We slid past the National Eagle Center (www.nationaleaglecenter.org) located right on the Wabasha waterfront and within minutes we were out of town. We passed by many sand dunes and in no time we were transiting Lock 4 at Alma, Wi.
The channel winds from Wisconsin over to the Minnesota side through a sheltered course. And then a few miles above Lock 5 it opened up to feel the full effect of the wind. Kim did a great job of getting Vagabond into the chamber with the wind howling up her skirt. It was blowing hard enough to create white caps inside the chamber until the gates were closed!
Once through the lock the channel narrowed and the wind was less of a problem. Lock 5A was ready for us and through it we went. A short while later we pulled along the Winona, Mn. sea wall and ventured into town to find a liquor store.
We found the liquor store.
We new we were in trouble when the highest priced bottle of wine was only $5.95!
Lets just say that the liquor store isn't in the best part of town so once we made our purchase it was back to the boat for us.
Just downstream we pulled into The Winona Marina, formerly the Winona Yacht Club. The wind was pushing us into the dock and there was no one around to catch a line. Once secured we saw the sign with a phone number on it. Kim called and found out the attendant was at lunch. Wait we did. Finally he slowly comes down the dock. A pumpout is what we needed so once he got the antiquated system primed the job was completed. Cost...$20.00! When the attendant was paid he went back into the hut never to be seen again. No help with lines. No help pushing us off the dock. Nothing! Must have been time for his nap!
We got off and worked our way south through Lock 6 and Lock 7 and on to our anchorage just off the channel across from downtown La Crosse.
Our anchorage in downtown LaCrosse.
The shoreline blocking the wind and anchored in a no wake area made for a very peaceful night.
Our travel the next day took us all of 1 mile to Pettibone Boat Club where we docked for the evening so we could check out a restaurant in downtown La Crosse.
Fat and Happy we pulled out of Pettibone the next morning and made our way South. Destination...Garnet Lake.
Once again we made a pit stop in Lansing for fuel, ice, and more Cow Pie.
We spent two nights anchored in Garnet and on the lay day took the dinghy for a ride through the backwaters on the Wisconsin side of the river. Just below Garnet the Wisconsin River dumps into the Mississippi. A great place to explore with it's sand bars and multiple channels. This time however we went towards Prairie Du Chien. Through shallow water that required tilting the motor up, and down dead end sloughs that had been dammed by the beavers. It reminded me of my childhood exploring the backwaters in my 14' jon boat and trusty Evinrude 3hp motor. We were all Huck Finn's for a few hours.
One of the things that I don't think I've ever mentioned about Garnet Lake is the large number of Bald Eagles that seem to reside there. Every time you look up or at the trees you can usually spot one or more scanning their territory. It's a sight that you never get tired of. Unfortunately my camera doesn't zoom in close enough to get a good picture. You'll just have to go there to see for yourself.
Our last night was a peaceful one on the hook and all too soon we were back underway trying to get home before the forecasted thunderstorms moved in.
Once again we were lucky at the locks with very little wait at either 10 or 11. The weather cooperated and only gave us brief showers for our final 50 miles luckily waiting until we were under cover of the dock, safe and sound at Mid-Town Marina. A great trip come to a close. We traveled 504 total statute miles. 464 on the Mississippi and 40 on the St. Croix.
Many thanks to Kim & Lu as well as Vagabond for their hospitality!
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