Ferry Me Across the Water

Ferry Me Across the Water

Christina Rossetti

"Ferry me across the water.

Do, boatman, do."

"If you've a penny in your purse

I'll ferry you."

"I have a penny in my purse,

And my eyes are blue;

So ferry me across the water,

Do, boatman, do."

 "Step into my ferry boat,

Be they black or blue,

And for the penny in your purse,

I'll ferry you."

I have always loved the water. I grew up "just up the creek" from Rush and we lived at Blue John, named for Blue John Creek.  My childhood was filled with stories about my mom, grandparents and many relatives living along the Buffalo River.  Where we lived was also just a few miles from Crooked Creek and the White River.  Our weekends were filled with trips to the river to fish, play, and during the drought season, haul water back to our house.  In Psyche 101 I learned that your personality is 50 percent genetic, 50 percent experiences so I'm not sure of the cause but I need to live in close proximity to a large body of water.  The mere thought of being more than a few minutes away from water causes me to break out in a sweat.

We always had a jon boat so getting from one side of the Buffalo or White to the other was no big deal.  My world was very small back then and I didn't get to spend any time on the area lakes.  This was something that I discovered and fell in love with later in life (sorry - I am bird-walking here).  Occasionally, my Aunt Lessie Bryant, who lived in Black Oak, AR would come for a visit.  She didn't drive and the closest the Greyhound or Trail Ways  bus depot to our house was in Hardy, AR.  My mom would go get her and I would jump at the chance to go because you got to ride the Lake Norfork, Highway 62 Ferry.  Until 1984 the only way across the lake to Henderson was by ferry.  I just couldn't wait until we got to the ferry landing and I hoped we would be the first car to load.  These trips were my only experience with ferry riding until I was older.

When I became an adult and began to travel more I got the opportunity to ride the ferry across to Henderson, AR and Gamaliel, AR.  It was as an adult that I first crossed the Peel Ferry into Protem, MO.  Each crossing filled me with excitement.  I loved the gentle chug of the boat, the smells and the rocking motion.

Until a few years ago the car ferries were my only ferry experiences.  Then JC and I traveled to Mackinac Island, MI and I rode my first passenger ferry.  There are three or four ferry companies to choose from and they have both traditional, slower moving, ferries and jet boat ferries.  JC wanted the jet boat but I held my ground for a traditional ferry.  I was elated -- 40 minutes of ferry riding to reach the island!  It was a cold, rainy day but I insisted that we sit on top for the ride.  It was amazing.

My next ferry boat ride was crossing from Port Aransas, TX to Aransas Pass, TX.  We had come to Mustang Island, TX for vacation and had entered via the causeway bridge from Corpus Christi.  I didn't realize there was a ferry until we had been on the island for a couple of days.   I began to look for excuses to ride the ferry and finally the chance came.  It was the first ferry ride for my grandkids and I don't think they were nearly as excited as Nana.  This past summer we returned to Mustang Island and I made sure I got in plenty of ferry riding - just in case they build a bridge some day.

My most exciting ferry boat ride was from Long Beach, CA to Catalina Island, CA.  I had gone to LA to visit my son, Ryan, and we drove down to Long Beach and caught the Catalina Express to the island.  It was supposed to be a one hour ride to Avalon but we missed that ferry (my fault) so we caught the next ferry out.  It had to go to Two Harbors first so we were on the ferry for about an half.  It was so much fun.  At one point I looked around and for a full 360 degrees I could only see the Pacific - no land.  I don't think Ryan was as thrilled as I was.  On the return trip the sun was setting and then darkness fell over the Pacific.  It was breathtaking.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about what's in store for our retirement days and I keep adding to my Bucket List.  I have a plan.  I want to travel the US and ride every ferry.  Why not?  The San Juan Islands are on my list - great ferry there; Martha's Vineyard, the Outer Banks, Dauphin Island to Fort Morgan..... the list is endless.  I want to take pictures and write a book about the great ferry rides of the US.  A little odd...maybe, but I've never marched to the beat of anyone else's drum.

I'm not sure what it is about the ferry rides that I like so much.  Maybe because I love the water, but that could be satisfied with a simple boat ride.  I think maybe it's because a ferry ride forces me to slow down.  I can't go any faster that the ferry boat pilot travels. I might as well enjoy the gentle rocking motion, the smell of the water and the wind on my face.