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.
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