The last full day in Grafton we all drove a few miles north along the Illinois River and took a free ferry across the river and drive to the small town of Brussels, Ill., and ate a family style lunch at the Wittmond Hotel which was established in 1847. The building looks unchanged since that time. The meal was far more than we could eat, even though we stuffed ourselves. The meal started with a relish dish and home made sausage and rolls. The sausage was a favorite part of the meal for each of us. This was followed with fried chicken and roast beef, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn. This was followed with dessert, some of us had berry cobbler and some had peach cobbler. The all inclusive price was $11.99. Needless to say, none of us were interested in dinner. The next morning we borrowed the marina’s vehicle for one last trip to the WalMart at Jerseyville for some last minute shopping and Shelly got a new portable DVD to replace the one which had died.
About mid morning we took off for Alton. By this time, 12 days with Jan and Joe, the owners of the Grafton Marina, we almost hated to leave them. But after hugs around we were finally on the move again. We certainly recommend a stop at Grafton. Not only were Jan and Joe great to all their customers but they are just great people and their town was a very nice place to be stranded. It felt great to be on the move again, even though the trip was only about 20 miles. After getting settled with the marina at Alton we decided to pay one last visit to Fast Eddie’s, the biker bar which is famous for it’s $.99, ½ pound hamburgers. Lewis called for a cab and after waiting for a while Muriel and I and Guy and Peggy from Southern Comfort decided to walk the mile to Fast Eddie’s. We did not see Lewis and Dianne or Shelly until we returned to the marina. They swore they and ridden the cab to Fast Eddie’s and eaten and returned to the Marina. We do not know whether to believe them or not.
The next morning we were off for Hoppie’s Marina Service, about 50 miles down river. The Mississippi had more current than I had expected. We saw 12 to 12.9 knots in the St Louis area at RPM which would normally run us at 7 to 7.5 knots. Hoppie’s is a famous stop for loopers going down the Mississippi. Fern, the owner’s wife is quite a character. Muriel says if she had a corn cob pipe in her mouth she could pass for Popeye. She directs all the boats into the dock which is several old barges permanently moored to the river bank. Docking into the swift current is a new experience for many of us. As soon as everyone was in and boats secure, there were seven looper boats that evening, she sits all the admirals, the wives are called admirals, and tells them what to expect as we travel on down the rivers. Then she gets all the skippers together and reviews the river charts to point out the hazards along the rivers and the good anchorages and where to stop and how to handle the boat when leaving her dock in the swift current. She loaned us her Lincoln towncar and we loaded nine of us into it and went into town for dinner. This was her recommendation to the admirals because they would not be able to get off the boat for the next several days.
The next day we left with uncertain destinations. We could run a short day and stop at the Kaskaskia lock or run a fairly long day and anchor at Little Diversion Channel. We decided when we got to Kaskaskia we were running so well with the current we decided to continue on to Little Diversion. This was a very nice anchorage where we could get out of the current and be safe from the tows on the river. When I took Carlie ashore for her evening walk she sank up to her belly in mud. She managed to do her business but she was not happy about it. The next morning she and I rowed along the shore to find a better place. I found a spot with some rocks I thought she might walk on. She immediately slipped off into the mud and just stood there until I got her back to the water and washed her off. She did not get to go until mid afternoon on the boat she was in such agony she finally used the dirt and sod Muriel had dug up and placed on a large plastic storage bin lid.
As soon as the dense fog lifted we got underway and ran our last miles of the Mississippi River. There were several tight bends in the river where the current was swift and turbulent. There were several diving bouys. These were bouys which had debris caught on the anchor chain that caused them to be submerged most of the time and occasionally surface. A couple of looper boats were damaged by these bouys. Several props were damaged and one boat had to be towed for three days to a place which could haul the boat and replace the bent prop shaft.
We turned out of the Mississippi into the Ohio River at Cairo, Ill. There was an astonishing change in the water from mud to beautiful looking greenish river water. We had read to expect heavy commercial traffic in this area but we were shocked by the amount of barge traffic in the mouth of the Ohio River. This was definitely the most traffic we had encountered anywhere, including New York Harbor. The current in the Ohio was much slower than the Mississippi. Probably one mile per hour or less. We made good time up the Ohio and stopped for the night near the construction site for a new lock and dam. The lock tender gave permission for us to tie to one of the cells over night. Carlie got to go ashore on a sand beach and get into the woods for a very enjoyable walk. We moored rafted together with Bella Luna and Southern Comfort and enjoyed drinks and music together on Bella Luna’s fore deck. There was a lot of tow traffic all night long. Twice during the night tows tied to one of the cells just below us. There were three boats anchored in the river, out of the channel across from us.
In the morning there was dense fog for a while, I got some cool pictures of the three boats across from us leaving in the fog. As soon as the fog lifted we got under way. The first lock had the wickets down which opens the river so that we passed the lock in the river channel and continued on. When we got to the second lock the other three boats were still waiting on an opening. Soon after we arrived the lock tender called us into the lock. We were lucky on the timing. We cruised past Paducah and the mouth of the Tennessee River and continued up the Ohio to just below the mouth of the Cumberland River. There is an island in the river called the Cumberland Towhead. After much discussion over whether or not to continue on into the Cumberland for another 32 miles to Green Turtle Bay Marina. We decided not to push on and get in right at dark and instead slipped into the water behind the Towhead and anchored for the night. This was a good decision and we all enjoyed the anchorage. We again enjoyed some time with the other two boats and some music on Shelly’s jam box.
We got a lesuerly start in the morning and had an enjoyable run up the Cumberland River to the Barkley Dam and Lock. The leaves have started to turn so the hills were quite pretty. We had a slight delay at the lock and upon entering I told Muriel to get a rope on the upper bollard, thinking the lower one would be too low. She was unable to reach the upper to get a line on it and the wind started to blow us sideways in the lock. We finally got a line on the bollard and got ourselves straightened out. It worked out that we used the lower bollard and it was fine, darn! Muriel was right. When the lock was filled we had lifted 57 feet to the level of Barkley Lake and the gates opened and all we could see was a tow sitting in the entrance waiting to enter the lock. A little intimidating but we had room to slip out and get by him. Then the world opened up to the beautiful sight of Lake Barkley. Green Turtle Bay was only another mile into the lake.
Since we have been here we have dined at Pattie’s 1880 Restaurant. The restaurant is famous in these parts for their 2” thick pork chop. I could not eat the whole thing.
About mid morning we took off for Alton. By this time, 12 days with Jan and Joe, the owners of the Grafton Marina, we almost hated to leave them. But after hugs around we were finally on the move again. We certainly recommend a stop at Grafton. Not only were Jan and Joe great to all their customers but they are just great people and their town was a very nice place to be stranded. It felt great to be on the move again, even though the trip was only about 20 miles. After getting settled with the marina at Alton we decided to pay one last visit to Fast Eddie’s, the biker bar which is famous for it’s $.99, ½ pound hamburgers. Lewis called for a cab and after waiting for a while Muriel and I and Guy and Peggy from Southern Comfort decided to walk the mile to Fast Eddie’s. We did not see Lewis and Dianne or Shelly until we returned to the marina. They swore they and ridden the cab to Fast Eddie’s and eaten and returned to the Marina. We do not know whether to believe them or not.
The next morning we were off for Hoppie’s Marina Service, about 50 miles down river. The Mississippi had more current than I had expected. We saw 12 to 12.9 knots in the St Louis area at RPM which would normally run us at 7 to 7.5 knots. Hoppie’s is a famous stop for loopers going down the Mississippi. Fern, the owner’s wife is quite a character. Muriel says if she had a corn cob pipe in her mouth she could pass for Popeye. She directs all the boats into the dock which is several old barges permanently moored to the river bank. Docking into the swift current is a new experience for many of us. As soon as everyone was in and boats secure, there were seven looper boats that evening, she sits all the admirals, the wives are called admirals, and tells them what to expect as we travel on down the rivers. Then she gets all the skippers together and reviews the river charts to point out the hazards along the rivers and the good anchorages and where to stop and how to handle the boat when leaving her dock in the swift current. She loaned us her Lincoln towncar and we loaded nine of us into it and went into town for dinner. This was her recommendation to the admirals because they would not be able to get off the boat for the next several days.
The next day we left with uncertain destinations. We could run a short day and stop at the Kaskaskia lock or run a fairly long day and anchor at Little Diversion Channel. We decided when we got to Kaskaskia we were running so well with the current we decided to continue on to Little Diversion. This was a very nice anchorage where we could get out of the current and be safe from the tows on the river. When I took Carlie ashore for her evening walk she sank up to her belly in mud. She managed to do her business but she was not happy about it. The next morning she and I rowed along the shore to find a better place. I found a spot with some rocks I thought she might walk on. She immediately slipped off into the mud and just stood there until I got her back to the water and washed her off. She did not get to go until mid afternoon on the boat she was in such agony she finally used the dirt and sod Muriel had dug up and placed on a large plastic storage bin lid.
As soon as the dense fog lifted we got underway and ran our last miles of the Mississippi River. There were several tight bends in the river where the current was swift and turbulent. There were several diving bouys. These were bouys which had debris caught on the anchor chain that caused them to be submerged most of the time and occasionally surface. A couple of looper boats were damaged by these bouys. Several props were damaged and one boat had to be towed for three days to a place which could haul the boat and replace the bent prop shaft.
We turned out of the Mississippi into the Ohio River at Cairo, Ill. There was an astonishing change in the water from mud to beautiful looking greenish river water. We had read to expect heavy commercial traffic in this area but we were shocked by the amount of barge traffic in the mouth of the Ohio River. This was definitely the most traffic we had encountered anywhere, including New York Harbor. The current in the Ohio was much slower than the Mississippi. Probably one mile per hour or less. We made good time up the Ohio and stopped for the night near the construction site for a new lock and dam. The lock tender gave permission for us to tie to one of the cells over night. Carlie got to go ashore on a sand beach and get into the woods for a very enjoyable walk. We moored rafted together with Bella Luna and Southern Comfort and enjoyed drinks and music together on Bella Luna’s fore deck. There was a lot of tow traffic all night long. Twice during the night tows tied to one of the cells just below us. There were three boats anchored in the river, out of the channel across from us.
In the morning there was dense fog for a while, I got some cool pictures of the three boats across from us leaving in the fog. As soon as the fog lifted we got under way. The first lock had the wickets down which opens the river so that we passed the lock in the river channel and continued on. When we got to the second lock the other three boats were still waiting on an opening. Soon after we arrived the lock tender called us into the lock. We were lucky on the timing. We cruised past Paducah and the mouth of the Tennessee River and continued up the Ohio to just below the mouth of the Cumberland River. There is an island in the river called the Cumberland Towhead. After much discussion over whether or not to continue on into the Cumberland for another 32 miles to Green Turtle Bay Marina. We decided not to push on and get in right at dark and instead slipped into the water behind the Towhead and anchored for the night. This was a good decision and we all enjoyed the anchorage. We again enjoyed some time with the other two boats and some music on Shelly’s jam box.
We got a lesuerly start in the morning and had an enjoyable run up the Cumberland River to the Barkley Dam and Lock. The leaves have started to turn so the hills were quite pretty. We had a slight delay at the lock and upon entering I told Muriel to get a rope on the upper bollard, thinking the lower one would be too low. She was unable to reach the upper to get a line on it and the wind started to blow us sideways in the lock. We finally got a line on the bollard and got ourselves straightened out. It worked out that we used the lower bollard and it was fine, darn! Muriel was right. When the lock was filled we had lifted 57 feet to the level of Barkley Lake and the gates opened and all we could see was a tow sitting in the entrance waiting to enter the lock. A little intimidating but we had room to slip out and get by him. Then the world opened up to the beautiful sight of Lake Barkley. Green Turtle Bay was only another mile into the lake.
Since we have been here we have dined at Pattie’s 1880 Restaurant. The restaurant is famous in these parts for their 2” thick pork chop. I could not eat the whole thing.
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