The Mighty Mississippi
September 26, 2025
Last night there was an impromptu Loopers meeting to discuss what time to leave Alton Marina and information regarding the two locks we would have to go through. This would be the start of our trip down the Mississippi. Brian offered to call the lock attendant at 6:30 to see if we had to stay put at the marina or when we could leave and enter the lock. Paul on Pelican took everyone’s names and phone numbers so that he could forward a text with the pertinent information. It was agreed to leave at 7:00. This morning, starting at 6:15, boats started exiting the marina. By 6:30 most of the boats had already left. We contacted Pelican to let them know what was going. We left the marina at 6:45. When we got to the Mel Price Lock, it was ready for all the Loopers (13) to enter. Just before we entered, there was a radio call for a MOB (man overboard) on one of the two sailboats that were Looping. Fortunately, he was immediately rescued from the water. Upon leaving the lock, all the boats took off at their own pace. Our second lock, the Chain of Rocks, was about 15 miles down the Mississippi. When we got close, we called the lock master (1stfemale lock master we’ve encountered) informing everyone that it would a bit of wait because of commercial traffic. We idled approximately 2-2.5 hours for the lock to be cleared. After that, it was pictures of the boats in front of the St. Louis Arch and then a long, fast slog down the Mississippi. It was a gorgeous day; sunny, warm and really windy; a great day to navigate from the fly bridge. Other than a few geese flying by, we saw no other wild life. All of the tug captains we encountered were polite and pleasant. We have decided to not bother with trying to co-ordinate with other Loopers as we continue our journey. Even though everyone agrees with the protocol, there are those that just choose to do their own thing; which is fine, but why bother with the meetings? We dropped anchor about 4:45 outside the channel. Anchorages are few and far between on the Mississippi. Tomorrow will also be 10-hour day and another anchorage.
September 27, 2025
Pulled up anchor and moving at 6:30. It was the start of a misty day; Lauren turned on the navigation lights. The anchor came up cleanly, but we had several long pieces of wood debris caught in our anchor bridle. Brian tried using the boat hook, but with the fast current, they were pretty much jammed on the bridle. Once he started pulling up the chain, the debris disbursed easily and went floating by towards all of the other boats anchored behind us. All night long you could hear the flotsam hitting the boat as it was floating down the river.
The mist on the river made for beautiful scenery. The sun starting poking up and we thought it would burn off the mist. It did not. It got worse and we navigated through fog so thick you couldn’t see outside of the boat. It was rather intimidating to move through the fog bank. Thankfully, we have AIS (Automatic Identification System). It tells us what boats or tugs or tugs with barges are in the area and vice-versa. We can call them on the VHF to see what side of their boat they would like us to pass on. On the river, it’s “Pass on the 1”, which means for us to move to starboard (right). This applies if you are overtaking them or passing them head on. “Pass on the 2” would mean move to our port (left). Thankfully, we are traveling with Pelican, so Paul is the designated VHF operator as we can hear everyone on the VHF, but we can’t seem to transmit – no one can hear us. In a few days, we will be at a marina, where hopefully, we can have someone look at the VHF unit.
It was another long day on the river (10 hours) with no locks to contend with. The largest barge grouping being pushed by a tug that we’ve seen so far was 5 barges across and 9 barges long; don’t want to get in their way. As we travel on down the Mississippi, we noticed quite a bit of turbulence with some whirlpools (we were calling them swirlies). As we motored over them, Lauren noticed that they were much deeper areas than the surrounding areas. When the boat moved over them, it tossed the boat all over the place; it bit unnerving the first time or two that we encountered them. Other than quite a bit of commercial traffic, there was really nothing else to see. Brian did spot a coyote and one bald eagle.
Once the fog lifted, it was another beautiful sunny day with minimal wind. We dropped anchor at 4:05 along with Pelican. About 2 hours later, Isabell came in and dropped anchor. As the sun is setting, there a couple of deer walking on shore.
Brian reading: Black Cross by Greg Iles (excellent)
Lauren: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
September 28, 2025
Three more boats came into the anchorage and spent the night. All three left fairly early. We along with Pelican will sit tight for another day. This morning Brian worked on tracing a water leak, as Lauren kept insisting the pump was periodically running even when no one was using water. He found the leak and fixed it. He then checked the oil and anti-freeze. He also wanted to change out the impellor, because it should be done periodically and it would be the first time since we’ve owned the boat. The one spare impellor was the wrong size; he will order the correct one. Before Lauren cooked a sumptuous breakfast, she scored the outside of the boat for spiders; her favorite activity – not! After breakfast she vacuumed, cleaned a few of the slatted doors (another fun job), washed the inside and outside windows of the helm station; between bug, spider and fly splat, they were due for a scrubbing. Late morning we took the dinghy down from the fly bridge and took Heidi to the shore for a walk. The sandy shore was a bit soft, but not difficult to walk on. We are anchored near a bridge and noticed that work was being done to the underside. When we landed on the beach, one of the workers (the foreman) came down to greet us. At first, we thought maybe he would tell us it wasn’t a good idea to be there. He said he likes to come down to say “hello” to the boaters; he used to own a tug and is originally from Chicago. He explained what was going on with the bridge. Panels are being placed under the bridge; first they had to string cables to hold the panels. Then everything is enclosed so that the old paint can be sandblasted off. Watching them putting the panels up looks like a tedious job. He said it takes one week to string up the cables (a cable a day) for just one section of the bridge; there are at least eight sections. The job will take three years to complete. It’s always interesting talking to people about where they live, their jobs, etc. Walking the beach, Brian found a turtle shell; top and bottom and a shark’s tooth.
Jill, on Pelican stated that bull sharks have been found as far up the river to Alton, IL. We knew bull sharks would travel in rivers, but that’s quite a way to travel from the ocean up to the Mississippi.
He brought it back to the boat and scrubbed it; then soaked it in denture tablets – that should scour it pretty clean. Lauren uses the denture tablets to clean out coffee and tea stains in the cups; works great. For dinner, Lauren cooked lamb chops that she marinated in olive oil, crushed garlic and thyme served with mashed potatoes and sauteed brussells sprouts – yum!
September 29, 2025
Pulled up anchor at 7:30 and started down the last leg of the Mississippi before entering the Ohio River. We were surprised how wide the Ohio River was; had expected the Mississippi to be much wider than the Ohio. There was much more tug and barge traffic than we had seen on Mississippi. Maybe further south on the Mississippi, there is more commercial traffic. We saw a lot of dead fish; must be the tugs churn them up – unfortunate. The Olmstead Locks and Dam was our one and only lock today. Near the confluence of the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers is where more commerce traverses than any other location on the entire U.S. inland waterways. The lock and dam are a pretty impressive site. We were told by the lock master to either anchor or hover to our port near the river’s edge; there were three pleasure boats already waiting. The lock has two chambers. We hovered for an hour and then were instructed to get closer. We were still about two miles away, but moseyed forward because a tug and barge were departing the chamber and it takes a while. Once the barge passed us and the gates opened, we could enter the lock. While the water level was rising in our chamber, the chamber next to us had a tug with barge and another tug enter the lock. Each lock chamber is 110 feet by 1,200 feet – huge. The five pleasure crafts that were in the one lock looked miniscule.
We ended our day anchored up a creek next Cuba Towhead Island about two miles pass Paducah, KY; tomorrow we will go to their marina for a few days. Pelican and one other boat are also anchored with us. The anchorage is out of the way of barges and is protected by any high winds; it is so peaceful. I believe we will have a restful night. For dinner Lauren served hamburgers on toasted English muffins, along with fresh spinach, extra sharp cheese, pepperoncinis, and a thick slice of tomato; an easy and fairly quick dinner after a 9-hour day. After clean up, Lauren made brownies – perfect way to end a long day.
September 30, 2025
Yikes!! Can’t believe it’s the end of September already. It was a peaceful night for sleeping, though Lauren was out-of-sorts this morning – not a good night’s sleep for her. With her cup of coffee and a long-handled brush, she went around the outside of the boat on spider patrol. As the sun was making its debut, there was a slight mist on the water and you could hear the squawks of the herons. Since we heading back up river to Paducah (about 2 miles) Lauren decided to make pancakes, with banana mashed into the mix and as they start cooking, she added blueberries; we do eat well onboard.
Anchor up about 9:30 and headed to Paducah Marina. We spent the next several days exploring Paducah with Jill and Paul. The downtown is charming and very clean. Walking a few blocks outside of the downtown, there are quite a few empty businesses, but Paducah is revitalizing through numerous initiatives that focus on housing needs, community engagement and beautification programs. There are also efforts to improve downtown by fostering increased residential density and support for businesses to achieve a more vibrant livable city.
We toured the Quilt Museum. Once a year, the Museum celebrates one of the largest and most celebrated quilting events in the nation. The multi-day festival transforms Paducah’s historic river city into a colorful patchwork of creativity, inspiration and community. Even the guys found the quilts fascinating. The majority of the quilts were created by computer-controlled sewing machines. The creativity of these quilters is exceptional. Another museum we wandered into was the Train Museum that was not worth the entrance fee. As a fellow Looper stated, the place looked like the catch all for train model enthusiasts that no longer did anything with their setups and their spouses asked them to please find another home for them. This would have been a great idea, if the models had actually been set up and were working. There was train paraphernalia to peruse. Unfortunately, the “museum” was rather disappointing.
Another Museum we thoroughly enjoyed touring was the River Discovery Center. It is an Inland Waterways Museum that educates visitors about the vital role of the nation’s rivers through interactive exhibits and activities. It features exhibits on the region’s maritime history, river science and local ecosystems. The museum is located in a beautifully restored federal-style building – the oldest in downtown Paducah.
Another fascinating Museum was the William Clak Market House. It was founded in 1968 for the purpose of education and preservation. William Clark, of the famous Lewis and Cark Expedition of 1804, was the founder of Paducah. He named the town in honor of the Padouca Indians that they met while on the Voyage of Discovery. On his return, he laid out the town of Paducah over a 36,000-acre plot (bought for $5.00 by General William Clark in 1827) at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee River. He chose a centralized spot for the town’s public market, thus named the William Clark Market House. Over 4,000 square feet of rotating exhibits and displays are offered for viewing.
Paducah features many historic buildings and architectural styles showcasing an ongoing commitment to preserving the city’s heritage.
Brian Reading: Black Cross by Greg Iles
Lauren: Stay Close by Harlan Coben
Hope all is well and stay safe out there.