Day 43: Sunday, Bloody Sunday

I woke up on the beach ready to go. I broke my tent down and loaded my boat. After everything was packed up, I decided to make a meal before I started to go at a long day. I ate up while talking to the grandmother. She was 76 and still had a wild young heart in her. She told me how the family began this yearly vacation due to 4 kids and a lack of money. Coming to the beach was easy. I watched as the rest of the family worked to break down the camp. Boats were coming and going with full loads as the camp was broken down. I began to say my see you laters. I told grandma to be good as I was leaving. She asked, ” Why should do that? Then I wouldn’t have any fun.” I smiled at her and High-5’ed her. She was a wild child and it was something she could not just turn off. I loved that. She was a small hero for this morning. I set off after I gave everyone my information and got theirs. The day was good and the miles would be long this day.  I crossed the main channel waving bye to the kids that were out tubing. I began to move down stream. I pulled up to a smooth beach along the way simply admiring the beauty of where I was. I pressed on after a little break. I saw a filling station along the river on the Iowa side. I pulled up to it and said I need to be filled up. They asked if I had a hidden motor. I told them, I wish. They were a filling station and little tourist like shop on the river. The owners were motorcyclist too. They gave me a suggestion that would help me avoid the traffic on the main channel. I jumped into this side slough and paddled through the smooth water. A few boats passed me, but they slowed down as to not throw a big wake at me. I appreciated that in this tight channel. I pulled over and found a place that I could just watch the river pass by. I was happy for simply being out in nature. I looked downstream as I had a ways to get to Lock #11, which was my goal. I hugged the Iowa side as to avoid any cross winds and to stay away from the boaters flying around in the main channel.
I passed this rail road bridge that had the words, ” Where the #@!! is Waupeton?” I looked into the marina as I cruised past it. I saw a few cabins that were river access only. One of them had a family out taking a break. There were socializing and working on the cabin. I flipped the boat around and came up to say hello to them. They all came out to the pier to talk with me. They were laughing at my security flamingo on the back of my boat. I let them know he was the real deal. No one messes with a flamingo. They offered me a beer. I turned that down, but accepted the gatorade and water. I ended up photographing the group on the other side of the house before I left. I jumped back in the current and headed downstream. As I left, I thought I should eat some lunch before a long stretch ahead of me. I saw this little inlet under a rail road bridge. It looked like a good place to pull off the river. I pulled up to the bank. It was a strait drop off from the land to the water. It was muddy but I managed to get out without getting too muddied up. I was in an area where the current kept the boat next to the shore. There was a empty cabin with a deck. I pulled the Jet Boil and a meal to eat for lunch. I figured the boat would be good. I walked up to the deck to make lunch. As lunch was cooking, I waved to the train that passed in front of me. The conductor waved back. It is all the little thing that are making this trip so amazing.
I was about to eat my meal when I noticed my boat and paddle drifting out into the water. I thought, ” Oh no!” as I ran down to try to catch my boat. It was not at risk of going out to the Mississippi, but I did not want it to take off. I stood there as it drifted out into the channel. I realized I had a lot of miles to go this day and I did not want to go in wet cloths. I stripped down and took aim for my boat. I took a big leap out into the channel. My feet hit whatever was under the water. It was not mud like I thought it was going to be. My left foot hit something solid and hit it hard. It really hurt, but was more like a brother hitting my foot with with a golf club. I was more concerned with getting my boat that happened to have my sandals in the cockpit. I got the boat and pulled it back to short. My left foot hurt. I did not know if I just jammed it, cut it, of split it in half. As I got to shore, I reached down under the water to feel if it was cut. I felt a lot of loose skin and I knew it was cut.
I pulled my foot out of the water and I knew I was in trouble. It was pouring out blood and the cut was long and very deep. I washed the mud out of the cut with the river water. I pulled myself up on the bank. The cut was about .25″-.50″ deep. It was not good. I closed it up with my hand pressure. The cut was at an angle, so if there was pressure, it would hold closed. I pulled out my Teva sandal and put it on. I tightened the straps up and pulled my boat up on shore. I put the other sandal on and limped back up to the house. I was looking for some clean water to rinse the wound out. The cabin did not have any running water. I walked back up to the deck. My lunch was cooked and I wanted to eat. I sat there and ate my meal while I tried to figure out what I was going to do. I was looking at up to 17 miles downstream to get to Dubuque. I would do what I needed to do to get to the hospital from there. The other option was to paddle upstream for 3/4 a mile back to the family I was last talking to before this. The blood was letting up, but my Teva was red at this point. I shook is off the deck as to not get blood on their deck as I made my way back to the boat. I got in it with my adrenaline still flowing. I pulled out from the inlet and decided to make a go at the upstream paddle.
The current was strong at all points of the river i this stretch. I just put my head down and powered upstream. Progress was at a decent pace. I hit a few point when I was considering calling for boat support or to use my whistle to try to hail a boat from the party goers across the river from the cabin where I was going. I held tight on both of those options and kept fighting upstream. I made it about 200 yards before their cabin when the adrenaline was finished. Then, my foot really began to hurt. I pulled up and told them I needed medical help in a bad way. I pulled up to their dock as I told them what happened as I was trying to get out of my boat. The cockpit had a pool of blood in it as I slid out onto their deck. As soon as they saw the blood, they called 911. They helped me up to a bench. I traded hydrogen peroxide and water on it to clean out a lot of the crap that may be in there. We wrapped up up after cleaning it as much as we could and the told me that they were going to transport me up river to the ambulance. I grabbed my wallet and phone and made my way to their boat. I don’t remember much of that was I was a little light headed. They pulled their boat under the Waupeton bridge I passed earlier that day. They pulled into a private covered dock. I sat there until the ambulance picked me up.
Once the ambulance arrived, they wanted to help me get out of the boat. I don’t think they understood that I could do that. I just hopped up on my other foot and got out. they wanted to put me into a chair to transport me. I told them I could walk. They suggested I take the chair and they would get it. I did and we made it till we got to the ground where it was muddy. I told them I would be able to get it. I don’t go down easily. I hopped over and onto the stretcher as I was going for a little ride to the ER. I did not see this happening in this trip, but sh#t happens. As the doors closed and I took off, I realized I just left my entire setup with people I did not know on some unknown point on the river. This is adventure. I had the number for Nancy, one of the people at the cabin. I just went with it knowing things would work out. I chatted with the guys in the back of the bus as I rolled into Finley Hospital in Dubuque. My nurse, Angie, was kind and helpful while I was there. I knew I needed a clean wash. I figured I would deal with the rest. I was cool with everything but the small needle going into my foot to numb it up. I have sensitive feet as is and I am not a fan of needles. I know, the irony. I am inked and pierced up, but not a fan of needles.
I got through it with little incident. They cleaned it out well. The cut was just under 4 inches. I know it was deep, but I did not have them stick in a measuring stick to find out the exact depth. The doctor told me that if they did stitches, they would only be able to get in 2 or 3. The rest of the skin that they would stitch was simply ripped off during the cut. Since it was on the outside ball of my foot and the amount of expending it goes through, the decision was not to do the stitches. They closed up up by wrapping it up. They were pretty adamant at the wound not touching the river until it completely healed.  I know what can be in the river at this point. That is not the worst idea yet. I received a text from Nancy saying that her husband, Casey, would pick me up at the hospital. After being discharged, Casey picked me up. We want to fill my prescription for my antibiotics. We picked up a bite to eat before heading back to the marina. As we drove, I sat back really appreciating where I was being driven through. Iowa is beautiful. The farmlands, the small towns, and the rolling hills just made me smile. We arrived back at the marina the ambulance picked me up. Tom, the boat driver who brought me up earlier that day was there to greet me. I was going to be brought back to the cabin to spend the night.
While we were all talking, I was able to see a tequila sunset. The reds, oranges, and yellows melted into the river. The reflections off the train tracks seared into this sunset into my memory. They were talking about the sunsets on the river before I saw what they were talking about. I hobbled up over the tracks to get a good shot of the sunset. I was grateful to be there seeing this amazing sunset. My day was not a bad day. I had a good day with a little speed bump. My stubbornness will keep my goals on track while my flexibility will allow for the variables of the journey. I loaded back up in the boat with Tom and his wife. We headed back downstream to the cabin. They helped me inside and made a bed that was on a covered deck that overlooked the river. I have had some amazing camp locations on this adventure, but this one was one of my favorites. I felt incredibly lucky to have met such an amazing and caring family. I turned in, with my foot wrapped and elevated. The throbbing levels of the pain remained high as I grew tired.
Today was a day that I will remember on this journey. I have always said that there are good people everywhere. You just have to step outside to go meet them. Today was a shining example of the kindness of random strangers at its finest.