Wednesday we went through our last lock on the Ohio. It was only around 24 miles from the previous one. It was built in 1927 and showed its age. It only dropped around eight feet. We paddled slightly faster than normal through the open doors hoping to be swept away by the current of the unregulated waters. It was no different than above the dam. Shortly after, we passed the new lock and dam that is well beyond its expected completion date, and WELL over budget. The project started in 1993 and was expected to be done by 2000. It has already cost double the estimated amount and is only 40 percent complete! The latest price tag is said to be $3.1 billion.
We made it to Cairo, IL. but were too late to stop into town so we camped across the river. In the morning we paddled over, climbed the bank, and were instantly amazed at the sight of the town. It is a run-down ghost town. We were warned of this upstream, but I didn't think it would be quite that bad being at the confluence of the rivers. Nevertheless, we stopped in at the local BBQ spot to treat ourselves to a hearty meal. After breakfast we paddled down to the point where the Ohio and the Miss merge. There is a small park there and we took some time to explore and snap some pictures. This was an exciting moment we had been waiting for, and we were eager to paddle into the visibly faster waters. We were told that flipping a coin into the merging waters was good luck, so we supposed it couldn't hurt and did so.
The current was everything we expected and hoped for. We were making good time and morale was at an all time high. We stopped around three to take our first swim. We wanted to test the current and see what we were up against. It is a strong river and could easily get you in trouble quickly if you weren't ready or were not paying attention. There were two people killed just half a mile up from where we were camped at the beginning of the week. We saw the boat lights but didn't learn what had happened until the following day. Apparently, some folks were swimming on a sand bar and a younger kid was taken down by the undertow. His uncle, who had lived there all of his life, went in after him and was drowned, as well.
This reminds me of something an older river man we met upstream had told us regarding the Mississippi. Leathered and gray, he took a sip of lemonade moonshine, then passed the jar to us. "She can be a mighty wicked, you know. You gotta respect her," he said. Respect for the river is something everyone around here has in common. We've adopted it also and have learned to read the river quite well.
The waters are extremely low. The sand bars are above water all the way out past what would be the middle of the river at normal level. We have pretty much been camping where the center of the river would be. This can be dangerous if the waters were to rise, but we tie a rope from our canoes to our tents so if the water starts to rise the canoes will float first and tug on our tents to wake us.
Today we did 26 miles by 3:30 which was great. We stopped in to check out New Madrid, MO. It is supposed to get down to 60 tonight. Things are going well. We should hit Memphis by Friday.
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