September 28, 2012 Day 140    MM  923.5     Total miles to date:  3051.83

Following another pleasure craft
into Lock 52

Bill handling the stern line in the lock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our hopes to reach Green Turtle Bay were dashed by a long wait at Lock 52 today.  We got off to such a good start. We pulled anchor at 7:40 a.m. after talking to the Lockmaster at Lock 53. They had lowered the wickets at the dam earlier in the morning so we were able to drive right over them and did not have to go through the lock. That was such a time saver!  However, when we reached Lock 52, about 24 miles farther, at 10:55, we were told to wait, but we were not told how long.  We waited with The Zone just “treading water” for an hour and then decided to anchor. Twenty minutes later we got the call to go into the lock. This is a dual chamber lock and we were in the smaller chamber with two pleasure crafts.  The lift is only 12 feet, but it was a slow process filling the lock and we did not exit until 1:15! 

Anchored behind The Zone
at Cumberland Island Towhead

We knew we could not get to Green Turtle Bay until after dark because we would still need to go 32 miles and through one more lock, and locks are unpredictable!  So, we decided to anchor at Cumberland Island Towhead, 1/2 mile from where the Ohio and the Cumberland Rivers meet.  There are no good anchorages past this point when we get on the Cumberland.   It is at least quiet here and protected from the tows and barges. 

We will travel to Green Turtle Bay tomorrow and stay there for almost two weeks.  A welcome retreat and a favorite stop for many Loopers.

Dinner on the grill tonight!

September 27, 2012 Day 139        Lock 53     Total miles to date:  3051.83

We experienced more firsts today!  This is the longest day we have traveled on the Loop: 135.5 miles in 12 hours and 10 minutes!!  We left the Kaskaskia Lock at 6:50 this morning just before sunrise under overcast skies. We made the decision this morning to go to Olmsted, which is the new lock and dam under construction on the Ohio River, and we planned to anchor there.  There is another closer anchorage at Angelo Towhead on the Mississippi near the junction of the two rivers, but we decided not to stop there behind the sand bar.

We took advantage of the current on the Mississippi and also increased our speed to make the destination before dark.  Of course when we reached the Ohio River the current was against us, so we went from 12 to 7 mph.

Following The Zone into the Ohio River

The Zone took the lead most of the day today with Bill still contacting all the tows on the radio.  There were many more tows today on the Mississippi, especially near Cape Girardeau, MO. 

We took turns at the helm today

We left the Mississippi River at 4:40 pm and entered the Ohio River near Cairo, IL.  When we got near Olmsted, Ross and Laura called Lock 53 to get permission to anchor at the Olmsted Lock. The Lock master suggested we go past there and anchor near the dam at Lock 53.  We anchored at 7:00 pm safely out of the channel, and happy to be secure for the night.

We had pizza for dinner and relaxed after our marathon day on the rivers.

We reached another milestone today – we have now gone over 3000 miles on the Loop.  We hope to reach Green Turtle Bay tomorrow if we can get through Locks 53 and 52 without a long wait.  Stay tuned!

September 26, 2012 Day 138   Kaskaskia Lock   Total miles to date:  2916.3

Passing one of many wing dams!
 

The Dredge Potter

We waited for a break in the rain this morning and left Hoppies at 10:15 with Ross and Laura on The Zone.  Since we have AIS, we took the lead and contacted all the tow boats.  There were fewer of them out today!  We also passed many wing dams and made sure we stayed in the channel. Even so we still experienced some of the whirlpooling effect.    

Carried Away at the
Kaskaskia Lock Wall

We pulled off the river and arrived at the Kaskaskia Lock and Dam at 2:15 and tied up to the lock wall.  By then it had started raining again.  But, we were glad to be there as there are very few places to stop for the night.  Our 42 mile day seems short to what we will experience tomorrow – we will get back on the Mississippi and travel over 100 miles and will have to find a good anchorage. We only have 12 hours of daylight!

We had dinner on board and called it an early evening since we will leave at daybreak.

September 25, 2012  Day 137   Kimmswick, MO Total miles to date:  2873.9

Kimmswick!

And these are just the
shops on one street!

Our day began as planned. We were in no hurry to leave for Kaskaskia because it was just a four hour trip. So, we walked the half mile into Kimmswick.  It is a lovely little town with several gift shops and the famous Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery.  But first we stopped at the quaint post office, only open from 9-12!  We needed to mail back a small package of tools our engine mechanic left behind in Peoria, so we were glad to find it open.  After walking past the shops (past, not in) we stopped for breakfast at the Blue Owl.  Then we stopped at their bakery counter to check out their pies for which they are so well known.  We came back to the boat with two half pies, peach and blackberry. We could not handle their apple pie which contains 18 apples and is higher than our refrigerator shelf!  We stopped to take pictures of the former country home estate (and now a museum) of Frederick and Mabel-Ruth Anheuser. He was the grandson of the Eberhard Anheuser, one of the founders of Anheuser-Busch Brewery. Outside the home is a well kept riding arena that is used by a non-profit organization. One of the horses walked over to the fence to see us!

The Blue Owl

As we were walking back to the boat, we were aware of the weather forecast for storms later in the day, and since Laura and Ross from The Zone were headed to Hoppies, we decided to stay another day.  One other boat stayed as well.  So, at 4pm we gathered with Fern again as she gave us the information we need as we head down the rivers.  We did not mind hearing it twice.


Pies, Pies, Pies!

One of the many lovely shops

We had dinner on board and then the storm hit, complete with heavy rain and wind and light hail. The storm eventually stopped and then came back again even stronger.

Anheuser Estate

Rain or shine, we will depart at 9:00 in the morning with The Zone for the Kaskaskia Lock.

September 24, 2012  Day 136    Kimmswick, MO     Total miles to date:  2873.9

Leaving the Grafton Harbor shortly after sunrise

We left Grafton Harbor at 7:15 under a sunny sky and with steam coming off the water, leaving the Illinois River behind as we entered the Mississippi River.  There were rocky cliffs to our port side between Grafton and Alton that commanded photos!

Rocky cliffs line the Illinois shoreline

The Spirit of Peoria was in Grafton!
We thought we were in the wrong place
 for a minute!

Our trip today took us through two locks, both with dual chambers.  The smaller chamber is used primarily for pleasure craft, and the larger for the tows and barges. We called the Mel Price Lockmaster and the lock was ready for us when we arrived, so we drove right in. Strangely enough, he did not close the gates for 30 minutes, then he did not lower the water for another 30 minutes! So what we thought was a quick lock through was not so quick!
Our 2^nd lock was the Chain of Rocks Lock (the one that had been closed for six days last week and created the huge backup of all types of boats). We waited about 15 minutes and then we were put in the smaller chamber with a working tug boat that had barges three wide.  All in all not a bad “locking” day!

The Gateway Arch
towers over the river

By 1:30, we passed the city of St. Louis with its famous Gateway Arch, completed in 1965 as a monument to the westward expansion of the US.  It overlooks the Mississippi River and attracts millions of visitors each year.  We did not make a stop in St. Louis this time. Many Loopers will go to a marina in Alton or St. Charles and drive into the city from there since there is no marina in St. Louis. 

The tows with their barges were everywhere today and we had to be vigilant. Bill was on the radio frequently asking them which side to pass. One tow captain he said he didn't care which side, just so we didn't run into him!  This is one busy river!

Carried Away at Hoppies

We arrived at Hoppies Marina at 3:30, our destination for the night. Hoppies is a must stopover for Loopers, partly because of location and partly because – well it is Hoppies. Fern and husband Hoppie have been there for 39 years, have taken over the work from his parents, and their children will do the same one day for them.  The marina is comprised of three barges that boaters tie up to.  They also have power and water available.  Each day Fern holds a training session on what to expect as we head down the Mississippi, Ohio, Cumberland, Tennessee, and Tombigbee Rivers to Mobile. She gave us advice on anchoring, passing tows on the winding river, locks, warning us of dangers etc.  While there we met a young man who had arrived by kayak – he was going all the way to New Orleans!  We invited him to join us for dinner, but he need to go farther than Hoppies today.

We had dinner on board (the well known Blue Owl Restaurant, along with every store in Kimmswick, is closed on Mondays).  Joyce finished the laundry and Bill imported Fern’s notes in his chart planning. 

We will depart in the morning for the Kaskaskia Lock which is a 42 mile trip.

September 23, 2012  Day 135   Grafton, IL       Total miles to date:  2758.5

Today was a fun day. Joyce’s sisters, Carole and Sharon, arrived about 10:30 and spent the day with us. We toured the boat first then after an early lunch on board Joyce took then down Main Street in Grafton.  They stopped and shopped at the flea market, a few antique stores and gift shops.

Carole, Joyce, and Sharon

When the ladies got back to the boat around 3:00, Bill was ready to take everyone for a boat ride (after we stopped at the fuel dock)! We ventured out into both the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers and enjoyed seeing several other boaters out on a Sunday afternoon. One of the Looper boats, Memsahib, was on its way in to the Harbor.  We haven't seen them since Ludington, Michigan!

After our boat ride we came back and had dinner onboard (gotta love the crock pot for making things easy!). We had a turkey dinner and enjoyed the Carole's yummy Pear pie that she brought with her.  They needed to leave shortly after dinner so we walked them back to their car and said good bye. We hope they can join us again soon.

We briefly chatted with some of the other Loopers before returning to our boat. We will leave tomorrow morning for Hoppies but unfortunately they all have to stay here longer. Two of the boaters are waiting for parts to be delivered! They will catch up with us in Green Turtle Bay in a few days.

 

September 22, 2012  Day 134   Grafton, IL       Total miles to date:  2758.5

Fun Name for
local Barber Shop

A day of rest was welcomed after our long trip yesterday.  We walked down Main Street in Grafton and stopped in one of the wineries and a few of the shops. Then we saw a sign for a Barber shop and Bill got his hair cut!  The lady barber knew all about the loop and she and her husband plan to do the loop in three years!

Winetasting!
Left to right: Carried Away, Attitude Changer,
The Zone, and Catmandu

At 4:00 we got together with Loopers on The Zone, Attitude Changer, and Catmandu for a wine tasting.  The names of the wines were certainly interesting and we had fun tasting a variety of red and white wines from the Grafton Winery.  Afterwards we watched the local Pirate Ship come into the dock ready to go out again for a tour. The owner took a Gibson houseboat and built a frame around it to form the pirate ship.  Then we stopped at the Grafton Harbor Restaurant again this evening for salad.

Pirate ship neeeds fuel too!

We made reservations at Hoppies for Monday, so we will leave here early Monday morning with Laura and Ross on The Zone.  We also changed our reservations at Green Turtle Bay to arrive on Friday. 

Grafton is a small town but is very active! There are many bands playing in the restaurants this weekend and there are many people out on their boats.  We also saw people heading to the Zipline about ¼ mile up the hill.

Two of Joyce’s sisters, Carole and Sharon, are driving to Grafton tomorrow to spend the day with us. They had planned to go to Green Turtle Bay but we cannot get there early enough. We are happy they can at least make the visit tomorrow and look forward to seeing them!