Melville resident Vaughn Goudeau had the three paddlers in sight at they made their way to the banks of the Atchafalaya River late Friday afternoon. The three paddlers, all military veterans, began their 2000 mile journey in Minnesotas on June 25, where the Mississippi River begins. They crossed into the The Atchafalaya River a 137-mile-long (220 km) distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River in south central Louisiana.
The three paddlers, all military veterans, are Danny Dahnert, Jon Herald and Richard Sanderfer were welcomed to Melville by Goudeau, who was standing in for Danny Majors who is the founder of the St. Landry Parish chapter of the River Angels. The River Angels welcome paddlers into their homes along the river and offer them a hot bath, transportation to local stores for supplies, food and a place to sleep if need be. Danny Majors has a saying that when paddlers arrive in Melville the people on the Atchafalaya are happy to give.
After enjoying the Melville hospitality the three paddlers set out on the rest of their journey, the next stop being Franklin, La. The paddlers are hoping to complete their journey to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico at around 2 pm on the 16th of October.
Thanks to Vaughn Goudeau for supplying photos and information for this story,
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