Arrival

Leaving Baton Rouge the realization that my trip was nearly over hit me.  I was only 100 miles away, so close the tides had started to affect water levels.  The shipping traffic had increased dramatically.  There were refineries everywhere lining the rivers edge filling the air with petroleum odors.  Large ocean going vessels started to travel up the river.  The long beautiful sandbars that had once been around every corner started to give way to eroded shoreline and deep water stretches.  The river was changing; it was no longer the same river I had come to know.  The gulf was rapidly approaching with every stroke of my oars.

The next few days brought slow but noticeable change.  More barges and ships appeared with every mile I moved south.  The barges started to take up more and more of the river.  Consisting of not only north and south bound traffic but small fleeting tugs that started to clog the river.  Fleeting tugs are small tug boats that move barges fairly locally.  They generally don't have the same experience or respect for travelers along the river.  The relative short and repetitive trips they take make them come to believe that they own that stretch of river.  Making them ever more pushy and annoying.  By the time my last couple miles started disappearing in my wake, a happiness started to come over me that I would no longer have to deal with these short haul boats.  Even more than that though, the idea of being on land not having to get back in the boat was so appealing it was almost intoxicating.  For the last five miles, I was all smiles.  It was a 105 degrees, no wind, I had gone through two gallons of water, and it was only 4pm but I was grinning from ear to ear.

Approaching the town where I was suppose to take out, I started to look for the mile marker to find the exact location of my boat ramp.  Though when I got closer, it became abundantly clear the boat ramp that was on my map was no longer there.  Half of the boat ramp was gone, washed away in some recent flooding event.  Another failure of my maps, an all too common occurrence during my trip was not going to stop me today.  I had chosen this boat ramp as it was one of the last public access boat ramps.  If I didn't get out now, I would have to travel south of the city, very south, and that is not something that I wanted to do.  I had arranged with my family and friends that I would get picked up here today and at this location.  A date that would be hard to change at this point even if I wanted too.  So there was only one choice.  Empty the boat, take off the pontoons and carry it up to the half of the boat ramp that was still there.  The only problem being that completely empty it weighted more than I could possible carry or drag up a hill by myself.

My father and mother had been traveling and visiting places on the way down to pick me up.  Columbus, Nashville and Vicksburg were a few of the places that they had visited on their own little journey.  When they arrived late Thursday afternoon at the broken down boat ramp with a trailer, I knew my journey was over.  Friends of theirs from New Orleans had come out with a trailer and a willingness to help.  Marc, Kathy and their son, Chris, were great, and it helped that they didn't mind getting a little muddy.  Just as we started to unload the gear, storm clouds rolled in from the south drenching the already muddy ground.  It rained for the next half an hour as I carried my things to the truck.  The others stayed in the trucks to avoid the main brunt of the rain; there was no use in everyone being wet.  I think it was a fitting and a peaceful end to my journey.  Unloading the boat by myself, one last time in the wind and rain.  Thunder and Lighting crashing down in the distance, heralding my arrival.  I was done. 

I want to thank all of you who have helped me along the way, with food, shelter, and other miscellaneous boat related things, shared your stories with me, and most of all your encouraging words and unwavering support! I couldn't have finished this journey without you and I truly am indebted to the sheer kindness of all of you.  

Together, we have raised $5240 and rowed 1880 miles for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.  This money will go to help find a cure for Parkinson's and help all the patients struggling with this disease.  So Thank You.

I have enjoyed this journey, and really have gained a renewed faith in the American spirit.  I truly believe that  if the public so desired  we could and would find the cure to Parkinson's Disease.

Thank you for following the blog and this journey. Good luck on making your dreams a reality and thank you for being part of mine! 

Take Care and Much Love, Michael. 

Baton Rouge and my second couchsurfing experience

Arriving into Baton Rouge, I found a sandy beach somewhere on the northwestern shore of the Mississippi right as a storm was rolling in.  I had already arranged for my second couch surfing experience here in Baton Rouge before I had arrived.  I met Karien just over the levee after about fifty mosquito bites. Karien was a nice 21yr old Cajun redhead from southern LA, about an hour south of NOLA.  She had moved to Baton Rouge to go to LSU.  As the main campus for LSU, Baton Rouge is a big college town with lots of partying.  Its was the weekend before the first week of school.  Everyone had gotten into town and the bars were full but it had been awhile since I hit the shore so a shower was the first order of business.  The second was obviously food and drink.  At a local tavern, Chimes, I had my first experience with gator.  Alligator is delicious; I love gator; it taste kind of like chicken, only better.  It is now one of my favorite foods.  We tried many local beers, my favorite being the Abita IPA.  Over the next day and a half, I relaxed a lot as the last four days before I arrived were all fifty mile days.  My body needed a rest and time to recuperate for my short push for New Orleans.  Karien was wonderful and helped me with anything she could.  Couch surfing is great, who ever came up with this idea should be put up for some kind of award.  The web site has allowed me to have a wonderful experience in a city that would otherwise be a fairly uninviting river town.

Some real swamp people.

bang, bang, bang, I woke up at 1:00am to gun fire about fifty feet from where I was sleeping.    I was camping right next to the bayou just north of Baton Rouge.  Before I went to bed, I had noticed that there were tracks on the sand that I had never seen before.  I was pretty sure they were gator tracks but what do I really know about gators.  I had rowed fifty miles, and it was going to be dark in 10 minutes so they would have to share their space with me for the night.  I believe they spend most of the night in the water anyways, so I wasn't that worried about getting eaten.

If anyone out there has seen me when I wake up, I can be kind of confused and waking up to gun fire is not such a great feeling. You could tell by the gun shot the person was firing a small caliber bullet like a .22 or something like that.  Sitting in my tent, I wondered how a .22 could kill a gator.  It seemed a little dangerous to try and kill a gator with a .22.  I looked out of my tent and there were two men.  One with a pistol and the other with a bow; both were drunk as can be.  They had big head lamps on their head looking at the shore trying to find things to shoot.  For a while I thought that maybe I should call out to them and try to get an interview, but in the end I decided not to poke the drunk, armed rednecks.  After a while, it started to look like they weren't hunting gators. I think they where hunting frogs but who really knows.  They kept me up for a half hour with their lights and guns, but eventually I fell asleep after they disappeared into the swamp.  Hopefully no more swamp people cross my path tonight. 

First couchsurfing experience

I had never heard of this before but there is a website were you can go and find people that will put you up for the night for free.  It was wonderful; I just searched and found a bunch of names, sent out some emails and a hour later, I got a phone call.  Adam had recently gotten out of the Navy and lucky me, he worked at an outdoor store.  This was great because I needed some things for the rest of my trip.  I stayed with him and his roommate, Andy.  Staying for not only one night but four, hanging out, going to bars, and meeting their friends.  I even went to a rooftop party at this ritzy hotel, had a UFO sighting at a local bar, and spent a whole day riding around on a bike through Memphis.  I definitely enjoyed my time in Memphis and would go back if I ever have the chance.  I hope to see ya guys later.    

Memphis yacht club

When I rolled into Memphis, I was so happy to make it there in one piece.  It was wonderful to find a Marina up and operating.  The staff was very helpful in getting me up and in working order.  This was no small task considering I had a broken paddle and torn off support for the pontoon.  Chuck, the manager, drove me a half hour to get my boat fixed at a welder in the country.  He also took me to get some great BBQ.  Another man gave me all the epoxy and hardener I needed to fix my paddle.  Within the span of a couple of days, my boat was as good as new.  People weren't lying about southern hospitality.  

A wake in the current

I was rowing along on my way to Memphis when I saw a kayaker off in the distance.  I immediately thought Harry Swanson, the 65 year old man that had just taken a week off, had already caught up with me.  I was amazed, but as they came closer I realized this wasn't Harry.  The first kayaker that paddled up to me had long dready hair and was all smiles. He, like me, was happy to see someone else on the river. Eventually, I met the rest of his crew. There were four of them all together: Bowman, David, Rob and Max, the camera man. I was amazed to hear how fast they were moving.  These guys were doing 60 miles a day with almost two hours of breaks. That settled it for me.  If I was ever going to do the Mississippi again, I would have to take a kayak. They were raising money for homeless people in Mississippi; all three of them were from Mississippi and went to school there.  They were all about 22 or 23 years old.  Max was studying to become a priest, and they were all very religious. When I heard that, I was kind of surprised considering their dready appearance.  Though it sunk in to me at morning bible time that ended with a little prayer circle.  I hope it helps me get to Memphis safely. If you want to check out their site and their trip down the Mississippi, it is awakeinthecurrent.com.

Day one post snapped paddle

The very next day I am chugging along thinking how lovely my splint is working as my oar.  It was a cool overcast day which was a great change from the norm.  I was in a very good mood and only 60 miles from Memphis.  I think the gods felt that things were getting a little too easy for me so they sent me the tug boat from hell.  This thing was pushing 35 fully loaded barges up stream.  Half-loaded barges will normally throw a four to five foot wake traveling up stream.  With a fully loaded tug, they can throw a five to six foot wake.  I was running without a radio as my batteries were dead; I didn't see him coming around the corner and chose the wrong line for my boat.  You generally stay to one side of the channel or the other. The red or green buoys.  Both have the advantages and disadvantages in different circumstances. What I am trying to say is that on sharp turns with a tug coming up stream, you do not want to take the outside line but after you get to a certain point there is no changing your mind.  You are committed because crossing over would just be suicide.  So as I was coming into the turn, the barge was exiting the turn but since they are pushing so much weight and they have to slow down for the turn they end up just sitting there for three to four minutes without even barely moving.  This tug just pushed that five foot wake back at me as it was trying to get around this corner.  Also, unlucky for me, there were barges all lined up on the shore so there was nowhere for the wake to be absorbed. It just kept bouncing back and feeding into the system, creating a quarter mile of 6-8 ft chop coming in all directions.  This was by far the worst situation I have been in especially with an oar that was hanging together with duck tape.  At this point I am paddling as hard as the oar can take and also trying to line up with the biggest waves so i can take them head on.  It helped a bit, but I ended up taking on a lot of water.  Once I made it a little more than halfway through this gauntlet, I heard a horrible sound...Snap!  It was a metal scraping sound.  My back left support for the pontoon had broken off.  Now truthfully, I thought I was going to die.  I thought if the firm support to this pontoon breaks off, I am going for a swim.  I am a very good swimmer but never tested my strength against 7 foot waves, current, eddies and undertow.  All of which came together to make that "disturbance."  Thank god the other support did not break off and the pontoon stayed mostly in place through the rest of it.  The really weird thing was when I got out of it; there weren't any waves.  A dike was holding it all in one little section of river.  My little corner of hell I guess.  Again, time to duct tape the other post that I had left from cannibalizing the canopy the other day.  This came in handy for this mend job.  At this point, I knew nothing could keep me from Memphis.  So onward, I rowed.

The solution

As I woke, I was gripped with the reality of my situation.  My oar was broken, and I did not have a spare.  I had made spare oars earlier in the journey, but due to the weight, I got rid of them on the Ohio.  They only solution I could think of that could work with the materials on hand was a splint, must have been all that EMT training coming out.  So I started looking for some good strong pieces of wood but there were none to be found.  I was left with only one option; I had to cannibalize the boat.  I didn't want to have to do it, but I needed the wood.  Taking off the canopy system provided the necessary pieces, but now I would be totally exposed to the sun during the day.  I was obviously concerned considering it was getting into the hundreds even without the heat index factored.  The repairs went well though, and soon the oar was up and running.  It definitely wasn't a hundred percent but I was pretty sure it would work.  Well, I was as sure as one can be when an essential piece of equipment is held together with duct tape and rope.  I just prayed it would make it the next hundred miles to Memphis.   

Leaving that day was not as easy as getting in the boat and rowing away.  I had to make it over to the channel that was a mile upstream and a mile across the water.  To do this crossing, I would have to pull the boat at least two miles upstream to account for downward drift.  It meant pulling, pushing and paddling from the front of the canoe with my canoe paddle.  Being covered in cob webs and sweating in temperatures that are well over a hundred degrees, it took me four hours to move the two and a half miles upstream. Though it was worth it because when I did make the crossing everything went off without a hitch. Thank god for duct tape...never leave home without it!

Up the creek without a paddle

Yesterday was wonderful; I got up and rowed farther than I have ever before, fifty-five miles. Today was a different story.  I woke up today to my canoe being bounced off the shore at three in the morning. I had parked it in a bad spot.  Not a completely uncommon occurrence but unusual as of late. On the Ohio, I learned early on that the key to sleeping well is to find a place where you feel safe and a place where there is going to be no barge wake.  I thought I had accomplished that task for the night but I was picking a spot for Ohio River barges not Mississippi River barges.  On the Ohio, only a tug boat and fifteen barges will fit into the lock chamber, reducing the size of the wake. On the Mississippi river, there are no locks so there is no limit to the amount of boats that can be pulled together, making the wake a sizable amount larger. The largest group of barges that I have seen yet was 5x7, all pushed by one single tug. So long story short, the barges throw up a lot of wake and can not maneuver worth a damn. Basically what I try to do is stay away from the barges as much as I can.

Well, back to the story. I finally decided that the rocks I hear hitting the bottom of pontoon might do some damage, so I decide to get out, pull the canoe up on the bank and go for a walk till it was light. I was in a small town; luckily for me, it was one of those river towns with a casino. I passed a few hours playing blackjack and drinking cokes.  I had breakfast and walked out of there twenty dollars richer.  Not a bad way to kill some time.  It is always interesting to see the people who are still gambling at five in the morning. You can almost smell the disappointment and desperation in the air. You know they are considering signing over their car for just one more go at another deck because next time they're going to win.  It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.   It was six when I shoved off and left that town behind.  I was heading on with four full gallons of water and a hope to beat yesterday's record of fifty five miles.  As the day moved on, it got hot fast and the hope for another record breaking day was gone.   I just hoped there weren't any record breaking heat temps.  I had finished two gallons of water by the middle of the day, hoping it would cool off soon.  I started to wonder off and daydream.  I daydream a lot, mostly about ice, when I realized that I was drifting towards a dike.  Unlike on the Ohio river,  the Mississippi has dikes that keeps the majority of the water moving in one channel.  This keeps the channel deep and navigable.  Well, I was on the other side of the river from the channel when I realized I had to get over to the other side.  The distance wasn't a problem. Steady Eddie could easily bridge the gap in time. So I began to paddle hard when I heard a horrible sound. Snap!! I looked down and my oar was bent. The worse thing that could possibly happen, did.  I was drifting toward a dike with only one paddle working.  I jumped on the back and busted out the canoe paddle which kind of works.  However, my canoe is just so big and that paddle doesn't do too much.   I went over the first dike that thank god was submerged. Slowly making it to shore, I saw the second dike with rocks sticking out and a horrible gargling sound.  Now, I had to paddle hard; it was life and death time.  I did and barely made it!  I was stranded on what had to be the most beautiful beach.   I had no cell phone reception; I was a mile down stream from the channel and I had a broken oar.  I should of been horribly mad but I wasn't.  It was just some thing else I had to deal with. I set up camp and enjoyed the sunset. Tomorrow would bring the answers I needed.

Portage

This happened on the Ohio and for some reason blogger did not publish the post.  I took a wrong turn and found myself looking at a two foot drop off with plenty of rocks to hit on my way down.  The dike went the whole way across the river so there was no choice but to portage the boat.  Lucky for me, there were two kids fishing at the dike.  They helped me portage across the obstacle.  As you can see, everything had to come off the boat.  Let's hope that it doesn't happen again on the Mississippi.  I have been going over many dikes but none that have even been in reaching depth of my canoe paddle.  If it happens on the Mississippi, it will be a big mess and there won't be anyone to help me here. 

Confluence

Waking up this morning, I was scared.  I didn't know what to expect.  I have been thinking about this moment endlessly for the last couple of weeks.  I camped about eight miles from the Confluence last night so I would be close for an early morning push for the Mississippi.  Before reaching the Confluence, I had to try and get water as there would be no telling how long it would be till I found some again.   I decided to stop in Cairo, IL,  or more so the park by Cairo.  There was no good access to the town and the park was overgrown and abandoned.  The park was at the tip of where the Ohio and Mississippi come together, and on the grounds of the park is Fort Defiance (an old civil war fort that was also abandoned).   All I could think after trying multiple water spickets and finding nothing was that I will be glad to leave Southern, IL.  By far, this is the least welcoming place I have been on my trip.  

       I was told by a person on the trip that before the white man no Indian tribes lived in the area of the confluence.  The area was considered sacred, used only for prayer and burying of the dead.  Even today, it is said that if you throw a coin overboard at the point where the two rivers meet you will be granted a wish.  I don't really believe in such things but when I arrived at the confluence, you could feel the energy moving through the place.  The two great veins of our country coming together and forming one great river.  When it joins, the Ohio is a dark blue green color and moving very slow.  The Mississippi is a rushing, muddy torrent that doesn't mix completely for about a mile.  You can clearly see the two rivers one blue and one brown running side by side.  Even though the Ohio is much slower, it is twice the volume of Mississippi river when the rivers join. 

Last night on the Ohio

It is real now. Tomorrow, I will be rowing past Cairo and onto the Mississippi.  I have planned and re-planned things over in my head but for some reason preparation doesn't seem to be enough.  I have first hand accounts from people about the river ahead.  They vary wildly from just faster than the Ohio to a dangerous torrent with sea monsters.  Well, I don't believe the last one, but still a little scared.  Probably more accurate to say that I am uncertain what tomorrow will bring.  Will I be able to find food and water?  Will the places on the maps be there or will they be erased by the flood?  At this point, I have many more questions than answers.  I just hope everything goes well.  If you are religious, say a little prayer for me tonight. Thank you for your support and comments up until this point. My cell reception after this point may be a little spotty but I still love to get the comments and emails. All of you out there that were waiting till I got half way to donate now is your chance. I am half way done with my trip and almost half way on the donations. I have traveled a thousand miles by canoe for Parkinson's disease. Please donate and help me get the rest of the way. Michael. 

Superman

Visited Metropolis today and went to the Superman Museum. Funny little town. Main attraction being Superman. Also the town has done what a lot of small towns on the river strapped for cash have done; it has built a casino. To its credit, the town has still kept that smallville feel even after Harrahs had moved in.   Next stop, Grain Chain Lodge and the last night on the Ohio.

Mayflies

Woke up the other day to find that my boat had been turned into a perch for hundreds if not thousands of mayflies.  They live in the water most of their lives only to emerge and become weird looking bugs that swarm and cover anything bright or reflective.  They live as flies for 24 hours and then die.  Between them and all the other bugs that inhabit my boat, it is a wonder I have not gone insane.  Though I guess that would be for someone else to judge; I do talk to myself a lot.  

Celtic cross

I rowed to Rocky Point marina.  There I ran into a man with a guest house and winery.  I stayed over night and the next day he showed me his pride and joy.  The largest Celtic cross in the world.  Who would of thought I would find the largest Celtic cross in the world on my trip. I figured it would be in Ireland. Guess not. Someday I am going to make a trip out of seeing "the largest of everything" I can think of. Top of the list: largest ball of yarn.

Down time

I had a planned stop in Golconda, IL.  What I didn't know was that I would be there for the next four days.  When I arrived, I picked up my last pre-scheduled package drop off.  I got the navigational maps and a replacement sleeping pad because mine had popped about a month ago.  I had some maintenance that I wanted to do to my canoe and the paddles.  When I got to the paddles, they were much worse than I thought.  The large scratches had started to take on water, and the paddles were swelling a bit.  It took me a day to dry the paddles even after putting huge gouges in the wood.  I then had to epoxy and polyurethane them.  The only problem I was in the town of Golconda population 700.  The hardware store was woefully understocked.  I had to use an inferior epoxy and ended up paying for it.  The epoxy had a bad reaction to poly and kept it from drying.  It took 3 days for most of it not to be tacky.  I hope it holds; I still have a long way to go.  Luckily, I found a good person to hang out with.

The stalker

I had a shadow and didn't even know it.  For the last forty months, since he retired, Harry Swanson has been working the hardest job he has ever done.  He is working on his life dreams.  Harry has biked across the country twice.  Biked through South America, South Africa and after kayaking the Ohio and Mississippi he plans to bike through Thailand and Laos.  Harry says, "Working on your dreams is the hardest thing you will ever do; many people say they are going to do things but never do; I wanted to do them."  While talking with Harry, I completely understand what he is saying.  During my trip, there have been numerous people that have said that I was living their dream.  Doing what they were to scared too, or too busy to do.  Harry continues, "People can always find so many reasons why they can't follow their dreams, all it takes is planning and the will to do it.  Well Harry is living his dream, a true adventurer.  My hat is off to you Harry.  I'll see you in the Keys someday; I'll be the one with the beat up canoe flying the conch republic flag.

Two hillbillies and one roughneck

Wolf Creek was suppose to be just another stop; one of those small streams that I frequently sleep on. Though when I pulled into the creek, I was immediately followed by a john boat cruising up the stream.  The crew of two older hillbillies and one young roughneck came up to me and asked how and what I was doing.  After explaining, Niki, the Tarzan of Kentucky, offered me a shot of tequila. Since I am not in the habit of refusing a pretty girl in a bikini, I said yes and the night started from there. Exactly what a roughneck is I am not sure but I am sure she would be the prototypical roughneck.  Before I arrived, she had spotted me from her perch thirty feet up in a tree and alerted the two hillbillies, Stiff and Eddie, to my arrival.  Stiff was a man of sixty five with the energy of a fifteen year old.  He would use weird, colorful sayings that, to tell you the truth, I did not even understand.  Him and Niki made this couple of sorts; Stiff if you're out there I hope you didn't eat those lifesavers after you were done.  Eddie was a good guy; he was about the same age as Stiff and recently divorced.  He was the new owner of a local tavern.  It was a nice place; we went and played a couple games of pool and drank some beers.  Afterwards he gave me a place to stay in his trailer.  The night was filled with so many funny moments. From Niki wearing garbage bags as shoes to stiff and his St. Bernard jokes. I enjoyed myself a lot in rural eastern Kentucky. Who would have thought, two hillbillies, one roughneck and a paddler from PA. Only on the river.

Attack of the fish

I was rowing the other day minding my own business when a two and a half foot fish comes flying out of the water and smacks me in the back.  The fish bounces off my back, hits my outriggers and falls back into the water.  Ever since I have started this trip I have been hearing about the hated invasive species, the Asian Carp.  They jump out of the water when scared.  Usually it is outboard motors that frighten them, but for some reason the fish got scared and decided to jump.  They have been reported to have broken peoples arms, knocked them out and in general just be a nuisance.  Being hit in the back by what I gather is a medium size one, I can believe it.  Flying fish on the Ohio, who would of thought. 

Upside to mile 686 , mile 692

Soaked and tired from the thunderstorm.  I rolled into the little town of Darby Indiana. It was still raining when I left my boat on the side of the river.  Taking some dry cloths and my phone with me, I started towards town.  The tavern that I thought was in town was closed only on Tuesdays, and it was Tuesday. I wondered back toward my boat when I saw this older couple sitting on their porch. I approached them and started talking.  In the beginning, they were kind of weary but eventually I won them over.  I ended up getting a meal, bed, shower, and they washed my clothes.  Cecil owned a vineyard, and Verona was a seamstress.  We passed the night sampling his wine and in the morning, I left with a cover for my seat.  Very nice people exactly when I needed it.

Mile 686

So later in the day (from 666) as I can't take the heat anymore.  A slight wind rolls in.  I am thanking God at this point because I am so hot and can barely row anymore.  Then the wind stops, and I am bummed but the clear blue sky is now more gray giving me some nice cover.  Eventually I hear rain in the distance which is great because it generally cools down after a little rain.  It was great; when the rain came, there was still no wind and the clouds were small.  It was the weirdest rain I have ever seen.  The clouds were almost mirrored by the rain drops and since they were moving so slow I could weave in and out so as to not get hit by the rain.  I got hit twice and even then all I had to do was paddle hard to get out of it.  Then as sudden as it had started, it was over.  A beautiful moment that lowered the temp at least ten degrees. 

     All was good for another half an hour- calm, sunless weather. Then I started to hear rumbling off in the distance but no lighting.  This was also OK as storms frequently come and go in the area but I don't always get hit by them.  I looked up and all I saw where these two huge storm fronts colliding right above my head.  The clouds where swirling in circles and now I was starting to get a bit scared.  I kept rowing because I was stuck in the only stretch of river in the last fifty miles that had no hills and no trees.  Basically I was just a big lighting rod in my metal boat.  I finally got to shore in a place I felt comfortable and it started pouring.  Lighting is coming down all around me and I can barely hear anything over the ringing in my ears (lighting is much louder when it is right next to you and you are just sitting in the rain).  Luckily for me, the worst part of the storm hit the opposite bank.  I sat there and watched for the next hour and a half as most of the bolts struck the other bank.  Lighting is so much better than fireworks.  When watching fireworks, your heart doesn't race and you are not scared of them striking you dead.  Definitely the worst storm I have been through and scariest part of the trip so far.    

The belle of Louisville

I had planned to visit and take a ride on the belle but the times were not convenient.  Here are some pics from when I passed the steamer.  It was funny; they were taking pictures of me when I was taking pictures of them.  I was probably the weirdest looking thing they saw on their five mile site seeing adventure.

Sawing logs

So I stopped before Louisville and had a bite to eat.  One thing led to another and I ended up at someone's house.  I got there and they were sawing logs at dusk and in the dark.  The people were a little crazy but very nice.

Mile 666 , it's hot as hell

For the last couple of days, I have been waking up wet and going to sleep wet.  It hasn't rained a drop but I have been sweating so much in this 95+ degree heat I am wet all the time.  Even when relaxing in the shade I sweat.  There is no escaping the heat.  I drink three gallons of water a day and still my urine is yellow.  Rowing today, I thought of the galley slaves back in ancient days.  That experience must have been similar to mine.  Only I am my own task master and I am very easy on myself.  During the day when I am looking down at the water in my boat, I wonder how much is my sweat and how much is coming from the pinhole leek that mysteriously appeared in my boat around Louisville.  No joke; I sweat so much that bugs are drowning on my body.  I killed a hoard of gnats that way.  I wonder how much sweat it would take to start killing mosquitoes?  That would be good day.  Who knows, maybe I will find out once I get down South. 

Louisville at night

Met some folks on the river a little after Louisville, Lance and Roxanna. They took me to their place.  I got a shower, and we went out.  Louisville is a fun place, lots of bars and young people to fill them.  Something I haven't seen in a long time!  We went to a bar and met tons of people.  Definitely a no picture night.  I lasted till about two when the sun and river caught up with me.  I was just about sleeping in my chair like an old man.  Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lance.   I got up and said "too bad we have to go I was having such a fun time".   I thought like most places Louisville bars close at two, no, in Louisville bars close at four.  Lucky for me, we didn't stay that long.  Louisville, what a great place!  Have to go back sometime.  

The cinnci, chilli king of Lousiville

The other night I had put in a thirty mile day and was beat.  I was heading for a cove with a bunch of marinas.  A guy and his wife stopped to talk to me; he offered me a tow up the stream to his place and a meal.  Tom and Paula cooked me dinner and during the course of the dinner, I found out that he owned four skyline chili joints.  I don't know if anyone out there knows what I am talking about but since I got with in a hundred miles of Cinnci, I was told about this thing called Cincinnati chili.  It is a sweet chili with something like cinnamon or nutmeg or something like that.  When I heard that for the fist time, I was like "what?, sweet chili sounds disgusting."  I tried it in Laweranceburg, and it was great.  They sell hot dogs, pasta and cheese in all sorts of combinations but that is basically it.  I would try it if you ever have a chance.

Beached

Rowing till after dark again and trying to find a stream to throw out my anchor, I ended up staying in a stream called dry creek.  I went to bed parked in a cove in at least two feet of water.   I woke up and to my amazement found myself beached twenty feet from the waters edge.  The water level must have dropped over night.  It took me an hour to drag my boat back to the river.  The boat weighs much more than I thought. I almost broke a toe getting it out, but eventually, I was on my way rowing down the river.

Boone's Landing, Big Bone Lick State Park

So the first thing to really go wrong happened the other day.  I was stopped at Boone's Landing, a campground, when I stepped on my outriggers like I have done a thousand times and "snap" went the back left arm.  Luckily for me I was at a place with a welder!  Chris, the owner, (the man standing next to Steady Eddie) and Bob the welder/ex-jet engine tester helped me out; I was on my way back on the river in a couple of hours. 

This problem could of been a huge disaster if I was on the river in bad weather. Luckily I was where I was, safe up a smaller stream.  It makes me think how many things could stop this trip dead in its tracks.  One or both of the pontoons could rupture.  I could get a hole in my boat too big to patch.  God forbid, I could get hurt.  So on and so on, the list is pretty long.  Oh ya and a point of clarification, I know everyone out there wants me to reach New Orleans, me more than anyone.  Though if I get to the Mississippi and it is not safe then my trip will stop at the end of the Ohio.  I am an adventurous person but I am not crazy no mater what you think of my trip.  I also have a time limit to this trip.  I had originally said that I was going to spend no more than 60 days.  That has increased to 90 but this is a hard deadline and can not be moved.  So there it is.  The weather, health, and other problems that I write little about have slowed me down.  I can only hope that with strength and perseverance I will reach my goal safely in time. 

  
  

Riverwatch and the lost days

For most, a holiday like the Forth of July comes and goes with family and friends.  Barbecuing in the yard and relaxing with a beer.  Being on the river, I have no one to call or chill by the pool with.  When I walked into Riverwatch on Thursday afternoon, I did not think I would be staying in a town like that for the next couple days but life had different plans.  There I found out that were hydroplane races the next day and a regatta over the weekend.  The next fifty miles of water would be very unpleasant for the next couple of days.  I thought about it and decided to stay.  When I did, I found that a surrogate family and friends had been prepared for me.  All the members to my new family were unique from the crazy alcoholic friend that is somehow functional, to the mother you love but never want to talk to, to the uncle that says totally inappropriate things to women less than half his age.  I got the full Forth of July experience in Laweranceburg.  Hot dog and chili included.  Thanks L. May for sharing your Forth with a stranger.

"a bitch you can count on"

The other interesting thing about Rabbit Hash was the fact that every year they elect a four legged animal as the mayor.  The most recent mayor, Lucy Lou, ran on the slogan "a bitch you can count on".  I had hoped to run into the mayor and have a discussion about job creation and fiscal responsibility in a small town.  Alas, she was out of the office when I arrived.

Rabbit Hash

I visited this cool little town of Rabbit Hash recently.  Most of the buildings are from the 1830s and still in use.  There was a general store, winery/store, bar, and barbecue place.  I sat and talked with Bob (the older man in the picture) about the history of the town and about life in general.  He spent most of his life in this small town.  He can still remember how when he was growing up his family, like most, had a horse and buggy.  He use to travel across the river to the near by town of Rising Sun by ferry.  The ferry would carry his horse and buggy across for a modest fee.  He said the town had change very little since that time.  In the picture he is wearing his prized possession, a wooden hat.  A man in a nearby town carves these wooden hats that are beautiful and surprisingly light weight.  The general store was nice and sold an assortment of local products and antiques that have been collected over the years.  The owner was even nice enough to donated a t-shirt to me.  I have never seen a town of this age still preserved.  It was like stepping back in time.  If you are ever in the area, I suggest you travel to Rabbit Hash for a glimpse through time.  

Pics from chilo lock and dam showing summer river levels