Joey and Millie Baker:  A Dream Fulfilled

Joey Baker dreamed for years about the adventure of traveling down the mighty Mississippi River and ending this trip in New Orleans.

In the mid-1960s, Joey made the decision to turn his dream into a reality.  He was in his late forties and was ready for his long-awaited Mississippi River adventure.  Joey shared with family members and friends that he was working on a plan to navigate the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee to New Orleans.

The Adventure Begins

Joey took time to figure out and then purchase a new boat that would be perfect for making this trip. And, he bought a new vehicle specially suited for this this journey.  The vehicle had a much stronger transmission that would be needed to tow the weight of the boat and trailer and passengers over the Rocky Mountains and across the country from California to Tennessee and then back to California from New Orleans.

Joey discussed with friends and family members the difficulty and risks involved with this adventure. He shared that he was studying multiple charts in order to be able to successfully navigate the long distance down the river to New Orleans.

After Joey made the decision to do the trip, he contacted several nephews who he invited to be crew members. He received almost instant responses from each of these individuals that they were eager to be a part of this exciting adventure. 

Joey, Millie, and Norm left California and drove across the country towing the new boat to Memphis, Tennessee. Some family members in Memphis were concerned about the possible dangers of doing this difficult journey. Joey assured everyone that he had studied navigation charts for years and was ready for this trip.  

Departing McKellar Lake

The boat’s journey began in McKellar Lake that flows into the Mississippi River near Memphis. Aboard, in addition to Joey, were nephews Nathan, Avery, and Sandy Lubin.

The crew left the dock and very soon encountered some navigation buoys, and needed to determine which direction to head on this very large lake.

Joey had set up a navigation station on the boat and was busy studying multiple charts. After a while, he turned to his nephews and advised that he did not have a clue about which direction to head.

The crew realized that the team would have a number of additional things to figure out on this new journey.

The Game Plan

There are a number of ports on the Mississippi River between Memphis and New Orleans. These included three in Mississippi that are Greenville, Vicksburg, and Natchez, and then Baton Rouge in Louisiana. 

Joey’s plan was to only travel down the river during daylight which would increase the level of safety.  The ports would be important for refilling the fuel for the boat.  And, Joey had made plans for Millie and Norm to drive the car with the boat trailer attached so that they would meet the boat and its crew each night at a selected port.

The crew was prepared to “rough it out” down this long river voyage to New Orleans.  It turns out that Joey and Millie had a different view of “roughing it out.”

Each night Millie would find the best restaurant in each of the port cities selected and the group would have a wonderful dinner and time together.  Millie also would find the best hotel in the city and she and Joey enjoyed their version of “roughing it out” down the Mississippi River.

The crew slept on this small boat at each of the port cities and did get a more “roughing it out” experience that was perfect for these young cousins that were having a blast together.

Navigating the Mississippi River

Joey advised that there would be quite a bit of floating wood from trees ending up in the river. He further explained that it would be necessary to have two crew members always at the front of the boat watching for floating wood, one member always at the navigation station, and one at the helm driving the boat.

This was the arrangement at the start of the trip.  However, it was not long before one person was sometimes on skis behind the boat being pull down the river, another was asleep napping as it was sometimes difficult to sleep at night while in one of the ports, and another person at the helm driving the boat.

There were times when the boat was in the very middle of the river, but got completely grounded to a stop on a sandbar that was not visible from a distance. The crew did finally improve its skills at using the buoy markers to avoid getting grounded.

Destination New Orleans

Arriving in New Orleans was a special accomplishment.  Someone from a local publication came out to the marina where the boat docked and took photos, did an interview, and published an article about the adventurers.

And the crew quickly learned that there was probably no couple better to be with in a place like New Orleans than Millie and Joey Baker.

Millie arranged meals at a number of wonderful restaurants in this incredible city.  And the New Orleans hotel that Millie selected was a very sharp and complete contrast to the crew’s experience of sleeping on the small boat.

A Dream Turned into Reality

For so many years Joey dreamed about traveling down the Mississippi River.  There are many who dream their entire life, but do not turn their dreams into reality.

Joey and Millie not only made this dream happen, but they turned it into an experience and an adventure in which younger family members were included.

And each young family member that was part of this trip gained precious memories that have lasted a life time.

At the heart and core of these memories is the special time together with Millie and Joey Baker.