How Long for Water Drop to Travel the Entire Mississippi River?

I would never have guessed this in a million years and everyone I've asked has gotten it wrong. Let's see if you can do better. How long do you think it takes for a water droplet to travel the entire length of the Mississippi River? Spoiler alert - much longer than you likely think.

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I came across this interesting article shared by The History Channel about 10 things you didn't know about the Mississippi River. I hate to break this to them, but I did know a couple of things. Actually, it's 4 things, but that's not important.

My wife (aka "The Smart One") guessed 5 days. Nope.

What I did not know is this. When a water droplet falls at the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Minnesota, it takes 90 days to travel the entire length of the river and end up in the Gulf of Mexico. Is this a water droplet we're talking about or a sloth? Asking for a friend.

This reminds me of the lady that tried to break the world record by kayaking the entire Mississippi River in 61 days.

I don't remember if she was successful (thinking she was), but I'm betting she beat the water droplet.

This little factoid from The History Channel is one of the more interesting things I've learned recently about the Mississippi River which has bordered most of my life in Missouri and Illinois. It's the legendary waterway that continues to unveil its mysteries to this day.