Days Blur Together

Mon-Tues (25th-26th)
East Liverpool. My favorite people thus far! 80+ doesn't mean a thing, because all the people still have that swing--keeping their community clean, protesting against the largest hazardous waste facility in the nation and supporting local businesses. One man told me that they were all 'potters'-- that at one time the city held more than 100 pottery shops/artisans and now only 2 remain.

Potter's Restaurant, East Liverpool (mile 44)

The mayor of Ohioville and his biggest fan, partner Linda caught Mimi twice that day--their enthusiasm is off the charts and I am pretty sure we'll see them in Cairo! East Liverpool's dock is a place of pride in the town...the man who has volunteered for 25 years to maintain the dock used to do so with his best friend. When his friend passed 2 years back he raised the funds to get a bronze memorial plaque to place above the wharf. I love these people, I know I already said it, but I think I must come back to see them!

As Mimi was to end in Toronto, a little squirt might have suggested that a certain dock was the endpoint at mile 60. Upon realizing that it was mile 59, Mimi jumped back in to swim the last mile...lesson learned. She did this despite being the most polluted swim day she's ever had--later that night came rashes and other complications--locals told me that on the news and in their local papers they had reported on her story and then followed the swim by news that field and sanitation lines were being dumped directly into the river and that it was 400 times the safe level for swimming.

Mimi's clutch was terminal, then it was miraculously healed, which meant that Connie and I should make a late night rescue journey. This sort of 10:30 pick up would not be so bad if I existed in regular time, however 10:30 pm drives in the West Virginian woods is equal to a few shots of tequila due to our 6am wake ups.

Wed. May 27th
Stopped in Stubenville for a tetanus shot after passing one too many rusted steel plants that peeked my interest. I thought of the close call on day 1 with a piece of rusted barbed wire, and thought that forking over a few dollars might save me from death to lock jaw.

Sweltered on a personal stoop high above the river in Mingo with a shirtless man who gave me a popsicle and his wife named Pam. I never met the man who owned the stoop.

Thurs. May 28th

Connie and I rode on the Jakester, a massive and lulling houseboat owned by Rick, a manager at a coal plant and the owner of a local marina. It was great to meet him (having had a few exchanges by phone)--especially since his employee/friend who had picked mimi up at mile 80 the previous day at his request was a crotchety old man--the ignorant sexism he spewed was an endurance test (I had been lucky enough to spend 2 mind numbing hours with him)... But, now Rick was around and he was kind enough to take us to Pike Island lock as we shadowed Mimi upon her arrival where the media and lock master waited to greet her.

Wish it were all houseboats and hangin, but we arrived to a jeep's shrill. AAA, re-packing for the third time, beer, candy and my saviour, Connie (she was supposed to leave!) and we had a momentary solution. Mimi didn't realize that Connie and I were on the dock as she arrived at mile 100!--she thought that the Wheeling fire dept. who had followed her for the last 4 hours had picked up some random chicks at mile 98.

Currently, in Marietta, OH (mile 172) where the local kayaking and biking club are sponsoring us. Not only have they gotten a place for us to stay, but people like Kitty and John Clark are sags-or support crew that are transporting Mimi and the kayakers to their entry/exit points daily! Someone even visited all of the points and photographed them...very thorough. I was lucky enough to hang out with Kitty, who is a filmmaker who began making film in the 70's and now enjoys being on the river as a dragon boat rower. Marietta is beautiful!

Now that its a few days later, the jeep is back, but I am afraid to touch her...fear of a car is not healthy! But I will avoid the car another day as I will kayak for the first time on the trip tomorrow. It's only on one of the busiest weekends of the year...should be interesting...