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.