#139 - From Marathons to the Mississippi: Paul Mellor's Epic Adventures

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Welcome to Paddling the Blue. With each episode, we talk with guests from the

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Great Lakes and around the globe who are doing cool things related to sea kayaking.

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I'm your host, my name is John Chase, and let's get started paddling the blue.

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Welcome to today's episode of Paddling the Blue.

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Today's guest is Paul Mellor. I first met Paul at Canoe Copia,

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and I was instantly interested in his story.

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He had a collection of books chronicling his adventures running marathons in every U.S.

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State, cycling across the USA, and most recently, paddling the length of the Mississippi River.

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And today we talk about those adventures, his resolve to set and achieve goals,

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his experiences along the river, and his equally interesting work outside adventuring.

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Before we get to today's conversation with Paul, James Stevenson and Simon Osborne

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at OnlineSeaKeyaking.com continue to produce great content to help you evolve

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as a paddler and as a coach.

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Enjoy today's episode with Paul Miller. Hi, Paul. Welcome to Paddling the Blue.

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John, nice to be here. Thanks for having me today. Yeah, thank you.

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So we had an opportunity to meet at Canucopia this year. It was the first time

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we've had a chance to meet.

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Yes, yes. It was a fun time. Big crowds, as always, and it's great to meet you.

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I've heard of you, and I've seen your videos on exercising and on packing a

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kayak, so it was really a pleasure when you came to my booth.

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Yeah, so yeah, you had a booth in the Great Hall area, and I walked by and I

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noticed you had a number of books there, and a few of them really caught my

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attention, and you've got quite a list of unique exploits, so give our listeners

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a little glimpse into who you are.

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Well, my name is Paul Mellor. I grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island from a family of six.

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And my parents loved traveling. Traveling was so important.

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I can remember there was a map on a kitchen wall growing up.

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And every morning while eating my cornflakes, I would look at that map and study

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the states and study geography.

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My parents traveled across the country in a station wagon.

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So I really got to love the United States. And then I went to college at Western

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Carolina University, graduating in 1982, and still had that traveling bug and always liked to travel.

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Because of that, I got into marathon running.

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It's been said that a marathon is like a mini Mount Everest that comes to a town near you.

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So I ran the Richmond, Virginia Marathon. And from there, I ran one in Pittsburgh.

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And by golly, 17 years later, I had run a marathon in all 50 states.

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And then later in life, I biked across the country from Yorktown,

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Virginia, to Vancouver, British Columbia.

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Now, I had done the running. I'd done the pedaling. And then looking at that

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map, I thought the Mississippi River, gosh, wouldn't it be great?

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To paddle down the Mississippi River, and that's what I did,

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and it was really a great experience. All right.

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So a marathon in all 50 states, then east to west, cycling across the U.S.,

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and then you thought, well, why not go north to south and paddle to Mississippi?

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Exactly. I mean, why not, right?

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All right. So what was the inspiration for these adventures?

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Well, I've been asked that by many folks. Why am I doing this?

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I think it's just the love of the country and just to see things.

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In my paddling, I hadn't paddled much. My parents had a summer place in Bridgeton,

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Maine on Highland Lake, and I got into the canoe a couple of times.

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And then many years ago, I was on a trip at Lake Tahoe, and I rented a kayak.

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And there's something about being on the water, which I really had not experienced.

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I can remember riding my bicycle in Richmond, Virginia and going by traffic

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and the cars and the trucks.

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And then I veered off to a lake. And instantly my world changed.

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Instead of hearing the cars, I heard birds.

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And boy, what an experience. And I really started to think, you know,

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going down the Mississippi River and I had done some preparation on it.

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I got on the Mississippi River Paddler's Facebook page and read accounts from those who had done it.

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Now, it is more difficult to paddle the Mississippi River because when you run

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marathons, you can go to your closet, get out the running shoes,

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lace them up, and run out the back door.

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With the bicycle, you can go to the garage, get on it, and head down the street.

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Kayaking was a little bit difficult. I had a.

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A 2006 Toyota Corolla, and it doubled its value when I put the kayak on top of it.

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So the logistics of kayaking was more difficult.

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But I got excited. I got excited when I decided that I would be preparing myself

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to paddle the Mississippi River. Yeah.

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I mean, there's definitely something different about, I'll call them slower sports, right?

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So, I mean, you could have gotten in the car and driven across the US,

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or you could have got in a car and driven the length of the Mississippi River

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and seen the sights from the shore.

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But to be able to experience it at the pace of either running,

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cycling, or paddling, you really soak so much more of it in.

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And that's the beauty of paddling, as you know.

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No one's cutting you off. It's peaceful. You hear the birds.

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You see wildlife. It's so quiet.

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And I feel badly for the folks who don't experience that because all they know is just the pavement.

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But there's something about being on the water, which I experienced for 100

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plus days when I paddled the Mississippi River.

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Yeah. Yeah. So tell us, you wrote a book on the Mississippi River paddle titled

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Strokes of Kindness, Paddling America's Most Iconic River Reveals the Humanity of Its People.

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So first, why did you choose the Mississippi of all places?

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Well, it's the most iconic river. When you think about rivers,

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gosh, Mississippi is on the top of the list.

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And it's just the lifeblood of this nation.

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And, you know, the Huck Fins, the Tom Sawyers, you know, Hannibal, Missouri.

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I got excited when I, you know, when you're lying in bed, you think,

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I'm going to paddle the Mississippi River.

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You think, gosh, how am I going to do that? but just taking it day by day.

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My cousin, Rob, he transported me from New England 1,600 miles across the country

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to this remote location in northern Minnesota, Lake Itasca.

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Then when he dropped me off,

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He headed out later that day. So, you know, you're in for an adventure.

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I read through the paddlers, the small group who have actually paddled from

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source to sea, that the first 100 days are the most difficult.

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And it was for me. The first day going into vegetation and the beaver dams, the log jams,

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having to pour into a 17-foot kayak at my age in my mid-60s, my hip was out of whack.

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The first day, I capsized twice.

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I lost my camping plate.

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I lost my hat, jugs of water, a sponge, parts of my kayak cart,

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lost my left shoe, and started to lose my confidence. That was day one?

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That was day two, actually.

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The vegetation, yes, that was day two.

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Day one was Vecans Dam, which is a dam you have to get out of your vessel and portage around.

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It was the first of several portages in the headwaters.

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On day two started off well, and then the Mississippi River, it really got angry.

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I left in a year when the water was very high, and the debris,

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if anyone has been to San Francisco on Lombard Street, the crookedest street

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in America, that's what the headwaters was like.

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You go, you know, for the, I will say this, for the first 300 miles of the Mississippi

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River, it resembles a giant question mark.

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And then it questions itself for the next 2,000 miles, whether it should go

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this way or that way, which it does until it enters out into the Gulf.

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The river is very narrow at the headwaters and you're constantly turning.

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With my 17-foot vessel, I got turned around and I got caught in a streamer where

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I got pinned up to a log and the water is rushing, even though it's probably about five feet.

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Always had my pfd on always had my

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life jacket on and i get tipped and and i hung on to my kayak like a sidecar

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as the water pushed me about 25 yards down the river and i finally caught up

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to my paddle which i had which had escaped me but i caught up to my paddle i

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capsized later in that day two.

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My feet were badly infected.

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I took the next day off. So on the fourth day, I started out again,

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and I capsized one more time.

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I got to Coffee Pot Landing, and most paddlers make it to Coffee Pot.

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That's 16 miles from the start, and it took me four days to get there.

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While I was at coffee pot, I met a young couple. He was a tattoo artist.

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He looked at my feet. He said, you need to come off the river.

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Your feet are badly infected.

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He said, what I'll do, I'll take you to Bemidji, a town 30 minutes away.

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You can seek medical attention. And then from there, you can continue your trip.

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And I said to this young man, I said, Devin, I can't

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do that because i want to paddle the whole darn thing i

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want to push pull or paddle my

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kayak the length of the river but then he talked to me some more he said what

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i'll do i'll take you to bemidji and then i'll bring you back to the same spot

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and that's and that's what he did he and his son carried my kayak out of there

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he put his the kayak on top of his truck we went to bemidji I stayed in Bemidji for a week.

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I stayed at a hotel for one week. I sought medical attention.

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And then he came back for me and I went back to Coffee Pot.

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So in my mind, I was going to write this book called 16 Miles to Coffee Pot.

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I thought that was a great title, 16 Miles to Coffee Pot.

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As the trip progressed, just meeting wonderful river angels along the way,

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people who helped me out and fed me, who gave me a place to stay. I said, you know what?

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I have a new title. It's really Strokes of Kindness.

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And each day, just the kind folks who I met along the way. And that's what I think about.

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Not so much the river, it's just the people who live right by that waterway. Yeah.

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I mean, nearly all the trips that we talk about on Paddling the Blue come back

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to the people making the difference.

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So with that being the title and kind of one of the things that you really learned

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on the trip. Tell us about the humanity of its people.

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Well, this young kid, Devin, probably in his late 20s, covered with tattoos,

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just a terrific kid and his girlfriend.

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I came off that river and I didn't have my shoes were off because,

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well, the left shoe was somewhere in the riverbed.

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And then he gave me an insect repellent device.

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Then he gave me ibuprofen. Then he went out and got me food.

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His girlfriend gave me jugs of

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water and and then i had

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paper maps now when you ride a bicycle

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or drive a car you can get away with paper maps maps because you know where

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third and elm street is and the headwaters of the river he told me which i i

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i knew that the the river veers off in different directions and you could be

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paddling for two miles and come to a dead end he said your.

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Paper maps will do you no good and initially before

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i started my trip i said i can deal with paper maps i

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can surely figure out this with a with the

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dnr the minnesota department of natural resources maps that they send out for

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free he said you need the avenza app you need an app to put on your phone and

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while i was at that picnic table resting looking at my infected foot he took

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my phone and he put the Avenza app on it.

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Now, here's a guy who spent, he was just so caring.

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And then he drove me to Bemidji. And then a week later, picked me up and took me back where I started.

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Now, it really touched me. A few days later, I was in Bemidji and I came to

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town and And I met River Angels, Ron and Judy.

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They also had met Zach Rivers, who's well-known in the Padman community.

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He documented Dale Sanders' trip.

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And he was heading down the Mississippi River with his cello.

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He had made arrangements with Ron and Judy to stay at his house.

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And Ron and Judy invited me as well.

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I'm a professional speaker on memory skills. so I had a couple of conferences

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to attend to the summer that I left. I knew I'd have to come off the river.

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I didn't know where I would store my kayak, but I figured that I would figure it out.

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Ron and Judy just so happened that their daughter was flying into Minneapolis,

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so he drove me four hours to the airport. I stayed at my cousin's house in St.

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Paul, where I changed it to my dress clothes and went out to a conference and came back.

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But I stayed with Ron and Judy for three days and,

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And then Ann Ogg, who's well-known in the paddling community,

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she has paddled the Mississippi River, and we're about the same age.

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She's in her 60s. She and her husband, Dan, met me in Grand Rapids,

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and we paddled together.

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And just so many stories like that where people came out to see me and came

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to help this solo paddler down the Mississippi River.

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So these river angels, you know, I love what they do.

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Why do they do it? You know, I asked them, why do you do it?

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And they just, you know, when someone shows up at your back door,

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you think, who is this person?

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But when someone shows up with your back door, if you have a river behind your

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house with a kayak, you say, I got to help this guy. You know,

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all our belongings are in our canoes or our kayaks and just the adventure.

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And a couple of people have said, I've always wondered what it's like to kayak

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the river. And I admire you because you got out of bed and you happened to get

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in your kayak and paddle.

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So few people would ever want to do that. And because of that,

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I certainly want to help you.

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They say they've seen paddlers each summer

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and they just want to give them a

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meal or a place to stay most of

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my nights were actually spent in a tent i

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didn't reach out to river angels

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for the most part i actually slept in my tent but the

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folks that i met at restaurants very

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inquisitive of what i was up to i was the only one who walked in

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town with with wet shoes and wet pants and mud

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all over me and it's it's it's just a different experience when they when they

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see people like me come come to town in a boat so you mentioned you didn't necessarily

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seek them out so is there a network that you know you can go to and say all

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right in this town there are rivered angels here and there and wherever else.

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There are river angels, and the two years that I prepared for this trip,

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I did make notes that at such and such a mile, you'll see so-and-so and reach out to this person.

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And then when you get to this town, you'll reach out to this person.

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But it is tough when you're in a boat, as you know, John, that unlike a car,

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you can't say, I'm going to be there Tuesday at 3.35 in the afternoon because the river is the boss.

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So it was very tough for me to say, I'm going to be there on a particular day.

00:17:33.923 --> 00:17:44.303
One of the most credible experiences I had, I was somewhere by Tennessee,

00:17:44.563 --> 00:17:48.663
Arkansas, Missouri, right, right, in the lower Mississippi.

00:17:48.663 --> 00:17:51.843
I hadn't seen a person in probably three days.

00:17:52.363 --> 00:17:56.703
And I knew that I would have to come off the river. I had a conference to attend.

00:17:56.703 --> 00:17:58.443
So I knew I had to come off the river.

00:17:58.603 --> 00:18:02.603
I was about three days from Memphis, Tennessee.

00:18:03.603 --> 00:18:10.943
And I'm all alone, and I see this speedboat with four shirtless guys speed up to me.

00:18:11.023 --> 00:18:15.763
I thought they were pirates out for my bounty, and all I had was a couple of protein bars.

00:18:18.523 --> 00:18:22.083
Well, nice guys. I said, we don't see people like you out here.

00:18:22.283 --> 00:18:26.143
And the river was so high, a lot of debris out there. There weren't many boats

00:18:26.143 --> 00:18:30.083
out on the river in the year that I paddled the river.

00:18:30.083 --> 00:18:33.003
And i and i asked this guy i said i need

00:18:33.003 --> 00:18:36.203
to come off the river in memphis do you know anyone by

00:18:36.203 --> 00:18:39.563
any chance where i could keep my kayak and he

00:18:39.563 --> 00:18:44.763
said yeah i think i i know a businessman let me get back to you and the next

00:18:44.763 --> 00:18:50.283
day i got a text he said contact drew he's waiting for you so i contact drew

00:18:50.283 --> 00:18:55.883
i said drew i need to come off the river i need my come off the river for three

00:18:55.883 --> 00:18:57.443
weeks i have confidence to go to.

00:18:58.343 --> 00:19:03.383
And Drew met me in Memphis with his boat and his trailer.

00:19:03.643 --> 00:19:10.843
He picked me up, he put the trailer on, and we went to his downtown sheet metal company in Memphis.

00:19:11.263 --> 00:19:16.023
He drove me to the hotel, and then three weeks later, picked me up and brought

00:19:16.023 --> 00:19:18.803
me back to where I left off in Memphis.

00:19:19.243 --> 00:19:23.243
And by the way, one of those shirtless guys texted me the following day.

00:19:23.243 --> 00:19:29.943
And he said, by the way, my wife attended one of your memory skill programs in 2018.

00:19:30.223 --> 00:19:39.123
So it was just incredible that this stranger and his wife attended my conference on memory skills.

00:19:39.423 --> 00:19:41.323
That's a small world for sure.

00:19:41.723 --> 00:19:45.363
It was a small world for sure. Yeah. Now, what year was it that you did the trip?

00:19:46.447 --> 00:19:50.047
I did the trip in the year 2024.

00:19:50.867 --> 00:19:59.227
Okay. So quite recent then. I left in May and I finished in September.

00:19:59.867 --> 00:20:07.707
During that time, I had speeches in Michigan, Tennessee, North Carolina,

00:20:08.367 --> 00:20:10.447
North Dakota, and New Mexico.

00:20:10.447 --> 00:20:15.407
We had to come off the river, get into my dress clothes at my cousin's house in St.

00:20:15.527 --> 00:20:20.887
Paul. I would shave, comb my hair, get to the speech, come back to St.

00:20:21.007 --> 00:20:29.207
Paul, get back into my kayaking clothes, fly to Memphis, for instance, and continue on my way.

00:20:30.427 --> 00:20:36.187
It turned out well, the first three weeks, I knew I had to come off the river

00:20:36.187 --> 00:20:40.127
in the second week of my trip.

00:20:40.287 --> 00:20:43.307
And people say, well, why didn't you wait for another year to do this?

00:20:43.307 --> 00:20:46.747
And you know what, John, there is no perfect time to do anything in life.

00:20:46.867 --> 00:20:49.287
You just have to go for it. You just have to figure it out.

00:20:49.907 --> 00:20:53.907
So it just so happened that I paddled.

00:20:54.747 --> 00:20:58.587
It was going to be in St. Paul, Minnesota, when I had to come off the river.

00:20:58.787 --> 00:21:09.127
And I actually portaged my kayak six miles from Minneapolis to St.

00:21:09.227 --> 00:21:12.927
Paul because Lock and Dam was closed. so they had to portage.

00:21:13.886 --> 00:21:17.726
Cousin's friend said, I can transport you in my car. I said,

00:21:17.846 --> 00:21:21.106
no, I'm going to push your paddle this thing every step of the way.

00:21:22.186 --> 00:21:27.386
For six miles, I portaged that thing. And then when I came back to the river

00:21:27.386 --> 00:21:30.766
after the conference, I portaged again for a couple of miles.

00:21:31.026 --> 00:21:39.446
And then when I got to Invergrove Marina in Minnesota, I put the kayak on top

00:21:39.446 --> 00:21:45.206
of the kayak cart. I pulled it and my kayak car broke. The wheels just crushed.

00:21:45.826 --> 00:21:52.346
My kayak car was broken. It just so happened as a gentleman was walking up,

00:21:52.406 --> 00:21:59.366
he was on his way to eat lunch at the nearby marina restaurant.

00:21:59.906 --> 00:22:03.386
He said, meet me here tomorrow at nine o'clock. I'll take you to Ace Hardware

00:22:03.386 --> 00:22:04.966
and I'll fix it. And that's what he did.

00:22:05.406 --> 00:22:08.886
And if Dan Sheehan did not show up, I don't know what I would have done.

00:22:09.146 --> 00:22:16.026
He got out his tools and he fixed my kayak cart and he was there at the perfect time.

00:22:16.566 --> 00:22:22.226
And there were so many times like that where people just came into my life at the perfect time.

00:22:23.126 --> 00:22:27.346
That's great. I mean, people like that make all the difference in the world.

00:22:27.646 --> 00:22:31.366
How did you prepare for this paddle?

00:22:32.406 --> 00:22:37.046
Well, I grew up in Rhode Island, but for the past 30 plus years,

00:22:37.206 --> 00:22:40.946
I've lived in Richmond, in virginia long divorced raising

00:22:40.946 --> 00:22:43.966
two boys twin boys i lived

00:22:43.966 --> 00:22:50.766
by next door to the the mighty james river and when i first started there was

00:22:50.766 --> 00:22:57.706
i took my kayak to swift creek reservoir it's a reservoir near richmond and

00:22:57.706 --> 00:23:01.766
as i was paddling i was envisioning myself paddling the mighty mississippi,

00:23:02.406 --> 00:23:09.046
and again I'm very this was the first time I had been in a sea kayak so I read.

00:23:10.349 --> 00:23:17.049
I read about paddling, and I went out to paddle, and my technique probably wasn't

00:23:17.049 --> 00:23:22.229
as great, but I got out on Swift Creek Reservoir, and I would paddle for hours.

00:23:22.729 --> 00:23:28.169
I also spent a couple of nights on Swift Creek Reservoir because I had to learn

00:23:28.169 --> 00:23:32.369
how to put my kayak up. I had a hammock and a tent.

00:23:33.209 --> 00:23:39.109
I remember one time my son dropped me off on a Friday, And I said, see you on Sunday.

00:23:40.689 --> 00:23:44.669
And I didn't know where I was going to sleep, but I'd had to figure it out.

00:23:44.829 --> 00:23:48.769
And I found a place right by a beaver dam at Swift Creek Reservoir.

00:23:48.909 --> 00:23:57.529
I put my hammock up and got in and spent a great night there and then continued on my journey.

00:23:58.389 --> 00:24:03.529
Then about a year later, after going on the reservoir, I took it up a notch

00:24:03.529 --> 00:24:07.989
to the mighty James River. Now, the James River kind of mimicked the Mississippi.

00:24:08.349 --> 00:24:17.669
It had some rapids. It had dams. It had eddies and boats, motorboats.

00:24:17.909 --> 00:24:19.849
So I took it to the James River.

00:24:21.649 --> 00:24:26.249
During one year, I spent five nights on the James River.

00:24:26.369 --> 00:24:29.209
And it's all about, you know, cattling was really secondary.

00:24:29.209 --> 00:24:34.329
How am I going to live on the river? So I found places on the riverbank to set

00:24:34.329 --> 00:24:35.909
up my tent and my hammock.

00:24:37.122 --> 00:24:40.722
And then I reconnected with a girl I've known since kindergarten,

00:24:40.742 --> 00:24:46.522
and I spent a lot of time in Rhode Island. So I took it up to bigger waters in Narragansett Bay.

00:24:46.742 --> 00:24:51.182
Now, Narragansett Bay, the bay, which means it's right near the ocean.

00:24:51.542 --> 00:24:57.322
So now I paddled by one boat in Narragansett Bay, and on it, it read the word Panama.

00:24:57.762 --> 00:25:04.022
And I never saw boats with Panama in Swift Creek Reservoir, the James River. Now, this was big water.

00:25:04.302 --> 00:25:11.462
This was really big water. and I paddled several times in the Narragansett Bay.

00:25:12.402 --> 00:25:18.562
So that was the extent of my paddling. I met a guy, Andrew Wickstrom.

00:25:18.762 --> 00:25:21.082
He's well known in the paddling community.

00:25:21.642 --> 00:25:26.882
He lives in Hannibal, Missouri. I met him at a paddling show in Alton,

00:25:27.202 --> 00:25:29.762
Illinois. He was a river angel.

00:25:30.022 --> 00:25:34.522
Dale Sanders, gray beard, the oldest person to paddle the Mississippi River,

00:25:34.642 --> 00:25:35.482
was doing the presentation.

00:25:36.042 --> 00:25:41.922
I came to the St. Louis suburb to attend it. I spoke with Dale, just a terrific guy.

00:25:43.102 --> 00:25:46.922
And during his presentation, he pointed to me in the first row.

00:25:47.062 --> 00:25:49.122
He said, now Paul's going to paddle next year.

00:25:49.362 --> 00:25:53.562
And after he said that, I got a tap on the shoulder by Andrew sitting in the back row.

00:25:53.722 --> 00:25:55.982
He handed me his business card and said, when you come to Hannibal,

00:25:56.662 --> 00:25:59.122
reach out to me. I'll put you up.

00:25:59.622 --> 00:26:02.402
So I met Andrew.

00:26:03.002 --> 00:26:09.082
Later in the summer, Andrew said he always wanted to see what the end of the

00:26:09.082 --> 00:26:10.662
road is like on the Mississippi River.

00:26:10.862 --> 00:26:16.982
So he made plans to come to Venice, Louisiana, and we paddled the last day into the Gulf.

00:26:18.042 --> 00:26:22.982
After my paddle, I said to Andrew, Andrew, you've met a lot of paddlers.

00:26:23.182 --> 00:26:25.342
How would you rank my paddling skills?

00:26:26.002 --> 00:26:28.942
And without hesitation, he said, you're one of the worst.

00:26:28.942 --> 00:26:31.982
And it really was a compliment

00:26:31.982 --> 00:26:35.622
because it showed i had the will and the want to finish

00:26:35.622 --> 00:26:38.442
the darn thing he talked about a couple

00:26:38.442 --> 00:26:44.862
of paddlers who had stayed with him one was an expert paddler he he was strong

00:26:44.862 --> 00:26:51.842
he wanted to paddle the river and in 60 plus days and another paddler had very

00:26:51.842 --> 00:26:57.002
little experience and i found out that the paddler with experience actually quit.

00:26:57.282 --> 00:27:01.562
And the other one went on. And I said to Andrew, boy, that was odd.

00:27:01.762 --> 00:27:05.622
I'm surprised that he quit. And the other paddler went on. He said,

00:27:05.702 --> 00:27:08.842
well, the other paddler has a background of hiking.

00:27:09.122 --> 00:27:11.022
He hiked the Appalachian Trail.

00:27:11.402 --> 00:27:17.722
And folks who do the Appalachian Trail, they push the wind and the bugs and the mosquitoes aside.

00:27:17.982 --> 00:27:21.162
They just have one mindset that they're going to continue.

00:27:21.662 --> 00:27:26.722
And I think that's the experience I had of running a marathon in all 50 states.

00:27:27.462 --> 00:27:34.822
In all, I finished 66th marathon. My slowest was nine hours and 50 minutes at Pikes Peak.

00:27:35.709 --> 00:27:41.689
But I always went on. And then cycling across the country, I always advanced

00:27:41.689 --> 00:27:45.249
my bike each day. And I think that's the mentality that I had.

00:27:45.629 --> 00:27:49.889
I had five goals when I was paddling the Mississippi River.

00:27:50.549 --> 00:27:55.949
One was to stay upright. Now, after I capsized three times in the first week,

00:27:56.109 --> 00:27:59.889
I did meet that goal. I stayed upright.

00:28:00.409 --> 00:28:04.629
All right. Another goal was to keep my phone dry. And amazingly,

00:28:04.849 --> 00:28:08.109
what I did capsize those three times, my phone was dry.

00:28:08.289 --> 00:28:13.849
I was very careful, very careful to keep my phone dry into dry bags.

00:28:14.429 --> 00:28:18.369
The third was to advance the boat.

00:28:19.069 --> 00:28:23.229
Every day I wanted to make an advancement. I wanted to go further down.

00:28:23.349 --> 00:28:28.129
It might have been 48 miles or 50 miles, and then some days it might have been

00:28:28.129 --> 00:28:33.149
seven. The next goal I had was to find a safe place to stay.

00:28:33.389 --> 00:28:39.049
And fortunately, I did. Throughout the whole time, I found a safe place to stay.

00:28:39.049 --> 00:28:42.949
I found some beautiful sandbars along the Mississippi River.

00:28:43.669 --> 00:28:49.089
And I will say this, when Andrew picked me up in Venice, Louisiana,

00:28:49.669 --> 00:28:58.089
and then we paddled the Gulf, and we were able to get someone to pick us up with his speedboat,

00:28:58.749 --> 00:29:01.569
Andrew took me back to Hannibal, Missouri.

00:29:02.249 --> 00:29:06.769
We drove almost all night. We spent the night. It was midnight.

00:29:07.409 --> 00:29:10.649
Now, I'm in this van.

00:29:10.889 --> 00:29:15.109
I can remember sitting in the front of the van. About 10 o'clock at night,

00:29:15.209 --> 00:29:21.609
I heard a car door shut and saw the illumination from the flashlight going around me.

00:29:22.493 --> 00:29:29.213
And I knew that my heartbeat was racing, but other than that, I remained motionless.

00:29:29.673 --> 00:29:35.053
And then a short time later, the light turned off and the car drove away.

00:29:35.173 --> 00:29:36.593
And I'm thinking police, perhaps.

00:29:37.753 --> 00:29:40.933
And in front of me was a Dollar General.

00:29:41.313 --> 00:29:47.153
Behind me was an Exxon. And in this church parking lot near the Louisiana-Mississippi

00:29:47.153 --> 00:29:52.733
line was a Target. And that's the van that I was now in.

00:29:53.293 --> 00:29:57.173
There was never a tap on the glass or a knock on the door. But after that car

00:29:57.173 --> 00:29:59.233
left, I started to think.

00:29:59.473 --> 00:30:03.713
I said, it's funny. I had just finished paddling the Mississippi River.

00:30:03.913 --> 00:30:10.573
And during my month's stay on the Mississippi River, there was never an intrusion.

00:30:10.793 --> 00:30:13.953
There was never an intruder. There was never a loud bang.

00:30:14.213 --> 00:30:17.873
Only the trains and the rains kept me awake. and

00:30:17.873 --> 00:30:20.773
I thought isn't that something you're out in the wilderness

00:30:20.773 --> 00:30:24.333
and I felt safe when I zipped my tent up

00:30:24.333 --> 00:30:27.133
around me I really felt safe so that was a goal I

00:30:27.133 --> 00:30:30.153
had was to find a safe place to stay

00:30:30.153 --> 00:30:37.493
and the last goal I had was to be in the moment from Louisiana or from Minnesota

00:30:37.493 --> 00:30:44.593
to Louisiana I never had earplugs in I never listened to music I just listened

00:30:44.593 --> 00:30:47.913
to the birds and felt the paddle hitting the water,

00:30:49.033 --> 00:30:53.213
looking at trumpeter swans, red-winged blackbirds, eagles flying overhead.

00:30:53.533 --> 00:30:59.293
I mean, that's an experience most people would pay for, and I did it all free of charge.

00:31:01.253 --> 00:31:04.473
What would you say is your biggest takeaway from the trip?

00:31:05.777 --> 00:31:08.917
Well, the biggest takeaway is really probably the people.

00:31:09.237 --> 00:31:14.997
You know, people say, where do the nice people live? And I say they live everywhere.

00:31:15.457 --> 00:31:22.017
Now, again, when you show up to someone's house, I'm not there to rob their television.

00:31:22.317 --> 00:31:24.497
I'm there in a yellow kayak.

00:31:24.837 --> 00:31:32.257
But I have stayed in homes where they were very liberal, very liberal.

00:31:33.137 --> 00:31:37.877
And then I stayed in other homes where they're very conservative. Didn't talk politics.

00:31:38.177 --> 00:31:43.457
But it's funny, the individual is beautiful. People will help you.

00:31:43.877 --> 00:31:49.917
I had people from all ages just saying, how can I help you? A place to stay.

00:31:50.117 --> 00:31:55.297
What can I do? I'll give you a couple of bucks. I didn't need a couple of bucks, but they offered.

00:31:55.817 --> 00:32:01.597
And I seldom shaved. I was constantly wet.

00:32:02.257 --> 00:32:08.917
I was in mud a lot, but just people offering a helping hand as they saw me float

00:32:08.917 --> 00:32:11.277
down the river. And the individual is good.

00:32:12.157 --> 00:32:18.177
I believe most people think that, you know, when you think you're going to paddle

00:32:18.177 --> 00:32:20.377
through the big cities of Minneapolis, St.

00:32:20.477 --> 00:32:25.577
Paul, or through Memphis and New Orleans, boy, those are tough areas. But you know what?

00:32:26.137 --> 00:32:31.497
We'll paddle on the river, and people are just tremendous. So that's the big

00:32:31.497 --> 00:32:32.737
takeaway I have to people.

00:32:33.157 --> 00:32:38.057
And just to say that I've experienced the Mississippi River from the headwaters all the way to the Gulf.

00:32:38.897 --> 00:32:42.177
Out of the endeavors that I've done, the bike riding, the running,

00:32:42.517 --> 00:32:47.457
I was most proud of, and I qualified to run the Boston Marathon,

00:32:47.837 --> 00:32:51.997
but I was most proud of the paddling.

00:32:52.237 --> 00:32:56.957
And as you know, John, when you're on the water, all it takes is one second

00:32:56.957 --> 00:33:00.857
and your world is upside down. No pun intended when I say that,

00:33:00.937 --> 00:33:03.377
but it could be very dangerous to,

00:33:04.156 --> 00:33:09.776
I paddled past some alligators, and I had leeches and ticks and mosquitoes and

00:33:09.776 --> 00:33:15.676
wind and rain and beaver dams and log jams and 27 locks and dams to get by.

00:33:16.216 --> 00:33:21.856
And just taking it day by day. And I'm very proud that I finished the darn thing.

00:33:22.396 --> 00:33:24.076
Yeah, you should be. Congratulations.

00:33:24.676 --> 00:33:31.196
Did you anticipate that challenge of the first 300 miles? No, not at all. Not at all.

00:33:32.316 --> 00:33:36.856
I've heard and I asked the question on the Mississippi River's paddler's page.

00:33:37.036 --> 00:33:38.876
I said, do you use a paddler's leash?

00:33:39.276 --> 00:33:44.176
And some people, some paddlers would take a secondary paddle.

00:33:45.156 --> 00:33:49.136
I wanted to travel as light as possible. I didn't need another paddle.

00:33:49.356 --> 00:33:54.856
And why would I need a paddle leash? And a paddle leash is just like a leash.

00:33:54.856 --> 00:33:58.976
You hook it around your paddle and you connect it to your vessel,

00:33:58.976 --> 00:34:02.316
which means if you happen to let go of your paddle

00:34:02.316 --> 00:34:05.316
then your paddle will remain

00:34:05.316 --> 00:34:07.976
with you now i'm thinking at the start of the

00:34:07.976 --> 00:34:14.516
river at the little lake itasca where the river just begins why do i need to

00:34:14.516 --> 00:34:19.756
put the paddle leash on it's only 20 feet the width of the river is about 20

00:34:19.756 --> 00:34:24.056
feet i really don't need to apply the paddle leash so i did not have the paddle

00:34:24.056 --> 00:34:26.496
leash connected to the paddle.

00:34:26.816 --> 00:34:30.016
I always had my life jacket on, always, always.

00:34:30.476 --> 00:34:35.876
Now, what surprised me was the force of that river because only five feet of

00:34:35.876 --> 00:34:38.336
water, if that, very narrow.

00:34:38.816 --> 00:34:43.296
And when I headed off on Lake Itasca, the water was probably at the highest

00:34:43.296 --> 00:34:44.476
in the summer that I left.

00:34:45.096 --> 00:34:51.916
When I was starting to tip, I had to, my kayak was turned around.

00:34:51.916 --> 00:34:54.576
I had to, I had to point it downstream.

00:34:54.996 --> 00:35:00.196
And I was very surprised on the difficulty that I had to do that.

00:35:00.396 --> 00:35:05.456
I used my paddle as leverage because I was tipping the equivalent.

00:35:05.476 --> 00:35:08.016
If it were a car, I would have been on two wheels.

00:35:08.176 --> 00:35:14.976
So I actually used the paddle to put in the water to right myself up,

00:35:15.116 --> 00:35:20.096
and the force of the water just took my paddle out of my hands,

00:35:20.116 --> 00:35:22.456
and I saw my paddle float downstream.

00:35:22.936 --> 00:35:25.136
Now, it's day two.

00:35:25.616 --> 00:35:30.716
I'm in northern Minnesota by myself, and I see my paddle floating down the river.

00:35:31.256 --> 00:35:38.096
So then I didn't know what the river wanted to do to me. I capsized and then

00:35:38.096 --> 00:35:43.596
hung on to my kayak and was chasing down my paddle.

00:35:44.356 --> 00:35:48.876
Fortunately, the river was pushing me towards my paddle, but it was also doing

00:35:48.876 --> 00:35:52.136
the same thing to my paddle. It was pushing the paddle further away from me.

00:35:52.256 --> 00:35:57.236
I eventually caught my paddle, so surprised at the strength of the river.

00:35:58.629 --> 00:36:02.949
The next day, I took a day off. The third day, I capsized again,

00:36:03.189 --> 00:36:04.489
still without a paddle leash.

00:36:05.029 --> 00:36:11.029
After that, the second week, I always kept my paddle leash on and always held

00:36:11.029 --> 00:36:13.489
on to the paddle. Yeah. And always stayed upright.

00:36:14.089 --> 00:36:17.929
All right. Were there any times when you thought, I'm going to quit this thing?

00:36:18.649 --> 00:36:22.489
There was never, never a time. There was never a time.

00:36:23.209 --> 00:36:27.009
You can prepare for this trip. I really didn't know what the river was going

00:36:27.009 --> 00:36:31.969
to entail. but that did not enter my mind. I knew I was going to paddle.

00:36:32.189 --> 00:36:36.309
I did know that I had to come off the river a few times to attend conferences,

00:36:36.309 --> 00:36:42.329
and my foot was badly infected. There was no thought of coming home.

00:36:43.549 --> 00:36:49.509
I just found myself, I just got to a hotel to say I will figure it out,

00:36:50.069 --> 00:36:52.829
but I did not want to go back to the river again.

00:36:52.969 --> 00:36:57.249
It's the same thing with the marathons, running the Pikes Peak Marathon.

00:36:57.249 --> 00:37:03.629
It took me six hours to get to the halfway point, and I vomited a couple of

00:37:03.629 --> 00:37:09.549
times, but I knew that I would just advance myself up the mountain and back down.

00:37:09.809 --> 00:37:14.129
So there was no question that I would do it, but I didn't know when.

00:37:14.329 --> 00:37:19.969
It took me in all 120 days from May 23 to September 19th.

00:37:20.289 --> 00:37:24.869
I had an experience outside of Baton Rouge. It was the day before Hurricane

00:37:24.869 --> 00:37:27.289
Francine came into town.

00:37:28.274 --> 00:37:37.434
And the water was choppy, and I had barges around me, and it was raining, and my mindset changed.

00:37:37.694 --> 00:37:42.054
In the headwaters, I was thinking, oh, no, I can't tip. Oh, look at that debris

00:37:42.054 --> 00:37:44.494
up there. How can I get through there?

00:37:45.034 --> 00:37:50.974
And then when I was in Baton Rouge, I didn't say, you know, I got to stay upright.

00:37:51.434 --> 00:37:56.614
I grabbed my paddle and I said, power, strength, strong, fight.

00:37:56.954 --> 00:38:02.634
I kept giving myself powerful affirmations and thought positively because I

00:38:02.634 --> 00:38:05.874
didn't want to say, oh, I can't tip.

00:38:06.434 --> 00:38:11.534
What's going to happen if I tip? I just said, power, strength, fight.

00:38:11.774 --> 00:38:14.514
And I made my way to Baton Rouge and spent a couple of

00:38:14.514 --> 00:38:17.534
nights in a hotel and let the

00:38:17.534 --> 00:38:20.294
hurricane pass and then get back on the

00:38:20.294 --> 00:38:24.214
river funny when i got to baton rouge two

00:38:24.214 --> 00:38:27.234
barge folks from the barges helped hoist

00:38:27.234 --> 00:38:33.994
my kayak out of the water and to a safe place and then sheriff gotro from baton

00:38:33.994 --> 00:38:40.354
rouge came i thought he came to see me he said no we had a guy who who jumped

00:38:40.354 --> 00:38:44.694
off the bridge we found out he killed his wife and he jumped off the bridge.

00:38:45.014 --> 00:38:52.714
So I was, not only was I paddling over alligators, I was paddling over someone

00:38:52.714 --> 00:38:57.594
who killed his wife, but they picked him up two days after I passed by.

00:38:57.754 --> 00:38:59.034
So a lot of interesting things.

00:38:59.954 --> 00:39:04.234
And only Lord knows what I paddled over during that summer.

00:39:04.434 --> 00:39:07.334
Well, you mentioned just taking it day by day.

00:39:07.394 --> 00:39:10.174
And we've talked about that many times with guests on

00:39:10.174 --> 00:39:15.154
the show where you can't eat an elephant in one one bite so just treat it treat

00:39:15.154 --> 00:39:21.534
the whole trip 120 days as a series of one day trips and yes each day there

00:39:21.534 --> 00:39:25.574
will be an end to it you'll find a safe place and then then the next day the

00:39:25.574 --> 00:39:27.954
sun will rise again and it'll be a brand new trip,

00:39:28.832 --> 00:39:34.412
That's right. That's exactly right. Every day, just kind of go further down the river.

00:39:34.612 --> 00:39:39.132
And eventually, I never thought the river would run out, but it did.

00:39:39.672 --> 00:39:43.532
If I had set my goal to paddle the width of the river, I could have finished

00:39:43.532 --> 00:39:46.532
that in 20 minutes and then would have been done with it.

00:39:46.672 --> 00:39:52.352
But no, that's 2340 miles, give or take a mile or so.

00:39:53.232 --> 00:39:55.512
What was that experience like getting to the end?

00:39:57.112 --> 00:40:01.112
Well it it was very i couldn't

00:40:01.112 --> 00:40:07.152
believe when i left the river got into the gulf it was like i was no longer

00:40:07.152 --> 00:40:13.292
playing in the kiddie pool because a big wave came and i was in in the gulf

00:40:13.292 --> 00:40:18.712
and it was it was quite a moment it was probably one of the proudest moments of my life.

00:40:20.192 --> 00:40:25.232
Andrew Wickstrom who finished paddling with me the next day brought me back

00:40:25.232 --> 00:40:31.272
to Hannibal and then where my kayak stayed I picked it up a week later but he

00:40:31.272 --> 00:40:32.412
brought me back to the St.

00:40:32.492 --> 00:40:35.572
Louis airport and as he dropped me off I

00:40:35.572 --> 00:40:38.392
started to cry because it's over

00:40:38.392 --> 00:40:41.272
now it's it's September middle of

00:40:41.272 --> 00:40:44.212
September I've been at this since May

00:40:44.212 --> 00:40:47.272
and I just started to cry and I'll be I've always

00:40:47.272 --> 00:40:51.132
appreciated things i don't need fancy things but

00:40:51.132 --> 00:40:54.032
i remember riding to lunch

00:40:54.032 --> 00:40:57.052
with my friend lawrence he we were in his car and

00:40:57.052 --> 00:40:59.972
he was complaining about the traffic and i

00:40:59.972 --> 00:41:03.212
said you have no idea you know and i've

00:41:03.212 --> 00:41:06.032
never served in the military but i have great admiration for

00:41:06.032 --> 00:41:09.052
those who have and they have certainly suffered more than i have

00:41:09.052 --> 00:41:12.552
i was in the united states i wasn't shot at but folks

00:41:12.552 --> 00:41:16.092
in the military can't imagine what they go through but just

00:41:16.092 --> 00:41:19.832
when my buddy was complaining about the

00:41:19.832 --> 00:41:23.512
red light or someone passing in front of of

00:41:23.512 --> 00:41:26.472
him i thought you know i've been sleeping in

00:41:26.472 --> 00:41:30.792
the rain patting the rain dealing with alligators dealing

00:41:30.792 --> 00:41:33.932
with alligators i mean they were around me

00:41:33.932 --> 00:41:36.752
and i think every i think we need

00:41:36.752 --> 00:41:39.692
to get scared every now and then i think that's what life's

00:41:39.692 --> 00:41:43.372
all about you need to push yourself and just

00:41:43.372 --> 00:41:46.552
other than the mundane i was fortunate

00:41:46.552 --> 00:41:49.232
because i had a job which was i had a

00:41:49.232 --> 00:41:56.572
very flexible schedule so i was able to do it didn't spend a lot of money in.

00:41:56.572 --> 00:42:02.332
The upper mississippi river i did stop at restaurants if i could see a restaurant

00:42:02.332 --> 00:42:07.052
or town and i did stop and ate one good meal i did have dehydrated food.

00:42:08.190 --> 00:42:13.950
And John, we met at Canucopia. A year before I left, I went to Canucopia and

00:42:13.950 --> 00:42:16.650
I attended a session on how to dehydrate food.

00:42:16.750 --> 00:42:19.670
And that was my plan. I was going to dehydrate all my food.

00:42:20.290 --> 00:42:25.810
But after realizing how long it takes to dehydrate eggs, I thought, forget it.

00:42:25.890 --> 00:42:33.090
I'm going to buy the package myself. I bought a little stove and heated food,

00:42:33.270 --> 00:42:37.990
very bland macaroni and cheese, some things I didn't even know what I was eating.

00:42:38.190 --> 00:42:42.910
But I just put something inside me if I couldn't see a restaurant.

00:42:43.410 --> 00:42:47.490
When I left on the trip, the upper Mississippi was flooded.

00:42:47.730 --> 00:42:53.910
I passed through a lot of towns in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois.

00:42:54.550 --> 00:42:58.050
In the lower Mississippi, my world changed.

00:42:58.450 --> 00:43:03.950
We had a little drought. The river was low and also low on people.

00:43:04.290 --> 00:43:07.530
Didn't see many people, didn't see many towns at all.

00:43:08.190 --> 00:43:11.690
Interesting how that changes. Did you see many other paddlers?

00:43:12.330 --> 00:43:17.990
Yes. About a dozen source-to-see paddlers came in and out of my life.

00:43:18.090 --> 00:43:21.910
The first day, I saw these two guys named Bennett and Zach.

00:43:22.430 --> 00:43:27.230
They had hiked the Appalachian Trail together, and they were finishing a loop

00:43:27.230 --> 00:43:29.210
to do the Mississippi River.

00:43:29.470 --> 00:43:34.030
They had started a year, that same year in Iowa.

00:43:34.350 --> 00:43:36.570
They went to the Gulf.

00:43:36.890 --> 00:43:44.650
Then they flew to the headwaters. I saw them on my first day at the headwaters.

00:43:45.410 --> 00:43:49.810
Then Zach Rivers came into my life. I knew of him. We communicated.

00:43:50.450 --> 00:43:57.790
He was going to leave a week after I pushed off because of my foot infection.

00:43:57.810 --> 00:43:59.450
My trip was delayed a week.

00:43:59.590 --> 00:44:02.910
When I came to Coffee Pot Landing, Zach Rivers was there.

00:44:03.130 --> 00:44:06.630
So I saw him on three days.

00:44:07.876 --> 00:44:15.096
Then Brendan O'Brien, a terrific young man, I saw him, and I'm referring to

00:44:15.096 --> 00:44:18.536
my book now, even though I speak on memory, but I'm referring to my book.

00:44:18.956 --> 00:44:27.556
I saw Brendan on June 15th, June 16th, July 16th, August 28th.

00:44:28.156 --> 00:44:32.376
And you may ask, how did that happen, the gap? Because I had to come off the

00:44:32.376 --> 00:44:34.416
river to go to a conference.

00:44:34.416 --> 00:44:41.116
And then I came back to the river and I reconnected with Brendan.

00:44:41.396 --> 00:44:43.176
So it was just incredible.

00:44:43.516 --> 00:44:53.416
I saw Ryan Phillips on June 15th, June 22nd, June 24th, July 17th.

00:44:54.776 --> 00:44:57.656
So that was amazing. he was he was

00:44:57.656 --> 00:45:00.956
paddling in a in a canoe and

00:45:00.956 --> 00:45:04.216
kayaks are much faster than canoes except that

00:45:04.216 --> 00:45:08.096
it all depends on who's manning the ship so he was much faster than me but he

00:45:08.096 --> 00:45:13.236
would pass me then because of the high water in the upper mississippi he had

00:45:13.236 --> 00:45:17.956
to come off the river i came off the river and by golly we we saw each other

00:45:17.956 --> 00:45:24.136
you know four times another couple there's terry and and mike.

00:45:25.176 --> 00:45:29.416
They were brothers they are brothers-in-law they

00:45:29.416 --> 00:45:32.516
were finishing a loop they had started in st louis

00:45:32.516 --> 00:45:38.576
one year now they were finishing their loop they were paddling canoes i saw

00:45:38.576 --> 00:45:46.176
caleb francis august 28th september 2nd i saw terry wendy and aaron on august

00:45:46.176 --> 00:45:49.656
28th and august 30th. Didn't see him on August 29th.

00:45:49.976 --> 00:45:55.536
I saw Chris on September 2nd and September 9th. It's amazing how these people

00:45:55.536 --> 00:45:57.096
came in and out of my life.

00:45:58.016 --> 00:46:03.776
Ann Og, who paddled the river a few years before me, she paddled the river and she didn't see anyone.

00:46:04.216 --> 00:46:07.296
But I saw 12 source to see paddlers.

00:46:07.556 --> 00:46:12.776
And because of that, I did have to come off the river for a couple of weeks

00:46:12.776 --> 00:46:14.336
or a few weeks to attend conferences.

00:46:14.536 --> 00:46:18.196
Then when I came back, I reconnected with these folks.

00:46:18.996 --> 00:46:22.896
All great people. It's just amazing. You mentioned one name in there,

00:46:23.016 --> 00:46:26.476
Zach Rivers. You said earlier he was paddling with his cello.

00:46:27.780 --> 00:46:31.360
Yeah, he was paddling with his cello. He's a musician. He's a photographer.

00:46:31.720 --> 00:46:39.740
He documented Dale Sanders' trip when he kayaked the Mississippi River.

00:46:40.520 --> 00:46:49.560
Zach was in a canoe. We paddled from Coffee Pot Landing through the headwaters.

00:46:49.820 --> 00:46:52.900
I watched him up ahead capsize.

00:46:54.700 --> 00:46:58.580
And we were about—we capsized. We each capsized three times,

00:46:58.640 --> 00:46:59.880
so he was catching up to me.

00:47:00.280 --> 00:47:03.140
I paddled up to him and helped right his ship.

00:47:03.360 --> 00:47:09.500
In the Bemidji News, because he, a reporter, he did a little pop-up concert in Bemidji.

00:47:09.660 --> 00:47:15.780
He had mentioned that I saved his cello, saved his boat, and saved his life.

00:47:15.940 --> 00:47:20.380
I don't know about that, but I did help right his ship.

00:47:20.600 --> 00:47:26.820
He had his cello well-packed, well-preserved, so his cello stayed dry.

00:47:27.560 --> 00:47:30.480
And he would play on his cello.

00:47:31.260 --> 00:47:33.680
Brendan O'Brien, he had a guitar.

00:47:34.500 --> 00:47:42.480
When I met him, he had since sent it back home. Another person I met, he had his dog with him.

00:47:43.780 --> 00:47:49.200
I didn't have any of that. I did have the ashes of my late wife.

00:47:49.360 --> 00:47:56.520
We had long since divorced and she traveled a lot. So I had three medicine bottles

00:47:56.520 --> 00:48:03.980
with me with her ashes. One was labeled Headwaters, that I would pour her ashes at the Headwaters.

00:48:04.160 --> 00:48:07.340
The second medicine bottle was labeled St.

00:48:07.460 --> 00:48:13.960
Louis, where in front of the Gateway Arch, I put her ashes into the Mississippi River.

00:48:14.160 --> 00:48:18.660
And the third bottle was the Gulf. so in

00:48:18.660 --> 00:48:22.260
that respect i felt i had a responsibility to her

00:48:22.260 --> 00:48:25.140
and to my sons that i would make it

00:48:25.140 --> 00:48:28.260
to the end so i dispersed her

00:48:28.260 --> 00:48:31.320
ashes at at the gulf i didn't

00:48:31.320 --> 00:48:39.200
i didn't carry much i had clothes and quick drying clothes i i carry as little

00:48:39.200 --> 00:48:44.500
as possible because i all knew that you know you want to get down there as with

00:48:44.500 --> 00:48:50.720
little as possible sure so what's next well people have asked me that you've.

00:48:51.708 --> 00:48:59.888
Run a marathon in all 50 states. You've cycled across America and you've paddled the Mississippi River.

00:49:00.548 --> 00:49:05.268
I don't know what's next. My hip is out of whack. I have nothing planned now.

00:49:05.468 --> 00:49:09.168
And I don't know. I do miss, as I'm looking out at the yard here,

00:49:09.408 --> 00:49:15.448
I do miss putting a tent out there and I'm looking at trees and I do miss putting a hammock out there.

00:49:15.588 --> 00:49:17.908
I sleep great in a hammock. I sleep grade in the tent.

00:49:18.708 --> 00:49:23.648
I get on the paddler's page and I look at folks who are paddling the Missouri

00:49:23.648 --> 00:49:25.328
River. Boy, wouldn't that be something.

00:49:25.948 --> 00:49:30.948
And I have a friend actually who I met paddling, well, not paddling.

00:49:31.068 --> 00:49:35.468
I have a friend who I met while we were riding our bikes across the country.

00:49:36.108 --> 00:49:38.908
And then he contacted me in the summer. He said,

00:49:38.988 --> 00:49:41.948
I'm going to ride the northern tier of

00:49:41.948 --> 00:49:45.828
the country from maine to washington state in

00:49:45.828 --> 00:49:48.568
the summer he contacted me and he

00:49:48.568 --> 00:49:51.248
said just curious where you are because he knew i was

00:49:51.248 --> 00:49:55.908
padding the river it just so happened we're in dubuque iowa so we so we met

00:49:55.908 --> 00:50:02.428
for lunch and i remember talking to isaac in a coffee shop and i i tied up my

00:50:02.428 --> 00:50:08.908
yak down at dubuque down by the dock and i walked with him and his bike into downtown Dubuque.

00:50:09.088 --> 00:50:12.468
When we bid our farewell, I remember going.

00:50:13.421 --> 00:50:17.821
Standing by his bicycle, I remember feeling his tires. I remember looking at

00:50:17.821 --> 00:50:22.481
his panniers, his bags that he had connected to his bike.

00:50:22.921 --> 00:50:29.061
I looked up and I saw that the traffic that he had to go through and the cars he had to pass.

00:50:29.561 --> 00:50:34.121
And then the hill he had to negotiate and around all this traffic.

00:50:34.581 --> 00:50:38.581
And I thought, you know what? That's a world I don't miss.

00:50:39.001 --> 00:50:44.581
I watched him pedal off from Dubuque. And I walked back to the boat.

00:50:44.781 --> 00:50:49.641
I walked down the steps, got into my boat and paddled under the bridge.

00:50:49.821 --> 00:50:53.061
And instead of the traffic, I had birds passing over me.

00:50:53.321 --> 00:51:01.681
And it was what a contrast of his world on the bicycle and my world in the kayak on the water.

00:51:01.861 --> 00:51:05.301
There's nothing like it, as you know, John, as many of your listeners know,

00:51:05.401 --> 00:51:10.261
there's nothing like being on the water. It's a world that a lot of people are not aware of.

00:51:10.541 --> 00:51:15.081
And I just paddled between those states down the Mississippi River,

00:51:15.081 --> 00:51:20.981
very quiet, peaceful, and just advancing my boat towards the Gulf.

00:51:21.661 --> 00:51:25.181
Well, whatever that next adventure is, I'm certain that it will be grand.

00:51:25.481 --> 00:51:27.261
So how can listeners connect with you?

00:51:27.801 --> 00:51:35.081
Well, they can connect with me. My website is mellormemory.com.

00:51:35.081 --> 00:51:42.081
That's M-E-L-L-O-R-M-E-M-O-R-Y.com.

00:51:42.201 --> 00:51:46.741
You mentioned earlier that memory is your business. So tell us quickly about that.

00:51:47.101 --> 00:51:51.101
Well, I was in the Toastmasters Club many years ago.

00:51:51.481 --> 00:51:55.261
Toastmasters is an organization helping adults with their communication skills.

00:51:55.481 --> 00:51:59.261
I graduated from college. I sold insurance.

00:51:59.481 --> 00:52:06.561
And then I joined the Toastmasters Club. Now, Toastmasters, and there are Toastmaster

00:52:06.561 --> 00:52:10.081
meetings in all 50 states around the world.

00:52:11.468 --> 00:52:14.948
Every member has to come up with a speech. So every few weeks,

00:52:15.008 --> 00:52:18.148
I would go to the local library, just scanning the books on the shelves,

00:52:18.348 --> 00:52:21.728
asking myself, what am I going to speak on at the next Toastmasters meeting?

00:52:22.108 --> 00:52:25.848
And I can remember going to the library, pulling a book out on memory,

00:52:26.148 --> 00:52:28.608
the memory book by Harry Lorraine and Jerry Lucas.

00:52:29.268 --> 00:52:33.528
I just pulled the book out because I was looking for a speech topic.

00:52:34.028 --> 00:52:39.488
I read the book, and then two weeks later, gave a talk at the Toastmasters Club,

00:52:39.488 --> 00:52:43.708
the seventh 10-minute talk on memory without using notes.

00:52:44.108 --> 00:52:49.408
I developed such a passion for the topic. It turned out to be a full-time job.

00:52:50.048 --> 00:52:54.208
I've competed in National Memory Championships.

00:52:54.868 --> 00:52:58.288
I was one of the finalists in the USA Memory Championship.

00:52:58.488 --> 00:53:02.868
A lot of people don't even know that there is one, but in the Memory Championship

00:53:02.868 --> 00:53:08.588
held each year in New York City, they give you pictures of 100 people,

00:53:08.788 --> 00:53:11.688
first names, last names. You have 15 minutes to study the pictures.

00:53:11.948 --> 00:53:16.168
Then they take the pictures back. Then they give you another sheet.

00:53:16.388 --> 00:53:20.448
The photos of the same people are on it, but they're rearranged.

00:53:20.488 --> 00:53:22.468
You have to put the first and the last name together.

00:53:22.728 --> 00:53:26.488
They give you a shuffle deck of playing cards. You have five minutes to see

00:53:26.488 --> 00:53:29.948
if you can memorize the deck of playing cards. I was able to memorize a dozen.

00:53:30.517 --> 00:53:33.837
Shuffle the playing cards in under three and a half minutes.

00:53:33.997 --> 00:53:38.457
They give you a long string of numbers. You have five minutes to remember as

00:53:38.457 --> 00:53:42.517
many numbers as you can. I was able to do over 100 numbers.

00:53:42.777 --> 00:53:47.077
I've seen guys and gals remember over 300 numbers in less than five minutes.

00:53:47.717 --> 00:53:52.777
They give you an unpublished poem. You have 15 minutes to memorize the poem,

00:53:52.777 --> 00:53:56.757
and then you have to memorize it word for word. Now you think,

00:53:56.877 --> 00:53:58.137
who wants to do something like this?

00:53:58.857 --> 00:54:04.917
I've seen guys and gals memorize a shuffle deck of playing cards in under 20 seconds.

00:54:05.257 --> 00:54:09.777
Now, my philosophy is all that is great, but what's the practicality of this?

00:54:10.197 --> 00:54:15.477
So I've been doing this for 20 years. I do a lot of work with law enforcement.

00:54:15.677 --> 00:54:20.717
I've spoken to the Michigan FBI, the California Hostage Negotiators Association.

00:54:20.717 --> 00:54:25.037
I've spoken to about 80 law enforcement departments and academies on how to

00:54:25.037 --> 00:54:32.017
remember crime scenes, how to remember notes, how to speak without notes,

00:54:32.057 --> 00:54:33.117
rather, when you're in court.

00:54:33.477 --> 00:54:39.297
I've done several bar associations around the country to lawyers.

00:54:39.797 --> 00:54:45.317
I've done health care. I've done a wide range of presentations to a wide range of groups.

00:54:45.857 --> 00:54:49.257
I've been fortunate to have given these programs in all 50 states.

00:54:49.557 --> 00:54:55.537
A couple of years back, I was contacted by Princeton University in Columbia to have my brain tested.

00:54:56.037 --> 00:55:01.677
They put me, I had an MRI scan. They had me remember information to see how

00:55:01.677 --> 00:55:07.437
the brain works when you're remembering information, how they said my brain kind of lights up.

00:55:07.937 --> 00:55:13.817
The researchers at Princeton and Columbia were able to get a half a million

00:55:13.817 --> 00:55:17.517
dollar grant from studying my brain.

00:55:18.670 --> 00:55:24.610
In return, I got a $25 gift card from Starbucks. But I have a passion for this

00:55:24.610 --> 00:55:29.990
topic because it's all about its systems, not supplements that improve memory.

00:55:30.170 --> 00:55:33.770
So I've been doing it for 20 plus years. I really get excited talking about

00:55:33.770 --> 00:55:37.030
memory because it's something that everyone can work on.

00:55:37.130 --> 00:55:41.990
And I did use my mind a lot paddling the river because I did not listen to the radio.

00:55:42.650 --> 00:55:48.670
I had to think positive thoughts and knowing that the impossible,

00:55:48.950 --> 00:55:54.050
paddling the Mississippi River, is something that one can do.

00:55:54.210 --> 00:55:55.970
You just have to take it day by day.

00:55:56.130 --> 00:56:00.330
And it is amazing that, you know, you just one stroke after another,

00:56:00.530 --> 00:56:04.190
you'll eventually go from Minnesota all the way down to Louisiana.

00:56:04.770 --> 00:56:09.310
Yeah, that's fascinating. It truly is. And we'll definitely direct people to

00:56:09.310 --> 00:56:11.490
your website. and they can learn more about memory.

00:56:11.830 --> 00:56:15.710
And pardon me, I know you've got a book on this particular trip,

00:56:15.850 --> 00:56:19.610
which we've talked about, as well as your other trips. So people can check those out as well.

00:56:20.170 --> 00:56:23.710
So Paul, one final question for you, and that is who else would you like to

00:56:23.710 --> 00:56:25.490
hear as a future guest on Paddling the Blue?

00:56:26.390 --> 00:56:28.190
I would like to hear from Zach Rivers.

00:56:30.250 --> 00:56:39.490
He's a guy who knows what it's like to go from top to bottom because he documented Dale Sanders' trip.

00:56:39.490 --> 00:56:43.930
He knows Dale Sanders, and I was fortunate to stay at Dale Sanders' house in

00:56:43.930 --> 00:56:46.950
Memphis, and I signed his paddler's wall.

00:56:47.410 --> 00:56:54.410
I know you've had Dale Sanders on in the past, Dan Faust, and just a great guy.

00:56:54.590 --> 00:56:59.170
But, yeah, I would say Zach Rivers. All right.

00:56:59.490 --> 00:57:03.110
Fantastic. Well, Brendan O'Brien is another guy. Brendan O'Brien,

00:57:03.390 --> 00:57:08.630
he took his canoe down the river. He had a single blade paddle,

00:57:08.670 --> 00:57:11.510
and he said he didn't have any gold to finish.

00:57:11.630 --> 00:57:17.750
Now, he finished a week after I did, and he was going to interview people along the way.

00:57:18.370 --> 00:57:22.070
And he said, I don't know when I'll finish, but I'm just going to kind of live

00:57:22.070 --> 00:57:23.490
on the Mississippi River.

00:57:23.690 --> 00:57:28.730
So Brendan O'Brien is a terrific young man, well-spoken, just a great guy.

00:57:29.130 --> 00:57:31.710
Super. Well, we'll connect offline about those two.

00:57:32.350 --> 00:57:35.390
So, Paul, thank you very much. This has been great learning about your trip

00:57:35.390 --> 00:57:39.110
and your experiences on the river, and hopefully others can learn from them

00:57:39.110 --> 00:57:43.010
as well and take their own one-day-at-a-time adventure.

00:57:43.370 --> 00:57:48.450
Thank you. John, thanks for all you've done for the paddling community.

00:57:48.730 --> 00:57:53.650
It's great meeting you, albeit online here.

00:57:54.270 --> 00:57:55.730
Albeit, I think that's Albeit.

00:57:56.670 --> 00:58:01.870
John, thanks so much for all you do. and so many people appreciate the work

00:58:01.870 --> 00:58:08.310
that you do putting on these podcasts and you have brought the river to so many

00:58:08.310 --> 00:58:11.870
living rooms and continue your success and thanks so much. Thank you.

00:58:13.180 --> 00:58:16.720
If you want to be a stronger and more efficient paddler, Power to the Paddle

00:58:16.720 --> 00:58:20.360
is packed with fitness guidance and complete descriptions, along with photos

00:58:20.360 --> 00:58:24.780
of more than 50 exercises to improve your abilities and enjoy your time on the water.

00:58:25.000 --> 00:58:28.780
The concept and exercises in this book have helped me become a better paddler,

00:58:28.880 --> 00:58:30.440
and they can make a difference for you too.

00:58:30.700 --> 00:58:34.380
The exercises in the book can help you reduce tension in your shoulders and

00:58:34.380 --> 00:58:38.280
low back, use the power of your torso to create leverage and use less energy

00:58:38.280 --> 00:58:42.160
with each stroke, use force generated from your lower body to make your paddling

00:58:42.160 --> 00:58:43.040
strokes more efficient,

00:58:43.540 --> 00:58:46.960
have the endurance to handle long days in the boat, drive through the toughest

00:58:46.960 --> 00:58:50.360
waves or white water, protect your body against common paddling injuries,

00:58:50.540 --> 00:58:52.820
and while you're at it, you might even lose a few pounds.

00:58:52.980 --> 00:58:58.140
And who wouldn't mind that? So visit paddlingexercises.com to get the book and companion DVD.

00:58:58.940 --> 00:59:01.860
Thank you to Paul for joining us and for sharing your story.

00:59:02.060 --> 00:59:05.440
One of the things that really attracted me to Paul when we first met was the

00:59:05.440 --> 00:59:10.240
title of his Mississippi River book. From that title, he truly understood that

00:59:10.240 --> 00:59:12.540
the people you experience along the way make the difference.

00:59:12.720 --> 00:59:17.000
And I love that of his unique adventures. He is most proud of the paddle trip

00:59:17.000 --> 00:59:18.580
and what he learned along the way.

00:59:18.780 --> 00:59:22.020
He admits he didn't have the best technique, he didn't have the latest gear,

00:59:22.280 --> 00:59:25.560
but he learned, he met amazing people, never thought about quitting,

00:59:25.700 --> 00:59:29.000
and had a memorable experience. No pun intended, I guess.

00:59:29.420 --> 00:59:32.760
If you'd like to learn more about Paul and his adventures, as well as his memory

00:59:32.760 --> 00:59:36.380
skills programs, I'll add links in the show notes. Thanks again to our partners

00:59:36.380 --> 00:59:41.060
at Online Sea Kayaking and now Online Whitewater for extending that special offer to you.

00:59:41.400 --> 00:59:46.480
Visit OnlineSeaKayaking.com or OnlineWhitewater.com and to the code PTBpodcast

00:59:46.480 --> 00:59:50.380
to check out and get 10% off just for being a member of the Paddling the Blue community.

00:59:50.760 --> 00:59:54.420
Until next time, thanks as always for listening and I look forward to bringing

00:59:54.420 --> 00:59:56.460
you the next episode of Paddling the Blue.

00:59:56.980 --> 01:00:00.520
Thank you for listening to Paddling the Blue. You can subscribe to Paddling

01:00:00.520 --> 01:00:05.820
the Blue on Apple Music, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

01:00:06.020 --> 01:00:08.960
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01:00:08.960 --> 01:00:10.820
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01:00:11.000 --> 01:00:14.240
And you can find the show notes for this episode and other episodes,

01:00:14.480 --> 01:00:20.020
along with replays of past episodes, contact information, and more at paddlingtheblue.com.

01:00:20.160 --> 01:00:23.300
Until next time, I hope you get out and paddle the blue.