There was barely a ripple on the water as we departed the pit. Sunny and cool enough that a light jacket was required for the first couple of hours. It wasn't long and we were cruising past Minnieska, Mn., the small town where the Ferris wheel was invented.
Nearby we spotted these Canadian Geese gathered in the shallows.
The channel snakes around along the Minnesota bluffs before narrowing at Lock 5.
The duckweed is starting to work it's way south along with other grasses that at times can cause problems by clogging sea strainers.
We slipped through the lock and followed the channel past Fountain City, Wisconsin.
We locked through 5A without delay and slid past Winona on what was turning out to be a near perfect cruising day. A short while later we were at Trempeleau and entering Lock 6.
Still no traffic other than a few small fishing boats to keep us company as we continued following the current South. Eventually we came upon a small tug working at a dredging area. Once we were past he pulled out into the channel and followed us to and into Lock 7.
On our way upstream we had noticed what appeared to be a rental houseboat pulled into the shore and partially submerged below Lock 7. Once we were in the chamber we asked the lock attendant what the story was. His report was confirmed and added to by the attendant on our downstream trip.
Here's the story. Sometime around the Memorial Day week-end this rental boat was above the lock and dam waiting to lock through to the South. The water was in flood conditions with very strong currents and the roller gates on the dam were wide open letting the water flow freely through it.
The houseboat was equipped with only one outboard engine as is so often the case on many of the rentals we have encountered over our years on the Upper Miss. According to the lock attendants this particular rental company was not noted for their upkeep of the equipment. Seems that several times they had caused delays at this lock because of mechanical issues. This time was definitely the worst of their problems.
The engine quit while above the lock and they couldn't get it running again. The current was swift and pulled them into the gates of the dam where eventually the effects of the fast moving water rolled the boat over and through the dam. There were 10 people on this boat and fortunately all were rescued alive with only minor injuries. The boat was towed to shore where it still sits today. Lawsuits are plenty as you can imagine and the shady operator has gone out of business.
That's the story we heard from the attendants as we transited Lock 7 in both directions. We learned of another on our return trip. This one doesn't have a happy ending.
Apparently around the same time as the above incident during high water a small tug was in a similar position above the lock waiting to pass through to the South. This tug was new with a small crew. Like the houseboat the engine quit and the current took the boat to the dam. The tug hit and rolled over while being pushed through the rollers by the rushing water. Unfortunately a 21 year old member of the crew was killed in this incident. Why the motor quit on this vessel has either not been determined or the cause has not been made public according to the lock attendant.
Our original plan for the day was to cruise through LaCrosse and on to a sand pit just above Brownsville, Minnesota but we were making such good time because of no lock delays that we decided to take advantage of the near perfect cruising conditions and shoot for the Gillette Island anchorage below Lock 8.
As we were about 5 miles out of the lock we could see a small southbound tow about a mile out. Knowing the pecking order at the lock we slowed down from trawler speed to idle speed thinking that he would be well through the locking procedure by the time we arrived at the lock. Wrong! Turns out the tow was the Mrytle Griffin, a 2 barge tow that we had encountered back at Lock 4.
When we got to the lock he was still positioning the barges in the chamber! He had the lead barge against the wall on one side and the stern of the tow against the other wall! WTF? Two barges and the boat should be able to fit into the lock with no problem. He then worked the stern over to the other wall and backed up with only one barge then pulled up beside the lead barge. Finally the gates closed and the water was lowered.
The process to re-couple the barges took almost as long. We've waited less time for 15 barge tows to lock through! But that's life on the river.
Finally through the lock we made our way the remaining 5 miles to our anchorage and caught up to the Myrtle Griffin shortly before we turned off the channel.
Day 9 (9/14/13) Cool temps again at night brought the morning fog along the river.
Another great day as we passed the sign marking the boundaries of Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin on our way to a stop at Lansing, Iowa for ice, water, and a precautionary pump-out.
It's 10 a.m. on a Saturday as we pull in to a lifeless dock. We begin to put water into the tank expecting someone to come out of the building to see what we needed. No one in sight. The building was locked! Are we back in Red Wing? Finally a guy throwing a floaty into the river for his dog to retrieve said he would call the proprietor.
Eventually a guy showed up and opened the place up. Said he had just come from a touch football game. Pump-out and icing (terrible ice) complete we continued on passing under the Blackhawk Bridge which was undergoing some refurbishment.
Below Lansing the channel bends back across to the Wisconsin shore before running down to Lock 9. We came upon this northbound tow in that transition area.
On to and through Lock 9 without delay before we found our way to to the Marquette/McGregor area.
A couple miles below McGregor we turned off the channel into Garnet Lake, an area we have anchored in several times over the years. Like so many places along the river it requires a cautious approach and an understanding of the effects of the current on the topography of the river bottom. Once inside we anchored in 9' of water.
Our last night out we had another great meal and the guys managed to keep from doing dishes.
Day 10 (9/15/13) Rain! Once again the anchor came up relatively clean with only a little mud on the plow.
Back into the channel and past the small town of Clayton, Iowa.
Below Clayton there is a huge cave in the bluffs that during the cold war was designated as a fallout shelter that could hold 40,000 people. Now it's used for storage.
Through Lock 10 and a stop in the rain at Landing 615 for fuel which we had called the previous day to insure that they would be expecting us and have fuel on hand. Once again, as is often the case on the river, we pulled in unassisted and tied off. Hmmm. No one around and the door is locked. Back in 5 minutes the sign said. We waited. And waited. And finally started calling the numbers on the door. In about 10 minutes a couple of men showed up, neither of who were supposed to be working that day, and began the fueling process. After about 5 gallons pumped the process stopped. After some investigation they determined they were out of fuel. Grumble, Grumble! Somebody dropped the ball! Eventually the attendant on duty showed up. The good news is that we weren't out of fuel and the 5 gallons we pumped we got at no charge!
Off we went on to and through Cassville, Wisconsin passing the two power plants located there as well as The Pride of Cassville, a car ferry that connects Iowa and Wisconsin.
On downstream we continued with the girls rounding up our loose articles and packing for our return home. Before long we were above Lock 11 at Dubuque.
Too soon after locking through we were pulling into Mid-Town Marina and the slip.
Many thanks to Kim and Lu for including us in their adventure and providing us with great company and another check mark on the bucket list.
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