Hi everyone!

[Laura's Babies]

Yes, I am on the boat and am just testing to see if I can really post on PT from my iPhone. Got some great news to share too... They trapped and S/N 12 cats in my neighborhood after I left!! After all were trapped and taken for surgery it was discovered we have more than we thought but the trapper isn't giving up and will come back and try to get the rest!! Blaine is one determined lady!

We are below Baton Rouge headed back to BTR and then on up to Kentucky/Missouri where we will turn and head back south again. That will take a week to 10 days.

Tomorrow is Mardi Gras day!

[Medusa]

That's great news, Laura!

[Randi]

Wow, great news! :) That's a lot of cats taken care of, hope they get the rest, also.

Laura, I have been a little confused about Missisippi River, because on the maps it looks like lots of smaller rivers running together. I had expected one huge river, like The Thames. I finally looked it up and this is what I found:

River, central U.S. It rises at Lake Itasca (http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Itasca%2c+Lake) in Minnesota and flows south, meeting its major tributaries, the Missouri (http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Missouri+River) and the Ohio (http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Ohio+River) rivers, about halfway along its journey to the Gulf of Mexico (http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Mexico%2c+Gulf). It enters the Gulf southeast of New Orleans (http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/New+Orleans), after a course of 2,350 mi (3,780 km). It is the largest river in North America, and with its tributaries it drains an area of 1.2 million sq mi (3.1 million sq km). Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto (http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Soto%2c+Hernando+de) was the first European to discover the river in 1541. French explorers Louis Jolliet (http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Jolliet%2c+Louis) and Jacques Marquette (http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Marquette%2c+Jacques) traveled down it in 1673 as far as the Arkansas River (http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Arkansas+River). French explorer La Salle (http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/La+Salle%2c+Ren%c3%a9-Robert+Cavelier%2c+sieur+de) reached the delta in 1682 and claimed the entire Mississippi region for France, as Louisiana. France kept control over the upper river, but the lower portion passed to Spain in 1769. It was designated the western boundary of the U.S. in 1783. France sold it to the U.S. in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase (http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Louisiana+Purchase). During the American Civil War (http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/American+Civil+War), Union forces captured Vicksburg (http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Vicksburg+Campaign), Miss., in 1863, breaking the Confederate hold on the river. As the central river artery of the U.S., it is one of the busiest commercial waterways in the world.

Enjoy your trip! Hope the weather is fine.

[Laura's Babies]

Yes Randi, a lot of other rivers feed into the Mississippi River. Up where the Ohio and several others feed into it is usually as far up as we go with the now and then trip up as far as St. Louis for us and on rare occasions we go down to 54 miles from the Gulf. I have done the whole length of the Mississippi just not all in the same trip.

With all the rivers that feed into it that is why it is so prone to flooding when some areas get a lot of rainfall. Right now, most of it is above flood stage and then the melting snow from the north will add to it.

[astrid]

Big hugs from Guatemala to your boat :D

[catmandu]

And there are so many Awesome Angels with you Lauar enjoying the trip along the Mighty Mississippi!!!
And thats Fantastic News about those Ex Stray Cats , a two fold bonus as these Cats will have Furrever Homes and the fact that they will no longer be creating New Stray Cats!!!
:love::love::love:

[Karen]

Great that you can really post from the boat! How wonderful that they are not giving up, and are gonna take care of even more kitties!

[Cinder & Smoke]

We are below Baton Rouge headed back to BTR ...

OK ... Who, What, or Where is "BTR" ? :confused:

Do you have "unlimited" web surfing time - or a fixed amount?
It's great that you can *stay in touch* while on the River.

:D

[katladyd]

I think she mean Baton Rouge, a large city in Louisianna.

[Freedom]

Hi Laura! Nice that you can connect lol. That is fantastic news about the cats. Already have 12?! Super!

[Laura's Babies]

Yes, BTR means Baton Rouge.

I have unlimitted time on the Internet on the iPhone but cell service is hit and miss out here with more miss than hit. Plus this is so small that it is extreely hard on my eyes!! It is hard to surf the web and it needs 3G service and we don't have that but in cities.

We are leaving BTR now and heading on up north to turn and head south again in a week or 10 days.

[doolittleky]

Hey Laura,
If you get to Kentucky all you will see is snow. It snowed quite a bit last night. Although it could be gone by the time you get here.
Melissa

[orangemm]

Good to hear from you, Laura!

Wonderful news about those kitties! What a great job.

You have such a unique job!:)

[rg_girlca]

That's great that you will be able to keep up with PT now from the boat, even though it's a hit and miss at times.

Hat's off to Blaine for doing such a super job on trapping 12 cats to have S/N.
It is so disheartening to know there are such nasty people in this world, who couldn't care less about the welfare of animals. But then there are people like your friend Blaine, who make the world a better place for them.

Please tell her how proud we are of her and thank her for all that she does.:)

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

The Mississippi-Missourri is a mighty river!! We've lived during 2 years in St.Louis Missourri; This city is just south of the place where the 2 main rivers the Mississippi and the Missourri come together! We've visited that place several times! We also were there after a big flooding then!
I cannot remember how wide the river is in St.Louis, but I still remember how long and huge the bridge was that connected the city with Illinois! We used it several times; that I-highway goes all the way up to Chicago, and maybe further!

It's great you can come on PT now while being on your boat now, Laura!!