Raw Deal for my daughter

Well I knew it would happen eventually just wish it wasn't today. I've been duck hunting in MO on and off for around 20 years with the fear that one day I would get hung up on the Wickliffe bridges either going or coming.

Today happened to be that day but the bad news is that it is opening day of MO youth duck season...... My 14yr old daughter and I pulled out of the driveway with Rhino in tow around 3:30 AM to pick up the son of a good hunting buddy of mine that lives in MO on the way to my buddies duck lease since my buddy was working midnights in New Madrid and had plans to come straight from work and meet us after the first hr of hunting. Everything was going according to plan....rain forecasted (that's a plus in MO) wind switching to wnw 10-20 mph after morning rain ended ( that's a plus in MO or anywhere for duck hunting) and we were running on schedule to be at my buddies house at 5AM.

It all was sounding good until we pulled around the court house at Wickliffe and traffic was backed up and caution lights happened to be flashing everywhere. We sat patiently until a local emergency management person came by and said a semi had overturned and they were looking at a 1 -2 hr delay. I thought no big deal we will just wait it out and still be set up a couple hrs after shooting time so we just pulled over into one of the local parking lots and started taking little cat naps while we waited.

Fast forward 1 hr and 10 minutes later and the same emergency management person came by to inform us then that it was now going to be more like 3-5 hrs longer. I looked over at my daughter and the disappointment in her face was in full bloom. I then thought about other options Hickman Ferry ( not really a option since it didn't even start running till 7AM and who knows which side it was docked on to start the morning. I then thought about reroute which could of been done at 4:30 if we would of known then that the delay was going to be longer than expected.
When I looked at my watch and saw it was roughly 5:45 and we would still be 3 hrs from being set up and ready to hunt I decided to pull the plug. It definitely was not the conversation I had planned on discussing with my daughter this morning. Oh well long story about a ordeal that nobody really had any control over.
I've promised my daughter after discussing things with my buddy that we will have a make up youth hunt in the next week or so and that seemed to make things somewhat better for now. I also tried to explain to her that between MO and Kentucky she would have ample amount of time to hopefully whack some ducks.

I guess she is a little like her dad as far as hunting goes. I just now have to get her as excited about fishing... Ha

I know it sounds like the back side of the world but taking Purchase Parkway south to 51 to 155 to I-55 north is lots of times a better option, especially if you are hunting south of Portageville.

Sorry for your luck.

Another word of caution----Posted speed limit thru Cairo is just that. I've seen them write tickets to KY vehicles for 2 mph over the speed limit. IMO, they should have blown up Cairo then let it flood a couple years back instead of flooding 160,000 acres of prime farm land when they blew the levees on the Mississippi.

Tough Luck Brother... sorry for the disappointment to you and your daughter... but getting caught up in the aftermath and delay of an accident is still far better than (actually) being involved first hand in the accident. I can't stand to be caught up is that type of situation with long traffic delays. Glad you are safe to take advantage of other days of hunting and making memories together.

That stinks. Better luck next time.