What’s it like to work on a riverboat? Lee Hendrix entered riverboat work in 1972 as a deckhand, worked his way up to mate, then into the pilothouse. He has spent most of his adult life as a pilot of riverboats big and small, from tows pushing barges to elegant overnight cruise ships.

In his new book, Peep Light: Stories of a Mississippi River Boat Captain, Lee shares stories from those years on the river. In this interview, we talk about how he got his start working on the river, the grueling but satisfying work of a deckhand, and the jobs on a towboat. We also discuss his path to the pilothouse, the basics of steering a tow pushing a load of barges, and the differences between piloting big and small boats. Near the end, Lee talks about the allure of river life and the long, sometimes lonely life of working on a towboat.

In the Mississippi Minute, I offer a few tips for paddling on the Mississippi River around commercial and recreational boat traffic.

Find out more about the Mississippi River at mississippivalleytraveler.com.