The Upper Mississippi.
We enjoyed a few days strolling around the antique stores of Grafton and the hospitality of the Loading Dock Pub on the Illinois River before turning on to the Mississippi River for the next stage of our journey south. The limestone cliffs along the Mississippi gleamed under a clear sunny sky.
The arch of St Louis, Illinois.
Soon, we had to be sure to take the Chain of Rocks Canal rather than stay on the main channel which goes down a set of rapids. Even so, we hit 10.6 knots per hour as we turned the bend towards the canal. We tried to stop for a visit in St Louis but, after getting a line onto a barge tethered in the river, decided the river was just too wild and the barge too exposed. Whole logs (ie. entire tree trunks) swept past our hull. We were pleased to pull into the relative safety of Hoppies Marina late in the day, instead.
Flotilla in the morning mist.
Hoppies is a favourite stop for boats on the Great Loop. We found new friends and got re-acquainted with others that we had met earlier. We soon formed a flotilla that would stick together for many days on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. On the Mississpippi we found adequate anchorages and enjoyed the companionship on a stretch that would otherwise have been challenging and rather lonely. Swirling whirlpools spun away from the hull as we hurtled along with our speed hitting over 11 knots instead of the seven that we usually travel at.
Dams and weirs are a personal fear of mine. They are one of those things that have caused me concern in the middle of the night over many years of river boat travel. Therefore, it seemed like an alarming prospect to hear that the wickets were down on the Ohio River. The water level was high and traffic was being diverted away from the locks and directly over the top of the dams. This manifested itself in the form of turbulent waters and a lubberly reaction from the boat. We danced about in slow motion with the Ohio River current opposing us. Pearl handled the conditions in the dependable way that we have come to rely on.
After just two days on the Ohio we had the opportunity of turning up into the Tennessee River and the Kentucky Lakes area. We have since taken root at the Green Turtle Bay Marina on the 'Land Between the Lakes' nature reserve. We have taken on the pace of small town Kentucky, enjoyed the comforts of marina life and soaked up the luxury of the fitness centre, pool, saunas, tennis courts, courtesy cars, and complimentary coffees. Not to mention, the fact that Alice and Lloyd have had their heads down, sitting exams and finishing off their school work for the year.
