Thursday 3/30/2006 Midway Marina to Pickwick Landing State Park
FINALLY!!! We are back on the rivers. We left Midway Marina at 8:34am and headed North on the Tenn-Tom Waterway. This trip is different in that we are helping some friends take their boat to Chicago area.
Rick & Theresa have a 48 Ft. Jefferson boat and a beautiful dog called “Willy”. They invited us on the trip Tuesday night so we said sure at the same time. Cyndi is really adjusting the Loosey-Goosey life where plans are made but other opportunities appear. The trip should take about 15 boat days and will cover 900 miles. We will travel on the Tenn-Tom Waterway, Tennessee, Ohio, Mississippi, and Illinois Rivers. We will also traverse the Cal-Sag Waterway around Chicago then proceed up Lake Michigan 50 miles to Winthrop, IL. This is on the western shore of Lake Michigan at the Wisconsin border.
On our first day we traveled through 3 locks and ended up at Pickwick Landing State Park. We had dinner in the Lodge and who ended up sitting next to us but Jerry & Betty Oliver, owners of Pogo, a 45 Ft CHB pilothouse motor yacht. They were our neighbors at the America’s Great Loop Rendezvous http://www.greatloop.com at Joe Wheeler State Park last September. Small world.
Friday 3/31/2006 Pickwick Landing State Park to Cuba Landing Marina
Another early day began skirting around storms in the area and we ended up at Cuba Landing at 1:30 pm. We just got in to the marina, tied to the fuel dock when the rain started to fall. Cuba Landing is a nice new marina and, we were told, had changed hands and that new owners with some interesting plans for improvement were to take over on Monday. We’re told the dockside helpers will not be changed. We shared a few chuckles with some cruisers on a Bayliner 4788.
Saturday 4/1/2006 To Kentucky Dam Marina
Up early and what did we see – FOG. There was a fishing tournament and about 35 custom fishing boats took off and were hardly seen after a few feet. We waited for a few hours and the fog seemed to lift so we left after the Bayliner and headed downriver (North). For those unbeliever’s (i.e.-Bobby N. of Queen Anne in Clear Lake) The Tennessee River runs North into the Ohio River in this section. It is one of the few rivers in the United States to do this. The decision to leave after the Bayliner was probably faulty as we soon found ourselves in “Pea Soup” fog and could barely make out the bow sprit. We cautiously creeped along with our radar and eventually caught up with and passed the Bayliner. They had lost there radar and were also groping about in the fog. Soon the fog burned off and we headed for Kentucky Dam Marina and the kind hospitality of Walter and Glendon the dock master. They helped us in that Cyndi had forgotten one of her prescriptions so we had it called into a local drugstore and Walter picked it up and had it waiting for us. Service like that is hard to forget.
Sunday 4/2/2006 Kentucky Dam Marina To Paducah
We left the marina and headed toward the lock to show them that we were in line. They were locking a double through but we had to “show the whites of our eyes” before they would log us in. We tied to a horribly rough concrete and railroad tie lock wall in 2 foot waves that pounded us for the 3 hour wait. We finally locked through and headed for Paducah, KY and tied up to a rusted out barge and waited for the approaching thunderstorms. We had tornado sirens going off all around us in the darkness of night along with high winds and rain but, fortunately no tornados.
Monday 4/3/2006 Paducah to Angelo’s Towhead
We left Paducah at 6:30 am to fill up with fuel at the barge. After filling up we went back to the barge to await the availability of Lock # 52 on the Ohio River. We were told that they were dropping the wickets because of the high water but that it would take 3 hours so we had to wait. When we finally got going we exited the Tennessee River onto the Ohio River. This is a milestone for Cyndi & I as it meant we had completed the Tennessee River from the confluence of the Holsein?? & French Rivers in Knoxville, TN. to the Ohio. The Tennessee covers 643 ?? miles and is one of the few rivers that actually runs North. It runs North into the Ohio at Paducah, KY. The Ohio River was fairly rough with 2-3 foot choppy waves. Because of the high water levels we were able to avoid locking and travel over the wickets at the dam. We finally arrived at Angelo’s Towhead on the Mississippi River and settled in for a peaceful night with a beautiful red sky. The Mississippi even settled down and the anchorage was quiet.
Tuesday 4/4/2006 Angelo’s Towhead to Diversion Canal
We left Angelo’s and headed up the Mississippi against a 4mph current which reduced our boat speed to 7mph. There was very little traffic (some commercial & no recreational) on the river. We had a small amount of debris from the prior day’s storms in the water. We will probably get more in the days ahead as the effects of the storms move down river.
Wednesday 4/5/2006 Diversion Canal to Kaskaskia Lock Wall
We left the Diversion Canal at 6:50 am to a cool morning with a nice sunrise and headed North on the Mississippi River. The river was running around 4 mph in current against us so while running at 1600 RPM we only made 7 mph vs. and normal 11 mph at that RPM. We encountered a lot of debris floating downstream that ranged from chinks of wood and branches to full 20 foot long trees with their branches and root structure in tact. Many of these could be a trip buster if we ran over them. Because of this driving the boat was a constant battle to avoid the debris as we cruised up river. This type of cruising is very tiring and requires 2 people to keep a good watch.
We arrived at Kaskaskia Lock around 4:40 after 9 hr and 50 minutes of tedious driving. We were glad to get tied to the lock wall after 2 nights of anchoring. Willy got a chance to get off the boat and walk on the concrete. This lock is unique in that it is one of the few around that will let you tie up for the night.
Thursday 4/6/2006 Kaskaskia Lock to Hoppies
We left the lock wall at 6:26am to get a jump on the heavy weather coming in and, hopefully, get into Hoppies Marina (MM 158.5) by 12:30. During the night we had heavy rain, thunder and lightning storms. There was less debris in the river today for the 6 hour run to Hoppies. The weather was overcast all day and we arrived at Hoppies 15 minutes into a passing storm. Needless to say we all got wet during the docking maneuvers. We quickly settled in, took on water & the girls went shopping with Fern. Thursday night we had dinner nearby at Bambino’s Italian Restaurant. It was some of the best Italian food I’ve had cruising. The staff was excellent and the cook treated us with dessert.
Friday 4/7/2006 Hoppies To Hardin, IL
In a cool, overcast morning we headed up river towards St. Louis and the Arch. We encountered a lot of floating debris and more commercial traffic the closer we got to St. Louis. The St. Louis Arch came into view and grew as we approached to downtown area. Tow boats wondered all over the riverfront but did not take away from the majesty and overwhelming presence of the Arch. It towers over the city and the riverfront. One unfortunate thing about St. Louis and a lot of the river towns is that there is no place for boaters to pull in and tie up. We had an uneventful day and went swiftly through both locks. Just after passing Alton, IL we entered the Illinois River and the current dropped some. From there we had a pleasant run up to Mel’s restaurant in Hardin, IL.
Saturday 4/8/2006 Hardin, IL to Beardstown, IL
We awoke to lights from a passing Tow shining into the boat at 5:00am. It was cold and crisp outside. We left at 6:30 am and cruised to Beardstown, IL. home of the infamous Beardstown Ladies Investment Group. We docked to a barge at Logsdon Towing in downtown Beardstown for $ 20/night. We looked at the free city dock but there was an old Carver tied to it that stuck out beyond the end so there was no room for us. We were told that the boat had been there a long time and recently broke loose and floated down river. It’s too bad that more towns do not have a free dock so that you can see them, spend some money, and increase the pleasure of your journey. Another highlight of this stop was I was invited to tour a towboat and we took it out into the river and did a 360 degree turn. To control the boat you have a single stick for each engine that controls both direction and speed and two other sticks that control the rudders. These towboats have rudders both in front of and behind the props which allow them to control in either direction.
Sunday 4/9/2006 Beardstown, IL to Peoria, IL
We left Beardstown and headed towards Pekin, IL and a visit from a fuel truck. We met up with the truck, took on 400+ gallons of diesel fuel and headed on to our nights destination of Peoria. We stayed on the Peoria downtown dock which is actually still closed for the season. We were able to tie up and have 30 amp service. The dock is right in front of Joe’s Crabshack and Chicago Pizza. We opted for Joes and had a great dinner.
Monday 4/10/2006 Peoria, IL to Ottawa, IL
We left Peoria early Monday for the 77.1 mile run to Ottawa, IL. We arrive at the Riverfront dock with conditions being windy with a strong current. Rick easily docked the boat and we took a quick walk to town (1/2 mile). The dock was free without easy access to power or water. Rick & Theresa opted to have Thai food delivered to the boat from a local restaurant while Cyndi & I walked into town and cruised the streets on foot. It is an old river town that hosted the Lincoln/Douglas debates in 1858. The people we talked to were very friendly and we decided to have Pizza and salad at the R. Grotto. We were told that the pizza at Bianchi’s Bar was better but they did not offer salad and we both wanted that. Back at the boat we didn’t have live TV since our dish was blocked by the bridge so we just hung out and chatted. Around 1 am the local police were called as sounds were heard on the boat. The police responded with 2 cars in 5-10 minutes and checked things out. A large raccoon was seen and thought to be the likely culprit. However, the police checked out a few local fishermen and were soon underway. It was a quiet night thereafter.
Tuesday 4/11/2006 Ottawa, IL to Joliet, IL
Today was a short 48 mile day but included 3 locks. We went through the 3 locks like we had reservations and were the only boat on the river. At the locks on the Illinois the lock tender drops 2 lines to be fastened to the boat and tended while the water moves the boat up to the next level. The lockmasters were very professional and helpful. We arrived in Joliet in early afternoon and tied up to the wall at Bicentennial Park. The park is located across from Harrah’s Casino and the Police station. We got hooked up with electric just as the rains came.
We were joined for dinner on the boat by Ed & Leah Harris who have a boat at Midway Marina and were visiting their home in Joliet. They delivered Rick & Theresa’s car from Fulton so that we would have a way to get back to the marina.
Wednesday 4/12/2006 Joliet to Dawson’s Creek Marina
We checked the Lake Michigan weather and it looked like the current 6-8 foot waves would subside the next morning so Rick decided to make the 38 mile run the edge of Lake Michigan. This proved to be the correct decision. We left around 8:30 but 2 miles away at Lockport Lock we had to wait 3 hours while the lock was being fixed. This lack of prior information from the locks is very frustrating. Most locks, if they answer the VHF, will not give out information about the lock status until your boat arrives at the arrival point. Therefore, when we call they say come up and call when you see them. At that time they tell you what the delay is and how long you may have to wait. So, you end up tieing up, anchoring or just cruising around hours instead of waiting tied to a dock and leaving when the lock says it is clear. It seems that there is a better way but I don’t know how to go about pursuing it.
We had a great dinner at a bar on site called the Wize Guys. We did not have the pizza but Wally, the owner, said that is the specialty. Instead we had burgers, onion rings, fried mozzarella, garlic bread, chicken strips and wings. A totally healthy diet <gr!!>
Thursday 4/13/2006
We left early in the morning and went through the Thomas J. O’Brien Lock which takes us from the Little Calumet River to Lake Michigan. At this point the Admiral, (Cyndi), is a little apprehensive and nervous about transiting Lake Michigan the 50 miles up to Winthrop Harbor, IL. As we entered Lake Michigan Cyndi put a nig smile on her face. After weeks of worry and sleepless nights, there were 3” (YES, that is inches) waves on the Lake and nor whitecaps in sight (gr!). The Lake was very peaceful that morning and we could see Chicago off in a distance. We went directly across the Lake toward North Point Harbor and viewed the Chicago skyline off our port side. This was an appropriate ending run to a fabulous 933 mile voyage. From Fulton, Mississippi on the Tenn-Tom (population 3,882) to Chicago, IL (population 2,896,016), we arrived at North Point Marina early afternoon.
We thank Rick, Theresa & Willy for the hospitality, friendship and experiences of this trip. It was an awesome trip, in the space of 2 weeks, to transit some of the largest, most powerful and awesome rivers of the United States. The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, Tennessee River, Ohio River, Mississippi River, Illinois River, Des Plaines River, Calumet-Sag Channel skirting Chicago, Little Calumet River and Lake Michigan. While there was current up to 4 mph on the Mississippi it was not too bad.
We were able to spend the Easter weekend with my nephew John & wife Missy and precious little Maggie. This was an unexpected treat and the highlight of the weekend was Maggie getting new teeth and the joy that it brought to her (Teething).
We are now back at Midway Marina and looking forward to our departure on July 5th. We are heading up to the Tennessee River and Joe Wheeler State Park (MM 277).
WE traveled to the following places so far in 2006 but the weather has made the Cap'n very lazy so no commentary has been added so far. Detailed comments from my field notes will be added as the weather cools and my mind returns.
JWE -- 10/3/2006
7/5/2006 Midway Marina to Iuka, MS
7/6/2006 Aqua Harbor, Iuka, MS
7/7/2006 Joe Wheeler Marina, Rogersville, Al
8/7/2006 Alred Marina, Lake Guntersville
8/9/2006 Goose Pond Marina, Scottsboro, Al
8/30/2006 Little Cedar Mountain anchorage
8/31/2006 Chattanooga Downtown docks
9/1/2006 Island Cove Marina, Harrison, TN