Reflections on Anchoring

Day 133  | Grand Rivers to Nickell Bay  |  40 Minutes  |  2 Miles 

After two nights in Green Turtle Bay, it was time to untie and move along. We had identified a nice anchorage just beyond the marina. Best part is we didn't have to leave at the crack of dawn, and it was after 10:00 when we unplugged and headed over to the pumpout dock for some final business. Today I wore the shirt I received from "Granny" at Christmas and got lots of compliments ... and laughs.

Two miles down the Cumberland we pulled off into a quiet cove lined by forests. We cruised in and dropped our anchor in 12 feet of water. It wasn't even noon. The sun was strong in the early afternoon, but I spent some time on Fiberglass Beach reading and then napping. The occasional blue heron buzzed by gracefully. Other boats, from kayaks to pontoon boats to motor yachts, came and spent some time in the anchorage. Finally, at 4:00, we jumped on our big task of the day -- getting the dinghy down and taking it for a spin. The dinghy had not been off the upper deck since way back in Button Bay, VT. The outboard started on the first pull and we sped away from the Mother Ship.

A heron (not sure if it was the same one as above) sat on the shore and aired out his wings in a strange stance. We made our way through a shallow cut and back into Lake Barkley. The deck chairs made their way out of the cockpit locker and we enjoyed dinner on the bow while watching the eagles fly overhead and reflections intensify on the water.

With the dinghy in the water, we cleaned its home on the flybridge of the bugs and spiders that had accumulated underneath it. Night fell quickly and bright stars lit up the dark black sky. Not a single streetlight or docklight is shining in. All the other boats have gone home. We have all the ports and hatches open and the only sounds are of frogs and crickets. This solitude is one of the beauties of anchoring. The reflections in the water are another beauty.

We will cut over to the Tennessee River tomorrow and go about 12 miles before ducking into another quiet anchorage. The water on the Tennessee is still high and angry, so we'll take it slow for a few more days. We are fortunate to have a few extra days built into the schedule and patience is an option.

In Search of the Green Turtles

Day 132  | Grand Rivers   

We knew early in the week that we'd be stopping here at Green Turtle Bay, so we ordered up a new router to meet us here. We went to the ship's store as soon as it opened to pick up our FedEx box. It felt like Christmas as Barry excitedly unpacked the contents. The new wifi receiver is much faster and should make life onboard (uploading this blog and streaming TV) a bit more comfortable. The day started out chilly, but by 10:00 it had warmed up significantly and warranted the first change of clothes. We are on a port tie, so I took the opportunity to clean and wax a portion of the port stern that had some fender rash on it. Once nice and clean, Barry applied a little silicone sealant on our rub rail and we could check another project off the list. A quick walk to the office led to the discovery of an eponymous "green turtle." He was rather small and neither one of us believed the other had enough flexibility to get down, pose with it, and get back up. The marina signage touted the benefits of a Turtle Lifestyle.

The marina has close to 500 slips and many of them are covered -- even the ones for large trawlers and houseboats. They have a cute little logo that seemed to pop up on everything in this sprawling resort. Houseboats, which we haven't seen since the Kirkfield area of the Trent-Severn waterway, are very popular in both Barkley Lake and Kentucky Lake. The one pictured below has a full-sized hot tub on the upper deck.

On our walk through the resort, we saw dozens of deer casually hanging out and unconcerned by our presence. In sharp contrast, we saw a total of two turtles.

We have a full house of Loopers on the transient dock. and were glad to see the power catamaran Felix pull in beside us this afternoon. Following yet another change of clothes, we took the resort's shuttle, a stretch golf cart, to the Thirsty Turtle Tavern for dinner.

We sat on the deck and listened to the band while the sun set over the Barkley Lock and Dam. As soon as the sun fell below the tree line, the temperature dropped about twenty degrees, and we made a quick retreat back to Crossroads in need of sweatpants and a hoodie.

We will leave here mid-morning tomorrow for a short trip up the Cumberland River to an anchorage on the western shore. At this point, we are not in a hurry and are looking forward to some short travel days and peaceful nights on the hook.

Cumberland River Carry Me On Down The Line

Day 131  | Paducah to Grand Rivers  |  7.5 Hours  |  50 Miles  |  1 Lock 

The Looper fleet was prepared to leave the dock at 8:00 this morning. Mother Nature had other plans for us. During the night, dense fog settled over the Ohio River. WeatherBug said it would clear in a few hours, so we waited and passed the time. Barry roamed the dock and I worked my way to within 50 pages of finishing my book. Barry came in at 9:45 and said everyone was ready to leave. Within a few minutes we were heading back upriver and dodging large masses of debris. We only heard one "thump" and for that we were thankful. It was very difficult to dodge them all.

Eleven miles later we saw the bifurcated channel marker indicating we had reached the confluence of the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers. We veered off to the right and found less current, trash, and tow/barge activity on the Cumberland. Wet markings on the eroded banks indicated the water level has recently been two to three feet higher. Several large quarries dotted our path and they were busy loading barges with gravel both by conveyor and using the massive mining dump trucks like we saw at the Caterpillar museum in Peoria.

The sky cleared and the afternoon turned warm. It was a scenic trip down the Cumberland with bright green trees, rock formations, and heron posing in such a way that I just had to pick up the camera.

We traveled in a group of six boats and tried to run the same speed and stay together.

The ripple from our wake cast a nice pattern on the water. We neared the I-24 bridge which our guidebooks reported to have a clearance of 94 feet. The marker boards indicated a clearance of 75 feet, meaning the water in the Cumberland River is 19 feet higher than normal. We only had a 30 minute wait for entrance into the Barkley Lock. Each boat tied up to their own floating bollard for the ride up.

The lock doors opened and we departed in single file. One mile later our flotilla turned into Green Turtle Bay Marina just in time for docktails. We will stay here tomorrow and get a little laundry done, go for a walk, and plan our next week's journey on down the Tennessee River. Today's trip reminded me of Cumberland River, a not-so-old bluegrass song by Dailey & Vincent.

I left old Kentucky in a blinding fog headed for the southland ...
Along about [Smithland] I saw the sky turn blue ...
Cumberland River carry me on down the line to sunny Tennessee ...
Cumberland River let me feel that southern breeze.

A Minute and a Half of Fame

Day 130  | Paducah 

Rain was falling heavily when the alarm went off at 7:00. Knowing we had nowhere to go and no where to be, I rolled over and went back to sleep for another half hour. It was a very nice treat. Barry left around 9:00 to take the rental car back and while he was gone, I curled up in the salon with my book and blanket and turned some more pages. When Barry returned he was excited that Chad Darnall, a videographer from the local TV station, was on the dock and wanted to interview folks about traveling to Paducah for BBQ on the River. Partly because we had a covered cockpit, but more so because no one else wanted to do it, Barry was chosen to be the spokesperson for the dozen Looper boats tied up at the town dock. Following twenty minutes of filming, Chad was off to do some editing for the 6:00 news and we were off to the National Quilt Museum.

Yes, there is such a place. Yes, it was interesting. Several galleries contained quilts spanning 200 years -- from all hand-pieced and stitched, to all machine-pieced and stitched. I am a traditionalist and consider most of the current-day machine-made quilts to be more computer aided design projects than handiwork. The photo on the left shows complex designs possible with modern technology. I prefer the designs of my grandmother's day. The Whirligig Hexagon quilt from 1936 is a simple patchwork design that has a frugal backing made from flour and feed sacks. As the pattern shows, the whole thing is made from only two shapes.

These are a few of the other designs that caught my eye. The four black squares were basic yet complex and stunning all at the same time. The red design uses uniform fabric strips at different angles to create drama. The final two shown are classic examples of the "keep-me-warm" counterpane that my Grandma always had readily available.

We spent about an hour at the museum and then walked out the front door, past statues of Lewis and Clark (below is the one of Meriwether Lewis and his dog), through the festival, and to the riverfront where the American Queen was docked. It began to drizzle again so we retreated to Crossroads for a few hours. While waiting for the afternoon to improve, Barry napped and I did a bit more reading. At 4:00 the sun came out and we picked up where we left off ... at the riverfront. American Queen was preparing for departure by loading on the golf carts and releasing the docklines. Once underway, the calliope played a few songs including Toot, Toot, Tootsie and God Bless America. We watched until she faded into the horizon. By 5:30 the streets were packed with folks looking for BBQ and all the standard carnival fare.

Barry and I shared a rack of ribs and a funnel cake before heading back to the dock. Each captain helped move the boats closer together to make room for two that had not yet arrived. There is a full house tonight with 14 Looper boats at the marina, including one from Urbanna, VA -- just up the Rappahannock River from our home port.

We missed the 6:00 news broadcast, but Barry found the internet link to his 1:30 of Fame.

After four great nights in Paducah, we will leave in the morning for Green Turtle Bay along with most of the other Loopers staying here tonight. It should be a chilly, but dry 40-mile day with one lock.

Feels A Lot Like Home

Day 129  | Paducah 

After two nights in Paducah, we were finally able to get out and explore the town today. We enjoyed what we saw. First stop was a haircut for Barry. He didn't have an appointment, but was able to jump in on the next chair turn. Our chat with the barber was as good as the haircut. Walking around town, we saw plenty of historic buildings with tons of character. This facade covered in brightly colored tiles was unique. Tree-lined streets had a mix of professional firms and eclectic restaurants that reminded us of Shockoe Bottom and The Fan back home.

We ducked into the Market House Museum not knowing what to expect. For a $5 entrance fee, it was a great find. One of first big displays was a life-size statue of Henry Clay. Clay was born in Ashland, VA, in my home county and lived there for the first 20 years of his life before moving to Kentucky. My mom taught at Henry Clay Elementary School (which used to be one of the county's high schools). His home in Lexington, KY, was called "Ashland." Small world. Paducah's first fire engine is on display with a storyboard stating that it was purchased when the cost of shoeing and feeding the horses that pulled the fire wagon became too great.

The majority of the museum is the donated interior of the List Drugstore. The cabinets were filled with salves and elixers -- some funny and some scary. A whole corner was devoted to the death of Floyd Collins, a well-known local spelunker who became trapped 150 feet down in a cave in 1925. There was a rather famous song about the whole incident. In an early case of "Fake News," the display pointed out how reporters just made up parts of the story to sell papers.

We chatted with the two staff ladies for a long time and, as we left, they recommended the deli across the street for lunch. What a great find. Kirchhoff's is in its fifth generation of ownership having opened in 1873, and on the National Register of Historic Places. There is a deli on one side and a bakery on the other. The signature Big Boy Loaf (traditional white) is $4, and there are a dozen other varieties of bread to choose from, along with pastries. We may have to stop back by here before casting off. Paducah has a vibrant arts community with a local theater and a performing arts center which hosts traveling Broadway productions. Again, this reminded us of Richmond.

After lunch we crossed the street for the Paducah Railroad Museum. It was small, but we enjoyed a movie on railroad history. The exhibits were interesting, but the unique item was a very-detailed locomotive simulator. Barry climbed aboard and piloted a locomotive on a 15-minute excursion with very realistic controls for horn, brakes, and throttle. We started working back to the marina and saw another doorway decorated with colorful tile. I guess the one we saw in the morning wasn't so unique after all. We popped into the River Discovery Center on a whim and enjoyed our time there as well. There was intricate exhibit on Paducah's Great Flood of 1937 (much like the flooding on Richmond's James River). There was a riverboat calliope on display and a neat little area on river otters.

Here as well, the top attraction was a high-end simulator -- this one on river piloting. Barry took a turn behind the wheel of a tow/barge and a go-fast boat. The go-fast simulator was real-enough that we both got a bit queasy, and neither one of us are prone to sea sickness. The most interesting display of the day was the final one and free. The town is fronted by a massive concrete floodwall (again, like Richmond). Paducah's is about 100 times classier, though. The images are vibrant, realistic, and permanent. An artist from Robert Dafford's Murals was working on one panel this afternoon. Segments were dedicated to native son Alben Barkley (the 35th Vice President of the United States, under Truman), river scenes, river boats, tugs and barges, and the history of the Boy Scouts as shown through the evolution of their uniforms.

As we got closer to the marina, workers were out in force preparing vendor booths and tents for the annual BBQ on the River festival that begins tomorrow. We will spend one more day here to attend this highly recommended and hugely popular event. We made a quick Walmart run this evening to stock up on lettuce, milk, apples and grapes among other things. I finally feel that we are back in the South now that I spotted an entire refrigerator case full of pimento cheese varieties.

We'll return the rental car in the morning, then hang out at the festival for a few hours before preparing Crossroads for a Friday morning departure.

Road Trip

Day 128  | Paducah 

We left Crossroads tied up to the Paducah Town Dock and walked to the edge of town for our rental car pickup. By 11:00 we were on our way 150 miles east to Bowling Green and the National Corvette Museum. We stopped along the way in Central City and discovered this is the home to The Everly Brothers (Don and Phil). Their street sign was less than impressive amid the clutter of a restaurant sign, light pole and power pole, and we couldn't get to their monument because the road was closed. We were already running short on time, so oh well ... on to Bowling Green in the rain. The Corvette Museum sits alongside Interstate 65 and across the street for the Corvette assembly plant.

A large banner covered the front of the building by the entrance. Inside the door, just past the ticket desk, was a nice "sample" for Barry to try on for size.

We jumped in on a guided tour that gave us an overview of all the galleries. A painting of a classic mid-year occupied an entire wall. The original Corvette logo emblem was on display. Hours before introduction in 1953, it was determined that it could not be used. Back then, the American flag was not allowed to be used in marketing. Overnight, a new first-edition logo was created replacing the American flag with the Chevrolet bowtie/fleur-de-lis combo flag. Variations on this theme are still used today. There were a few interactive exhibits, but this museum is really all about the cars. My favorite one was this 1966 convertible, based solely on the fact that I loved the blue.

We walked around and Barry pointed out the distinguishing features of each year. We saw several with ties to him (1965 and 1982), family (1974) and friends (1967).

The Skydome exhibit hall was the highlight. The domed gallery houses classic vehicles, those with special features, and a collection of pace cars. The underlying story of this room, however, dates back to February 12, 2014 when a sinkhole opened up and swallowed eight cars. The epic collapse was caught on security video. All eight cars were eventually removed from pit. The hole was filled, reinforced, and the floor repoured. Five cars were beyond repair, but are displayed in the same position as they were before the collapse. The white car shown below, is the 1.5 millionth Corvette.

Three cars were restored by museum staff and are back on the floor as well. Blue Devil, a 2009 ZR1, was the first one pulled out of the hole and actually started up and drove away when released from the crane. There is an inspection port in the floor to monitor the underground cave. The view goes down close to 80 feet. We finished up through the gift shop where Barry got a shirt and a magnet for our travel board. We headed west back to Paducah under clearing skies, along the parkway. Rocky banks lined the road as evidence of all the cutting required to complete this scenic road. We passed over several rivers, including the Tennessee and Cumberland. When we leave Paducah, we will go down the Cumberland River.

We drove into a another fine sunset and, as we pulled into the marina, saw an equally impressive moonrise.

We'll spend another day in Paducah and visit two local museums. Barry wants to get a haircut and we'll probably hit Walmart to replenish the stock of fruits and veggies.

State of Confusion: Leaving MO on the MS to the OH on to KY

Day 127  | Cape Girardeau, MO to Paducah, KY  |  10.3 Hours  |  84 Miles  |  1 Lock 

Alarm clocks rang out early on the five Looper boats anchored in the Little Diversion Channel. Everyone was up and ready to depart at 6:30. The sun seemed to have turned off its alarm, rolled over, and gone back to sleep. The morning was heavily overcast and dreary as we all re-entered the Mississippi River bound for the Ohio River, fifty miles away. It seemed that the tow captains were a bit more chatty this morning. Several wished our group safe travels and told us to be safe. One captain finally clued us in to the fact that there had been an accident the previous evening involving a fast-moving 46-foot SeaRay and a barge. The sunken wreckage could still be seen on the shoreline as we passed by. We move far slower than that boat and have much more time to examine the area and react to possible issues. With visibility of less than a mile, it takes a lot of effort to see the little boat under the bridge, even at a slow speed.

Since we entered the inland rivers at Chicago, we have been traveling downstream and have been aided by a current of as much as four knots. When we made the turn and headed up the Ohio, we not only lost our boost, but we had to fight against a two-knot current. This caused our boat speed to go from 13.2 knots, down to 6.5 knots. Life was moving in slow motion. Tow traffic on the Ohio seemed much busier than that on the Mississippi. Ship to ship radio communication was never silent. We had one lock to pass through today (Olmstead). This is a new lock/dam which replaced two smaller and older units. Today was our lucky day as the water level was high enough that the dams were down. We cruised right on through without stopping.

Rain fell heavily for a couple of hours as a line of thunderstorms followed us down the river. Eventually it let up as we approached the city of Metropolis. Yes, it is the home of Superman. No, we couldn't see any of the Superman-themed downtown from our position. I did spy the Hope Light, a replica lighthouse dedicated to cancer awareness, onshore at the Dorothy Miller Park. At this point in the day we were very happy we could see the shore.

Further downstream, but still in Metropolis, was Fort Massac State Park, the first state park in Illinois (1908). The featured statue was of Albemarle, VA native George Rogers Clark, who was the leader of the Kentucky militia in the American Revolution. The original Fort Messac was built by the French in 1757 for the French and Indian War, then rebuilt as part of the historic site in 2002. By the time we passed under the Irvin Cobb Fixed Bridge, the rain had moved through and the sun was out. Its blue color reminded us of the Norris Bridge over the Rappahannock River back home. We moved over to the far right side of the river, and tied up to the long floating dock at the Paducah (KY) Town Marina. Several other Loopers had come in yesterday and everyone pitched in to receive dock lines and tie us up.

It was a very long day and we ate dinner onboard and relaxed instead of walking into town. We will stay here for a few days and visit some museums and whatever else we may find. Kentucky is the 11th state (yes, I realize Virginia and Kentucky are technically Commonwealths) we've visited on our Loop adventure and we're looking forward to seeing as much as we can while here.

A Modern Day Warrior, Today's Tom Sawyer

Day 126  | Kaskaskia River to Cape Girardeau, MO  |  5.8 Hours  |  60 Miles 

We departed the Kaskaskia River Lock wall this morning with Second Wave and Misty Pearl, heading for the only recommended stopping point for the next 150 miles. As we merged back into the Mississippi River, the strong four knot current grabbed hold of us and quickly pointed us downriver. A lone bald eagle sat in the trees observing our controlled power slide. This section of river is very turbulent, but thankfully had little log debris to dodge. On several occasions the swirling eddies quickly changed our course by up to 45 degrees, but the autopilot did a good job of correcting and keeping us pointed in the proper direction. We were surprised at how much barge/tow traffic there was for a Sunday morning. Several times we had multiple tows approaching in a single-file line. Large tows heading upstream put out a huge amount of prop wash/wake.

The tug Buckeye State passed us and Barry made reference to next weekend's big football game between Ohio State and his Penn State saying he hoped Buckeye State didn't run all over the Nittany Lion (him). We felt small next to these huge assemblies. We passed close to the Mark Twain Natural Forest about the time we encountered a kayak -- on the Mississippi, with all of this traffic. That brought to mind Rush's song from the early 80s as that dude truly was today's Tom Sawyer. Overall, it was a chilly and overcast, sometimes rainy, day with very little scenery. We stayed in the pilothouse with the doors closed. Birdlife was minimal, but this heron flew beside us for a while and I felt compelled to pick up the camera and get a shot, albeit through the window. With all the flooding the Mississippi River has seen in the last two weeks, the channel markers are in disarray. Dozens have simply been washed ashore. Several have been swamped, but remain in position barely bobbing above the water level. The Army Corps of Engineers has made a deposit of new markers in preparation for some much needed restoration. An interesting note about these river markers is that they are not numbered, as the ones on the east coast are, presumably because they get repositioned on a frequent basis.

Today we passed the largest tow that we've seen -- a single tug pushing 35 barges (5x7) upriver. Moving that much mass against the current requires quite a bit of horsepower and the prop wash created three foot breaking waves and a bumpy ride.

We neared the town of Cape Girardeau and heard the riverboat Queen of the Mississippi departing from its dock. We never saw the down-bound ship, but its dock featured an interesting mural of town highlights. Shortly downstream, we turned off the Mississippi River into the Little Diversion Channel anchorage for the evening. The name may sound upscale, but technically we are in the town's storm sewer for the evening. Again, we see evidence of high water as the reported 15 feet of depth is reading closer to 30, making for short scopes in this narrow channel.

There are six boats here this evening. There is minimal current and light/variable wind, meaning we are swinging more than we're used to. The anchor monitor app is set and we hope to get some good sleep. Tomorrow will be our longest day yet -- close to 90 miles with two locks, and a turn onto the Ohio River where we will be heading upstream, fighting a 4 knot current, with showers and shortening day light. The reward for completing this task will be a few days to recover in Paducah, KY, and the satisfaction of having traversed over 220 miles on the Mississippi River. Then we too can call ourselves modern day warriors -- Today's Tom Sawyer.

Picturesque Kaskaskia River Lock

Day 125  | Kimmswick to Kaskaskia River |  3.8 Hours  |  37 Miles 

The morning was chilly and breezy when we emerged from Crossroads to assess our position alongside the floating barge. Before we turned in the previous evening, we got smacked by a strong wake from an up-bound tow that rocked us hard against the barge for several minutes. Overnight we had taken a strong hit from a down-bound log. We scampered to the bow with our spotlight, but not quick enough to see the offender that kept moving along in the current. In the morning light we inspected the hull and found nothing of concern. It was a chilly, damp and breezy start to the first day of Fall. I began the day in two layers of Cold Gear and a hoodie. Barry even put on jeans and a jacket. Properly bundled up, we turned our attention to planning our departure and peeling ourselves away from the barge. We were packed in like sardines and the strong current and gusty winds were not going to make it easy.

Allen and Marsha from Free Spirit Too freed our final two dock lines as Barry pushed us into the current and powered back into the Mississippi River. Aided by four knots of current we flew down the River. Crossroads hit 12.1 knots, a new record. Crazy thing was it felt like we were sitting still most of the day. We passed several grand houses safely built high on the bluffs. The tracks paralleling the river were bustling with activity from both Amtrak and freight trains. The train pictured below seemed to stretch for a mile or more, and was comprised entirely of empty ore cars.

Along the shore were cement plants, power plants, quarries and coal terminals. Loaders moved coal from piles on land to awaiting barges. In the distance we spotted weird plumes of "smoke" puffing up from behind the trees. As we passed, we found it to be four industrial cooling and aerating water "fountains" shooting up reminiscent of those at The Bellagio in Las Vegas. The Mississippi was much cleaner today, with minimal floaters. It still had many churning eddies that jerked you off course when passing through them. The autopilot did well in maintaining our course.

A little more than three hours into our journey, we turned into the Kaskaskia River and spotted our home for the evening alongside the dock wall. I had already prepared the fenders and lines and Barry was on the VHF radio with the lockmaster when we heard the sound again ... thump, thump, thump. Almost without hesitation, Barry said we had "landed" another fish. Sure enough, a second Asian carp had sought his eternal home in our cockpit. This time I had to ignore the mess happening behind me and made the fish wait until we were securely tied up. He continued to flop around and leave a mess in the cockpit. I hopped onto the dock to attach the lines to the cleats, and Barry came back and returned the fish to water. The fish didn't float, so we assumed he was OK. We washed down the cockpit and relaxed for a few hours as a gentle rain shower fell.

We were the only boat here and I did some reading and watched a little football while Barry took a nap. Around 5:00 the sun came out and when I looked out the window, I saw Second Wave and Misty Pearl rounding the corner to join us. We helped them tie up and I finally got to meet the two Misty Pearl dogs who were more than happy to sit and receive a few minutes of ear scratches. Before we knew it, the clouds were gone and we were treated to a gorgeous final few hours of daylight.

Night came quickly, but we all noticed the spectacular sunset and gathered on the dock and took pictures.

We'll travel with Misty Pearl and Second Wave tomorrow on the way to our next stopping point at the Little River Diversion Channel anchorage. We're hoping it will be an uneventful travel day of about five-hours.

Down the Mighty Mississippi

Day 124  | Grafton to Kimmswick |  5.6 Hours  |  51 Miles  |  2 Locks

We are definitely starting to notice the change of seasons. First light doesn't occur until after 7:00 am. When we began the Loop, it was before 5:00. I'm solar powered and find it hard to get up when its dark. the sun rose through the cloud cover and Free Spirit Too followed us out of Grafton Harbor Marina. The exposed rock formations along the Illinois River stand as tributes to the mighty power of water -- whether seen as carved-out caves or as impressive vertical colonnades. The Our Lady of the Rivers Shrine in Portage des Sioux dates back to the flood of 1951. We have already experienced the river being full of logs and trees, but it was the other floating trash that caught us by surprise.

The riverside banks are perfect geology class examples of stratification (the car helps to show scale). The Piasa Bird Mural is not graffiti, but a riverside replica of an Indian painting of the legendary bird that terrorized and devoured people. There's a whole park that celebrates the piasa. We joined up with four other Loopers out of Alton and immediately entered the Mel Price Lock. Theoretically, there were enough floating bollards for each boat to tie up. The lock chamber was two-thirds full of trash, so we rafted up to Island Girl for the short drop. We cautiously exited the chamber and headed seven miles down the Mississippi towards the Chain of Rocks Canal. We regularly saw boat speeds (over ground) of 11 knots or more, aided by a current of up to four knots. The large sign at the entrance to the canal cleared up any possible confusion as to which way to go.

The seven-mile-long Chain of Rocks Canal was the most pleasant stretch of the day. There was minimal current and no floating debris. The grass hillsides were freshly mowed. Two bald eagles perched on a log, and watched us go by. A bit further down, we saw two additional eagles on the opposite side of the water. We were once again directed to proceed immediately into the lock and tied up to a floating bollard. It took a while for all six boats to load in, so we managed to get a selfie celebrating our last lock on the Mississippi River.

Five miles downstream, we began to see the industrial development of St. Louis. We passed under the railroad bridge just as the train was crossing above us. The river was moving swiftly, but we managed to get one shot of us and the arch, just to prove we were here. We had ridden the egg to the top of the Gateway Arch on a previous trip to St. Louis, but never had a view like this. There's nothing like seeing these cities from a low angle on the water.

Before stowing the camera, I got the Conehead photo I had planned. It was then time to go back to tree spotting ... Meps! The barge/tow traffic through St. Louis was incredible. A 5x5 assembly passed us -- it was too big to get in one picture. The wake turbulence kicked up by the tugs was the worst part. At times we were facing three-foot waves that were splashing over the bow and bouncing us around. On the edge of St. Louis, what I termed the "diving sock woman" sculpture in someone's yard provided some needed stress release. Twenty miles later, we spun around and worked our way over to Hoppies Marine Services where we tied up to a barge for the night. We protected the port side of Crossroads with every fender we have and doubled up our bow and forward spring lines to hold us against the swift current and tow wakes. After we were comfortably settled, we walked into town. The Anheuser Estate had huge paddocks out front, with a dozen horses grazing in the largest one, under a canopy of trees.

Kimmswick is the second oldest town in Missouri (founded in 1859) and the entire town (44 buildings) is on the National Register of Historic Places. We unexpectedly found it to be hopping with visitors, shops and restaurants as the directory shows. The turtle had no sign stating its purpose or meaning, so we just used it as a photo op. The most talked-about spot in town is the Blue Owl Restaurant, home of the Levee High Apple Pie. It has been featured on Food Network and the Today Show, but we are unable to attest to the validity of its fame. The restaurant is only open from 10-3. We missed them in the afternoon and will be gone before they open in the morning.

We returned to Crossroads in time to grab a quick nap before the Looper briefing at 5:00. After learning what we have in store for us over the next few days, we had dinner on board. We will leave in the morning with plans of going another 40 or so miles down the Mississippi.