Calculations have been made and it has been determined that we burn more fuel when I hoist the anchor. Not really sure about the rationale, but since it was deemed to be more economical, I was more than happy to step aside and let the Captain crank away that morning as I observed from the comforts of the flybridge. The next three days we were on a mission to ultimately arrive in Alton, IL. Alton would be our last marina stop to fill up with gas and provisions before the 245 mile trek to Paducah, KY.
The river levels had been extremely high most of the season, and especially as of late with all the storms, so the wickets were down at the next two locks. The long and short of that meant that we could ride straight over the dam and not have to lock through which definitely saved us some precious time. The next day was warm, sunny and calm and we tied up to the Havana Nature Center free dock with the aid of some local boys fishing off the pier. They were very excited to lend a helping hand and were even more elated to receive a few bucks so they were able to treat themselves to McDonald’s up the road. As we were told, the only restaurant in town. Salty Dog had passed us along the way and was anchored just beyond the pier. We had exchanged pleasantries with Greg and Pam over the radio for the last few days as we anchored in proximity to each other a few times to end out a long day and looked forward to meeting them some day soon.
Thunderstorms hit the area overnight and we cast off the dock in the morning to rain and high winds. The Illinois River had so far proven to be temperamental as 3 foot waves challenged us the whole day. A new development in our travels is that I have begun to radio the tows we encounter to request a pass…either on the one(port) or on the two(starboard)… and have garnished the nickname “Skipper.” My new job has undoubtedly given us plenty to laugh about as we travel for hours along the river since my VHF conversations are not as regimented as the Captain would like. I usually sound like I’m calling up a friend to chat and most tow captains are very receptive to the banter. But the Captain is all business…”Copy that…Bella Donna out.”
That day we traveled as far West as we will on the entire trip once we passed Griggsville Landing, IL dropping anchor a few miles later behind Big Blue Island. The weather had cleared up and we were treated to a gorgeous sunset as we proceeded to barbecue under the moonlight reminding us of what this trip was all about. And then…
The next day I hit a logš
The “log dodge” is one mental and physical challenge I did not welcome. The rest of the day I knew the Captain was not happy and we both eyed the bilge pump gauge to make sure the light didn’t suddenly illuminate signaling water flooding the boat. The Illinois River was very industrial with plenty of grain and oil mills off the banks. Tows passed us frequently… some 4 barges wide… which is why we speculated that some buoys were off station or missing completely only to be located on the water’s edge where they must have been dragged after getting in the way of the commercial traffic.
We had been discussing our gas situation and after much deliberation (with himself), the decision was made to take a right turn onto the Mississippi River and head to Port Charles Marina. Although there was a cost savings of about $80 in fuel, battling the Mighty Mississippi current upstream to locate the marina pretty much negated most of the savings as we burned an excessive amount of fuel in that 5 mile trip moving at 3mph. Oh well..you live and you learn. We relaxed on the boat that evening after a nice meal, refreshing shower and a bottle of wine and the Captain eventually stopped kicking himself for the bad decision. Well that is, until we passed by Grafton in the morning and realized there was a floating wine bar…then I kicked him for real.
The three hour trip to the Alton Marina was as pleasant as we could have asked for once the port engine got itself together…again. I had finally stopped cringing every time Duane went to switch her on, when, that morning, she decided to give us a problem and not turn over. Quickly jumping into action and getting into the āholeā, AKA engine room, the Captain figured out that the gas was not flowing, fixed her up, and off we went. The sun was shining and the four knot current on the Mississippi was now with us pushing us along nicely. Beautiful tree lined cliffs adorned the banks of the Mississippi strewn in shades of the Fall. Gliding into a covered slip, we disembarked to stretch our legs and take in the sights and make new friends. First, we were pointed in the direction of Fast Eddie’s, a local joint which did not disappoint. The burger was the best I have had in a long while and Duane would not stop raving about the shrimp as we indulged ourselves enjoying the Happy Hour specials. The bartender gave us a tip to head over to a real local establishment..Town City…for tacos and beer. Not wanting to pass up the experience, we made our way down the road. As we saddled up to the bar, we knew by the looks, this was not a place tourists stumble into by chance. The bartender was grilling up tacos in between pours and all seemed right in this picture. When he made his way in our direction, he made sure to ask if we were from the area. We briefly mentioned the Loop and that the previous bartender had sent us there. With a nod he asked if chicken was okay with us and served up the most unexpectedly mouthwatering tacos that, even though we were full, we just had to order two more. After a few beers we were on our way back to the dock. As Duane napped with a smile on his face and a full belly, I worked on the laundry which had accumulated the last few days. A few boats were in the marina and after the laundry was folded and the Captain rested, we went to introduce ourselves in person to Greg and Pam on Salty Dog. It’s so surreal on this trip how you follow, travel with or pass boats along the way and may not physically meet for days or even weeks…such was the case with Salty Dog. Pam and Greg were a wonderful couple who welcomed us aboard to chat about our boat and the experience we were having. We exchanged cards and were definitely looking forward to hanging out with our new friends in the future.
Duaneās stomach was now getting the best of him. So what was a First Mate to do…I walked him over to the Argosy Casino for chili cheese fries and wings. After I was satisfied with my $12 winnings from the slots, we strolled back to our abode to settle in for the night.
The next day was cold and rainy so Duane dusted off the sewing machine and proceeded to fix our fly bridge enclosure so we would be protected from the elements moving forward. Being the ultimate seamstress, he added a middle panel which had been non-existent on the trip so far. The prospect of not being pelted with rain and the bitter winds going forward was appealing to both of us as we accepted the fact that winter was coming. Later in the day we walked to a local grocery store and loaded up with supplies. After Alton, we were not going to be tied up in a marina until Green Turtle Bay in Grand Rivers, KY some 5 days from now. The owner was so thoughtful and had his son who worked the meat counter drive us back to the marina as to spare us from lugging our bags through the streets.
Back at the marina we went to say Hello to our old friends on Geru, Geoff and Ruth. We had not seen them since that fateful day on Lake Michigan which I still have nightmares about. We had decided to take off in the morning from Alton as a bad storm was approaching and they were staying for a few days waiting for some parts to be delivered so we parted ways again hoping to meet in warmer weather. On the walk back to get things organized for our morning departure, we noticed another Looper couple on the dock aboard Adagio. We had seen them traveling on NEBO so we decided to knock on the boat to introduce ourselves. Denise and Dave welcomed us aboard and, as they we leaving in the morning also, we coordinated with them on a departure time since there was a lock right outside the marina we needed to pass through. Going through the lock all at once was more optimal then going in drips and drabs and possibly waiting for hours. We would once again be traveling with new found friends and looked forward to getting to know everyone better.
