October 5, 2009

Greetings from Huckleberry Finn-land. Before we exited the Illinois River we had some fun times. For instance, we used the self serv pump out at Spring Brook. Just insert your token (purchased in the office for $10) and the machine works for, we think, 5 minutes to empty your holding tank. Not fun, you say? You are not a cruiser! We met up with another split tow (a 'tow' refers to the fleet of barges tied together and pushed by a single tugboat). This time the lockmaster told us to tie up to a huge round 'cell' in the river to wait for the first (3X3 or 9 barges) to come up in the lock. We did—had lunch and watched, and an hour or so later were told to sneak in behind the tow and ride the lock down. Would have sworn there was no room, but sure enough we had feet to spare as we entered the lock. At the bottom we again sneaked by--the other 6 barges and the tug were ready to lock up. Our stop that nite was in Henry, IL, at Henry's Marina. 'Skinny' water going in—that means our depth sounder beeps as if to ask if we really want to be in this particular shallow spot. We did, we docked, and Becca in Henry's restaurant and bar was most happy to fix us up with dinner. Evidently this entrance (it is very nearly under a bridge) is a point of local interest. When we left in the a.m., a black pickup truck stopped, backed off the road and watched us maneuver our way around the bridge in the shallow water. Maybe we looked too big to fit in that spot! Journeying down the Illinois River through Peoria brought us back into the Industrial Revolution. Busy-ness everywhere and lots of cranes, trucks, barges and other heavy equipment. We turned into Tall Timbers Marina for the night and were treated to 'Bob's backhoe and dumptruck show'. Bob bought the Marina after a flood had ravaged it. He's re-built the docks beautifully, and was in the process of draining a spring-fed pool. Had a wee road, just wide enough to back the dumptrucks down, and he and his friend took turns filling dumptrucks and hauling away the dirt. We walked about the town before returning to visit with Bob for awhile, and had an early night. Fred wants the baby backhoe. We were up and out early in the a.m., and the weather was not our best friend. It rained, and the wind opposed the current in the river, which makes for messy traveling. In this case the waves were actually worse than the Atlantic Ocean or Lake Michigan! All day we ran the windshield wipers as the spray flew over the bow. At one point we were cuaght between a Coast Guard Buoy Tender and a big ol' barge, but everyone found enough river to carry on. Despite the wind, rain and traffic, we covered 89 miles and anchored behind Willow Island. We were watchint the Constant Gardener, a John LeCarre shoot-em-uip video, and at a particularly tense moment, the boat was flooded with light! I jumped out of my skin. Turns out it was the huge spotlight of our tug-friend Joyce Hale. We've passed her 3-4 times as she goes back and forth on the river. She was just checking us out to be sure we didn't plan to pull out in front of her. We certainly didn't! Totally traumatized, I shut off the movie and went to bed. Fred wants to own her spotlight! Friday we left the Illinois and at 11 a.m. entered the Mighty Mississippi! Took the Chain of Rocks Canal and locked through the Chain of Rocks Lock—our most difficult so far. The floating bollard just didn't work well with the boat, and we had two cleats involved.... crazy. First stop—Alton , IL where our high expectations were dashed by the lack of awareness of the employees we reached by radio and phone. “you'll see it when you get there” and “Starboard—does that mean the right side?” just weren't the most helpful conversational gambits. It took a bit of doing, but eventually we were tied up and secure. To add insult to injury, they were out of diesel fuel, and didn't get the shipment that was expected by morning. One more strike against them, and our plans for the next day had to be changed. Well, as we've often said, “what good is a plan if you can't change it?” After a much shorter run than we'd intended, Fern welcomed us at Hoppie's Marina and happily put 200 gal. of diesel in our tank. ($2.75/gallon and we happily paid, as there are no more fuel stops for a couple of hundred miles.) After we walked into the delightful village of Kennswick and did some Christmas shopping--after listening to the curbside trio and before having a milk shake (delicious!), Fern held forth on the fuel dock. There were 6 boats tied to the barges that constituted the marina, and we all got a 2 hour course called Rivers 101B—complete with listings of anchorages, scary spots, and instructions about how to deal with tugboats and barges. It was fun and informative. Fern and Hoppie are the second generation at this location. When Hoppie was a boy, he, his dad and brother lit kerosene channel markers along the shore every day to help with navigation. Now the markers have gone from kerosene to batteries to solar fuel, but Fern and Hoppie have retained the willingness and ability to take care of folks. Happily, their daughter and son-in-law are now working with them. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Sunday morning we found ourselves encased in a cocoon of fog that didn't burn off till 9:30. We headed downstream and by 4 were at the Koskiosko Lock and Dam. The wall there is available for overnighting, and soon we were joined by Pat and Diane from Canada; a very nice couple whose mast is laying on the deck of their sailboat. They are anxious to get sailing in the Carribbean. More fog on Monday, and this time a 10 a.m. departure—the earliest we could see as far as the west bank of the Mississippi. We covered 68 miles with the current boosting us along—at one point we got to 11 knots—that's a whopping 12 miles per hour! We passed all manner of tows—one with no less than 49 barges attached—7X7! Another tug was pushing 2 tugs that were pushing a mess of cranes and pipes for who knows what purpose. Fascinating, and with avoiding the tugboats and barges, keeping up with the current and being sure to miss all the floating logs, navigating the Mississippi is exciting. We're anchored tonight in a little creek off the river and SHARPIE'S DREAM, Pat and Diane's sailboat, is rafted to us. We had a great dinner and you know what? It's bedtime. Hope you've been able to stay awake through all these words. We're enjoying ourselves thoroughly, and hope the vicarious trip brings you a bit of pleasure,too! Be well............. Linda and Fred