7:55  Willow Beach Park
Had a lot of trouble getting the motor started because of flooding.  But within five minutes I managed to get the motor started.
 I pull out of Willow Beach bay and the motor died again.  I realized that I had not loosened the air passage on the gas tank.  I looked behind me and there was a huge monster barge coming my way.  Fortunately the motor started right up again and I crossed the river out of harm's way.    That barge is moving slowly.  I am wondering if I will go through the lock with the barge?  Probably not.  The motor just has a tendency to flood, but seems to be running right now.

8:11  I've never seen a barge go so slow. He must be waiting for another barge to clear the lock.
 I got a blister from pulling on the starter rope.

8:15  Motor died again.  I still can't get the gas adjusted right.

9:08 I am in the lock.  The motor still wouldn't run right. I may be oaring the whole way.
 Nothing to do but to be patient.  If I don't make it but to Pine Bluff in three days, no big problem.  Everything is fine really.

9:13 I am in the dock with four other fishermen.  I am embarrassed to have to oar into the lock.  Someone always says something when I have to do that.
 It's a cloudless, beautiful day.  It is very pleasant being out.  I would be a lot calmer if I knew the motor would start any time I wanted it to.  But this is no different that it was that first 100 miles on the river when I didn't have a motor.  And it's a lot more pleasant because it doesn't matter how far I go, the temperature is great, and it is a beautiful day.
 Once I get out of sight below the dam, I will try the motor again and see if it will start.  I don't know why it would start, but it started once and ran about 10 or 15 minutes.  I don't know why it wouldn't run again.  If it does, fine.  If it doesn't, I'm not going to worry about it.
 Think I'll have a twinkee and relax.
 The lockmaster just stopped asked, "You doing alright?  Whereabouts you headed?"
 I said, "I'm floating down to Pine Bluff.  My motor's flooded right now, but it'll start in a bit."
 “Oh, that's a good deal then.  You have a good time and be careful.”
 He was the first black lockmaster I have seen.

 It's a thrill every time I go through one of these dams.  The wind seems to come right through these channels in every lock. I guess it's because of the difference in elevation.  I have to hold my boat away from the sides of the lock.  I have to keep my motor away from it.  We are down about 12 feet now and still going down.  I'm looking at my watch and I am way behind schedule.  I have been traveling for an hour and a half already and I am still in the dam.  But as they say on Big River, "What's time to a hog."  We are down about 20 feet now and it is coming to a stop.

9:40 Milemarker 107.7
 There is a good 10 mph wind blowing so I am going to put up my sails and see what I can do with sailing.  That's what you are supposed to be doing - sailing across Arkansas!

9:48 I have the sails up and sailing fast.  The wind is coming right at me up the lake.  But that's all right.  It's better than oaring.

9:57 I got current.  I got wind.  What more could you ask for?  Clear Blue sky. Quiet.  Everything's going copasetic.  If the wind continues to blow, I'll make some miles.  The only problem is oaring into the wind.  So it is nice to sail into the wind.  It would be nicer of course if the wind was blowing pleasantly behind me, but I am not doing bad.  I'm moving on down the river.  I don't have to worry about how far or how fast I go.
 This is very pleasant sailing.  The wind is between 5 and 10, not too strong and not too weak.  I'm making pretty good time, zig zagging back and forth across the river.  As always, maybe when I round the bend the wind will run with me.  Wouldn't that be a switch.
 I can't wait to start passing up some of those high-falooting fishermen with their fancy motors running.  They'll say, "Hey, look.  There goes that guy in that sailboat."

9:56 Brown's bend light with daymark Mile 107.1
 Wind has slowed to less than five and variable.  But I am going to relax and enjoy it.
 An ultralight airplane just came down the river, circled me slowly and headed off downstream.  I'm sure he doesn't see many 13-foot sailboats sailing down the Arkansas River. He looks like he is having fun on a beautiful day.  I wouldn't mind riding with him a while.

10:10 Milemarker 106.3
 On the left is another sand dredge.  I'll try to get a panoramic picture of it.   I just put on sunscreen to make sure I don't burn on this river today.  Man, it is a pleasant day.  This is nice, let me tell you.

10:15
 I am passing the Captain Zed, Louis I, and the Kay Bob tugboats tied to the sand dredge machinery.  They are beautiful little tugboats with the morning light shining on them.

11:00 Milemarker 103.4  Chenault Island
 I keep zig zagging.  Sailing great. Having a wonderful time.
“Are your garments spotless, are they white as snow,
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb.
Are you washed,  Are you washed
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb.”

12:02 Milemarker 99.7 Jim Brown Island Light
 I've come over 10 miles finally.  Once I left the dam and got my sails up, I've made pretty good time.  The wind is mostly blowing straight against me, but it has been steady about 10 mph.  Working really good.  I tried to talk myself into stopping for lunch.  I ought to, but then I said, "Well, shoot, I'm doing so good.  I’ll go on and stop by 1 for sure and give myself a good 30 minute break.  By one for sure."

12:15 I am at the body temperature.  Milemarker 98.6
 That's interesting.  This has been a good run.  From the last marker to here, I have been able to go straight down the river.  The wind has died right now, but it gusts back up every now and then.

12:25  I just rounded a turn and I can see the Redfield power plants down there.  They look almost like two nuclear reactors with a great big smokestack to the side of them.

12:35  Still zig zagging down the river.  The clouds are beginning to come up now.  Now it is mostly cloudy.  They don't look threatening yet, but it looks like that 20% chance of afternoon thunderstorms could still come true.  This gives me a little bit of shade.  I'm worried a little about getting sunburned.  I'm using my life jacket to shade my legs a little.
 As I've thought about my motor problem, I've decided that my problem must be the piece that Emmett fixed.  When I stop in a little, I will take that piece out and see if it is bent or broken.  That would explain why it is not running right.  It has to be that or the float sticking.  It is a gas problem.

12:47  I've heard a lot of gun shots today.  This must be the first day of dove season.  It's interesting the difference from sailing on the river last November when the water was cold and dangerous.  I heard duck hunting and lots of geese.  Then sailing on the River in May, everything was bright and fresh with no hunting.  Now at Labor Day, gun season is coming again.  A year has passed and a lot has happened since then.  A lot has happened to me this year, but I am still sailing down the river.  I may have failed in a lot of things, and I didn't get this done as quickly as I wanted to, but I am still on the river.  Still chugging away toward the Mississippi.

12:53 Milemarker 96.5
 I am getting hungry, looking for a place to stop and work on my motor.  The wind is decidedly on the dying turn.  These look like rain clouds.  It could rain out of any of these.

1:03 Milemarker 96.1
 I am going to zig across and zag back and stop at that little sandbar looking area over there.

1:06  Well, I picked the wrong spot.  I could see the sandbar, but I couldn't see the rocks in front of the sandbar.  I ran the boat hard on some rocks.  Nothing to do but get out and move it over.  I guess I scraped the bottom good.  I hope I didn't poke a hole in it.  The boat has been dry and it sure has been nice.

1:33 I didn't stop long for lunch.  I didn't have a good place to work on my motor.  The water was too shallow.  The wind has picked back up, and I am making good progress.  I would be a fool to drive a motor in a wind like this.  When the wind quits, I'll worry about fixing the motor.  It would be a shameful act to run a motor with this much wind.  I am right beside the channel 7 TV antenna.  I think I have the motor problem figured out.  When I stop, I'll see if I can't fix it.  I ate almost half a box of "Crunch 'n Munch" for lunch.  Water and "Crunch 'n Munch" should hold me until supper.

1:55 The motor is running.  I pulled to the side, took out that piece, nothing seemed to be wrong with it.  When I put it back in the motor seemed nice and dry, and cranked easily and is running smoothly right now.

2:17 Milemarker 93.2
 The motor seems to be running good, but not as fast as upstream when the current was flowing fast.   It seems like I am going very slow.  The wind has died.

2:55 Milemarker 90.0
 I am passing Tar Creek Camp.  The power plant is in view again, a beautiful sight.  I have a big cloud that could rain right above me.  The wind has come up again in my face, but I am still motoring.  It looks like I am moving about 5 mph. If I run the motor, I can be in Pine Bluff by 7 p.m. if I don't take too long at the dam.  I will play it by ear, but I would like to spend the night at St. Marie Park in Pine Bluff.  That will be my goal.   Obviously the motor is running smooth as silk.  Here we go.  Look out, Pine Bluff.

3:24 Milemarker 87.5
 The dam is coming into view.  I have almost made 6 miles in this hour, so I am really doing good.   I have seen a lot of beautiful homes right along here before the dam with people standing in the yard waving, babies and dogs bouncing around.  Here is beautiful cow pasture which would be a great place to spend the night, but at 3:30 I am not ready to quit.

3:52 I am in the dam.  The lockmaster isn't going to talk to me this time.  He is riding down the other side.  I was coming into the dam too slow. He was waving me on in, so I sped up.  I just hope the motor starts again when I get ready to go out.

4:04 I am pulling out of the dam.  There must be about 50 martins flying around here diving into the edge of the water.  There was a father and his 2-year-old son watching me go through the dam.  The kid said, "Hey!"  I waved and he waved back.  It's a beautiful day.  I made it through the dam in 25 minutes.  Things are looking good.

4:17 I filled up with gas, and it started right back up.  The clouds seem to be clearing off now.  There is a lot more blue than awhile ago.  That's nice.

4:24 Milemarker 84.7
 I should have 14 miles to go.  That should take 2 1/2 hours and I should be there by 7 with plenty of daylight to set up camp.

4:40 Milemarker 83.0
 Twelve miles to go to St Marie Park.

4:44 This has been a really beautiful day.  The clouds look like strings of cotton.  The sun is still high.  Pleasant temperature.  I am having a great time.

4:54 Milemarker 81.6
 Six miles per hour.  The motor is running better.  I'll be there in 2 hours.  I have seen a lot of fishermen.  But since the last dam I haven't seen anybody.  There probably isn't a launch ramp near here.  I like having the river all to myself.

5:16 Milemarker 79.6
 I don't see very good camping spots right here.  I hope the motor will keep going to St. Marie Park.  If it doesn't I may have some real problems finding a camping spot.

5:39 Milemarker 77.5
 This is a beautiful day.   The clouds look like they have been swept by feathers.  The late sun is beautiful.  There goes a fishing boat screaming by.  I see the Bunge grain bins up there with the late evening sun shining brilliant white on them.

6:02 Milemarker 75.6
 This is such an incredible experience.  I see the bridge and the late evening sun shining on it.  I see big steel shipyard buildings down the way.  The motor continues to run well. Pleasant wind all day long.  Beautiful sky.  Half moon hanging up there.  I love being out here.  It is so wonderful.

6:26 Milemarker 73.7
 The day just gets more beautiful all the time.  Sycamore trees along the shore.  Heron flying out from them.  Pleasant breeze blowing.  Today has been mostly ecstasy.

6:37 Milemarker 72.0
 I see the green turn-around sign.  A mile further down the channel should be St. Marie Park.

6:41 I ran out of gas.  I almost fell out of the boat carrying that gas can.  I sat down awfully hard.  After I put gas in, it cranked on the second pull.  I am almost there.  That's pretty bad, running out of gas a mile and a half from St. Marie Park.

7:10 Arrived at St. Marie Park to discover that it is not a camping park.  It closes at 10 p.m.  I'm staying anyway!  Showered from the cold water faucet in the bathrooms.  Ate a can of tuna.  Had to have a long mosquito killing time in the tent.