June 30, Saturday

The sinking boat shown on Thursday's blog is the oldest shipping paddleboat in the United States. The guy that owns it lives in Louisiana and he has owned it for 23 years and he fixes it up each year. It sank once last year and twice this year. The guy puts money into it to fix it, but he's losing ground instead of moving forward with fixing it. This information is from a guy that Kip talked to at the marina.

We got up and had may flies, so we washed off the boat, again.
We left late today, at about 9:30 am, because we are only traveling a short distance.
We went through locks 7 and 6 without any waiting.
Some of the boats in the lock and dams are crazy.
Did laundry and took a nap (some of us did.. Ok, I did). Kip watched the lock pull a barge through.

Tyler (Kip’s cousin) and his wife Angie stopped by via boat from their camping spot about 10 minutes away.
Greg, Christy (Kip’s cousin), Griffin, Andrew and Benjamin (their kids) visited. They are on their way to Winona and then to Minneapolis to visit Christy’s parents. The boys (now 5) got a ride in the dinghy and they loved it. They also had their first taste of Orange Crush pop. Benjamin, 3 months old, is adorable.

We walked a short distance to town and ate dinner at the historic Trempealou Hotel. This place is hopping with people and the food was excellent. A definite YES for anyone traveling in this area -- make sure and stop.

From our spot on the back deck, we watched all of the boats go in and out of the water on the ramp. How funny it is. One boat had all guys and one girl, and she was standing up dancing all the way in shore. We watched the sunset and a parasailor, and then tucked in. We now remember what we had talked about last time we stayed at Trempealou marina, and it’s the train noise. We are right next to the tracks!!! No sleep for us tonight (ha ha). I somehow hurt my shoulder, so Monday I will be visiting the Lake City doctors. We went 20 miles today. We are hearing fireworks already in the area. Tomorrow, we are home! Lake City, 59 miles, here we come!

June 29, Friday

After spending an hour cleaning and scrubbing the boat, we woke up to millions of may flies. Kip had done some touchup painting on a seam last night, and now all you can see are may fly parts stuck to it. ISH. I wouldn't even go outside to unplug the power... Kip had to do it. We were thinking that they would fly off if we went fast enough, but that didn't work either. They stick like glue. So, I earned my "First Mate" status by taking a broom and sweeping them all off as the boat was going 23 miles per hour!

At the first lock (lock 9), we got in right away (along with another million may flies). After the 9' lift, we had to scrub the may flies off of the boat again. Nice. Lock 8 was quick too (11') and we were quickly in LaCrosse at Pettibone marina. We are familiar with this marina because we take a boat trip each year with Hendriksens to this marina.

We decided to clean the boat (again) because Gwen (Kip's mom) and Bob H. (Gwen's brother-in-law) were coming soon. Bob drove Gwen to LaCrosse so she could go with us on the rest of our trip. Thanks Bob!! While we were chatting, Steve and Lori (the guy who bought our 31' Roamer) stopped by and updated us on the progress of his restoration. We are glad to hear someone is taking good care of her!

Gwen, Bob, Kip and I went to eat at the Pettibone restaurant, and then walked around looking at boats in the marina. There are three Roamers in this marina, so Kip had to take pictures for the Roamer Club. Kip took Gwen on a dinghy ride (yes, the dinghy again). He fixed the leak and the motor actually ran this time. It was a very cool and bright day, and the evening is very breezy and calm. It will be good sleeping tonight. Please, Please.... NO MORE MAY FLIES!

We went 75 miles today. It is easy to tell we are almost home because of the changing landscape. We miss our family and friends, but not work! Also, someone fess up... who smashed the green can on the river?

June 28, Thursday

Almost all of the deadheads are gone now, thank goodness. We went to the Richmond restaurant for breakfast. This is a hometown place with hometown food. They even had the table of guys having coffee, just like Lake City at the Galley.

It seems like at every lock there is a blue heron bird sitting on the cement watching what's happening. It's so fun to watch them.

We had to wait for a lock, so we stopped in Dubuque, IA and went for a quick walk. There was a Chris Craft woody bow sticking out of the restaurant, and Kip wanted to know if the captain drove it there or if someone stuck it there.... A park was made for a businessman named McDonald, and it was very nice. There was also a Veteran's Memorial in town that was very nice, and a Catholic church that was beautiful!!

We got through lock 10, and we are staying at the Wingar Works Marina in Guttenberg. Walking to town, we saw an old paddle boat that looked sort of in rough shape (see picture 1). We walked over one mile to get to town to shop, and there were NO gift shops open. None. Zilch. What the heck is that about? So, at a gas station, we found out where the one grocery store was, walked there, and walked back to the marina. I left a note with the lady at the gas station to give to my relatives who live here (even though they don't like me much). haha The old paddle boat we talked about earlier was sinking now... (see picture 2). Before we ate, Kip insisted we clean the boat. The fenders were black from all of the locks.. ISH. The people at the next boat asked us if we were "clean freaks" because they said that the boat already looked beautiful.

We drove (and probably walked) 60 miles today. The may flies (or fish flies) just hatched, so that is really nasty. Gas was $3.29.

June 27, Wedneday

Today was a very weird day. We walked into Davenport for coffee and then decided to keep going since the weather was bright and clear. We were going to try and make it to Debuque and stay there tonight, but it wasn't meant to be.

Lock 14 was really fast, and they even had a Green Bay bench on the lock...

Lock 13 in Clinton, IA.... JERKS. We waited for over an hour without hearing from them on the radio. Then we waited another hour for a barge to get through. Then a dark cloud wall / storm came in, so we turned around before locking and went back to a Marina in Clinton to stay until the storm cleared. We didn't want to get caught on the other side of the dock which is like a big lake. We snapped and got everything set, had a grilled cheese, opened the vee windows and slept for a couple of hours. When we got up and went back to the lock, we had to wait again for another hour! We pulled into the lock, and nobody was there. I grabbed two lines and threw one up to Kip in the bridge, while the bow of the boat started to hit the wall and Kip nearly fell. ARG!

The picture of the marker is there because it is called the Elk River Light marker... my girls will think that's fun. Kip also spotted three eagles and a huge nest in the tree.

We arrived at Bellvue and Lock 12 said it would be an hour and it was already 7:30 p.m. We got a spot on a local gas dock for $20 and walked up to get supper. We walked around the town, which is really nice, and then called it a day. There were so many fireflys that it looked like fireworks in the grass. The sunset was beautiful.

While I am writing this blog, Kip is cleaning the refrigerator. What a deal. Tomorrow we hope to get to Guttenburg or somewhere in there, so that we can make it to LaCrosse by Friday evening.

In the picture of the back of Kip's shirt you can see our boat on the gas dock. We traveled 85 miles today.

June 26, Tuesday

Kip let me sleep in until 8 am today. I'm so glad. We grabbed coffee and left, heading to Davenport, IA.

We stopped in Muscatine, IA and had lunch. We also stopped in the hardware store for ice and met Pearl and another lady who were cashiers. They were so nice. They went through the post card rack and handed us one and told us "to tell everyone we talked to two nice old ladies in Muscatine." We were getting ready to leave the slip, and two men came down and asked us if we were the people on the long boat trip. He said that the ladies at the hardware store told them to come and talk to us. One of the guys runs the Muscatine boat show that is in May. The web site is muscatineboatshow.com, if anyone is interested.

Ashley: We went through a town called Montpellier, Iowa today. It didn't look like France though! We also went past Walnut Grove!!! We didn't see Laura Ingalls though.

There weren't as many deadheads today, which was good. The temp is in the 90s and very, very humid. When underway, we are traveling about 23 mph and the breeze feels good. Once we stop, we sweat!

We went through 3 or 4 locks ranging from 5 feet to 12 feet. Everyone has been very nice to talk to. People in the lock observation deck wanted to come with us! We had to wait one half hour at the last one, and we were baking... so we jumped in the river for a few minutes to cool off. The lock master told us that the locks were only supposed to last for 40 years, but it has been 70 years now and some of them need repair. The bad part is there is no money to make the repairs, so one side of the Davenport double lock is idle. There was a 50' Trawler style boat from LaCrosse traveling southbound on the river, and they told the lock master they were heading south for the winter, and that didn't make any sense to us or the lock operator (especially since the best part of summer just started). We also ran into a pontoon boat from Wisconsin and chatted with them for a minute.

We stopped at the Lindsay Yacht Club in Davenport, Iowa to meet up with Chris F. (Productivity, Inc. - Iowa) and his wife Rita. They took us out on their very nice 35' Chris Craft. We ate at TGI Fridays and they gave us the tour of the city. It was very nice, and Kip was happy that he didn't have to drive for a while. Thanks Chris and Rita. We had fun today. They have many casino boats here for you gamblers. We got gas at $3.49 a gallon. We went about 85 miles today total. Tomorrow there is a 70% chance of rain, so we put the canvas on the bridge and the back deck so we are prepared. If it is bad weather, we might just stay here another night since traveling is no fun in the rain.

An update about Carlo: he went to the dr. today and found out he does NOT have to have surgery on his knee or leg, but he has to wear a cast for one month. We are happy it is not as severe as we first thought.

June 25, Monday

The day is sunny and a bit cloudy. We took our time and ate breakfast while planning our next move. We left Quincy about 8:00 am heading for Burlington, Iowa. The first lock we had a one hour wait, so we anchored and made some calls. When the lock was ready for us, we couldn't get the anchor up. It was hooked on a cable, so we fiddled with that for a few minutes and finally got it unhooked.

We locked again in Keokuk, Iowa. It was a really neat lock. It had floating moorings (which I had Kip explain to me). Floating moorings are a tie-up that we put our line / rope on and it floats with the water level. We went up 38'. The gate that usually opens to let the boats out was a sinking gate (it just disappeared in the water and we drove over it).

There's tons of debris again, so we are swerving trying to avoid the logs. A huge barge went by, and the anchor at the bow of the boat actually touched the water it was so big. We also saw a stilt house with a tree smashed through the roof (I added that picture above).

We stopped at Fort Madison to look around and get ice. Most of the town is deserted, but they had a boat casino and a few restaurants. We were in the Captain Kirk's Marina and had the best barbeque sandwiches ever! The docks wobbled when you walked on them, the swing bridge beeped when it swung, and the trains blew their whistles every time they went by, so we decided to continue on the Burlington.

We made it under the Burlington swingbridge by a foot or so, and went to the Bluff Harbor Marina to spend the night. We walked around checking out the marina and the showers. When Kip opened the door of the bathroom, a bird was in it. We decided to shower on the boat tonight (we haven't used it yet, so this is a good excuse to do so). There was a really neat boat lift at this marina. It loaded the boat from storage on a platform, and the platform went down and put the boat into the water (see picture above). Neat idea, huh?

Kip has decided to mount the grill on the boat tonight (it is actually mounted straight !!! it looks crooked in picture only). He is drilling a hole in the wood. I can't watch! I guess we are making supper on the boat tonight! We also decided that we are going to add another 30 amp power cord when we get home. Also, for Dana, the sailor's clock that kept him awake is now wound up again and working!!! We love it, but we also sleep in the v-bunks where we can't hear it at night! ha ha

About 8:00, we decided to find the DQ. We asked a couple from town and they said it was 2 blocks further. After about 2 miles, we found it. We started walking back, and a train was going over the tracks, so we had to stop and wait. The train stopped. Then, another train came, and it stopped too! We have no idea how to get back to the marina and we're stuck. We thought about crawling over the trains, but Kip thought we might get killed. So, we walked up a couple of blocks to a deserted warehouse district. Completely deserted. We sat for about 1 hour trying to figure out what to do... we tried to get into the warehouses to look around, no luck. All of a sudden we hear a chain clanking and a lantern swinging from down the tracks. A 350 pound, beer bellied, railroad working appeared, glistening in sweat. He was checking the air lines. We asked him how we could get through, and he said to follow him. We walked with him about 3 blocks, and we asked again where to go. He said, just let me get a few cars ahead and then crawl over the train to the road on the other side. So, that's what we did. Then, walking home, Kip found a payphone and called his dad, Carlo, collect, to tell him about the day (because it was getting late and we left our cell phones at the boat).

We went about 65 miles today. Kip has been taking pictures of all of the Roamers we've seen on our trip. You can see these pictures at http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/chris-craft-roamer-discussion/7202-taking-our-roamer-back-lake-city-mn.html#post45465

For more information about Roamers in general, here's a link:

http://www.geocities.com/alloyed2sea/

June 24, Sunday

We left St. Charles at 6:45 am. It is cloudy and cool, and we even had to crack out sweatshirts and rain gear. It rained off and on, but not very heavy. Because of rainfall further up the river, there is debris floating all over (logs, etc. -- lovingly called "deadheads"). We are both on the bridge reading navigational charts because the Garwin GPS isn't helping anymore, and watching for logs. If we should hit a big log, we would be in trouble. So far, all is ok. Many of the houses are on stilts, which looks so funny to us.

We went through three locks today, and we didn't really have to wait very long. We were both worried about locking with just two people, but it worked out fine. I put out the fenders and held the bow rope, and Kip grabbed the rope from the bridge. NO PROBLEM!

Our destination is Hannibel, Illinois, but the marina is full. So, Plan B. We are going 20 miles further to Quincy, Illinois. A few days ago Kip and Rick were talking about picking up a buoy from shore, but didn't get a chance. So, for Rick, we are posting a picture of 10 buoys on the shore, just ripe for picking.

The Art Keller marina is pretty simple, but nice. It is in a channel off of the Mississippi, and is not very close to anything. Most of the boats are 20-30' and are stored out of the water on some type of floats in their slip. Very different that what we are used to. One thing to note is that the bathrooms were like the ones you see at a state campground... open at the bottom and lots of bugs. Not nice at all. If you are picky about bathrooms, probably not the marina for you.

Our first day solo, and I am fondly recalling our honeymoon when we drove an entire day in Colorado looking at the world and did not eat!!!! I mentioned this to Kip, and he said "We ate, we had chips!" So, I am demanding Kip take me to the Pier Restaurant down the channel. This restaurant is built over the water, so it looks really fun. Finally, Kip gets to drive around in the dinghy!. He's been waiting for this moment the entire trip! As we are driving around, people are looking at us like we are from Mars! They don't have many dinghys here, I guess. Then, on the way back from the restaurant, Kip took me on a romantic cruise through the marina to look at the boats. The dinghy was deflating and the engine stopped, and Kip ended up rowing us back to the boat. Oh well....

We asked about the jumping fish, and Mike from the marina said they were Asian Carp, and nobody wants them around.

We drove 120 miles today in 9 hours. Gas at the Art Keller Marina is $3.04 a gallon; the slip is $40 per night; Dinner was $50.00; Trip of a lifetime, priceless.