Last day at Green Turtle Bay Marina

It has been an enjoyable break but we are anxious to resume our journey.  We will take our time and anchor more in the next few weeks because we do not want to get to the Gulf of Mexico while the hurricane season is still active.
It rained all day yesterday with thunder and lightning so we just sat around reading and watching movies.  We went out to dinner at Patti's again since the food is so good.  We tried the 2" pork chop and it is to die for.  We have enough for an other meal.
We may not have connectivity at anchor on Kentucky Lake so I may not be in a position to blog.

Patti's is a little 1880s settlement

One more of the little Patti's restaurants

This is the restaurant we went to

Grand Rivers Kentucky

Wasting away at Green Turtle Bay Marina and visiting the near by town.  The rain stopped mid morning yesterday so off we went on our bicycles to explore Grand Rivers. Patti's settlement established in 1880 looks like a step back into the past.  There are unique little shops and antique stores and we even found a yard sale. It was a short bike ride with not too many hills.
Today we have no plans just a lazy day at the marina.

Patti's restaurant famous for it's 2" pork chops and deserts

A unique little boutique for women

Antique stores in Grand Rivers Kentucky

Still at Green Turtle Bay

We continue to relax and enjoy the camaraderie at this lovely marina on Barkley Lake. There is a steady processing of Loopers coming and going.  It really is amazing how many of us there are.
Our Australian friend turned out to be a former hairdresser and gave me a nice haircut. I am really pleased and all it cost was a bottle of wine.
Today we have joined up with our South African friends to go into Paducah for supplies.  There is a BBQ cook off on the river so we will sample that. There are arts and crafts and some type of festivities as well.

Indoor heated pool at Green Turtle Bay Marina

Relaxing at Green Turtle Bay

What a nice place this is! We are enjoying the indoor heated pool and the sauna.  There is an aqua aerobics class today that I might attend. We are riding our bikes around this large resort on paved roads with no traffic. 
We had happy hours with 4 looper couples and enjoyed the interesting stories they have to tell.  The Australian couple and now a couple who live in Panama and come from South Africa have really adventurous and entertaining stories to recount. There are quite a few different accents at our gatherings.
Today we will ride into the neighbouring town to explore the little century gift shops and antique stores. We may go out to dinner at the Yacht club with our fellow loopers.

Barkley Lake

It was foggy this morning and there is talk of more thunderstorms over the next two days so we have decided to stay at Green Turtle Bay Marina for the week.  If you stay 5 nights, you get two free so at $1.25 per foot it is a fair deal.  The facilities are quite nice and lots of loopers and friendly locals.
We went to the famous Patti's Restaurant with our Australian and Maryland friends.  The restaurant is famous for it's two inch pork chop and home made desserts.  It was a lovely meal an 1800 type ambiance. They have a shuttle to and from the the marina.
We are doing boat chores and will meet our new friends for a swim at the health club which is part of the marina.  Tomorrow the Yatch club on the premises serves dinner and the food is supposed to be quite reasonable and tasty. Since it is a dry county, we bring our own drinks.
There are some really large 100 foot houseboats here as well as other large vessels,little North Star is dwarfed.
Tomorrow we are borrowing the courtesy car again to get propane and other necessities.

After a refreshing swim on Barkley Lake

Green Turtle Bay Yatch Club

North Star is the little dwarf  boat

Green Turtle Bay Marina

We were anchored out on the Ohio River and then on Barkley Lake so we had no Internet access for the last two days.We are now at a beautiful resort and marina on Barkley Lake near Grand Rivers Kentucky.  This is a dry county so we borrowed the courtesy car and went out to Paducah 30 miles away to reprovision.
We just got the anchor down yesterday afternoon and just enough time for a swim in the lake before a thunderstorm came up.  It has been raining on and off ever since.  We may stay here for a week since we have been going for several days with nowhere to stop.
There are few places to shop and anchor along the next stretch of the Cumberland and Tennessee River until we get down to Demopolis. There is a long stretch after Demopolis as well so we will take advantage of this nice place to try and slow our progress.  There are many Loopers here so lots of interaction after 4 days on the hook.

Kaskaskia River Lock and Dam

We only travelled for 5 hours yesterday to tie up to the Kaskaskia River lock and dam. We are following our Australian friends who have AIS which means they can tell what direction and speed barges are travelling.  We were warned by Fern at Hoppie's about a sharp turn in the river where we should avoid meeting barge traffic.  We hovered waiting for a northbound tow to clear the bend but a large Navy Ship, the LST was able to pass the barge in the narrow bend so we all followed suit.
We travelled for 10 hours today to reach mile 7 where we are sharing an anchorage with our German friends and an American couple on Interlude.
We are enjoying the swift current on the Mississippi but tomorrow we travel upstream on the Ohio.  We will see our speed drop by 2 knots.
After St.Louis, the city that has no marina, there are no marinas and not much to see so we are zooming along to Green Turtle Cove Marina. Not sure if we will reach it tomorrow, it depends on locks and current.

Loopers at the Kaskaskia River Lock and Dam

Hoppie's

The rain finally stopped at 5 last evening but it is quite cool. We had our Looper seminar inside the rather rustic club house. We received good information on currents and sharp bends where we must call tow Captains ahead to make sure the bend is clear of barge traffic.  The OHIO is apparently running a 4 knot current as is the Mississippi and since we will be going against the current in the Ohio, we better make sure we have the right amount of fuel to speed up to make it up that stretch.
There are fewer and fewer anchorages and marinas in this next stretch so we will be staying at a lock this evening.  It looks like we will have no choice but to move on as a pack since there are so few options. There are now 4 of us travelling together.
It is chilly but sunny today but there is no hurry to move on since we are only travelling 40 miles.

Hoppie's

Hoppie's

Casino in Alton

Arch in St.Louis

We closed the day with a lightning show last night after spending a relaxing hot day at the pool. The thunderstorms went on all night.  It is still raining heavily so we all got soaked in the two locks and while tying up the boat along barges that serve as the marina at Hoppie's.  It is very rustic here but everyone stops here for the seminar on navigating the rest of the rivers.  The seminar is given on the dock so I guess we will have to forgo this event if it does not soon stop raining.
We passed St.Louis in the rain so our pictures are not as good as they could have been.  There is a lot of barge traffic but the river is wide so passing is much easier than on the Illinois.  We did not have to wait at the locks which was good since it is pouring rain.
We will stay the night and move on tomorrow.

Alton Marina

Alton Marina is the best marina we have ever seen and they only charge Loopers $1.00 a foot. Patty, the Harbour Looper Ambassador took 4 of us shopping for groceries and cheap liquor on the Missouri side.  She gave us a small tour of the historic district with the large century homes.  Robert and Patty then piled everyone in their vehicles to go out to dinner. 
The Captain and I were then invited to a local resident houseboat for a night cap. Little North Star draws a lot of folks with her unique lines and we usually end up with a new friend to talk to.  Boaters are so friendly and helpful.
We topped off the evening with a swim in the pool and a hot tub.
The temperature is supposed to climb to the low nineties again today so we will stay put and join everyone for dinner tonight.  We can not cook on our boat because this marina does not allow open flames and North Star is strictly a propane boat.  There are grills available but the camaraderie is more important to us.
We will leave tomorrow and try to stay at Hoppie's Marina 50 miles down river where Loopers meet for a seminar given by the marina owners.

Host Patty and Robert with Mike and Gayle, Leigh and Murray and I

Alton Illinois

We are making our way down the river system and anchored at Grand Island on Friday night (N39 09.163" and W090 36.992").  We were not able to get Internet access at this remote location.  The carp have no trouble finding us, they keep jumping at our boat.  We had 3 land on the back deck.  Each time the captain must start the wash down pump and clean off the slime and blood.  Other loopers do not have this problem.
We left this peaceful anchorage to go to the Riverdock Restaurant on the Illinois river.  There are no services at the dock but the food is exceptional.. Very tender brisket, prime rib and smoked pork. There are a variety of sides to choose from and all are very good.  The owner brings samples to the table.  We had dinner with our Australian friends and folks from Maryland.  It was very enjoyable.
This morning we had to wait for the fog to clear before we could get underway.  Luckily we have completed transiting the Illinois River locks and are now on the Mississippi river.  The Mississippi is much wider with more spectacular white cliffs and less industrial operations.
We are staying at the Alton Marina for the next two nights.  We hope to ride the long bicycle trails and visit the Lewis and Clarke Interpretive Center. I feel like Huck Finn. We need to reprovision before we set out to anchor for a few days.
There is a pool here and it is hot so I am off to the pool.

Busy traffic on the Illinois

Hapy Hours , ED Schwein and Nprth Star at the Riverdock Restaurant

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White Cliffs along the Mississippi

Peoria

We had a beautiful anchor at Henry Island (N41 04.7495" and W089 23.1839') , it was quiet and calm.  We had our first experience with Asian flying Carp. Two more landed on the boat and many hit the boat as we made our way to Peoria.  The other 5 loopers here had no such experience.
We are at the Illinois Ivy Yacht Club under a covered slip. They have a restaurant and pool as well as the usual amenities. There is a bar and grill across the road that serves bar food and karaoke for entertainment.  More on that tomorrow.
The Illinois river is certainly a commercial river with many industrial installations interspersed with some rocky cliffs and some bird life.  We are seeing more white pelican, egrets, eagles and blue herons.
The forecast calls for rain and high winds so we may stay here an other night.

Starved Rock Lock and dam

A slimy guest

Asian Carp jumping in our wake

White pelicans

North Star in at the Yacht Club

Henry Island on the Illinois River

We are anchored at a wildlife refuge off Henry Island. We saw our first white pelicans on the way down.  There was a short wait at Starved Rock Lock which was a great relief.
As soon as we were anchored, an Asian carp flew up on the boat and made a bloody mess on the back deck. It is his last time making a mess.
we will stay here for the night and carry on to Peoria tomorrow.

Cool Ottawa

The weather sure has dropped. From a steamy humid 100 degrees to 66 degrees and windy. I am glad of the change since we are travelling on a river with locks.
Two looper boats joined us at the town dock last night.  We joined them for happy hour to trade tales of the journey. They breezed through the locks with minimal wait time. They are both carrying on this morning.
We stayed to get our propane refilled.  The BP station uptown offered to pick up our tanks, fill them and deliver them.  What great service! Some boaters from the yacht club came over to offer us a drive to the laundry mat but we declined.  We rode our bikes over and got some exercise in the process.  The town is clean and level not too many hills, I like that.  We found a great Chinese food restaurant with a $6.00 buffet for lunch so we ate there yesterday. Great value for the price. Tonight we will go to the show to see a sci-fi, Apollo 8, the Captain's favourite.
We managed to refill our water tanks here at the dock so we are ready to head out tomorrow.

Ottawa Complimentary Dock

Interesting building in Ottawa

This town has neat hats

Ottawa Illinois

We arrived at the complimentary dock in Ottawa at 11:00 last night. We left early enough but the locks give priority to barges and they are very slow locking through.  We waited at Dresden for 4.5 hours which gave time to do some chores, read and have lunch.  It was a pleasant anchorage so the wait was not tedious.
We arrived at the Marseilles Lock at 6:00 after dodging all the week end cottage traffic only to be told that there was a 3 hour wait for this lock.  We went back up river to try and find an anchorage but the river is quite shallow outside the channel so we went back to the lock to wait it out. We barely had enough room to anchor while we waited. The channel is 12 feet deep and it quickly turns to 2 feet outside the markers.  We anchored with one other looper and waited it out. We finally locked through at 9:00 with a small barge. We had 4 miles to go to get to this dock but it was a challenge finding it in the dark.
We will explore the town and possibly stay here a day or two.

Week enders near Ottawa

Juliet Cooled

It was really hot again yesterday but the temperature cooled down after heavy rain and thunder showers. It is a cool 72 degrees today and what a relief it is.
We are anchored at Dresden Island Lock waiting for the barges to lock through.  It looks like we will be here for several hours.
We are trying to get to Ottawa Illinois but we will see how far we get since we have one more lock after this one.
We are seeing some Egrets and lots of duck blinds.  It appears Canada Goose season is open judging by the decoys we see at the blinds.  The scenery is less industrial now and more houses and marinas.  There are 5 go fast boats waiting to lock through as well as an other looper.

We may be here for the night

Waiting at Dresden Island Lock

Duck blind on the Illinois river

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Melting in Joliet

The temperature was 99 degrees yesterday with the humidity it definitely felt hotter than that. We are supposed to get thunderstorms today and then the temperature will return to the high 70s and low 80s. We are not going to struggle with locks today so we will stay here one more day.
We rode our bikes to Wall Mart about 5 miles up the hill to find air conditioning yesterday. On the way back we found a bar and stayed there for a few hours to beat the heat, that is my story and I am sticking to it.
We will finish provisioning today and try to beat the heat again, life is tough.

Joliet, Illinois

We left Chicago under sunny skies and calm winds and the day soon became a very hot one. It was still 35 degrees at 8:00 pm. Our new challenge on the river is the locks and barge traffic. We prefer it to the waves and rollers of Lake Michigan.
The locks are quite large with floating bollards to which you tie your boat with a line midship. We do have to give way to commercial traffic but we did not have to wait long yesterday. We only had to contact two tow boat Captains to ask for instructions. They tell us what side to pass them on or where to wait while they maneuver the barges around.
The Illinois river runs through the heart of Chicago with a great view of the ornate buildings.  You then go through an industrial area that is less picturesque. We only had to have one Amtrak railway bridge lifted since we can clear all the rest of the many bridges. We could not raise the bridge master on the VHF radio so we asked a passing Chicago Police boat to call them for us.  It turns out we were calling them Conrail bridge instead of Amtrak which is what the cruising guide had the name listed as.

The rest of the Illinois river which turns into the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal winds through forest with low crumbelling granite walls.  It looks a lot like the Erie Canal with the same brownish colour  water. It does not look like a river you would swim in.

We went over the electric fence that is in place to keep the Asian carp from getting into the Great Lakes.  It is in the Chicago Sanitary Canal before Joliet. There is a large sign advising boaters to call the Coast Guard on VHF 16 when you approach the under water fence. They tell you that it is a no wake zone, no passing other boats, no going through when there is an other boat in the area. The area is maked by an arch and the end is at a bridge where there is a sign telling you hat you are leaving the fence zone. We were not told to turn off our electronics but we did anyway.  A fellow looper was told that they are not allowed to pull a dinghy but they let them do it this time.

We are tied to a free wall in Joliet with access to power but no water or showers.  The Harbour master and his wife came to welcome us as we arrived and offered to take us to the grocery store. Our fellow loopers declined but I accepted this gracious offer and went off with Brenda to the supermarket. Thank you so much Brenda and Dale.
It is really hot and humid again today so we will stay put and tackle the locks when the weather cools a bit.

Leaving Chicago

The Illinois River

Barge traffic on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal

Hope this will keep the Asian Carp out

Joliet Complimentary wall

Chicago Heat

It was 34 degrees here in the windy city and the it was not so windy. We cycled a little less and sat around talking to the local boaters. We went for lunch at the Wind Mark pub which is used as a club house by the Monroe Yatch Club folks. The place definitely has a nautical theme. We took in some of the parks and fountains and completed the day with a night life sampling at Navy Pier.  They have fireworks every Wednesday and Saturday throughout the summer.
We are leaving today to embark on our river segment of the loop.

Buckingham fountain

The North Star crew

Navy Pier at night