Hoppies

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Stats:
Alton to Hoppies Marina on the Mississippi. 7:00 - 12:00, 45 miles

We left early and had an uneventful but pleasant cruise down the Mississippi to Hoppies, a legend in looper lore.  Hoppies is billed as a MUST stay in a lot of the literature and looper travel guides, as it's been here forever, it is the last fuel/water stop for a long time, and the folks who run it (Hoppy and his wife Fern) are very knowledgable about the river.  We had read mixed reviews but we were curious to see what the "Hoppies experience" is all about for ourselves.

Our course today took us right through St. Louis. and we had a great time looking at this very busy city and taking pics.  We wanted to catch a ball game here but the Cardinals weren't playing during our stay so we had to miss that one.  Unfortunately there is NO place to stop the boat and tie up in the city of St. Louis and certainly no place to anchor, with all the industry going on, so we just cruised on by and enjoyed.

Here are some pics of the day:

We're going down in the first lock.  It was just
fifteen minutes from our slip and I had barely ANY
coffee in my system at all!  We called first
and they had it all ready for us and we drove right in.

 This is a photo looking up at the bollard
chamber.  You wrap a mid-ship line around
it and it sinks down the lock with you.

The Mississippi is VERY industrial:

                                                               This is pretty much what it's like the whole way so far.

                                                                                   The St. Louis Arch

And, here's the famous Hoppies:

I'm not kidding.  It is a bunch of old barges.  Neither of us can figure out why people say it is a MUST stop.  We must be missing something.   I would definitely advise people to cruise on by and anchor or tie up somewhere  where the tow boats are not bouncing you around all night.

The saving grace is that a bunch of other loopers pulled in as well and we were able to make acquaintance again with Potest Fiery, Sandpiper and Midas Touch (whom we met way back in Georgian Bay before we even left on our trip).  We enjoyed a walk around town with other cruisers (cute little town) and caught up on our travels.

                                                                                   Susan and Susan at Hoppies

                                                                               BC falls off the wagon. Again.

                                                                           Double, double, toil and trouble....

Lola's birthday treat.  She was so excited about her icecream that she got the dish stuck on her nose!

Jeff enjoyed an evening of playing cards with the guys on Potest Fiery.  I had a pleasant evening curled up reading.Tomorrow, more Gran Vida!

 

Alton, Illinois, Day Two

Monday, September 29, 2014

Stats:
Zero, just hanging around.

Today was a rest day.  We spent the morning doing chores like grocery shopping, laundry etc.  They actually came down from the local store and picked us up and took us home again.  When I told the lady from the grocery store the story about Jeff's remote for the tv being lost in the bilge she took pity on him and insisted on driving us around to find a new one for him....  And we were successful!  The tv is on as I type!

Habby's boat!

Jeff fishes Habby off the bottom

Habby makes new friends

Later in the day, a local boater, Brian, who we had been chatting with yesterday, came by.  He offered to take us out in his go-fast boat, a Bryant named Wine N Down.  Jeff's eyes lit up and before we knew it we were flying across a mirror flat Mississippi.  This boat can move!  He even let Jeff drive.  He took us to a local spot he knew where the Asian Carp love to jump.  And jump they did.  He was disappointed that they weren't jumping more but they were jumping enough for me.  They were right beside the boat and they were jumping high.  Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Those girlish squeals are just part of my DNA.  I can't help it.  I thought they might jump in the boat and hearing that they are slimy and bleed a lot didn't help!  Too funny!

Later, Brian took us to a local hotspot, Fast Eddy's, for beer and dinner.  This place is huge and a local landmark.  You line up for $1.99 hamburgers, shrimp or their signature kabobs,  all at ridiculously low prices.  It seemed busy for a Monday night but Brian said this was nothing.  The place really gets rocking with live bands and dancing on the weekends.  We had a blast on our personal tour and a lot of laughs.  THANKS Brian!!

We ended the evening with some time in the hot tub, long hot showers in the marina's lovely facilities and preparing the boat for an early departure.  Tomorrow we'll pass through St. Louis and head downstream to Hoppie's Marina.

Alton, Illinois

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Stats:
Willow Island, Illinois River to Alton Illinois.  8:30 to 2:00.  45 miles.

We awoke to fog this morning which delayed our departure.  We had no cell service or internet connection here and no TV signal (as Jeff accidentally dropped our remote for the t.v. into the bilge. The hardest part about that accident was ejecting Jeff from the bilge after he dove in after it. I had to pull him out by the belt loops. Stuff happens.)  So, we enjoyed slow coffees on the deck while watching the fish jump.

The cruise down the last thirty miles of the Illinois River was uneventful.  The landscape started to change with hills, the river getting wider and more signs of human inhabitance: cottages, hunting blinds and boats.  Most of the cottages are on stilts.  Me thinks they get high water sometimes.

We came to the town of Grafton, at mile marker zero on the Illinois and right at the junction of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers.  We were so stoked about being on the Mississippi and it was such a beautiful day for cruising, that we decided to keep going to the next town, ten miles down the river.

Two rivers:  on the right is the Illinois, which we have just finished
and on the left is the Mississippi, which we have just joined.

Jeff driving onto the Mississippi River  Whoo-hoo!!!!

                                                                                                                                                                 




We arrived in Alton and got a slip at the beautiful Alton Marina, right beside and under a large interstate bridge.  As soon as we pulled in, we noticed some familiar boats:  John and Lorrie from Andiamo and Joe and Connie from the Chesapeake.  That's the thing about Loopers, as we are all on the same general course and time schedule, we keep running into each other.

Large bluffs as you enter the Mississippi

Look closely at the trains in this picture.We're not the only thing "made in Canada"around here!

The Alton Marina is right under this bridge. Very pretty at night when it's all lit up.

Our plan is to spend the next couple of days here at the marina.  They have a pool, hot tubs etc. and the weather is predicted to be warm and sunny.  We'll spend some time on the bikes checking the town out and sit by the pool, fine tuning our plans for the next leg of our trip.

Somewhere on the Southern Illinois River

Saturday, September 28, 2014

Stats:

Havana Illinois to Willow Island. 7:00 a.m. -  5:30 p.m.  90 miles

Today was a travel day.  We wanted to get within close rage of Grafton, the next town stop we have.  Knowing it was going to be a long day, we christened our new twelve-volt slow cooker. We plugged it into the cigarette lighter beside the helm and all day we had the delicious aroma of dinner cooking wafting past.  It worked great! Yumm!

As is evident in the pictures above, the river looks pretty much the same as we travel along.  It is very rural and for the most part there aren’t even cottages.  We spent hours peacefully floating down the river with the very occasional passing tow or fisherman to give a friendly wave to.  Hours are spent watching the constant wildlife show and the subtle changes in the surrounding landscape.  

With tunes softly playing in the background a heron dives for dinner, a couple of butterflies flutter by doing their little butterfly dance, a fish jumps up and splashes down after a showy acrobatic spin, a swarm of swallows plays tag alongside, the sun is warm and its reflections sparkle all around us.... you get the picture? We comment on a tree hanging on precariously to the bank by what’s left of its roots or an abandoned fishing boat washed up on the shore.  It’s a lovely way to pass a day.

We're kept on our toes avoiding the constant barrage of deadheads that are always present and the occasional passing tows.  They are pretty huge and intimidating when you see them slowly coming towards you.  

Here’s the procedure when you see one approaching: First, you find a point of reference on the chart.  Then you contact them on the VHF on channel 13, saying something like: “Northbound tow at mile marker 182, this is the Southbound pleasure vessel Gran Vida approaching you. We’re requesting a slow pass.  Do you have a preference side for a pass?”

Then he’ll get back and say something unintelligible, like: “A-aw-blah-oo-isl” with a marble-mouthed, staticy voice. 

We’ll look at each other questioningly. 

“I think maybe he said to pass on the one?”  Which is Tow driver code-talk for passing port to port or each staying to the right side of the channel, like you would on a road. Occasionally, when they're taking a wide corner, we're asked to stay on the "two".  After the first few times, it’s a piece of cake.  

We anchored behind the Southern tip of Willow Island, just off the channel.  We didn’t see or hear another boat.  Just lots of crickets, birds, fish jumping and big hunks of floatsam bumping into our hull all night.  Ouch!

                                                               Our view tonight.  Anchored behind Willow Island,  just off the main channel

Havana, Illinois

Friday, September 26, 2014

Stats:

Peoria Lake to Havana, Illinois.  8:00 to 2:00, 60 miles.

The others we had been travelling with decided to get up early and go but we thought we’d take it a little slower today.  We like to baby our older diesel engine, Pearl the Perkins, and she’s happier a knot slower.  We also get much better fuel mileage that way.

                               The city of Peoria                    

We had a slow coffee, got ready and cast off to head next door to another marina to buy some diesel.  The day was spent quietly drifting down the river.  We passed the odd tow but they were much less frequent and we’re getting used to them, so no problem.

We anchored out behind Quiver Island near the little town of Havana, Illinois and dinghied into town to buy a few supplies.  After we docked the dinghy we asked a local for directions and she insisted on giving us the keys to her truck as the store was about five miles away.  People are so generous!  So we loaded up on supplies and are now WELL stocked.

  

We got stuck behind this RR liftbridge.  The guy was kind enoughto lift it the required 10' or so between trains to let us squeak through.

We’re starting to see more and more of the Asian Carp.  Jeff spent some time getting his speed fix, racing around the anchorage (the sound of the high pitched motor gets the carp going and they start jumping).  I was trying to capture it on video and had some success but they are crafty little things.  I caught a few on camera but there were lots that I missed.

                                                               Our backyard tonight.     

Peoria Lake, Illinois

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Stats:
Ottawa to Peoria Lake, 9:00 - 6:00.

Holy Sunrise!!

It's hard to see, but this water

is DIRTY!  This is looking down

the side of our boat into the water.

Notice the green slime and suds.

Kids were swimming in this!

We (well, I) slept in and woke to the sound of others getting their boat ready to go. As we were rafted off of Danny and Susan's boat we had to get untied so they could leave.  I whipped on my clothes, Jeff put a cup of coffee in my hand and with barely an ounce of it in my system we were in business. (I don't envy Jeff the task of having to get me out of bed each morning).

We came to our first lock just a short distance down the channel.  Luckily, the lock was on it's way up and was able to take us in right away.

The landscape became much more rural today.  We decided to stop mid-afternoon today and anchor, relax and smell the roses a bit.  We found a good choice on Active Captain, our online travel guide, but with the low river levels we couldn't get in.  It was too shallow.  There was no where else to anchor so on we pressed, trying to find a safe place to park the boat for the night.  We crossed paths with a cruiser going the other way and Danny (from Potest Fieri) hailed him on the VHF to ask for some local knowledge.  It turns out he owned a small marina up the way and he just happened to have three slips available.  Sometimes things just work out.

I still hadn't seen one of the Asian Carps, the invasive species that are being blocked from the Great Lakes.  These fish LOVE to play in the wake of a boat and will jump out of the water, even to the point of crowds of them jumping up and sometimes landing on a boat.  You can see it on you-tube.  Incredible.  I had been looking for at least one of them all day, to no avail.  Just as we were pulling into the marina this evening, I was crouched down on the deck tying up a fender and one of them leaped up RIGHT beside me and scared the bejeebers out of me!  We were eye to eye!  Jeff said he heard me "squeal like a girl" and then a splash.  At first he thought I had fallen in but it didn't take him long to figure it out.

So we are here, tied up to a dock in Lake Peoria, enjoying an evening of chatting with John from Sandpiper.

               The geography is becoming much more rural.

                                                                      Starved Rock State Park

                                           Waiting to get into a lock

                                                                    Inside a lock

                                                     Lots of fishermen along the shore.

                                                     There are sandy shore on both sides of the Illinois River.

There's still a few barges hanging around.  To put things in scale, that is a thirty-two foot boat passing it.  And that is
not even a particularly large barge grouping.

Lake Peoria, it was tempting to explore a bit but once you leave the channel it is only about a foot deep.