A very long day on the Mississippi

 Time travelled:   10.5  hours
 Nautical miles:   114 NM
 Docked at:              Anchored at Mile 29.6 Upper Mississippi

Fern came by last night to tell us her last "rule of thumb" - she said if you can't see around that corner when you get up don't leave. She was thinking fog but all was well, the four boats were all ready this morning, we were just waiting for a little light and two huge barges to go by before we left the dock / barge! It was miserable weather, drizzling and overcast. Not much to see anyhow. 

Garth reading the paper and driving!

Yucky day

Rock piles and chevrons

Fern explained to us that the Army Corp of Engineers have been putting these rock piles out all along the river and that "some kids with a computer" designed the chevrons on the banks - to quote "those damn environmentalists are going to ruin our river, why can't they just dredge and toss the sand up on the bank like they have done for years and years"

Looks like a wall of steel coming at you, this one was pushing 33 barges - now you see why they have the right of way! There are no locks from Alton, Illinois all the way down to New Orleans so we are seeing these HUGE barges today. Once we get onto the Ohio River tomorrow they will resume to normal size.


We arrived at the Little Diversion Creek Anchorage and the first boat to leave the dock/barge this morning had arrived and taken the entrance channel where the deep water was ......THANK YOU SOJOURN!!! Boat number two got in, we were watching and thought he was going to hit the other boat ... he slide beside him. We got in and went in front of "Soujourn" but he did not like that. Because he had his 1000 feet of anchor out ...he was taking up the whole space. We decided to move on and watched for anything that looked suitable. It was getting dark and I was scared. We snugged in behind a little island and the anchor held, so here we sit .... a little deer came down to the bank and glared at us. Too dark to get a picture. 


One more long day, then a normal day to get to a marina!




Zeke update:


"Stable" was the word the vet used this morning. His temperature has dropped and he is banging his bowl around the cage wanting food! He doesn't want to eat though - he just wants to see what you'll give him. The vet asked what he likes to eat. Chicken - he loves chicken !