Day 54, September 25th, 2009
From Alton we entered the Mississippi River! It really wasn't what I expected, not that I really had a clue! Anyway, wider that the Illinois and more barges but in many respects there didn't seem that much of a difference. Very little residential property, more and more trees and industry. We did pass the city of St. Louis where the beautiful arch can be seen clearly on the river shore. It would have been nice to see something of this city. Apparently you can actually get inside the arch and there's a good museum there on Lewis & Clark. However, with nowhere to stop on the shoreline we just cruised on through.
There's quite the current on the Mississippi and we noticed at one point we were chugging along at 9 knots or so, averaging around 8.5 knots, so we were really moving.
Stopped for the night at "Hoppies" - a marina of sorts, i.e. about 4 old barges all tied together on the shore by the old town of Kimmswick, the 2nd oldest town in Missouri. We were met by the owners, Hoppy and Fern. 2nd generation on the property, both very knowledgeable about the River, "The backbone of the Nation" as Fern describes. Once safely tied up we walked into town - too bad it was a week day as the little museum was closed. All the little old houses had plaques outside with their name and the date they were built. Many had been converted to craft and gift shops. John and I liked the bakery where we had an ice cream and bought a slice of "Levee High Caramel Apple Pecan Pie" for dessert!!! We managed to get back in time for Fern's little chat. In the welcome shade of a roof where she's got some old chairs and a couch set up, Fern holds forth with helpful hints about safe anchorages and tips to manage the River. It was very helpful. A motley crew sat under the roof with us, including 8 fellas travelling down to Memphis in a replica of the boat that Lewis used to explore the region. They were on their way to attend a memorial to him there and a reenactment in full gear! There was also a young fella in a home built kayak with strange awning who was kayaking his way down the Mississippi to Mobile, AL! You sure meet some interesting characters. These 9 all kipped out on the dock under the roof in their sleeping bags for the night!
From Alton we entered the Mississippi River! It really wasn't what I expected, not that I really had a clue! Anyway, wider that the Illinois and more barges but in many respects there didn't seem that much of a difference. Very little residential property, more and more trees and industry. We did pass the city of St. Louis where the beautiful arch can be seen clearly on the river shore. It would have been nice to see something of this city. Apparently you can actually get inside the arch and there's a good museum there on Lewis & Clark. However, with nowhere to stop on the shoreline we just cruised on through.
There's quite the current on the Mississippi and we noticed at one point we were chugging along at 9 knots or so, averaging around 8.5 knots, so we were really moving.
Stopped for the night at "Hoppies" - a marina of sorts, i.e. about 4 old barges all tied together on the shore by the old town of Kimmswick, the 2nd oldest town in Missouri. We were met by the owners, Hoppy and Fern. 2nd generation on the property, both very knowledgeable about the River, "The backbone of the Nation" as Fern describes. Once safely tied up we walked into town - too bad it was a week day as the little museum was closed. All the little old houses had plaques outside with their name and the date they were built. Many had been converted to craft and gift shops. John and I liked the bakery where we had an ice cream and bought a slice of "Levee High Caramel Apple Pecan Pie" for dessert!!! We managed to get back in time for Fern's little chat. In the welcome shade of a roof where she's got some old chairs and a couch set up, Fern holds forth with helpful hints about safe anchorages and tips to manage the River. It was very helpful. A motley crew sat under the roof with us, including 8 fellas travelling down to Memphis in a replica of the boat that Lewis used to explore the region. They were on their way to attend a memorial to him there and a reenactment in full gear! There was also a young fella in a home built kayak with strange awning who was kayaking his way down the Mississippi to Mobile, AL! You sure meet some interesting characters. These 9 all kipped out on the dock under the roof in their sleeping bags for the night!
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