Now that we have internet service, it's time to update our blog. We have many days to catch up on! Our adventures continue . . . we have learned that every river is different and every lock is different. Keeps us on our toes!
We left Grafton Harbor Marina on Sunday, September 27. We had to go through 2 locks to get to Hoppies and we also had the pleasure of cruising by St. Louis! It is too bad it was a cloudy day.
Our destination was Hoppies Marina which is a barge tied off to the side of the Mississippi River near Kimmswick, Missouri. Hoppies is an important stop for the Looper community as there is no fuel available between Hoppies and Green Turtle Bay in Kentucky. Once all the boaters have docked, Fern (an institution in the Looper community) arrives to give her advice about what to look out for while on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.
When we woke up Monday morning, the river was totally fogged in. Our original destination was the Little River Diversion Canal, about 110 times down the river. The fog lifted at 11:00 a.m. and we departed around noon for the free wall at the Kaskaskia River Lock. The Kaskaskia River branches off of the Mississippi River about 40 miles south of Hoppies. There is a single lock on the Kaskaskia River and it is navigable for about 30 miles above the lock. The Army Corp of Engineers allows pleasure boaters traveling the Mississippi River to tie to the wall below the lock overnight. There were 5 Looper boats in total. We had docktails on the wall! It was a very quiet night knowing we were securely tied to the wall.
While at Hoppies, 2 men launced their canoe and were headed down the Mississippi River. They were tent camping and had been on the river for 6 weeks, having started at the head waters of the Mississippi in Minnesota. Interestingly, we met up with them a couple of times while we were cruising on the river and it was amazing to see their progress. Of course, they could travel in shallow water and hugged the bank to stay out of the way of the barges.
The next morning (Tuesday, September 29), the weather was rainy and thunderstorms were forecast for the Cape Girardeau area, which is near where the Little River Diversion Canal is located. A look at the radar suggested that the thunderstorms would miss Cape Girardeau so 3 of the Looper boats (Not Too Big, Grand Baron, and LeeLoo) decided to press on. Boats Aunt Aggie and Red Eagle decided to stay one more day on the free wall and wait for better weather.
The weather improved as we traveled nearly 70 miles down the Mississippi River to the Little River Diversion Canal. Because of the 3+ mph current, we made excellent time, traveling at approximately 12 miles per hour (fast for a trawler). Grand Baron pressed on, Not Too Big and LeeLoo entered the Diversion Canal for the night. We were far enough off the river to not be influenced by the wakes from the tows on the river. The Diversion Canal was also tight enough to protect us from the wind. We had a peaceful night at anchor which was excellent since this was our first full night at anchor.
On Wednesday, September 30 we departed the Diversion Canal and continued down the Mississippi River. After 49 miles, we turned east up the Ohio River. The Ohio River was wider and shallower than the Mississippi and for the first time the river current was against us. Challenges facing us for the day included the Olmsted Lock construction project and Locks 53 and 52. When we reached the Olmsted Lock construction project (which was huge!), we were asked to wait until an escort vessel could lead us through the construction project. Lock 53 was immediately beyond the Olmsted Project and we met up with Grand Baron there. After waiting about an hour, we were able to pass through the lock.
Lock 52 is about an hour past Lock 53 and when we arrived we were told that it would not be possible to lock us through before dark. We were instructed to anchor off to the side of the Ohio River on the Kentucky side just above the lock and dam. This was our second night at anchor and it was success because the anchor was set well and the river current kept us straight. The downside was that it was noisy from the river current hitting the boat (bow slap). We slept in the salon that night to get away from the noise.
Early the next morning (Thursday, October 1) we arrived at Lock 52 and had to wait an hour before entering the lock. Once through the lock, we continued up the Ohio River to the Cumberland River which we entered at 10:45 in the morning. The Cumberland River was narrow, very rural and similar to the Illinois River. There were many, many herons and eagles along the river. After 30 miles, we approached Barclay Lock and Dam where we were again told to wait for about an hour before locking through. Our destination, Green Turtle Bay was just above the Barclay Lock and we arrived just before 5:00 p.m. On arrival, we learned of a Loopers Barbecue that was just starting. At the barbecue we met many Loopers we were familiar with and also met many new Loopers. Green Turtle Bay is full of Loopers coming and going.
Green Turtle Bay Marina is such a nice resort that we decided to stay an extra day. We will now leave on Monday, October 5 and continue down the Tennessee River. After 2 days of being tied to barges for the night and 2 days of anchoring overnight, it feels great to be in a place where we have hot showers, restaurants and the ability to get to the grocery store! As a matter of fact, we borrowed a golf cart today so we could get a few groceries and post cards to mail to our 5 grandkids!
Sounds like an adventurous couple of days. Good to hear that you found ice cream and joy...joy showers. How did you find the sleeping in the galley....ya know we find it quite comfortable...so don't get too used to it:-)
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures!
ReplyDelete