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