Days 11-15

Today was a tough day, We finished the Mississippi at Cairo, IL where we made a left turn on the Ohio. After traveling 60 miles against heavy current, we turned onto the Cumberland River, again moving upstream. Finishing with the Barkley Lock and then a mile run to Green Turtle Bay Marina, we got into our slip just before dark after traveling 148 miles--a long day indeed. The Barkley lock is the most modern we've seen and one the the highest so far, moving us up 57 feet. While locking through, Russ' son, Jim, phoned to chat with Russ, not knowing Russ was on this trip. I told Jim that his dad was a bit busy, holding a line around a bollard on a lock wall on the Cumberland River and that, yes, he was still adventuresome at the age of 80!

Russ left for home after resting a day, and we stayed another couple of nights at this wonderful marina both to rest and to finish the marine survey required by our new insurance carrier. We enjoyed the fine on-site restaurant as well as a restaurant named Patti's in the little village nearby. We made good use of the marina's courtesy car, making trips to a grocery store and to Walmart's. Our bikes came off the boat as the weather turned warmer, and we finally got the chance to get some exercise and do some exploring off the boat.

Day Ten

During the next stretch of the river we passed inumerable tows, the largest of which pushed 35 barges! We virtually flew down river, enjoying the push of the rapid current. Leaving Hoppies, we traveled 110 miles downstream to a cut off the river called Little River Diversion Canal, just south of Cape Girardeau, MO.
We anchored out here overnight with four other boats, all of which we had seen at Hoppies. It was a great anchorage and one the very few overnight possibilities on the Mississippi.

Days 7-9

Now we move down the Mississippi River. past St. Louis and its arch, to Hoppies Landing. Hoppies consists of four flat top barges linked in a row alongside the RDB (right descending bank) of the Mississippi River, sixty miles from the Illinois. Its delightful owners run this family business which dates back to the mid-1930's.
Fern, the female half of the Hopkins' partnership, holds court at 4:30 each day to advise cruisers about what to expect downstream. For us, her advice was invaluable, especially given the current state of the river. Two days before we arrived, the river had risen 23 feet! Now it was dropping about 3 feet per day, but the current was running about 3 to 5 knots. The debris coming downstream was so heavy that it appeared at times one could walk across the river. We took several photos of the debris, but they could not do justice to what was actually out there. We stayed three nights here, taking care of business (good cell and air card reception), visiting the nearby town, and settling an issue with our marine insurance company, which decided to leave the marine business at this, for us, very inopportune time.

Days Five-Six

We had to wait an hour and a half for the first of two locks we transited after Peoria. After that--clear sailing! Though we intended to stop after 88 miles, the docking wall at Beardstown where we hoped to stay, had been recently removed. We could had tied up to a rickety barge--for a fee, of course--but decided instead to continue on to Grafton, 75 miles downstream to the end of the Illinois River. We arrived late in the day, with only the low light of a gorgeous sunset. Grafton is a picturesque river town with a main street only a short stroll from its modern marina. Upon seeing the town, we decided to spend an extra day to experience its many shops, restaurants, markets, and historic buildings. Russ and Dave enjoyed a glass of wine at one of the town's wineries, and were entertained by dozens of spirited patrons, dancing to the music of a equally spirited zydeco band.

Day Four

We traveled only 30 miles or so today. Passing miles of wildlife refuge areas we saw hundreds of relatively rare White Pelicans. Also, moving down river in the rain, we saw our second or third river boat of the trip so far. To tie securely for the night, we had to imaginatively lay up perpendicularly to three finger piers at the Peoria town docks. Dave took a taxi to a clinic for a required blood test, and after a short rest for all of us, we had a nice dinner at Joe's Crab Shack nearby.

Day Three

A cold, but sunny day. We stopped at Henry's Landing and tied up to trees while inside the walls of the first lock built on the Illinois. The broken limestone walls of the old lock gave it a nice ambiance.

Day Two

We entered the Calumet River at 8:45 and soon after asked for our first bridge lift. Going through this industrial area, we made many such requests. Though we met only a few tows (tugs pushing barges), we practiced communicating with them. Besides learning to radio bridge tenders and tow captains, we had other experiences to raise the blood pressure a little. First, we re-learned how to go through river locks. Second, we carefully passed under the lowest fixed bridge on the loop after taking down our television satellite dome in pouring rain. And third, we transited the infamous fish barrier erected near Joliet. This barrier consists of electric cables strung under water to keep Asian Carp from passing into the Great Lakes. After donning life jackets, agreeing to verbal waivers, and following coast guard instructions, we passed through the barrier without incident. After 7 1/2 hours, we docked at Harbor Side Marina, a great little place near Wilmington, IL. Complete with a nice restaurant, it was a perfect stop at the end of an eventful day.

Day One

Perfect Timing left the Grand Haven pierhead at 8:00 today, Oct. 5. We had a weather window today with 5-7' seas yesterday and 10-14' seas predicted for tomorrow night. Leaving, we had 4-6' rollers which were no problem for us. Seas subsided to 1-3's at the half-way point, and we cruised past the beautiful Chicago skyline on flat seas and with sunny skies six hours after departure. As often happens in the weeks before a major adventure, roadblocks kept popping up for us before we left. However, we figured out a way to pull the lines. We felt we deserved it. After all, October 5 is our anniversary! Our friend, Russ Sauer, joined us in our slip at Hammond Marina after flying in from Fort Myers. After dinner at the nearby casino, we hit the sack early.