Rainy on the Mississippi River

Where is the river?

On Monday, 9/28/15, we were ready to leave Hoppies at 7:00 am, but fog covered the river. Everyone on the dock stayed put and relaxed. I cooked fried eggs and toast, and we read our novels. We waited until 10:30 am to exit: The fog had lifted, and the sun was out. 

All the barges and tows had been waiting too, so the river was filled with action.  We pulled out of Hoppies in front of a tow.  “Come on, Captain,” the tow captain said when George asked if it was ok to come in front of him. 

The Captain Shelby House viewed from our stern.

We came up behind the tow named the Captain Shelby House, which was pushing 21 barges of coal, and George called to ask if it was ok to pass him.  “It’s ok with me, Captain,” the tow replied in a lackadaisical way. When we started around him on the “One” we saw two other tows coming at us on that side.  One seemed small.  He just had three or so barges.  The other was waiting in the curve.  He had lots of barges.  As we chugged around Shelby House, the waiting tow started up and came to us too.  We were a barge sandwich.  George proved his worth around the barges and tows today.

We drove 40 miles to tie up at the Kaskaskia Lock.  This is an easy stop.  We don’t have any services, but we are all on the same dock and can visit. We are with the four other boats from Hoppies: LeeLoo, Red Eagle, Grand Baron, and Knot Too Big.  After naps, we all had docktails together and chatted for a couple of hours.  It was fun to share stories from today and other looping days.  

Looking down the dock at Kaskaskia Lock, toward Aunt Aggie.

On Tuesday, 9/29/15, we decided to stay on the Kaskaskia dock for the day since it was raining.  Thunder storms were predicted for the afternoon.  Three of the boats left around 8:30 am.  We stayed with Red Eagle.  No one else arrived, which surprised us.  

We had a quiet, rainy day.  I read a ton, and George did some engineering. We had phone and internet service, so we chatted with lots of friends and family. At 4:00 pm we walked down the dock and played cards with Sherry and Saxe on Red Eagle.  It was fun to be off the boat and to get to know them better.  They both have military backgrounds, so our lives have been quite different.  

We came back to Aunt Aggie and cooked dinner and watched House of Cards.  We’re eager to get moving this morning.  

Note:  Aunt Aggie is now listed with Curtis Stokes.  You can see the listing at http://www.curtisstokes.net/trawler-mainship350-aunt-aggie.html

If you want a loop-ready boat, give our broker a call.  

We're at Hoppies Marina.

Inside the Mel Price Lock on the Mississippi River

We had great locking experiences this morning.  We left Alton Marina at 7:10 after talking to the lock master at Mel Price lock.  He told us he could lock us through at 7:30.  And he did!  We were in this huge lock with one other trawler, Journey, from Knoxville.  Then we motored another couple of hours and went straight into the Chain of Rocks Lock.  It was open with the green light flashing.  Woohoo!

At this point we were entering the St. Louis area. It was super busy with barges and tows.  We were lucky to be moving through on a Sunday.

Gateway Arch frames the city.

We arrived at Hoppies Marina around noon. Hoppies is a series of barges tied together and tied into the stone cliff at the town of  Kimmswick, Missouri.  Hoppies is famous to loopers.  It is a must stop on our trip.  We filled up with diesel and then moved around to a spot on the barge.

This is a panoramic view of Hoppies from the top of the cliff.  Aunt Aggie is at the far right end.

We walked into town to have lunch at the Blue Owl Restaurant, which is quite famous for their levee high apple pie. I had fried chicken, and George ordered chicken fried steak. All orders come with mashed potatoes. We also got green beans and salad.  Sadly, we were too full to order the pie.  There was more to town than we had expected:  lots of shops for tourists; several streets full of charm.  On the way we passed the Anheuser Farm with well tended horses.

There were seven horses in various fields. 

 This display sits outside the restaurant, celebrating their 30th year in business.

After the rich lunch, we returned to Aunt Aggie and greeted more arriving loopers. We also took showers, naps, and read.  Around 5:00 pm all the loopers met with Fern, the dock master, for her chart talk.  Fern tells the boaters where to anchor on the Mississippi River below Hoppies.  She has been doing this for many years.  Hoppie is in the hospital today, and Fern had been there with him, so we thought we were not going to meet her.  But she came to the dock and gave us advice and answered questions. She is a treasure.  Everyone took photos of Fern.  After her talk, we sat around and discussed our plans for tomorrow.

Fern (on the right) with a fan.

We will be anchoring out for the next three nights, moving down the Mississippi, the Ohio and onto the Cumberland River. We are traveling with Lee Loo, a boat we met last week. We may not have internet coverage or cell coverage.  So do not worry.  We will make notes and share the highlights once we arrive at Green Turtle Bay on the Cumberland River. We plan to be at Green Turtle Bay by Thursday.

We're on the Mississippi River.

Sailboats on the Mississippi River this morning. 

We left Grafton and cruised 16 miles to Alton down the Mississippi River this morning.  The wind was blowing more than it has.  There were a good many folks out.  We saw the two sailboats in the photo, several duck hunters moving in camouflaged bass boats to their blinds, and three tows pushing 9 barges each.  One tow came by us soon after we entered the river.  The other two were going south with us.  They were just moving at about 4 mph, so we needed to pass them.  George called them, and 

they told us which side to pass.  It takes a while to get beside them and then to move ahead.  We do not want to pull in front even though we are traveling at 9 mph.  For a while we had a tow/barge/Aunt Aggie sandwich configuration: one tow behind us and one in front.  It was nerve-wracking. 

We passed a tow on the "one" and then had to move across the water

to pass this guy on the "two." 

Alton Marina is a great spot with a pool, hot tubs, and covered slips.  We are here with Gud Nuff,
Nuclear Fishin, and Debt Finder. We've had good chats with all of them today.  We walked to town
(1 mile) and went to Mac's sports bar to watch the GA Tech/Duke game.  We are back to our usual position as suffering Tech fans.  After the game we went across the street to the public library and read magazines.  What a pleasure!

The street is blocked for a 1960s class party tonight.

Back at the marina we had some quiet time:  I read and George plotted more courses for us on Active Captain, getting us all the way from Hoppie's to Green Turtle Bay Marina.  We appreciate this calm day.  Tomorrow we will go to Hoppie's and meet Fern and Hoppie.  Can't wait!  Then it's down the Mississippi River, three nights at anchor, two major locks on the Ohio River, and into the Cumberland River at Green Turtle Bay.  This feels like a time to store up quiet before we work hard for four days.

Grafton, IL

It seems odd to need a break from looping, but we do.  We are happy to be sitting still. Today we slept in a bit, had breakfast, read the newspaper, and did some chores.  Martha did two loads of laundry. George folded the clothes while Martha went in a van with other loopers to the grocery store.  He also did some accounting, filled the tanks with water, and tightened the packing around the propeller shaft.  After putting away groceries, we went for a walk on Main Street.  You know you are in a touristy spot when there are four ice cream shops on Main Street.  We chose Edy's Rocky Road cones.

A sunflower as big as my head!

A famous old hotel, the Reubel Hotel on Main Street in Grafton.

There are lots of loopers here, some old friends and some new.  A group is leaving tomorrow for Hoppies, an iconic looper stop on the Mississippi River.  It is always packed.  We can't get in there until Sunday, so we are moving tomorrow to Alton, just 18 miles down the river.  We will watch the GA Tech- Duke football game at 11:00 am.  (Hope springs eternal.) Very excited to be moving on the great river tomorrow.  Pull out your Mark Twain, boys!

Woohoo! We made it to Grafton.

After a slow start this morning, we went 88 miles and ended up in Grafton at 5:00 pm.  We had finished the Illinois River in five days.  Woohoo!  We had a beautiful day on the river.  Here are some interesting moments.

Just above Grafton, we came upon a lone canoe paddler in the middle of the river. 

I hope I can remember how lovely it is to be on a river in fall:

sparkling and cool with birds. 

Another section above Grafton had lots of cottages built on stilts.

The houses also were behind large trees that trapped the river's debris in the flood cycle. 

We passed three car ferries today.

Watch out!  They are coming.

When we got to Grafton, we quickly showered and went to dinner up the hill with a bunch of 

loopers.  We knew Kenny and Kathy from No Zip Code, Jim and Paula from Palmetto Paradise, and 

Ralph and Linda from Mazel Tug.  There was one new couple too.  This was a casual dining spot with great wine and a fabulous view.  So happy to be here.

Looking down the hill at the river from the restaurant.

On a Barge in Beardstown

Martha, standing on a barge at Beardstown.

On Wednesday we traveled 80 miles from Peoria to Beardstown.  We had planned to tie to a barge or tow at the Logsdon Tow Service.  They allow loopers to stay for the night for $1/foot, but there are no services.  

When we arrived, we were the 7th boat, which is more than they can handle.  We rafted to Grand Baron, glad to be done with our traveling.  It was 3:00 pm.  

Getting off Aunt Aggie and into town was a feat.  Climbing around a dirty, rusty barge, past piles of wire and wood, without falling was a challenge.  Then we had to go up an open weave, metal stair.  We persevered, realizing this was the only time we would leave the boat.  

When you have a fear of heights, climbing up these stairs was no picnic. 

Actually, coming back down is the harder part.

The barges are full of building materials.  Awkward footing at best.

Beardstown is organized around a shady square.  Most of the loopers convened at a bar that featured an outdoor picnic table and 75 cent beer.  We met more new loopers and spent more time with Red Eagle and Lee Loo.  Lady KK is also here.  

Abraham Lincoln won the famous Almanac case here in a courtroom

that is still preserved.  He was the state legislator for this county too. 

In order to raise funds to restore the Grand Opera House, 

the town is raffling off a shotgun.

Dinner was pancakes and pears.  Then we went early to sleep, hoping to leave this morning at 7:00 to finish the Illinois River in Grafton, 88 miles away.

9/24/15, 7:30 am:

Our plans were crushed when we learned that the La Grange Lock, 8 miles south of Beardstown, is closed for maintenance.  All seven boats sat at the dock.  Red Eagle called the lock on the hour for the group.  We finally did leave at 8:00 am and drove over the lock slowly.  Yahoo! 

We had no internet on Wednesday, so I am sending this in route on Thursday morning.

Two Barges before Breakfast

This is one of the barges we passed this morning at 7:00 am. 

We exited Heritage Harbor at 6:50 am with a low mist on the water.  We saw a barge coming toward us and called him on channel 16.  No response.  He passed by without incident.  George had the radio on scan and heard him talking to another barge behind him.  "It's just a little ol' pleasure boat.  He didn't even call me."  So George spoke up and asked where the next tow wanted us.  Which side?  "On the two."  Our mistake: They were on channel 14.

We motored an hour to the Starved Rock Lock and Dam and called ahead to ask about coming through the lock.  The lock master said we would have to wait 46 minutes to an hour.  We sat in the river.  Then we came down and stayed behind the giant round bollards in front of the lock.  The Lemont Trader took a long time exiting and then reconnecting his barges before he got out of our way.

We are on the far side of the bollards. You see the tow in back,

pushing these barges out of the lock. 

That was our only lock today.  The rest of the day we spent watching birds, bridges, and barges and traveling from 10 - 11 mph, trying to get to the Illinois Valley Yacht Club (the Ivy club) before 4:00 pm when the staff went home.  We just made it.  We met two new looper boats on the dock: Lady KK and LeeLoo.  We will travel with them tomorrow. 

Something we don't have in the south:  the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge. 

The Peru Highway Bridge reflects nicely. 

Hundreds of white pelicans gather on the river.

Some flew away as we passed.

Heritage Harbor - a quiet marina with services. Woohoo!

There are two tows pushing barges in this photo.  

In the foreground is a tow pushing barges filled with sand.

Behind is the larger set of barges with its tow.

We are sitting on the side, trying to stay out of their way as they exit the lock.

Our day began in industrial Joliet and ended in rural Ottawa, Illinois.  We slept well on the wall even though the Michael C, an industrious tow, pushed at least three loads past us during the night.  

We called Brandon Road Lock at 6:30 am to ask for passage down.  The lock master said he had a tow in the lock with a double load of barges, a three hour process.  We agreed to come at 8:30 am.  We needed to wait for the drawbridge, which is closed from 7:30 - 8:30 am.  There is nowhere to wait at the Brandon Road Lock, so we wanted to be sure he would take us into the lock.  We called him again at 8:20, and he said yes, we were next.  However, it would probably be 9:00 am before we could enter, but come on down.  

As we approached the lock, we could see that it was open, and a tow was ready to exit.  Slowly it did move out.  We called and asked if we could enter.  "No," the lock master said.  "There's a second tow and barges in there too." Sure enough, here came the tow, pushing barges loaded with sand.  One barge went left to the bank.  The other went straight to the bridge.  We sat on the other side, waiting for the green light.

After that lock we motored on the Des Plaines River through tight spots with barges lining the river.  

We passed factories of all types.  Around 11:00 we approached the Dresden Lock. Right before Dresden Lock, the Kankakee River joins the Des Plaines.  They form the Illinois River.  We waited in the river while they turned the lock around for us.  Even though we call when we are about 2 miles away, they will not prepare the lock until they see us.  So we have to sit and wait.  George has gotten really good at this.  If we are in an open place without much current or other boats, it is not stressful.  

After Dresden Lock we had lunch in the salon before going back to the fly bridge.  The day was sunny, and the fly bridge was a cheery spot.  We were just finishing lunch when we got a call on the radio.  "Aunt Aggie, I am approaching you and will pass you on the two. This is Omar."  Omar, a tow, had seen our boat on his AIS, which we had turned on upstairs.  We were not looking at ours, so we didn't know he was two bends in the river from us.  

Omar was pushing 12 barges - 3 x 4.

The current was a big help on the Illinois River. We were driving 10.5 mph all afternoon.  Woohoo!

See the current moving water around the channel marker?

We had expected to reach our marina at 5:00 pm after our late start and three locks. (At the end of the day we went through the Marseilles Lock too.)  However, with the push from the current on the Illinois River, we got here at 3:15.  We had a pump out and borrowed the courtesy car to go to Kroger.  What a blessing to be in a marina with real service.  Even though we still are without looper companions, we feel like we are on vacation today.  

We saw lots of duck blinds along the rivers.  If we were here on

Saturday, would they be shooting around us?

Joliet - Where are the Blues Brothers?

 A bald eagle looks over the Cal-Sag Waterway.

Oh, I slept poorly last night.  I could not rest my anxious brain.  And no wonder:  the methane flare out the window, the constant trains with their whistles, the sirens.  Marine Services was a loud marina.  

We left this morning at 7:00 am.  It was chilly, but there was the promise of sunshine later.  We started our trip at the lower station inside because the upper area was wet and cold.  We went up about an hour later and enjoyed a sunny day on the Cal-Sag Waterway, the Chicago Sanitary Canal, and just a touch of the Des Plaines River before tying to the free wall at Joliet, IL.

Here is the intersection of the Cal -Sag waterway (right) and the Chicago Sanitary

Canal (left). I took this looking off the stern toward Chicago.  Good-bye, Chicago!

Barges waiting on the canal.

The photo does not show how crowded the Chicago Sanitary Canal is.  Barges park on 

the sides.  Tows move around to get the barges in order. There is only one lane open for thru- boats.  If we met a moving barge, life would be exciting.  We were lucky to come through here on a Sunday.

We saw just two moving tows.  One of them was pushing a barge in front of us. Then he stopped and backed up.  We called and confirmed that he was backing toward us. He said he needed to connect his barge to another. So we sat in the canal for a while. I kept a look-out in the back, hoping no one would approach. Finally, the tow moved to the side and said we could pass. 

Asian Carp are kept out of the Great Lakes by this electric fence.

We went through the Lockport Lock after waiting 20 minutes for the lock to fill.  We were the only boat in the lock. Waiting is hard due to river current, but being in the lock is easy.  After the lock we entered the Des Plaines River at Joliet and three draw bridges in a row opened for us.  They say, "Keep a coming, Captain," when I call to ask them for an opening.  So we move toward the low bridge, and voilá it opens.  

Now we are tied on the wall.  There is free space and electricity.  Thank you, Joliet!

 Sorry to report that we did not find any other boaters here. Hoping for a quiet night with sleep.

Industrial Space

This is the entrance to our marina.

We stayed another day at Marine Services marina in Calumet because of the storm last night.  We received about 3 inches of rain.  So George was concerned that the canal water level would be too high for us to pass under a 19'7" fixed bridge.  This is the lowest bridge we will go under, and it does not open.  Yesterday we touched a 19'1" bridge, so the deluge in the night worried him.  Today we remeasured our boat's height above the water.  We are 15.75 feet above the water level.  (Math problem:  How high was the river if we touched a 19'1" bridge?)

We used an Uber car to go to Buffalo Wild Wings in Calumet City to watch the GA Tech/Notre Dame football game.  The game was disappointing, but the wings were not.  The manager, a Notre Dame fan, turned the game on with sound for us and came by to chat several times.  We got home before dark and managed to get inside the fenced yard.

The marina is in an industrial area.  On one side is a landfill, and on 

the other are two rail lines. 

At night we can see the methane flare burning in the landfill. 

George is one of the few people not bothered by this.

We received a flood warning for the Des Plaines River and wondered if that is going to affect us.  We studied our maps and looked up the Des Plaines on river gages.com. It was hard to be sure even though it is north of Chicago.  Then George called the lock master for the Lockport Lock and Dam and asked him about the river height.  That lock is 9 miles south of our fixed bridge. The lock master was helpful and explained that the river is actually low because they lowered it in expectation of flooding.  Tomorrow it may return to normal height, but we should have the 19'7" of clearance.  

We plan to leave at 7:00 am, headed for the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Rail Road Bridge, the Lockport Lock and Dam, and ultimately Joliet Free Wall, Joliet, Illinois.  

Our Crazy Afternoon

Good-bye to Lake Michigan!

Last night there was a huge storm.  I have never heard such thunder.  It sounded like a monster walking toward us.  Heavy, deep steps woke me in the night. I always think of ancient people, and wonder what their explanation was for the otherworldly sounds in a powerful storm.  We were awake for a while and then slept in.

We had a lazy day today at Hammond Marina. We filled our water tank and studied our Skipper Bob book about the rivers.  We watched the Steven Colbert interview with Joe Biden. We expected to leave Hammond on Saturday after another rainy night.

Around 2:00 pm I checked the Great Lakes forecast on NOAA.  I hope this was my last time with that site.  There is a gale warning for our area until Saturday afternoon.  Gale force winds on the lake on Saturday.  Oh, no!  We will be stuck here again. Waves from 7 - 10 feet are predicted.  Even though we just have three miles to the Calumet River, we cannot go out in that weather.  I was shocked and dismayed.  It felt like one more bad joke from Lake Michigan.

We decided to go!  We called several marinas quickly.  Most did not answer. Finally, Marine Services picked up the phone and said we could come, but they would not be there at 5:00 to help us. I ran to the marina office to turn in the gate key.  George checked the oil and opened up the fly bridge area.  We took off the electrical power and our dock lines.  We left the dock at 3:00 pm.  Rain was expected at 5:00pm.  We had 13 miles and one lock to get to a marina that would take us in.  The sky was cloudy, but there was no wind and no waves.

We drove 9 mph to the turn in for the Calumet River.  First, we went under a railway bridge that usually stays open. Then we came up to the 92nd Street Bridge, which has a listed height of 19 feet.  We think we need 16.5 feet.  As we got closer, the bridge looked low.  A tow was sitting with a sailboat he had rescued off the lake, waiting for the bridge to open.  We decided to go around him and go under the closed bridge.  The tow said, "You should let down your anchor light.  You should lower your antenna."  I climbed around and lowered the antenna, but I didn't have time or a tool to lower the anchor light. When we went under, the anchor light bumped the bridge.  Scary! The good news was that the anchor light got lowered that way, and I pulled it down more after we passed.

Here we approach a railroad bridge in the up position 

and a bascule bridge that's probably about 20 feet of clearance.  Looks low, doesn't it?

This is an industrial waterway lined with barges. There were piles of coal, sand, recycling.  We passed at least three landfills.  There were lots of bridges, but none were as low as the 92nd Street.  (Later we heard that the 92nd Street Bridge was stuck in the closed position, so that poor tow boat captain was stuck out there. Not a fun Friday night.)

 The blue stripe is the top of our bimini.  We are about a foot under this bridge.

Here we come out the other side. Whew!

We continued to the Thomas J. O'Brien Lock.  Going through took thirty minutes even though we were lowered only two feet. We were the only boat in a huge lock.  The lock master said just to float in the lock. As soon as we got inside, he closed the back gate and opened the front.  However, he kept the front open just about 5 feet for what seemed like forever to equalize the water levels. Of course, thunder and lightning started while we were sitting there. I had to work on staying calm. We motored two more miles after the lock and turned into the Marine Services Marina with lots of lightning popping.  We pulled up to the C Dock, and I got the lines tied.  Thank you, Jesus, there was zero wind. We waited for a half hour for the storm to calm before going out to hook up electricity.  Now we are all set:  safe, happy, having wine and popcorn.  So glad we came this far.

We should have a quieter night here than at Hammond.  Tomorrow we can leave when the rain stops and go to Joliet.  We are excited about the Georgia Tech - Notre Dame football game at 2:30 pm.  We plan to use Uber to go to a sports bar.  Go Jackets!

Lots o' Chores

Today we got up early to clean off the boat and be ready for the boat broker, Mike from Curtis Stokes. We took all of our personal belongings down and put them onto a nearby dock. We really stripped the boat down to the essentials.  It looked bare but clean.  This could be anyone's boat.  Yours??

Here is the front window as it usually looks.  For the broker, we stripped it.

It was clean!

Mike arrived soon after 8:00 am; we signed papers, and he took photos and video. He stayed all morning.  I did two loads of laundry while he was on the boat.

George and I walked over for sandwiches at the marina deli/store.  We paid for another day of dockage here.  Rain is coming tonight, and we cannot leave tomorrow as we had hoped.  We think Saturday will be a good travel day.  I asked about a courtesy car for going to the grocery and was told that a security guy might be able to take me to Walmart in the afternoon.

So Ron took me to Walmart.  I shopped and then called him, and he brought me back to the marina.  Great!  Getting to the store is a major accomplishment.  Since Ron was driving, I bought cleaning supplies and kleenex and shampoo and heavy items.  I also got fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy.  We are all set for the rivers.

When I returned, George was down in the aft bilge area, fixing the rudder indicator.  He actually got stuck and called for me to pull him free.  I did.  I did not run for the camera although I immediately regretted not having a photo.  (It's hard to get good photos from a chore day.)

We had to put the boat back together after preparing it for the boat broker.  We pulled up the dinghy and closed up the fly bridge area.  We returned all the personal items back into their places.  It is going to rain a bunch tonight, so we want to be tidy and secure.  It is cozy on a boat when you are ready for the rain.  When you are not ready, it is frantic and wet.

So we have done lots of work today. We are tired but pleased.  Happy Thursday!

Rain is coming.

Back in Hammond

Sunset in Hammond, Indiana

We're back!  We spent a week in Atlanta with family and friends, and now we are back on Aunt Aggie.  I really needed to see everyone in our hometown, but I also felt torn while we were there.  Our looper friends were moving into the rivers, going to Joliet and Ottawa and even Grafton, Illinois, while we were visiting at home.  

Today we arrived back here at 2:30 after paying a taxi $76 for the trip from the airport.  So yes, Uber was cheaper.  We felt fussy.  We were tired, and the boat was dirty.  We have a boat broker coming in the morning to take photos, so we had to clean this afternoon.  

We started by moving the dinghy to a side slip. That way the boat's name is noticeable. Then we went

 up top, scrubbing, opening up the isinglass, and dusting away the spiders.  Spider webs are resilient! They survive the blast from the hose.  They just wait us out.  I know right now they are outside, reweaving.

Next we scrubbed the front and sides of the boat.  Then we attacked the swim platform and cockpit area.  Everywhere there was dirt, grime, spider poop, trapped insects.  One thing I hate about cleaning the boat is that as I clean, I see more dirt.  I want to clean more.  I am not satisfied.  

After we cleaned, we came inside and had a gin and tonic.  The sun worked its magic, and the boat definitely looked better.  It is not perfect, but it is better.  We had eggs, grits, and toast for supper and watched John Oliver and Steven Colbert.  George went to bed early.  I started a new book.  

Hammond Marina is quiet.  No one seems to be here with us.  All we hear is train whistles.  It is an isolated place.  Only one looper boat is here now.  We often are surrounded by loopers, but we also have these days of quiet and solitude where it is just George and me.  This is different from our life in Atlanta, but I appreciate the solitude.

Another view of the sunset today.