We Have Arrived
by Denise Janus

AAAHHHHHHH WE DID IT!  Today we got through the rest of the locks. Even with a grueling hour and a half back-up at lock two because of some barges, we finished paddling around 3:30 and arrived in Pittsburgh at the Point, where the Monongahela and the Alleghany and the Ohio Rivers.  What a great feeling!!!  I can’t believe we actually canoed for 56 days and 490 miles from Detroit to Pittsburgh!  What a sense of accomplishment!  None of us gave up. We did it. Wow!

We celebrated at the Point for a while and talked to reporters. We hauled the canoe out of the water and headed over to Barnes and Noble at the Waterworks Mall in Pittsburgh to put the canoe on display. Our canoe presentation coincided with a book signing by artist Robert Griffing, “The Art of Robert Griffing: His Journey Into the Eastern Frontier.”  I can’t believe I got to meet him! 

As soon as we arrived in Pennsylvania many people told us about him and showed us his beautiful book of paintings!  We each received autographed books!   A big thanks to Sharon Ellis, community relations manager, and everyone at Barnes and Noble who made this event possible! 

We made our last presentation inside the bookstore at around 8 p.m. and made our way outside where we answered more questions. We then packed up and headed on to Camp Guyasuta for our last two nights of camping.