How does a cat say “raccoon”??

Well, for once the forecasters were right. They said it was going to get hotter and it did. The last few days have been around 98F and with humidity well over a 100F. If you don’t know Fahrenheit and just know Celsius, trust me, it is very hot!!

Still on the Illinois                                                                                                                                       From Beardstown we traveled about 6 hours to an anchorage behind Willow Isle. Here we swam and swam. The water, although murky seemed cleaner (or so we told ourselves).  The evenings were a little cooler but then the bugs come out in force! So we closed our screens and turned on the fans and they kept us cool enough. We also ran the genny and had the air-con on for a little while but we don’t like running the generator overnight. (ha- ha famous last words!!)

Pelicans over head

The following day (Tuesday) we did a 5 hour trip to Grafton. It was extremely hot and with no breeze it was very uncomfortable.

Two Bald Eagles trying to cool down

At Grafton marina we took a day dock with power for a bargain at $8.00. We filled up with water, did some laundry and tried to get the boat cool by blasting both air conditioners.

Gary wanted me to post this picture as |"His point of view"
( This one is of the Illinois just past Grafton)

We went shopping with the crew off MV My Therapy and MV Sixteen Ton. And here we sadly said goodbye to our new friends, Yonetta and Mike who were staying in Grafton for another day. In the afternoon we untied from the day dock and anchored behind Slim Island in lovely clear water where I swam and swam till I was cooled down to my bones. Actually, with the current being so strong I didn't really swim, mostly just floated around on a line tied to the boat.

Cooling down with the white cliffs of Grafton in the back ground

Josie

Jacob

Enjoying a gorgeous sunset

Our Lady of the River shrine - Grafton Il

Sun rises over Grafton cliffs

Now on the Mississippi

At day break we headed out with MV Sixteen Ton and after another hot day we got to Hoppies Marina.

A tow in dry dock 

Another pic from Gary's point of view - St Louis waterway

Bald Eagle in flight

Lewis and Clark - St Louis

The famous Arch

This is the first marina we have stayed overnight since starting our second Loop. We are very proud of the fact that we have anchored out every night, but on the Mississippi anchorages are hard to find so we decided to stay the night at Hoppies. ( Of course we also stayed at freed walls and docks , so this was the first marina we had to pay for to stay over night)

I immediately fired up the air-con and enjoyed the lovely coolness inside the boat compared to the blistering heat outside. At 4:30 pm Fern (the owner of Hoppies) gave us a rundown of where to go and what to avoid as we head down the river.

Hot at Hoppies

Hoppies Marina - Mississippi River

That night we were blissfully asleep when, at about 4am, Josie came into the forward cabin and woke us up with her “talking”. Because neither Gary or I speak cat, we thought she was saying: “Wake up sleepy heads, it is time to get going”….or “Wake up you guys, I have had a night mare….” So we ignored her of course…..Big mistake!!! Turns out what she was actually trying to tell us was: “Guys ,you should get up because there is a big raccoon getting on to the boat”

So, when we heard a big crash, I thought it was perhaps a shampoo bottle that fell off a shelf…..but when Gary got up to check he came face to face with a Raccoon, in his bathroom!! Well, for the next half an hour we tried to catch the poor thing in a net….our net was too small. So Gary went and got a bigger net he had seen earlier the day on another boat….that net was too big. At this time we had chased the animal into the bath tub but the window was closed so there was no way for it to get out. (Which is what it really wanted to do badly!! ) Eventually we got it from the bath tub back into Gary’s bathroom and it went out via the window at lightning speed.

Poor little guy was so scared, he finally left the way he came in, through Gary's bathroom window.

Nothing like a little drama at 4am!!

So after making sure everyone was ok…I had closed Jacob, the big scary cat, in my bathroom so he was ok and Josie had fled upstairs to the fly bridge to get away from all the commotion, we went back to bed.  But not before Josie came back down with a “See, I told you!!” look on her face.

The next morning we set off to Kaskaskia Lock wall where we were to stay another night before doing the LONG trip on the Mississippi to the Ohio River. Oh, and remember how I said we don’t like to run the generator long? Well, that day we ran that genny for over 12 hours to power the air conditioner just to try and get it a little more comfortable inside the boat. Being out side is not an option. The sun burns your skin after a couple of minutes and the humidity makes it tough to breathe and move around.

(I know people think I tend to exaggerate, but ask Gary, even HE found it too hot to be outside and came and sat inside where we had the air on)

The fast flowing waters of the Mississippi

This past spring the waters were up a lot, always bring debris along.

Expecting the worst for our 12 hour trip down the Mississippi, we were actually pleasantly surprised as there was a constant breeze that kept us from dying. We used our big towels to block most of the direct sun and we were quite comfortable. That evening we anchored in Angelo Towhead with MV Sixteen Ton.

Cape Girardeau as seen from the river. Notice the high flood walls to protect the town from high water in the Spring?

Now on to the Ohio.                                                                                                                                The skipper of MV Sixteen Ton is a gentleman named Lasse, who is from Finland. Last year we travelled with Canadians, Americans, Danes, Brazilians, Aussies and Kiwis – this Loop Adventure appeals to many people from all over the world. Lasse has been with us since Ottawa.

Going down the Mississippi with the flow of the river we hit speeds up to 13mph (our regular speed is 7.5mph) even with the throttles powered down. We did this knowing that as soon as we turn up the Ohio our speed was going to fall down, at one time as low as 2.9mph, even though Gary increased the RPMs. So the fuel you save going down the Ole Miss, you use going up the mighty Ohio.

And I thought we had been hot before!! As we turned north on the Ohio we lost the little breeze that we had enjoyed for the past few days and the fly bridge became a sauna. Gary I and both took breaks from being up there in the heat and coming down to the cool cabin.

The new lock 51 wasn't open, we just sailed right over the dam, and that slowed us down to 2.9mph!!

I wish you could feel how hot it was!

We had noticed that Jacob seemed very lethargic in the morning so we decided to keep the air going for him. He is an old cat and must be very warm with his heavy fur coat. And as Gary says, he didn't ask to come along on this hot trip; the least we can do is keep him cool.

Free dock at Paducah MV Sixteen Ton tied behind Time&Tide

A Mikado steam engine, the last "Iron Horse" used by the I.C.R.R., serves as a memorial to the passage of the Steam Age

Flood wall murals - Paducah

After a very long and very hot day we finally got to Paducah‘s free dock. The generator is working overtime to keep me and the cats cool. But the end is near….tomorrow is the last day of this very hot spell and next week’s forecast sounds lovely with high 80s during the days and low 60’s at night. Great swimming weather for Kentucky Lake.  See you then!

………………..to be continued

Illinois River Ottawa to Beardstown

Ottawa to Beardstown

The past few days had been very warm. Of course as soon as we got ready to leave Ottawa on Thursday morning, the rain came down in buckets.

After about 7 miles we got to Starved Rock Lock and they were able to lock us through without having to wait. This meant I had to go out in the rain and secure lines to the lock walls. Fortunately it was warm. I got soaked to the bone and that lock had to be the slowest lock we had encountered till now.  For 40 minutes I stood in the pouring rain, I even took my automatic life jacket off for fear of it deploying.

The rain slowed us down a little but eventually we go to Hennepin and tied to the old barge on the waterfront. It is such a nice stop, near a grocery store, laundry and hardware store. Unfortunately getting off your boat is a bit of a hassle. You have to step off the boat onto the rails of the barge and the climb over the fence ….It in not impossible but it is a schlep.

Yanetta, me, Gary , Mike and Lasse

There were three Looper boats tied to the barge in Hennepin

We had dinner at “Ray’s on the waterfront” In my humble opinion the best chicken in the land.

The following morning we had the best intentions of leaving early to get to Peoria, unfortunately this time we were fogged in. The visibility was a blurry 500 feet so we just sat back, relaxed and waited for it to lift.

When we got to Peoria we had no problem staying on the town dock.

Gary and I like the lazy days on the rivers. You don’t have to worry about the weather or tides or big waters. Some may find this boring but we have had enough excitement boat to appreciate this “boring”

We traveled for some distance along side the Spirit of Peoria 

Mike and Yonetta had a Asian Carp jump into their dingy

An air boat

 

Video of Asian Carp in our anchorage http://youtu.be/ZjKDlwq6Czw

The days have gotten a lot warmer!! With highs foretasted in the 90-100F in the next few days, I will miss the coolness of Lake Michigan. But if we push now we can get off the rivers and spend a couple of weeks just drifting around the clear waters of Kentucky Lake. Last evening it was so hot I considered swimming but when two kayakers held up a dead rat they found in the water I decided to pass.

In Beardstown we went for a walk, I stood in the town square fountain to cool off a little and then we enjoyed a nice cool beer at a local pub. $1.00 a beer (Coors Light Draft)!!!!!!!!!!!! By the time we got back to the boat I was so hot I just had to jump in the water to cool down. 

The high for today was 91F or 33C but it is going to get hotter and for Wednesday and Thursday the forecast is for 99F or 38C ……!!!

Me trying to cool down in the Beardstown
Square fountain 

……………………………………..to be continued ( unless melted)

Ottawa Illinois

We have spent the past 2 days in Ottawa. The free town dock has power , thank goodness, because it is "stink-hot" and we have had the air-con going non-stop
Our first night we were here alone but then we got joined by MV My Therapy and MV Sixteen Tons, who's skipper is here all the way from Finland doing the Loop.
We enjoyed our days, doing the usual chores. We celebrated our wedding anniversary and today we went to the movies.MV My Therapy invited us for dinner and Yonetta made home made banana creme pie for Gary. He is so spoiled
Life is good on the river.

The first Lincoln /Douglas debate took place in Ottawa Il in 1858

A brush with History public art program was developed to help revitalize Ottawa’s downtown and create a cultural attraction for tourists and residents of the community. The program is sponsored by the Ottawa Visitors Center and overseen by a committee of citizens devoted to public arts.

The painting program began in 2002. As of early 2005, five murals have been completed, and more are scheduled to begin! The murals thus far have focused on figures or events that have been important to history, including local industry, prominent citizens, or the creation of a major internal improvements project.

Originally opened around 1910 as the Gayety Theatre, a vaudeville house, the theater later was renamed the Roxy and became a movie theater. We saw the movie Elysium starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster with a big South African influence, written and directed by South African, Neill Blomkam 

Heading back to the boat after doing laundry.

A cool car Gary said I had to take a picture of.

A couple of turkeys

An abandoned barge will eventually become part of the landscape as it fills with soil and vegetation.

Bald Eagle

Exiting a lock

Tow and barges

Happy Anniversary Gary picked some flowers from me from the gardens around the dock.

Tomorrow we head further south towards Hennipen.

.............................to be continued

Joliet

Joliet
The city of Joliet has a very nice wall for boats to tie off to. The wall come with FREE power which makes it even better.
Unfortunately there isn't much else that makes this little city a draw for boaters.

A large tow passes behind Time& Tide tied to the wall in Joliet

This huge tow about a 1000 feet  in length got stuck between the two bridges
and came very close to" touching" us on the wall

The wall is near an area which was described to us as "the projects" HOWEVER, even though we saw many people walking up and down the waterfront , we never felt threatened or in danger in fact everyone was friendly and all they wanted to do was chat and ask questions. The police did stop by to warn us of possible troubles but were quick to say that there had never been any incidents with boaters.

Sean, the friendly Joliet police officer who surprised me by talking to me in Afrikaans. 

The town seems a little run down, which is a shame because it looks like there has been some effort made to make it a tourist friendly destination. It has a museum (which is well worth a visit) with exhibits about the Blues Brothers (I'm a soul man!!) and the Famous Route 66 which stretches all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles and passes through Joliet.

Get your kicks....

Chillin with the Blue Brothers

The museum also incudes the history of waterway, railways, the Rialto Playhouse and a man named John Houbolt who was is a retired aerospace engineer. He is generally credited with having effectively promoted the lunar mission mode called Lunar Orbit Rendezvous or LOR. This flight path  was chosen for Apollo program in early 1962.

In front of the Route 66 sign

Look Ann, I got my Blues Brothers hat and glasses too!!!

Route 66 starts in Chicago goes through Joliet and eventually ends in Los Angeles.

A Lincoln highway marker, of the original 175 there are only 25 left.
The original Highway from
New York to San Francisco covered 3,389 miles

Joliet is known as the City of Stone and Steel. From the 1880-1890 the industries grew
with the help of immigrants , many of them Irish.

Fact: At one time more horseshoes were made in Joliet than anywhere else in the USA.

Joliet trolley

Random shot

Eternal Flame

Sitting  pretty.
The Yellow seat/car behind Gary is a Salvador Dali  art chair.

St Joseph Constructed out limestone as are many of the other older buildings

The down town area was like a ghost town when we were there, granted it was a Sunday so that probably explains some of the lack of people. We walked to the only grocery store around ( everyone shops at the big mall outside of town) which happens to be a store that specializes in Hispanic food. We  picked up some chicken and beef fajita mixes and I cooked it up for dinner which we shared with the crew off MV MY Therapy.

Next stop Ottawa, Illinois. As we duck and dive around the big tow and barges and go up and down enormous locks.....

PS. I hope I don't sound too harsh about Joliet. It is a very nice little town and everyone was very friendly.

.................to be continued