Hardin to the Mississippi River...... Almost!



Thursday, August 15 2019
Day 6 on the Loop – Beardstown to Hardin, IL (68 Miles) + Hardin to Grafton (17 Miles)

The night tied up to a barge at Logsdon Tug Service was somewhat restless as tows came and went during the night, but it was not too bad.  We decided not to run the generator all night, since it was quite cool during the evening.  

A problem with the water heater/electrical system meant that we did not have hot water first thing in the morning for showers.  We got underway and went about seven miles to the La Grange Lock and Dam.  I tried calling them before we left but could not get an answer on the phone.  When we arrived at 8:15 am we were told that they were locking a northbound tow through, that had to split its load, and it would be a couple of hours.  We anchored north of the lock and watched as the locked through one set of barges and then a second set, which then had to be hooked up together so they could proceed north.  The skill involved is quite incredible.

Although our electric water heater was not working, we did have a supply of hot water after the engine had been running so we used that for showers while we waited.

The plan for the day was to make it 68 miles (a long day’s journey) to a floating dock at Mel’s Illinois Riverdock Restaurant, where we would spend the night for $25 and be ready for a final push to Alton the next day.

View Off The Back Deck - On the Illinois River - Picture by John 

The day was pretty quiet with only a few tows to deal with, and we arrived at Mel’s at about 4:30 pm.  However, the dock was in poor shape and there were no services (water or power) and we decided, despite the long day, to continue to Grafton.  We were also running a bit low on water. Grafton Marina has a great reputation with Loopers and we were happy to arrive there after another two hours of travel.
Houses on stilts beside the Illinois River.  Even with being on stilts some of the houses were clearly damaged by the flooding over the last winter.


There was a wonderful welcome from the staff at Grafton as well as dockmates and we quickly settled in.  After a good dinner we returned to the boat, topped off our water and settled in for the night.  A much better choice,

So, we have made it all the way down the Illinois River, to the confluence with the Mississippi (actually, Grafton is 1,000 yards short).  Tomorrow we will travel down the Mississippi for about 15 miles to Alton.  It will be nice to have a short day, and to be settling in to one location for a longer stay.



Comments

Post a Comment

Please feel free to leave your comments.

Popular posts from this blog

Sunny Tug Returns to Shore, Upgrades and Repairs, and Shipping to Chicago

Image
Friday, August 2, 2019 This is an update on the crazy last couple of days since we returned Sunny Tug to Winter Island Yacht Yard on Tuesday, July 30. I had a list of 18 items that needed to be looked at based on our shakedown cruise.  The two  biggies were the electrical system problems and the AIS (Automatic Identification System) not working. Here is a good write up on the West Marine website of how AIS works . The original plan was that Sunny Tug would be picked up Thursday, August 1 to start the transport to Chicago.   She actually left on Saturday morning, but Roland Hanes, the trucker, thinks he can still get to Chicago on Monday. Roland unloading a new Ranger Tug in preparation for loading Sunny Tug It was a long, and at times crazy, couple of days.   It was good getting to help out with some of the work at the yard, so I could learn a bit more about my boat but it was also tiring.  Thankfully, the heat that we first had when I arrived in Salem had eased a bit, th
Read more

A nice run down the Tennessee to a secure anchorage.

Image
Wednesday, October 9, 2019 Days 54 on the Loop – Pebble Isle Marina - Tennessee River to Double Island Anchorage (46.54 Miles). Pebble Island Marina was nice.    It was nice having shore power (electricity) to turn on the heat in the morning, since it was quite chilly.   I am supposed to have a diesel powered heater on board, but that has never worked and I have not been able to find anywhere to fix it. Vicki returning to the boat at Pebble Isle Marina On the dock at Pebble Island Marina In the morning many Loopers went to the office to pick up cinnamon rolls that the marina provides to guests.  :)  We skipped on that, but other said they liked them. Before leaving the marina I spent some time on the phone making calls to ask for quotes for having Sunny Tug trucked from Iuka MS (Aqua Yacht Harbor) to Orange Beach, AL (Saunders Yacht Services).  Lady Finger Promontory on the Tennessee River The ride up the Tennessee River was very pleasant, with
Read more

Paducah to Green Turtle Bay Marina (Grand Rivers, KY)

Image
Sunday, September 22, 2019 Day 37 on the Loop – Paducah to Grand Rivers, KY (Green Turtle Bay Marina) (38.6 miles) It was nice to get a more relaxed start to the day since we only had about 45 miles to go today, and one lock to go through.   Our berth last night was on the shore side of the floating dock at Paducah, which was nice since it protected us from the wakes of passing tows. We had thought about joining other Loopers going to brunch in Paducah, but decided that with a lock to go through (which always is a roll of the dice for time) we would start earlier. After a short time on the Ohio River we transitioned to the Cumberland.   Whereas the Ohio had been very wide, the Cumberland was much smaller, and a bit more scenic.  It was also interspersed some large gravel pits and the occasional tow. Gravel plant along the Cumberland River In one instance the tow called us on the radio to discuss a passing situation, but in most cases it was us calling them to ask which
Read more