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.