It was time for a reset. Months one through four flew by and I had been challenged in all kinds of terrifying and delightful ways. I made it from Peoria, Illinois to Green Turtle Bay in Kentucky, the closest I would be to home and a great spot to leave the boat for a couple weeks for maintenance. I was ready for a break to go home to visit family and friends.
I spent my time at home catching up on life things (voting, renewing my driver’s license, haircut, etc), doing Halloween things with my kids and their friends, visiting friends at the Irish Center, and cheering on my Brewers in the World Series.
I could feel myself changing and growing as I gained perspective on the things that matter most to me. One area of unexpected growth was the new bone that was re-building my pinky finger. For those who read my blog two months ago, you may remember that my anchor windlass tried to eat my hand as I was setting my anchor in Maud Bay in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I had no access to professional care at the time so my friend, Paul, and I soaked it in hydrogen peroxide and wrapped it up. I was just glad I still had my fingers. I knew my biggest risk was infection.
Day 1
I kept a close eye on it but did not really want to go to a doc until I got home unless it took a turn for the worse. Over the next nine weeks, I made slow progress and transitioned from the lobster claw (a big wrap with my wooden knife as a splint) to a smaller splint to buddy taping it and then finally to a stretchy wrap just to keep the swelling down. My ring finger had some tissue damage and a crushed tip but my main focus was my broken pinky.
Week 1
Week 3
Just before I got home, I messaged my PCP to ask him to put in an order for an x-ray. His reply, “Yes, we’ve been following your blog. You need an x-ray.” Ha! He has known me for many years, through my pilot license phase, pregnancies, divorce, and travel mishaps. He knows me well. He also recommended an orthopod who could get me in quickly since my time was limited. Not shockingly, my pinky was (and is) going the wrong direction but my ring fingertip is healed. My options were 1) to undergo multiple surgeries to rebreak it, install a plate, let it heal in a cast, and then take the plate out, or 2) let it heal crooked and see if physical therapy will help to recover some flexibility and movement. That’s not much of a choice, is it. Option one would cancel my trip. The doc added that they would have had to do multiple surgeries even if I had gone in immediately because of the location and severity of the break, so I’m glad I didn’t spend money or hours in an Urgent Care in Michigan.
Week 9
I went to PT to build a plan and she made me a protective semi-cast that I could use if I needed to protect it while doing boat things. Mobility in my ring finger is 80% and my pinky finger is 30%. The goal is 100% for my ring finger and 50% for my pinky. I am planning on getting an anchor tattoo on that knuckle to thank Poseidon for leaving me enough to work with!
Here are my stats for October:
| Topic | Month 5 | Total |
| Days | 31 days (10 travel days) | 160 days (82 travel days) |
| Travel time | 52 hours | 364 hours |
| Distance | 415.7 nm (478.4 mi) | 2449 nm (2818 mi) |
| Average speed | 8 kts (9.2 mph) | 6.7 kts (7.7 mph) |
| States and Countries | 3 states (IL, MO, KY) | US (VA, MD, DE, NJ, NY, MI, WI, IL, MO, KY) and Canada (ON) |
| Visitors | 0 | 6 (Peggy x2, Lisa M, Sue, Cadi, Gabe, Lisa S) |
| Stops | 10 stops (4 marinas, 5 anchorages, 1 free wall) | 83 (43 marinas, 23 anchorages, 17 free walls/ docks) |
| Locks traversed | 6 (Illinois River, Mississippi River, Ohio River, Cumberland River) | 81 (Troy, Erie, Trent Severn, Soo, Chicago River, Illinois River, Mississippi River, Ohio River, Cumberland River) |
| Favorite moment | Turning from the Mississippi River to the Ohio River | Anchoring in Baie Fine, Ontario under the Perseid meteor showers |
| Hardest moment | White-knuckling it down the Mississippi River | White-knuckling it down the Mississippi River |
| Favorite stop | Paducah, KY | Killarney, ON |
| Best bathroom | None! It was a rough month for bathroom facilities | Port Trent, ON |
| Best boat name | Aye Candy | Dirty Oar |
Halloween on The Hill is the best!
I wrapped up my time at home with a belated birthday dinner with my Cadi, a few workouts with my favorite Lagree coach, and Skyline with my Patrick.
My next phase will be going down the southern rivers toward the Gulf of Mexico with a side trip to Nashville and maybe a second side trip to Muscle Shoals if I feel like it. I am refreshed and ready to be back aboard!
“I’m going to have a beer for every single person here. I’m having 100,000 beers! Let’s go!!!” — Sal Frelick, Milwaukee Brewers (at the World Series victory parade)
To support the adventure or to track The ‘Nati Nomad’s progress, visit greatloop.thenatinomad.com.
Related posts:
Powered by YARPP.
Leave a Reply