Onto Cairo

The last day of the 57 day swim are no different. The the beginning is the end and the end is the beginning.

Our Daily Planet

We are currently in Metropolis, IL the home of Superman--where the local newspaper is the Daily planet (actually, weekly) and people are super kind.

Metropolis, IL (mile 944)

One of the people we've been looking forward to meet for months was Rita, the head of the guardian family services, a safe haven for abused women and their children. I was lucky enough to meet them yesterday as the women gathered for a pool party in their backyard. They were upbeat, despite revealing some of the hardships they faced--being shot at, stalked, and more--some of the women deal with an obsessed abuser to the extent where they need to leave the state to break the cycle of violence. Amazing women, and an amazing person (rita) to keep the place afloat. When I was there, their local news station was also in the shelter to discuss the fact that they haven't had a state/gov check for 7 months and were just barely able to make next months payroll! Made us feel guilty, as Rita gave us her complimentary rooms at the casino, organized a dinner for mimi and gifts! I really hope that people support her, the women, as she has supported us. I did have a great time with them...and of course got in some extra baby time--babies always upstage.

Communal baby @ the women's shelter

This morning in Metropolis, some of the community's women had a laugh as they saw Mimi off.

Lending a hand

We are on the final stretch of the swim now and it's odd to imagine not waking up at 6 am, loading the kayak, seeking out daily amusements to film, tracking and a maze of puzzles to sort out. Mimi may not ever get used to putting herself through the hell of 20 miles a day, but I have in a strange way grown accustom to this jarred randomness all the while putting home on a pedastal. Yet, I haven't been without normalcy. I've been adopted many days and created a new sense of home. I am now part of a community that extends within 6 states I had never been to before in my life. What was once foreign is now part of who I am, and the film that I will make.

Past the Dredges

A sister exchange occurred--Kelsey booked it a late Friday afternoon from her job in Huntsville, AL, arriving after dark in Tell City, Indiana where we stayed with full family of hosts headed by Tony, a local real estate man. Yet, before Kelsey's week long stint began, we had already begun a 'dredge' era. New word: 'Dredge'- the machine/act of digging, sucking, mucking to create a channel or deeper trench in the river. According to mimi--the act of churning up ancient sediment..and sometimes objects that should remain untouched, as I may refer to it, the point at which mimi, we (kayaker/etc), experienced the most treacherous days on the river.

Dredge=Dread=Fear=Anxiety Really, the 'dredging' machines were only a few days, but as Mimi and Kelsey entered the glaciated part of the river, the Ohio became a vast desolate lake where they were lucky to average about 1.8 mph. Emotionally and physically challenging, the 12+ hour stretches of mind altering swims left mim hanging on by a thread. I became less of a filmmaker a more than ever the best support I could. Tough to watch, more difficult to talk about. Only in hindsight is it that I believe I can even touch upon it, but never accurately describe--really, to create a new phrase and bottle up the last 10 days in it seems just about right--The Dredge.

Cannelton Locks + Dam (mile 721)

There was A LOT of good in the middle of the dredges, but mostly, it was long and difficult. Even when Mimi and Kelsey would get to an awesome place, I doubt they could even look around along enough to take in the ambiance--pillowcase to pillowcase. Right before she left, Tess endured a long day with Cannelton Dam at the end of it. What was amazing is that along the side of the dam where the highway hugged the river, a growing group of onlookers, people who had followed Mimi and even our little friends, Miss Mon and her owner from the day before gathered to watch Mimi traverse the dam. It was an amazing sight to see a trail of people follow her around. Unfortunately, my journey cut short as Mimi was barefoot and took my shoes to climb down rip wrap (they were soaking!!)

Mimi's walking parade @ Cannelton Lock + Dam

Miss Mon, Onlookers + Dredge machines

Tess's Awesome tan lines (not like I am one to talk!)

Cannelton, KY (mile 724)

231 Bridge between KY and IN (mile 746)

In an attempt to catch Mimi and Kelsey at Lewisport, KY I chatted with some kind folks on a boat unloading a passenger at the city ramp. The two women on the boat said that they had waited all day and just seen them on the river about a mile away. Not ten minutes had gone by and I was on the boat with the retired teachers--one a principle, the other had taught since she was 18 (even taught the principle in middle school--pictured above), enjoying the evening breeze and waiting to haul the kayak out of the water. I rode with them for 2 hours, enjoying the outdoors and hearing about their amazing lives--on a whim one day watching television the two of them and another friend had a reflective moment--thinking, there must be more to life than this. They challenged each other to get their phd, picking a school out of the air--Vanderbilt. Some years later, all of them received their phd at vanderbilt.

Owensboro, KY (mile 756-57)

Mimi pushed herself to keep a 4 mile lead for the 4th of July. Even though it was 16 miles, it took 10 hours! There were so many small boats and no current. She made it by 6pm to Little hurricane boat ramp where a small group of people had been waiting for her all day. The three ladies and male friend were so excited and had been waiting all day long to meet Mimi--asking the surrounding boaters (most of them clueless about the swim), You here for the river swimmer? Two of the ladies were twins, one of whom had suffered from medical problems and spoke about life with such respect. There may have been four of them there, but their energy and enthusiasm were enough to fill a stadium. Surprisingly, Mimi had an unexpected guest, her massage therapist, Jeffery who had randomly been in Owensboro on vacation. He didn't even know she was swimming into town if not for the newspaper.

Fireworks, not really. Sleep, yes.

Little Hurricane Island (mile 760)

The most enthusiastic award goes to the women of Owensboro, Ky

Back to the National Writing project from Louisville, KY where teachers wrote poems, quotes. One in particular a poem entitled, 'Today I Swim' by Sandra (last name would be a guess) has been the read during the dredge times. The poem really captured the mission of the swim and the hardships Mimi faces.

In a fluke, ended up in Newburgh near the day's end point and met a group of diners. The friends ended up rendevousing w/ me again 3 hours later at the same look out point, this time bringing their friend Kittie. Kittie had been in Pittsburgh, PA visiting when we left and had been tracking Mimi by google. She said she'd enter 'Where is Mimi Hughes?' According to her googles she still had a day or so, so it was by chance that we all ended up meeting and that she caught a glimpse of them go by.

Kittie watching Mimi approach
Newburgh, KY (mile 779)

Little Rider @ his family's private boat ramp and our take-out
Newburgh, IN (mile 780)

Kelsey took to driving as sitting on cardboard in the back of the jeep was not really a relief when one has been sitting in a kayak for 12 hours a day. I silently enjoyed this break from driving.

As though the days were not enough of a challenge, then came some storms with headwinds, which tend not to help a 1.7 mph average. Things were steadily slow and Kelsey was just about to hand the baton over to Mike Russell, who was set to kayak the next two days, when a call out of nowhere came. Kelsey, calm, but serious broke the news that Mimi would need to come out of the water at noon. I was shocked--this is a person that would rather have gooey eyes and achy shoulders than to pull out. But, I listened further. She lost her tooth!? What? My thoughts went to acid water, pollution, but with more information I found out it was a capped tooth and a nut in her food (how logical!). Thanks, to Crystal, our savior in Morganfield, KY off we went to the dentist to find a temporary solution. But, the shocking thing was that at 3:30pm, Mimi and kelsey were back on the water, determined to swim until sun down.

Back in the water where Mimi pulled out for her 'tooth incident' shy of Uniontown, Ky

(mile 823)

The 'beauty' of this take out point--what with green water and foam (really wasn't captured via digital camera) was enough to make anyone want to swim again, but Mimi saw the losing of her tooth as a turning point that showed her just how much she cared about the swim. Not only would she have to endure a longer than long day, but she would have to make up 8 miles over the course of the coming week.

Morganfield, Ky demi-goddess Crystal--who is the head of the Morganfield YMCA as well as the co-founder. Her brother dreamed of bringing the YMCA to their hometown--and so she continues to work to bring opportunities to her community. We had a 'Crystal' in Henderson, named Marcia--who worked hard to get our dinner and helped us with a place to stay--the days were so hard Mimi never even met her and so that had been for the entire week--in and out of places and a blur of faces. Luckily, I was able to meet some of the people who helped, even if briefly.
(morganfield is inland of Uniontown, Ky mile 842)

The interesting part about this area along the river--cornfields. Since Mimi wanted to swim until sundown and our relief Kayaker, Mike and awesome wife, Sharon were in town the two had no idea what they got themselves into when they volunteered to be the trackers of the day. That is a story that only they can tell. Let's just say that it involved cornfields, honking horns, and missing sandals.

Hogdaddy's, Old Shawneetown
(mile 858)

While Mike sweated the days in the kayak, Sharon brought her camera and mischievous sense of adventure as we explored the local treasures--it was a toss up between Hogdaddy's and the Garden of the Gods--manmade vs. mother nature.

only a small representation of the wonders of hogdaddy's

Mike @ Old Shawneetown ramp (mile 758)

Sharon @ Garden of the Gods

For our day off we stayed at Cave in Rock near the river and part of the Shawnee National Forest. It was a beautiful cabin and we were helped endlessly by Kim, the Manager of the lodge. Mimi swam and I kayaked on our day off in order to put us ahead for the final week.

There was a strange storm with purple lightning and then the sky looked like this:

From our cabin at Cave in Rock Lodge
(mile 880)

As of yesterday morning we had a few tasks to deal with-- to change our lodging to stay on the Illinois side and figure out how to pull Mimi out of the water where there was no river access. Lucky us, because we were connected with Donna, the owner of the general store in Bay City, IL with an amazing apartment on the top level. Donna's little granddaughter, Sadie was my pint-size tour guide. Fake casino games, a portrait drawing session, pink bubble gum, hair braiding and mazes a plenty. Nothing better for the soul. I felt like we make quite an impression on each other. She said, 'Now Grammie, it's quiet time. Joanna and I got things to do.'

Sadie with their other adopted sister

Hand modeling buttons

Modeling my portrait

Mimi with the Core of Engineers
Smithland Locks and Dam (mile 818)

Sue was a huge help along with Lockmaster Denny--they all brain stormed with every issue imaginable of the day and one of the core members found us lodging at the General Store!

Jen @ Smithland

Much more happened later on. I'll rant it. Didn't have a way to get mimi out of the water so hung out in Galconda marina making calls. Met max, cool 20 something out of college w/ a brother about leave for the navy. He offered to pick up mimi and jen out of the water when he got of work-- a selfless task as it was an hour boat ride from Galconda. After the journey to smithland dam, another kind volunteer, a worker from the core brought me to the Sandbucket, a bar where i could wait for mimi to swim by, and an hour later, max and bro to fly by on a boat to haul them out of the water. While at the bar i met my new best friend, Donnie, the sandbar's owner (and minnow bar in a neighboring town) and we exchanged stories for hours. He and pal jessie helped haul out the kayak when the boat filled with young men, mimi and jen arrived. it was great! a meeting of men from all generations. We cut out (it was 8pm!), but i know all the guys drank a beer (or NA in donnie's case) and shared the randomness that brought them together.

First thing this morning, Donnie was there to help us in and even shuttle a car--he's taken being a pal to the next level. Rant fin.

This morning @ 6:15 am
View from the General Store @ Bay City, IL
(mile 911)