captain Ned's current whereabouts...if you happened to look at the maps before you started reading my hack writing then you already know that Captain Ned has ended the Kayak Krooz. I got a call Monday afternoon at 4:30 PM EST "hey mon, it's over". I asked if it was official, he said "as far as I'm concerned it is".

After Capt. Ned parted ways with Pamela he continued to walk his kayak until he ran out of beach. Captain Ned paddled around the next point, and as soon as he came to the next beach he was walking it again. Monday saw a total of 8 miles. 4 of which were a strenuous paddle and the rest were walked.

The Kayak Krooz came to a close on a beach in Bay St. Lewis, Mississippi. The heavy easterly winds, the rough seas and the forecast that they would continue for several day's were the deciding factor in Capt. Ned's decision.

More good news...Captain Ned Mott started the Kayak Krooz the same way he ended it...on his terms. The great news I mentioned is actually selfish on my part...I'm going to be kicking back on the "Rainbow's End" this weekend with my dad drinking some ice cold "gold tops".

Captain Ned Mott has reached his destination...he is back aboard the "Rainbow's End".

STOP!!! WAIT!!! DON'T LEAVE YET!!! More will follow...I received the pictures that Capt. Ned took along his journey. These will be posted ASAP. Also, I will be snapping some pictures of the good 'ol captain at his destination this weekend, and in order to officially close this thing down right we're going to have to get some comments from 'Ol Ned himself.

Please stay tuned...