Saturday October 17, 2009

Left the river mooring cells at 7:40AM heading to Barkley lock and dam and then Green Turtle marina. Cold again today with a expected high of 49° and 20% chance of rain. Burr. But there's a bright spot. If it wasn't for global warming, it would be snowing here by now, the river would be frozen, and polar bears would be foraging by the boat.

Our progress map shown here totals 661 miles from the starting point of Holland, MI. We're close to half way down to Ft. Myers which voyage we'll resume on October 27.

In at Green Turtle, at grand Rivers, Kentucky, at 11:30AM. Easy pass on the lock up at Barkley. Arranged for a rental car to drive back to Grand Rapids as we'll be leaving the Brightwater here for 9 days. Insurance restrictions bar us from having the vessel below a certain latitude before November 1 due to the possibility of hurricanes. Washed the boat from all the lock crud and mud from some of the lines we had to use. Looks very nice now.

Green Turtle is a large marina and vacation spot. Under new management a year ago and regaining its reputation as congenial. Also home to nearby restaurant, Pattie's, where they serve 2" pork chops, bread baked in flower pots, and strawberry butter. Don't think we can make it there tonight. Plenty of food on board and besides this is a dry county. Cocktails behind closed doors.

Stayed tuned.

Friday October 16, 2009

Under way at 7:00 AM sharp. Gained speed with reduced rpm's going the rest of the way down the Big Muddy. The upper Mississippi ends at the confluence of the Ohio and that's were we turn. Have to go upstream on Ohio to the Cumberland River, a 58 mile leg. The Ohio has a strong current (3 kt.) and it slows us down even with half again more engine power.

Major traffic jam at the intersection of the rivers at Cairo, IL. Tows going downstream on the Mississippi, upstream on the Ohio, some going across the river, some anchored, and some tied to shore empty. And un-barged tows looking for a load. We're able to get through without a problem after talking to several.

Made it to the Federal cells (mooring stations) 10 miles up river on the Cumberland just as twilight was fading. Sufficient light to tie on after a long 11 1/2 hr. run. There's a campsite near us on the shore resembling a weekend fishing site. A little frivolity from the campfire but not enough to bother us.

First, now that we're secure, well deserved cocktails with munchies. This is movie night after our sauerkraut and kielbasa cock pot dinner. Um-um good. Ice cream sandwich for desert. Hog heaven couldn't be better.

Thursday October 15, 2009

Left Hoppies at 7:45AM heading down the Mississippi to an anchorage about 110 miles south. Rain again and reduced visibility. Some tows with barges but not as many as one might expect.

Reached Cape Girardeau and pulled into the Little River Diversion Canal at 4:45PM. So we did our 100+ miles without incident. Anchored in 24 ft. of water with a lite current. Should not be a problem as we were here once before. Dinner tonight is a fabulous cock pot beef stew. Internet recipe. Better be good and it is.

No pictures today. Nothing that photogenic. Have some tomorrow.

Long run tomorrow. Need our sleep tonight and early morning rise. Boarder line crew mutiny. Grumbling. Flogging optional. Get to bed. All quite on the western front.

Wednesday October 14, 2009

Heading down river and through St. Louis. Very slow going as the entire river is no-wake until the south end of the city. And the city's big. Serious barge traffic with every conceivable load. More tows here then anywhere. They're allergic to heartburn if you leave any kind of wake and they come from everywhere. The scenery's nice and The Arch always looks spectacular.

We're tying up at Hoppies Marina today. Marina may be a misnomer as their facilty is three barges tied together and cabled to shore. However they're very nice people and the stop is the last for a very long way (either on the Mississippi or the Cumberland River). We took on 550 gal. of diesel and 150 gal. of filtered fresh water. Shared the courtesy van with another boater and went to the new (opened today) super WalMart for supplies.

Still raining and forecast the same until Sunday. High of 51°. Swell.

Tuesday October 6, 2009

We've got the props!!! There on, work, and we're on our way. Down the Mississippi to Alton, IL. Every thing's working the way it should. There's a lot of floating debris in the water and caution is the key word. Don't want to go through another repair experience.

As we're passing down river the Lady of the Lakes monument is on the Missouri side. Built after the disastrous flood of 1951 as gratitude for the water stopping just short of flooding the city of Portage des Sioux. Every July there's the blessing of the fleet at the Shrine.

Alton marina is owned by the city and is one of the best. The showers and facilities are superb. Management changed last year and they're much more amenable and friendly. We're in a covered slip so tonight's rain will not a problem. However, no TV. The roof blocks our dish. We're determined to survive and are heading for Fast Eddies Bon Aire. 99¢ hamburgers, 29¢ shrimp, and reasonably priced beer. Fast Eddies was originally owned by Anheuser Busch but had to be sold due to legislation in Illinois. Certainly didn't curtail the consumption.

Sunday and Monday October 11 and 12, 2009

We're on the hard (up on land). Took the props to a specialist in St. Genvieve, MO. (1 1/2 hr. trip). Multiple scans with sophisticated equipment showed port propeller was damaged on two of the four blades. Starboard was within tolerances but could be tweaked a little. Bad news is it will take all day Monday and part of Tuesday to get them right. Best chance is we could be in the water and on our way Wednesday. Nothing to do but wait. Had oil changed in one of the generators, added some coolant to the engines, cleaned interior and did laundry.

Marina gave us a courtesy car so we're able to explore St. Charles and its historic district. This was the starting point for not only Lewis and Clark but for thousands of westward settlers. Being the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, it was a natural beginning with river highways for supplies. Tourist destination spot along the waterfront reflects many older houses and shops now converted to restaurants, sports bars, and miscellaneous stores. Brick streets and ambiance. Quaint. Had a nice dinner at the Trailhead Restaurant and brewery with a couple of coasters for souvenirs.

Still waiting on prop repair man to work his craft and get the wheels back to us. Found Cabela's, Books - a - Million, the Waffle House, Bob Evans, and a unique "Beer, Bait, and Bullets" convenience store.