I am canoeing enthusiast who enjoys extended trips down (and sometimes up) our nation's streams, rivers and waterways. My excursions started in 1998 and centered primarily in Wisconsin. My initial interest was following the paths of our early explorers and voyageurs on their historic routes from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi. I then wondered from Wisconsin and started paddling other "state-named" rivers flowing to the Mississippi – the Minnesota, Ohio, Iowa and Illinois. In 2007, I started down the first leg of the Missouri River from Three Forks to Bismarck. I paddled the very long reservoir reach from Bismarck to Sioux City in 2008 and finished the channelized portion down to the Mississippi in 2010. I had planned to paddle the Mississippi headwaters in September 2011, but will postpone that trip until next spring, God willing, when emergent vegetation in the headwater marshes should be less of a problem. Instead, I plan to return to Wisconsin and paddle the "wild and scenic" waters of the Namekagon and St. Croix, which offer some of the finest canoeing waters in the Upper Mississippi River basin.

I am a water quality specialist by training and employment. My working hours are spent monitoring and protecting the water quality of the Mississippi River for the Wisconsin DNR. My long canoe trips may not sound like a leisurely activity to some, but they do refresh my soul and have provided opportunities to explore the quality of some of the Mississippi's major tributaries as they descend through varied landscapes and make their way to the "Father of all Waters." It also has yielded new friendships with many individuals from Three Forks, Montana to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania who have helped me along the way by providing portaging assistance, river advice, dinner, a shower, beverages, varied supplies, and a friendly face to chat with as we discuss a common passion for flowing waters.

This web site includes portions of my journals describing these trips. Have fun exploring these pages. If you have questions about my trips or would like additional information, please send me a note, I would be happy to hear from you. Lastly I must thank my dear wife for her patience and help to carryout this late mid-life pursuit and my son Tim, who manages this site.

John Sullivan, Irish Voyageur

"I am haunted by waters"
Norman Maclean - A River Runs Through It