Year 2 Day 177

Today is Sunday, September 23rd and we're currently in Bethesda, MD.  Our plan is to have my car serviced tomorrow and possibly Tuesday and leave on Wednesday morning heading back to York River Yacht Haven where we spent last winter in order to visit a friend.  After that we'll head to Hampton Roads near Norfolk to visit more friends before heading to South Carolina to visit Dataw Island once again.  We also plan to check out another development called The Landings near Savannah, GA. 

Next we head to Texas - first to Dallas to visit our daughter Kelly and then on to San Antonio where we'll stay with our daughter Sherrie and granddaughter Lauren until October 12th or 13th when we'll fly back to Paducah and the boat.  Hopefully we'll have a decision about my knee and a plan to finish the loop.  Check back at that time.

Year 2 Day 172

Today is Tuesday, September 18th and we arrived at Green Turtle Bay, Kentucky yesterday afternoon - finally!  After we left Hoppies we only traveled about 4 1/2 hours to a place recommended by Fern to tie up.  It was on the wall next to the Kaskaskia Lock.  Actually, there was a Corps of Engineers barge there and we tied up on it.  We expected other loopers to be there but we were the only boat there.  The lockmaster told us to keep our VHF on channel 14 all night in case he needed us to move due to the release of water from the dam but it wasn't necessary and we had a peaceful night.

The barge we tied onto

Queen Kathleen tied on barge

The dam in the background

After leaving this spot we headed back out into the Mississippi River which by the way was the worst cruising we've experienced.  The scenery wasn't attractive, the river turned and twisted so much that you couldn't look away for a minute and the barge traffic was incredible! 

A typical barge we passed

You can see how low the water is

by this rock

 The one good thing about it is the current pushes you so you gain a few knots in speed.  We had read about this in all our cruising guides so were expecting it.  Also, there are very few anchorages or marinas along this stretch so prior planning is a must. 

Our first anchorage after leaving the lock was at a place called Angelo's Towhead which was near the intersection of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.  Actually, this wasn't such a bad spot and another boat joined us later in the evening.  We left at 6:30 AM and headed up the Ohio River against the current.  The first lock on the Ohio was dicey as the lockmaster seemed to need a Xanex - he was wired and screaming at all 3 boats waiting.  In this lock, each boat had to raft up next to the other because the walls were cylindrical rather than straight.  We were glad to leave and headed to the next lock.  One of the boats was a fast boat and once they got to the next lock they had to wait for us.  I'm sure they weren't happy about that.

Finally we reached our next anchorage at a place called the Cumberland Towhead.  Once again we were the only boat there.  This was a beautiful and peaceful anchorage and the only negative was somebody shooting in the distance but that didn't last long.

Mike on bow at Cumberland Towhead

Sunset at Cumberland Towhead

We left early once again and headed into the Cumberland River from this anchorage.  This River was very beautiful and serene and the only negative today was the weather - overcast, cool and drizzly. 

Heading into the Cumberland River

Small church alongside river

Fisherman holding up his catch to show us

We had one more lock to get through before reaching Green Turtle Bay - the Grafton lock. 

Preparing to go through the lock - cute?

Entering the lock

Holding on to the bollard inside lock

We have paid for a one month slip here at Green Turtle Bay Marina and plan to fly to Washington, D.C. on Friday to pick up my car at our son-in-law's house and drive it back to San Antonio.  I have appointments with 3 surgeons to discuss knee replacement the week of October 8th and once this is done, we'll make a decision about whether to finish the loop now or later.

Year 2 Day 167

Today is Thursday, September 13th and we're on the river near a town called Kimmswick, Missouri and parked at a place called Hoppies.  This isn't much of a stop but as they say, "it's the only game in town".  We're parked against a barge but at least we have power.  This is the second night for us to stay here as we arrived late yesterday and we wanted to see the town and have lunch at the Blue Owl which we've heard so much about.

Prior to leaving Grafton, we went up to the top of the hill and had lunch at a place called Aeries.  The view is absolutely incredible and you can almost see St. Louis from there.

Mississippi River looking south

Looking down at the marina from

Aeries Restaurant

We left Grafton on Wednesday morning about 7:00 and had two locks to clear before continuing down the Mississippi River.  Before reaching the lock we passed this statue on the side of the river which was built after the disastrous flood of 1951 as gratitude for the water stopping just short of flooding the village of Portage des Sious.  Mid July each year, the blessing of the fleet is held at the Shrine.

Our Lady of The Rivers

  The first lock was the Mel Price lock and we cleared it with no problem.  A little while later we approached the Chain of Rocks lock and ended up drifting around in circles for 3 hours waiting for a barge which was stuck inside the lock and then stuck trying to exit.  The river is down so much this year due to no rain.  In fact, the usual anchorages along the river are out of the question because of the depth.

Barge stuck in the lock

Once we cleared this lock we were on our way down the Mississippi River which will take us about 3 days of unpleasant cruising due to constant barge traffic and a very narrow river due to shallow water.  We passed St. Louis and saw the Arch.

The Arch with the old courthouse

in the background

Wait - are we in Missouri or Texas???

We arrived at Hoppies with 3 other boats and we got the last spot along this old barge.  They used to have room for other boats on the other side of the barge but as you can see, the water level is down so much that their business is way off.

In years past the water went

all the way up to the treeline

Every afternoon Fern of Hoppies gives a talk on what to expect along the river as you leave.  All boaters take advantage of this as she really knows what she's talking about.  This is a photo of those in attendance this afternoon.

Fern is the lady at the head of the table

in the white t-shirt

We leave in the morning at about 8:00 AM and the first night will be tied to a lock wall along the way and the second night will be anchored.  Then we should be leaving the Mississippi River.

Year 2 Day Day 163

Today is Sunday, September 9th and we've been here at Grafton Harbor Marina since last Wednesday.  This is a very nice marina and a great little town.  We had dinner Wednesday night with several other boaters and then had to say good-bye to them on Thursday morning.   I spent the day doing laundry and reading around the pool while Mike had a mechanic on board checking out a small fuel leak and then after a test run, Mike changed the oil.

We rented a car on Friday morning and headed to St. Louis where we spent the night at a Fairfield Inn in Fenton.  We couldn't work out the dinner with my cousin JoAnn so we went to the mall where I had my nails done.  Since it was raining pretty heavily, we had dinner at the mall and then headed back to the hotel.  We met JoAnn and her husband Joe at the Cracker Barrell for Breakfast and it was good to catch up as we hadn't seen her for about 10 years.  After a great breakfast, we headed to Steelville where I planned to visit my mom's grave.

JoAnn and Joe Slade

We discovered that all the small towns were having their Patriot Day celebration so they were very crowded but we enjoyed seeing small town America.  My mother was born and raised in Steelville and I remember visiting this small town numerous times as a child and one of the things I remembered was the park with all the ducks and it's still there.

We had a relaxing day and night in a motel in St. James, Missouri to include a trip to the local winery where I tasted several wines and purchased two.  After going to church this morning, we drove to St. Louis again and drove by my grandmother's old house which holds so many memories for me.  Unfortunately the current owners aren't taking very good care of the yard and my grandmother would be so unhappy if she could see it today.

We went grocery shopping and headed back to Grafton and the boat.  Just as we were getting close we got a call from a fellow boater who had just pulled into the marina.  We haven't seem them for awhile so I know we'll enjoy visiting before leaving Tuesday or Wednesday.



Year 2 Day 159

Today is Tuesday, September 5th and after a very long day (almost 10 hours) we stopped alongside a barge near the town of Beardstown, Illinois.  There is no marina here and no town dock but for $1.00 per foot, they'll let you park overnight tied up to this barge.  Since we have no power, we're running the generator for awhile to cool the boat down and as Mike doesn't like to run it overnight, we'll have to do with fans.

We ended up spending two days at Ottawa parked at the dock due to the remnants of Hurricane Isaac causing rain and higher winds than we like. The first night we were parked there, at about 9:00 PM, I heard a boat outside and went to check it out.  It was a trawler coming in very late as they were held up 5 hours at the last lock due to barge traffic.  Since they had noplace to go, they asked us if they could raft up to us and of course we said yes. 

Wind Song rafted next to Queen Kathleen

 As it turned out, we probably could have left on Sunday as Wind Song did because it cleared up later in the day but to be on the safe side, we stayed.  Mike and I went to church and then to breakfast.  Later we went to the movies and saw Hope Springs with Meryl Streep and really did enjoy it.

We left Monday morning and went as far as Hamm's Marina near Peoria.  This wasn't much of a marina but at least we had power.  The one amazing thing we noticed was  across from the marina entrance there must have been hundreds of white pelicans sitting on the shore.  I was amazed as one of the things I enjoyed so much in the fall at Rockport, TX was the number of white pelicans down there for the winter.  They are simply gorgeous!

Hard to see but there are hundreds

of white pelicans lined up on the shore

6:30 AM leaving Hamm's Marina

White Pelicans leaving too

Pelicans flying off through the haze

This is what boredom does - Kathy

practicing some old kickboxing class movements

It was a very long day today and the Illinois River is not very interesting.  It's pretty but there's not much to see along the way except the occasional barge and tow.

Paddleboat parked at Peoria

We have another long day tomorrow where we'll stop at Grafton, MO and this is where we'll have to say good-bye to Carl and Ricki as they'll be heading back home to West Virginia.  Mike and I will be renting a car and traveling to St. Louis where I hope to visit with a cousin and also to visit my mom's grave.  I think we'll be there at least 3-4 days before heading south again.