I know that I had a roll or two of pictures of a couple of later Expeditions for the 1999 year. But alas, I've misplaced them. Well, no biggie. The rest of the year, I never managed to find much more than what I had already found on previous treks. I put my ill fortunes out of mind and was anticipating the 2000 season, officially set to begin as soon as the water temperature got above 65 degrees Fahrenheit and stayed that way for a while. Usually that happened by early April around these parts.

I had found plenty of actual quicksand on the sandbars, particularly at Dennis. I probably, somewhere, have a shot or two of me standing there, shin-deep. That's as deep as I ever found that year. Even if I had the photos, I would probably be hesitant to post them for fear of the imagined ridicule I'd get from friends who lived in more bountiful areas. It was embarrassing. Here I was, all geared to the max with cameras and topo maps and satellite pictures and an urgent, driving will to find stuff—nature was playing a cruel practical joke! Acres upon countless acres of sand, tons of water, and...shallow quicksand. Plenty of shallow quicksand. Tractless expanses of shallow quicksand. If I were a hamster or only six inches tall, I would have been in serious peril several times. But no.

Year 2000...the New Millenium...it called to me like a shining beacon of hope. Surely, fortune would smile on me in 2000!