The NeoHuckFinn Launch

Conditions: 70 degrees, strong southerly wind (head wind for Matt). Skies are overcast.
Forecast: 30% chance for rain today, 80% chance for thunderstorms tomorrow. Wednesday should begin to turn much cooler and clear.

Nearly thirty people attended the early morning launch of Project NeoHuckFinn. Matt was very pleased with the turnout. Several people from church, including the missionary elders, came. Also attending, some from work, some neighbors, and a television crew.

Matt read a Huck Finn quote, “We said there warn’t no home like a raft after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.” Then he said a prayer with his family and told us all good bye.

To board the raft, Matt had to make a six- or seven-foot leap. The raft heaved a little as he leapt onto it. He shoved off and started his long journey.

Once he got fifty yards out, we saw three people running down the hill—the television crew from Alexandria had arrived too late to interview him and to film the launch. He was still close enough to respond to our shouts and it was decided that they would meet a ways ahead. The crew interviewed Matt’s wife, Julie, and his four kids before heading to the rendezvous site.

The crew interviewed Matt for about twenty minutes and filmed the kids waving good bye as he launched again.

Shortly after Matt’s first launch, a wonderful Southern lady joined us. She had seen Matt’s article in the paper and wanted to see him off. Her son had a similar adventure nearly forty years ago. He had built a barge and floated about fifty miles down the Red River from Shreveport with several of his buddies. They planned to float to the Mississippi, but one of the boys stepped into a red ant pile and suffered several bites. His allergies put him into danger, so they had to abandon the barge.

When Julie and the family arrived home they had a phone message that a close friend from church had passed away. Since Matt serves as bishop of the congregation, he will have to interrupt his trek to work on the funeral. Details on this will follow.

Watch for television coverage all week at the following websites:

www.thetowntalk.com and www.KLAX-TV.com