Chapter 16: Vacation and Home Sweet Home

It is Thursday, Sept. 24. We left Alton Marina, Illinois at 7 am to get through the big Mel Price lock on the muddy Mississippi. After a 10-day break, we are rusty! On Sept. 8, we arrived at Alton and then friends Denny and Julie joined us. We were also meeting Bob and Marsha from Arizona for a vacation in St. Louis, Missouri—about 30 minutes from our marina. We packed a lot of fun into five days: “open mic“ talent night at jazz club Blue Strawberry, St. Louis arch ride to the top (630 feet high), Union Station putt putt golf, Zac Brown Band concert (fabulous), STL Cardinals baseball game (hotter than Hades), indoor farmers market, art in the park, Oktoberfest, and Anheuser Busch Clydesdales at Grant‘s farm. One evening, a server asked, “How did you all get here?” Denny replied, “A truck, a boat, and a plane.” Bah!
On Sept. 14, we flew from St. Louis back home for much-needed visits with family and friends. Everyone’s sweet smiles, warm hugs, and great questions made us feel oh-so-special! We appreciated the parties, wonderful meals, games, and “best day ever” group pictures. It was hard to leave.
When we returned to the boat, Maggie was good and our plants were just fine, thanks to kind Harbormaster Greg Brown. We talked with several loopers and due to lowering water levels and anticipated debris in the river, we decided to quickly do laundry, get groceries, fill the water tank, and head out to see what the Mississippi River had in mind for us over a 250-mile trek without marinas or fuel stops. As of Sept. 25, we are cruising at 12 knots, 100 miles in and planning to anchor tonight. Be good to us muddy river.Read more