3rd night on the river and more

The saying is if you are a real boater you have either grounded or you are lying. Well if this is true, we are not lying. We had our first grounding due to low water conditions. I’m not going to go into detail, but we were able to dislodge from the muck because a helpful towboat captain sent a huge wave our way that pushed us off and into the deeper water. After gathering ourselves we motored upstream and anchored with other loopers on the edge of the Illinois River. In the morning Tim cleaned out the engine sea strainers to make sure we hadn’t sucked in too much silt. In retrospect, we both handled the crises very well and worked as a team under duress.

The next morning the river was calm as we began another day on the river. I was a little on edge due to the episode the night before, but it was an uneventful day as far as a crises is concerned. Our lunch stop was at Mel’s Dinner, a traditional looper stop. Lunch was very delicious but I was anxious to get to Grafton.

The distance from Mel’s to Grafton is about 20 miles. Right at Grafton, the Illinois joins the mighty Mississippi. We turned into Grafton Marina just after entering the Mississippi River. No anchoring out for 6 nights!!!! (2 at Grafton & 4 at Alton YEAH!!! And to top it off, our slip was covered–which apparently is a thing around here. That covered slip was a added blessing as the temp’s this week are in the 90’s. One of the mornings there was a storm and we could watch the rain falling from our boat deck and not get wet….a very strange sensation.

The city of Grafton is a very unique small town. I believe the population is about 600, but on the weekend the population swells to the thousands. People from St. Louis come here to party and get away from the big city. There were 4 or 5 bars with live (load) music playing within site of the marina. On Saturday, during the day, we took the chair lift to the top of the mountain for a spectacular view of the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois River. There were many small shops on the Main Street in Grafton which we visited. I was really intrigued by the small town feel of Grafton. I wonder what it would be like to live here and have the Mississippi keep me guessing as to what it might do next..like the flood of 1993 when most of Grafton was under water.

After two nights in Grafton, we motored 20 miles to Alton. Now we are really on the Mississippi. The Illinois side of the river has high rock hills, but the Missouri side is mostly flat. I can only image what the river does to that side during flood stage. Alton Marina is our home for the next 4 nights and the slips are covered as well. The temps continue to be in the 90’s so the covered slips are a bonus. We wandered the city, at least the part accessible by foot. There is a spot in the city commemorating the debate between Douglas and Lincoln. As you can see by the stand that each man took, our country is at another divide. Who will lead us??

We have spent many hours in the pool with many other loopers who are passing through this area. It is interesting hearing each story as we share a common bond. Today Tim & I rode our bikes to Mel Price Lock & Dam in the heat. They have a free museum about the river and all that the the Core of Engineers do to maintain the channel depths for barge traffic. They also gave a tour of the actual dam and lock areas. That was interesting as we have gone through many locks already and plan to traverse this very lock tomorrow morning with 6 other looper boats.

There are about 23 looper boats at this marina and each is at a different stage of the loop. So many are nearing the end of their adventure and have so many stories to share. Others are like us….just at the beginning of our adventure. As I sign off for the night I’ll share this looper toast.

“There are good ships and wood ships. Ships that sail the sea. But the best ships are the friendships. And may they always be.”