11/27/08

Since we got a late start doing this blog stuff I thought I'd go back in time to when this adventure started and bring it up to date. We cast off the lines at 8:40 a.m. on 11/1/08 and headed South. After a stop in Sabula for fuel at Island City Harbor we continued down river. A slight wait at Lock 13 and a 20 minute wait at the Clinton RR bridge due to mechanical problems with the bridge (normal) allowed us just enough time to get into the LeClaire canal to anchor for the night. 1st day 2 locks, 2 RR bridges and 85 miles.

The next 7 days saw good weather and normal river travel with the usual waits at locks. Along the way we saw several things of interest. While passing Muscatine we noticed the excursion boat Adiamo which is normally spotted in Stillwater, Mn. At lock 24 we locked through with the Pathfinder which is a Corps of Engineers bouy tender. We were told to position behind him in the lock and when it was time to depart he would hold position while we exited the chamber. Only problem was that he didn't get the memo and kicked it in gear just as we were passing by his stern. I don't think he even bothered looking to see if all was clear. We survived and passed him shortly thereafter.

On Friday the 7th we passed through St.Louis. Very commercial with barges everywhere. Our speed went from 9.4 mph to 13.9 mph once we cleard through lock 27. It's nice going downstream! Of course I took a picture of the Arch which I will try to post. That night was spent at Hoppies in Kimswick, Mo. Hoppies is the last fuel stop until Kentucky Lake, a distance of roughly 250 miles. It was a rough night tied to the barges that constitute Hoppies since they are directly on the channel.

The day we left Hoppies we passed the tow Sally Archer pushing 42 barges against the current. Nightfall found us anchored off the chanel below Cape Girardeau, Mo. in the Little River Diversion Canal