A 32-year-old Great Falls man has rowed about 2,250 miles so far from Montana to Missouri in his quest to end up in the Gulf of Mexico in New Orleans.

“It’s going well,” Mark Juras said Thursday shortly after getting a haircut in Hermann, Missouri, but he added the tone of the adventure along the Missouri River became less upbeat for him a bit upon seeing flooding in the Midwest.

“The key of the song has changed from major to minor,” he said about the flooding. “Seeing that has pulled on my heartstrings quite a bit.”

Juras said many of the campgrounds are closed due to flooding, which has made it more of a challenge for him to get drinking water.

“The sound of the song has become a sad one in a way,” he said.

Juras said he is probably six weeks away from completing the 3,500-mile trip along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, which he plans on finishing in mid-November.

“When I first started, I tried 40 miles a day, six days a week and (wanted to) do it in 31/2 months,” he said. “I now believe it will take me 41/2 months from when I started.”

He said the voyage has given him a deeper appreciation of America as people he meets have taken a real interest in his trip.

“The folks along the way have been very kind and friendly,” he said, adding they often share food with him. “It has been an encouragement to me. I am glad I live in this country.”

He said his 18-foot rowboat that he made himself, The Sturnella, is doing “great.”

“I learned a lesson, to treat the boat like it is made out of glass,” he said.

Juras, who said he is making this trip to cross off a goal on his bucket list, launched his boat June 9 in Three Forks, at the Missouri River’s source. His trip was delayed a few days when the Sturnella hit some rocks and cracked near the Morony Rapids near Great Falls.

He is sculling, in which he uses an oar in each hand and there is a sliding seat. He has about 250 pounds of gear in the boat, including camping gear, food, cooking supplies, water, some fishing gear and clothes.

Juras said he is not facing any problems other than thunderstorms and hot, humid days.

He has lost 30 pounds and his arms, which he now refers to as “meat haunches,” and legs have toned up.

Juras said his mother Kristen, will come from Great Falls to New Orleans to bring him home.

He said no big party is planned.

“The thing I have to do is start looking for a new job,” he said, adding he hopes to get into some nonprofit work. Juras quit his job as a civil engineer to take this trip.

The Missouri begins at the confluence of the Madison and Jefferson rivers in Missouri Headwaters State Park, which is near Three Forks, according to worldatlas.com. The river, which joins with the Gallatin about a mile downstream from the headwaters, is 2,341 miles long and is among America’s longest. It flows through seven states: Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. The mouth of the river is at Spanish Lake, Missouri, where it drains into the Mississippi River.

In terms of prettiest state, Juras remains loyal to the home team.

“Each state has its own beauty, but Montana has been the most beautiful,” he said.

Reporter Phil Drake is our eye on the state capitol. For tips, suggestions or comment, he can be reached at 406-231-9021 or pdrake@greatfallstribune.com. To support his work, subscribe today and get a special offer.

Sea for yourself

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