Thomas recently became an empty nester and decided a grand adventure was what he needed. He got together with Churchill Clark, the great-great-great-great grandson of Captain William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to build a dugout canoe named Bella from a 20 foot Douglas Fir.  

He traced his path along the Missouri River all the way to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, a 5-month expedition along the same route Lewis and Clark took when returning to the East Coast. 

This epic tale includes everything from puppies, bow fishing, and flooded rivers, to quaint towns, and peaceful moments of solitude. 

A book about the experience will be released in March of 2020. You can preorder it here:

http://www.hopspress.com/Books/Missouri_River.htm 

Here’s a short documentary about the experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-JgWTDUta0

Video about building the canoe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CipwviRWeCU

His YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/thomasjelpel

www.elpel.info

www.greenuniversity.com

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